by Emily Salvette (chair@mi.lp.org)
[main]:

Glad to be Back and Moving Forward

Thanks to Bill and Donna Gelineau and their committee who put together a wonderful LPM state convention on May 22. I’m honored to be able to serve as your state chair for another year and thank you for your confidence in me. Congratulations and thank you to all our 83 candidates selected at the convention. You join over 700 LP candidates nation-wide who will give voters the ability to choose freedom on November 2.

The national convention in St. Louis over Memorial Day weekend was very exciting. The new on-line credentialing system designed by Michigan’s Ben Bachrach worked flawlessly in certifying the 558 delegates who attended from around the country. (BTW, Ben was awarded a Distinguished Service Award at the convention for this extraordinary contribution.) The delegates elected a new national chair, Mark Hinkle from California, who has a long history of service to the Libertarian Party. And I’m glad to report the new Libertarian National Committee (LNC) looks like a good group that can work together.

Our LNC Region 3, composed of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky, continues its alliance. At a lively Region 3 caucus/party on Friday night, Rebecca Sink-Burris of Indiana was re-elected as our Regional Rep to the LNC. Andy Wolf from Indiana was selected as her alternate. In addition, Kevin Knedler, the LP of Ohio state chair, was elected as an at-large rep to the LNC, and our own Bill Hall was elected to the Judicial Committee with the highest vote total of the seven winners. Region 3 is well represented in the national leadership ranks.

Since returning from St. Louis, the Region 3 leadership has been discussing the possibility of having multi-state conventions in odd-numbered years instead of separate state conventions. This would be a full-weekend convention in a central location with ½ a day set aside for the states to have separate business meetings. Obviously, combining our resources like this would save money and allow us to bring in name speakers and expanded training opportunities. The down side, of course, is the travel. I’d be eager to hear your thoughts about such a plan.

As campaign season gears up, I know you’ll be very busy bringing the Libertarian message to voters in your community. Thanks for the vital work you’re doing as a candidate or campaign volunteer, and good luck in your efforts—America needs you now more than ever! And let’s take a moment to thank our political director, Bill Hall, whose tireless efforts at recruiting candidates, filing government paperwork, and guiding and supporting Libertarian campaigns has made our success possible.

For our leadership list, please check out this link:  http://www.michiganlp.org/ENewsletters/201007/LPM_Lead_2010.doc

by Bill Hall, Political Director
Email politics@mi.lp.org, Telephone 616-460-9516
[main]

Michigan Libertarian Candidate Presence on the Web

We have 83 Libertarian candidates qualified for the November general election ballot. 72 of those are statewide, Congressional or state legislative candidates, and not local candidates. One of our major priorities is to make sure each of these 72 candidates establishes a presence on the Internet with a professional-looking website.

I am working with Grand Rapids area Libertarian Ben Kohl to do just that. With the help of Steve Rakoczy, earlier this year we wrote “Philosophy” and “Issues” pages to use as templates for Congressional candidates and for State Senate and Representative candidates. I updated the “Contribute”, “Get Involved” and “Contact” forms of pages we used for our websites two years ago. Ben designed a standard candidate website page that looks a lot like his successful Libertarian Party of West Michigan website. In fact, the LPWM is graciously providing domain space again this year for the candidate websites. Go to http://www.lpwm.org/candidateInfo.php.

Ben Kohl has done a great job writing user friendly website software. He provides each candidate with a user name and password that permits them to log on and customize the “About Me” page of their website with their personal qualifications to run for office. They also have the ability to update their home page content regularly with events, blog posts and issues of special importance to them. Once they have provided the initial content, they have the ability to make their website live.

At the moment I am writing this article, Ben has completed 25 candidate websites, and eight websites have gone live. He is working on 21 more websites for which we have candidate photos. If you are a candidate who has yet to provide a digital photo for your website, please do so as soon as possible. If you don’t, and we can locate a photo of you in our archives or on the web, you may discover we have created a website for you without your input. For those candidates who have delayed making their websites live, be warned that we will do that for you in the near future, if you wait any longer.

For many voters and reporters, your candidacy is not “real”, if you don’t have a campaign Website. Let’s make it impossible for the media and public to ignore us! Libertarians have a lot to add to the political debate this year. A Web presence lets us articulate our message our way, directly to voters, without media bias.

 Let's kick it up a notch in 2K10!

 Fellow Patriots, 2010 will be a pivotal year in your local and State political landscape.  Never  before in the modern era has the American voting public been so hungry for a true  “change”.  People are learning more about the Founding Fathers, more about the  Constitution and  more about what true Liberty is. This desire to learn has brought unprecedented numbers of people looking at the Libertarian Party.

2010 is YOUR opportunity to inform people about what you are about. What WE are about and what the Libertarian ideal is. This is the year to inform people that their voice DOES count. When I first became a Libertarian about 10 years ago, 90% of the people I spoke to (if not more) didn’t even know what a Libertarian was!

Now, after people learned about Ron Paul and his Libertarian “bend” in 2008 and people like John Stossel have helped to further inform the public that there truly are options out there besides the “big two”…Michigan is primed to make a change. Just this past week Nevada took over the unenviable title that Michigan had as the state with the highest unemployment rate. This is one of the few times in my life where I didn’t mind not coming in first.

In West Michigan alone, Congressional Districts 1, 2 and 3 are open. The incumbents are retiring or have decided to run for other offices. People are listening to what we have to say. People are interested in pursuing true liberty! The GOP and the Dems have had 150 years to do a fine job of screwing things up. How about the people having a voice? How about the people not only feeling that they matter…but that the people really DO matter! Why…? Because the Libertarian Party trusts the people to trust in themselves. Libertarians believe that you can make the best decision for yourself and that you don’t need someone in marble halls in Washington D.C. making sweeping changes and legislation for you, your children and your family.

The Bill of Rights isn’t just a catch-phrase, it’s a way of life... not to be infringed upon by anyone. Michiganders have been infringed for far too long. This infringement has done nothing but create a state that is deep in debt, where people are leaving at record rates for states where there are jobs. Michigan is a state where small businesses can no longer afford to not only stay here, but new businesses are not coming here. Taxation is out of control, our state government is out of control.

So it is up to each and every one of you to take advantage of your state party and your local affiliates. Your local affiliates usually have monthly meetings; ATTEND THEM! Bring a friend, because it is that friend who will be part of the next generation of Libertarians. It could be that friend that tells a friend…who tells another friend who goes on to telling more…you get the idea.

So, make 2010 count. Be active, help others to learn about your affiliates, point people that you know towards your local affiliate, state or national LP websites. Be a part of the solution to Michigan’s problems…don’t be a part of the problem. I ask each of you to really work hard at becoming more active and involving others in your Libertarian based activities. With 83 candidates on the ballot, the more people we have learning about what it is we endorse and believe in, and the more votes we will have. It only takes one spark to start a fire. Let’s be the flint.

In Liberty,

Dan Johnson
(danjohnson_granite@sbcglobal.net)
Vice Chair, Libertarian Party of Michigan

by Scotty Boman

scottyeducation@yahoo.com

Make Dangerous ID the issue of 2010

Authors Note: At the 2010 Convention, the Libertarian Party of Michigan passed the following resolution,

“We oppose participation by the state of Michigan in the Real ID Act or similar federal identification database mandates. Specifically, we support the proposed state legislation known as the “BIOMETRIC AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION ACT" which allows individuals to exempt themselves from enrollment in an international biometric identification system, for reason of religious belief.”

Since then two important bills have been introduced on the Michigan House floor: HB 6208 and HR 6210. The Michigan Campaign for Liberty has posted information about these bills on their website as well as an online petition. I urge the reader to read about these bills and sign the petition at:

http://www.mic4l.com/campaigns/hb6208.php

It is difficult to be free in a society without privacy. Some liberty is possible under an authoritarian government when ones private behavior goes unnoticed. Privacy also gives us a certain amount of security from theft or fraud. A person is less likely to steal from us if they don’t know what we have, or where it is hidden. Privacy has become even more important (and difficult to maintain) in the information age, where data is swapped between faceless institutions, and life savings are protected by nothing more then a user ID and a password.

Governmental entities are rapidly moving to abuse information technology to strip away what is left of our privacy, liberty, and security. The basic ideas have been floated for decades in science fiction, and modern interpretations of ancient prophesies. Whether the context is religious or secular, the nightmare scenario is one in which every transaction is monitored by a central database. A system whereby every individual is marked or monitored.

The technology is already available. One tangible form is the RFID chip. RFID chips can be found in passports, enhanced credit cards, and certain types of debit cards. They can also take the form of implants. Companies like “Home Again” inject chips directly into pets, for identification purposes. They have also been used to track endangered species from a great distance. An article in the March 10 Science News reports, “The ability to study animals in the wild using microchips that store on board data or transmit data to Earth-orbiting satellites has revolutionized how we study animals in the most distant parts of the globe. The tags can relay information about the animal's movements, behavior, physiology or environmental surroundings in "real time," or "archive" the data for later retrieval.”

But nobody would consider doing this to humans, right? In a Time magazine article (Papua Proposal: A Microchip to Track the HIV-Positive), it has been reported that the legislature in an Indonesian province seriously considered using RFID technology to tag HIV-Positive residents and monitor the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, the governmental and trans-national organizations seek to chip our identification documents. The Real ID Act of 2005, and more recently the Pass Act, are designed to make State ID cards and drivers licenses into de-facto national ID cards, with RFID technology. Several states have chosen to opt out of the Real ID Act, but Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land saw fit to offer an “enhanced” drivers license or state ID, which includes RFID. While she is quick to point out these chipped ID cards are optional, there are other aspects of the Real ID Act and Pass Act that are more subtle, but no less dangerous.

They also call for enrolment in an international biometric system the would link ones identity with financial databases. The standards are provided, in part, by an agency of the United Nations called the International Civil Aviators Organization (ICAO). The Department of Homeland Security has been candid about their willingness to share biometric identity information with foreign and trans-national entities, and they do not feel bound by domestic privacy laws.

The most insidious aspect of a biometric identification system is that people can be enrolled and tracked without their consent or knowledge. The RFID chip is a physical object that poses a threat to privacy because it can be read remotely, but it must first be implanted, and some versions can only be read from less then a meter away. The data base sharing creates both a one-stop shop for identity thieves as well as a way for governments and privileged organizations to play Big Brother.

Merging biometric technology with an international database provides a means by which the same invasion of privacy can be achieved, without the use of an RFID. Visage Technology (now L-1 Identity Solutions) used a facial recognition camera system to scan the faces of people at the 2001 Super Bowl. L-1 Identity Solutions has partnered with the World Bank to build a knowledge sharing network.

Michigan’s Secretary of State can play a role in stopping this madness. At the very least, limiting the collection of biometric information, ending the issuance of RFID “enhanced” ID, and refusing to share people’s personal information with outside political entities. Please help me make stopping dangerous ID an issue in the 2010 election cycle.

“A great revolution of character in just a single man will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will cause a change in the destiny of all mankind.”
— Daisaku Ikeda

---

Note: Please submit photos and cartoons for inclusion in the monthly newsletter by sending them to E-Newsletter@michiganlp.org

The following review excerpts are courtesy LPM Webmaster Brian Wright's commentary and review site, The Coffee Coaster. If you would like to submit book or movie reviews please notify the editor.

Book Review
America: The Book
A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
by Jon Stewart

The unfortunate problem for books on political humor is that our system is in such dire extremis nothing is funny anymore. How does one perform a roast of the continuation of torture and rendition, or the mugging of the public treasury by Goldman Sachs et al, or the perpetuation of the coverup of the federales' actions in the 9/11 attacks, or the role of depleted uranium munitions in the deaths and birth defects of hundreds of thousands of human beings yet to come, or the continued ravages to our environment and property by government-franchised corporate scorched-earthers, and so on. Indeed, it's difficult to be funny now with Obama steering the ship of state onto the shoals... at least when Bush was destroying our country, we could make fun of his feeblemindedness.

Jon Stewart rises above these problems by being clever and diffuse in the target of his satire...
[full review ] [main]

Movie Review
The Hurt Locker
Good movie, unworthy of the two Oscars __ 7/10

Plot?

Well, we follow the bomb squad and get to learn all the processes for dismantling IEDs, including how the rest of the team provides cover from snipers or other threats. It's a hot, dirty, suspenseful job, and after the first incident most viewers get the point. The physical courage in the midst of chaos, as well as the camaraderie that develops, provides a solid basis for sympathy with the characters. And we learn about the main guy, James, as well as other men of the unit, what makes them all tick. So, well done. Further, we see the squad perform in a true combat situation, which crops up inexplicably. But it's a powerful pure "war movie" scene. ...
[full review] [main]

Take a stroll down memory lane with this excerpt from one of the longest-running state Libertarian newsletters. Today, check out the July-August issue of 1991. Click on this link for the full PDF version of this newsletter.

Newsletter editor Greg Stempfle has compiled the entire body of available Michigan Libertarian newsletters up on this page of the LPM Website.

Watch out for roosters with no bells,

[A letter-parable from LEC member Pam Sunderson]

Old Butch

John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs. He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.

To John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one. John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the St. Lawrence County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the "No Bell Piece Prize," but they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well.

Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the unsuspecting populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Vote carefully this fall, the bells are not always audible.

Pam Sunderson

---

We would like to hear feedback from you, real people, on any little thing, preferably with something short and punchy. Please voice your comments or opinions to the newsletter editor, Greg, via email by the 25th of the month... and we will post them.

---

Calendar

[main]

July 1 – Wayne County LP Monthly Meeting – 7 p.m. - Kiernans Steak House, 21931 Michigan Ave, Dearborn (at Monroe). Contact Ray Warner, 313-598-3666

July 1 – Livingston County LP Monthly Meeting - 7-8:30 pm. The newly re-organized Livingston County LP meets the first Thursday of each month at Cleary's Irish Pub, 117 E Grand River Ave, Howell 48843 (non-smoking area). After dinner, we will discuss Chapter 4, "The Constitution", from Ron Paul's book The Revolution: A Manifesto. Party business will include distributing yard signs and discussing community events we can take part in, plus unveiling our website. Come on out and join us! Contact Tim Keirnan mailTim@sbcglobal.net

July 4 – CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY!

July 5 - Tri-City LP Monthly Meeting – group meets on the 1st Monday of the month. Dinner at 6, meeting at 7 at Damon’s, 4960 Towne Centre Rd, Saginaw Township, MI 48604 (off Tittabawassee, just west of I-675 at exit 6). Everyone interested in liberty, from Bay, Saginaw, Midland, Genesee, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot and Isabella counties is invited. Contact Al Chia, chia4senate@gmail.com

July 6 – NOTE: the LP of St. Clair and Sanilac counties is no longer meeting now that Mark Byrne has moved out of state. If you would like to help reactivate this group, please contact LPM Affiliate Director, Dan Johnson, at dan.johnson40@gmail.com

July 7 – LP of Washtenaw County Monthly Business Meeting -7 to 9 pm at Classic Cup Cafe, 4389 Jackson Rd, Ann Arbor (In the Parkland Plaza west of Ann Arbor). Contact Larry Johnson, michlibertarian@comcast.net

July 7 – LP of South West Michigan Executive Committee Meeting – 6:00 – 6:50 pm at IHOP, 1981 Pipestone Rd., Benton Harbor. Guests are welcome. Followed by: Round Table Political Forum hosted by the LP of South West Michigan. 7-9 pm at The Livery, 190 Fifth St, Benton Harbor. Visitors are welcome to participate. Contact Bill Bradley, 269-637-4525, Dan Grow, grow.daniel@gmail.com.

July 13 – Capital Area LP Monthly Meeting – 7 pm at former LPM office, 2722 E Michigan Ave, Ste 22, Lansing (park and enter in back). Contact Will Tyler White, 517-349-3806, whitewi5@msu.edu

July 21 – LP of Oakland County Monthly Meeting – The LP of Oakland County meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. 6:30 pm dinner, 7:30 meeting. Sila's Restaurant, 4033 W. 12 Mile (2 blocks east of Greenfield), Berkley. This month, join us for a roundtable discussion of strategic primary voting. Contact Johnny Skosnik, LPOC Secretary, jskosnik@heyitsdraftjohn.com, 248-840-8604.

July 21 – Libertarians of Macomb County Monthly Meeting - All members of the Libertarian Party, their friends and family, and anyone interested in learning more about the LP are invited to attend. The meeting begins at 7:30 but feel free to join us for good food and conversation at 6:30 pm at the Loon River Café, 34911 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights. Contact Jim Allison, jim.e.allison@gmail.com

July 21-24 – Ann Arbor Art Fair – 10 am – 9 pm - LP of Washtenaw County will again be hosting an information booth during the Fair. Volunteers needed to work at this fun, well-attended event. Contact Larry Johnson, michlibertarian@comcast.net

July 27 – LP of Calhoun County Monthly Meeting - Executive Committee, 7 p.m. Please contact Jack Worsham for location. (269) 963-2679, WORSHAM74@aol.com

August 2 - Tri-City LP Monthly Meeting – group meets on the 1st Monday of the month. Dinner at 6, meeting at 7 at Damon’s, 4960 Towne Centre Rd, Saginaw Township, MI 48604 (off Tittabawassee, just west of I-675 at exit 6). Everyone interested in liberty, from Bay, Saginaw, Midland, Genesee, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot and Isabella counties is invited. Contact Al Chia, chia4senate@gmail.com

August 4 – LP of Washtenaw County Monthly Business Meeting -7 to 9 pm at Classic Cup Cafe, 4389 Jackson Rd, Ann Arbor (In the Parkland Plaza west of Ann Arbor). Contact Larry Johnson, michlibertarian@gmail.com

August 4 – LP of South West Michigan Executive Committee Meeting – 6:00 – 6:50 pm at IHOP, 1981 Pipestone Rd., Benton Harbor. Guests are welcome. Followed by: Round Table Political Forum hosted by the LP of South West Michigan. 7-9 pm at The Livery, 190 Fifth St, Benton Harbor. Visitors are welcome to participate. Contact Bill Bradley, 269-637-4525, Dan Grow, grow.daniel@gmail.com.

August 5 – Wayne County LP Monthly Meeting – 7 p.m. - Kiernans Steak House, 21931 Michigan Ave, Dearborn (at Monroe). Contact Ray Warner, 313-598-3666 August 5 – Livingston County LP Monthly Meeting - 7-8:30 pm. The newly re-organized Livingston County LP meets the first Thursday of each month at Cleary's Irish Pub, 117 E Grand River Ave, Howell 48843 (non-smoking area). The meeting will have 4 parts: Mingling (over dinner, if you want), studies in liberty, news and party business. Contact Tim Keirnan mailTim@sbcglobal.net

August 10 – Capital Area LP Monthly Meeting – 7 pm at former LPM office, 2722 E Michigan Ave, Ste 22, Lansing (park and enter in back). Contact Will Tyler White, 517-349-3806, whitewi5@msu.edu

August 10 – LP of West Michigan Monthly Meeting – 6:30 pm. The LPWM meets on the second Tuesday of each month at Perkins Restaurant, 5121 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512 (just off I 96). Contact Nick Sundquist, Nicholas.sundquist@yahoo.com, 231-750-5468

August 18 – LP of Oakland County Monthly Meeting – The LP of Oakland County meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. 6:30 pm dinner, 7:30 meeting. Sila's Restaurant, 4033 W. 12 Mile (2 blocks east of Greenfield), Berkley. Contact Johnny Skosnik, LPOC Secretary, jskosnik@heyitsdraftjohn.com, 248-840-8604.

August 18 – Libertarians of Macomb County Monthly Meeting - All members of the Libertarian Party, their friends and family, and anyone interested in learning more about the LP are invited to attend. The meeting begins at 7:30 but feel free to join us for good food and conversation at 6:30 pm at the Loon River Café, 34911 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights. Contact Jim Allison, jim.e.allison@gmail.com

August 18 – LP of Washtenaw County Social/Work Meeting -7 to 9 pm at Classic Cup Cafe, 4389 Jackson (In the Parkland Plaza west of Ann Arbor). Contact Larry Johnson, michlibertarian@gmail.com

August 20-22 – Ypsilanti Heritage Festival – LP of Washtenaw County will again be hosting an information booth during the Festival. Volunteers needed to work at this fun, well-attended event. Contact Larry Johnson, michlibertarian@gmail.com

August 31– LP of Calhoun County Monthly Meeting - Executive Committee, 7 p.m. Please contact Jack Worsham for location. (269) 963-2679, WORSHAM74@aol.com

---

More...

For all events, see the full online calendar on the Website:
http://www.mi.lp.org/Shared Documents/Calendar.aspx

The Michigan Libertarian ONLINE is distributed on the first of each month. Send calendar events and news articles by the 25th of the prior month to:
e-newsletter@michiganlp.org

Note: The final print edition of the Michigan Libertarian is available online at http://www.mi.lp.org/Past%20Newsletters/ Michigan%20Libertarian%2038.2%20summer%202009.pdf

---

About the Michigan Libertarian

[main]

The Michigan Libertarian is published/posted on the first of each month. Send calendar events and news/articles to e-newsletter@michiganlp.org by the 25th of the prior month.

The Michigan Libertarian is one of the longest-running Libertarian newsletters in the country, debuting in 1973 shortly after the founding of the Libertarian Party of Michigan. The "new" Michigan Libertarian (a predominantly online version) debuted on August 1, 2009 and replaced the monthly LPMOnline and the printed-and-mailed ML.  We will post on the Website and deliver via email on the first of every month. A printed version of the new Michigan Libertarian will be sent free to anyone who signs up, which you may do at the LPM web site www.mi.lp.org (or www.michiganlp.org).

LPM members who need a hard copy may request one be mailed to them by contacting
e-newsletter@michiganlp.org or calling the LPM toll-free number 888-Free-Now.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe to Newsletter
You are subscribed to a newsletter email list on http://test.michiganlp.org/mailinglist: Click here to modify your message preferences or to unsubscribe from any future mailings. We respect all unsubscribe requests.

Newsletter URL (Webpage address for this issue of the ML):
http://www.michiganlp.org/ENewsletters/201007/201007_ML.html

###