Idaho Libertarian Times

Lee Wrights Petition!

Please sign this petition on line at

http://www.petitiononline.com/LPsust/petition.html

If you sign the paper petition, please return it to the circulator or mail it to Rachel Hawkridge, 10522 Lake City Way NE #C-103, Seattle, WA 98125
Petition To The Judicial Committee To Overturn Actions Of The Libertarian National Committee Falsely Claiming To Have Removed R. Lee Wrights From The Libertarian National Committee.
Let the Judicial Committee know that as "a Sustaining Member of the Libertarian Party. Pursuant to Article 8, Section 5, I find that the attempted removal of R. Lee Wrights, At-Large Member of the Libertarian National Committee, from the National Committee, without a 2/3 vote of the National Committee, contravenes Bylaws Article 8, Section 5. I affirm his position as an At-Large Representative and ask, per Article 8, Section 12, that the Judicial Committee overturn this attempted removal and direct that Wrights be recognized as an At-Large Member of the National Committee."

Rep. Jane Harman = Domestic Terrorist?

    Representative Jane Harman is making news lately for her alleged betrayal of the United States by offering to intervene on behalf of Israeli spies. The AIPAC representatives who were posing as students purportedly turned over secret documents that detailed American policy proposals towards Iran before they had even been debated.

    Obviously there are domestic enemies of the United States in Congress these days, but the American people have been wondering who the culprits are. It seems likely that Harman is one of them. If the NSA tapes are revealed to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Representative Harman offered to intervene to protect spies then should she be dealt with as we did with other spies? It is wartime after all.

    The Department of Homeland security is hard at work painting honest veterans and anti-abortion groups as extremists. One wonders when the traitors on Capitol Hill will be prosecuted by the DHS as domestic terrorists? Don't hold your breath on that one.

    Interestingly enough the congresswoman had been fighting in previous years for expanded surveillance powers. Hey, if you've got nothing to hide, why worry about them listening in, eh Congresswoman?

So, here's the question of the day.

The Lee Wrights Fiasco

Forward: by Lonnie Holcomb
Something is afoot in the LNC & LPHQ
After the notable expulsion Angela Keaton the LP then just 3 months later, has removed Lee Wrights after alleging he forgot to pay his dues, as a regular party member it would be understandable if I forgot & the LP didn't call me. But Lee wasn't rank & file, he was on the LNC, they knew how to get a hold of him, had they wanted to.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rachel Hawkridge

Once again, some of our National Committee is trying to expel a lifelong freedom fighter, dedicated activist, and Libertarian National Committee member.

First, it was Angela Keaton - TWO valuable meetings were consumed with abusing her. Now the target is Lee Wrights. (If you haven't heard - the posted eMails from Secretary and Chair to Lee are factually correct here http://bit.ly/zlKSh

Within one hour, Lee was notified, and then his seat was offered up to the State Chairs list. Staff claims to have sent 2 snail mail notices, but Lee has moved recently. Meanwhile, other members receive eMail notifications that their memberships are about to lapse. And Lee's eMail address and phone number haven't changed in some time - both Staff and the Committee have those . . . they *were* on the LP Leadership page. By the time I got to the eMail that announced a vacancy (1 hour later), Lee's name and picture had already been removed from the website.

Lee has just revealed that the eMail address that HQ had in the database for him was one that he has never given to the LP, and hasn't used for years. The office sent out a spreadsheet with contact information for the entire LNC, and my own eMail address was incorrect, despite the fact that my correct address was on the LP Leadership webpage(like Lee's).

It seems to point to a systematic purge. And sets a precedent - if some of the Committee don't like you, no matter that you were elected by a majority at National Convention, that you have poured heart, soul, Time, Treasure and Sacred Honor into the movement, the party, the people - you can be picked off, expelled by someone who feels that they have the authority to decide.

You, or your favorite activist, could be elected to LNC, dedicate vast amounts of Time, Treasure and Sacred Honor to Liberty, and then have staff either lose your contact information, or lose your dues check, or forget to change your renewal date, and open your eMail one day to find you've been expelled.

If you are involved with the Libertarian Party, then please take a moment to write a fresh note (no forwards, please!), and send it to the LNC. Blind CC: your LP friends and acquaintances that feel the same way you do.

Thanks for your support! :o)

Outline your history with the LP; I've been a member of LPWA for 15 years, voted LP for 10 years before that, I was a delegate to Denver, Portland, etc; I've always considered myself a libertarian. I've been a candidate and got votes in my race. I've given money and many hours to LP over the last 15 years.

I am sick and tired of the fighting, and I want it to stop. I'll be ending my (contribution, involvement, support for, whatever) if you do not stop the attempts to purge valuable activists.

I plan to be at Convention 2010 . . . and voting my values . . .

Please keep your letters professional, respectful and credible. Personalize them say what is true for you.

Send them to: chair@lp.org, rwsully@att.net, michael@resetamerica.com, starrcpa@pacbell.net, chair@lptexas.org, narwhal3@gmail.com, mary@ruwart.com, agmattson@gmail.com, TRLeap@aol.com, freeutahns@yahoo.com, mark@garlic.com, scott73@earthlink.net, rebecca.sinkburris@gmail.com, jaxonusa@msn.com, sff@ivo.net, Heatherscott01@hotmail.com, jwlark@virginia.edu, berlie@etzel.us, Dankarlan@earthlink.net, jfox1214@sbcglobal.net, jake@jakeporter.org, LPWA.com1@gmail.com, freedhwy@gmail.com

If you can, consider coming to St. Louis for the July 2009 LNC meeting.

We are now set up for you to make reservations for the next LNC Meeting July 18th and 19th in St. Louis.

The hotel is the same as our convention hotel:

Renaissance St. Louis Grand & Suites Hotel

Toll-free: 1-800-397-1282

Stacie.Adkisson@RenaissanceHotels.com

Follow the links below to make your reservation. The reservation screen is on your right side and it will be pre-filled with our group discount code which is: lnclnca

The hotel is $3.50 cent ride way from the airport via the Metrolink Subway. Transportation info is located here:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/stldt-renaissance-st-louis-grand-and-suites-hotel/

Barbarous Afghans demand right to rape their wives

In Kabul this week, dozens of Afghan women marched for the right to not be raped by their husbands. A new law has sparked an international response after being enacted last March. In this legislation, Afghan men can demand sex from their wives every four days. It also has stipulations that control how women can appear in public. The women who were brave enough to march against the legislation were pelted by rocks and called dogs.

So here's the question. As Libertarians how do we respond to something of this nature. Obviously we would say we never should have been there in the first place, but the reality is we are there, and we are the puppet masters of their government. So, if we as American taxpayers are already footing the bill to govern these Shiite Muslim brutes, should we have a say in the legislative process? If we are going to go ahead and spread democracy at the barrel of a gun, then how about we put an AK in these evolutionary throwbacks faces? Would that violate the non aggression principle? If the Afghan women seek for us to defend them against force, then is it consistent with a libertarian philosophy?

Obama has called the legislation abhorrent, and Hamid Karzai has placed it under review, but I'm curious what the Libertarian community thinks of this.

Update: It turns out they can't rape them... but they can starve them! Ahh much better right?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1170175/New-Afghan-law-does-allow-marital-rape--lets-men-refuse-feed-wives-deny-sex-says-cleric.html?ITO=1490

Went to a Tea Party today, Had a Mahvelous time!

Well here we are working for change, here are scenes from the Tea Party we had in Boise. As you will observe, its not just not just a bunch of uptight white rednecks, the really revealing point is the truly bipartisan nature of today's event, There were Republicans, Democrats & Libertarians there, I saw a good 1/2 dozen posters asking where or who is john Gault. That in & of itself was a priceless sight for me. Without further ado here's the pictures;
This is Andrew, He came with his parents

Here is a the group at Ann Morrison Park

This is Cyndi Johnson

Here is Darryl Ford one of the event staff

Harry & Barbara Dutton

here's a Picture At Julia Davis Park

Here is John Smith's opinion on the issue

This is Patrick Collier
This is Patrick Collier's Sign

This is Loren & Pamela & their family's

This is Sabrina Thissell

Here is Sue Powell

here is Tom Gould

This is Warren Rekow

Dear I.R.S.

"Dear I.R.S. , I'm afraid I'm going to accidently forget to pay my taxes this year. But don't worry....I will suddenly remember and pay them, if the President ever appoints me to a cabinet position."    Mallard Fillmore 4-14-09  (aka Bruce Tinsley)

News Flash! Lee Wrights Bounced fom LNC

It was passed to me in an IRC channel tonight that Lee Wrights LNC member was Removed from the LNC. The reason stated was due to Mr Wrights failing to pay his dues. The expulsion comes at a sensitive time for the LP, the part I find interesting is as an LNC member the national party HQ most definitely had Mr. Wrights phone number, is it really that hard to call some one? I mean an LNC member is part of the management structure, you'd think you'd want to keep in touch on something like this??? HMMM Interesting!

So Much For Change!

In a stunning reversal, the Obama Administration has decided to continue the cover-up of the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program. EFF has been fighting to hold the government and telcos accountable for this illegal surveillance since 2005. Now, the Obama Administration is asking a court to throw out our latest lawsuit challenging the NSA's dragnet spying, this one against the government directly. This attempt to shield the surveillance program from court scrutiny is a stark reminder that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, no matter who is sitting in the Oval Office.

Please help EFF in the ongoing fight for accountability:

http://secure.eff.org/wiretapping

The Obama Administration is arguing that the wiretapping program is a "state secret" and that the courts are barred from ever judging its legality. Even worse, they're arguing that under the PATRIOT Act, the United States government possesses complete "sovereign immunity" against lawsuits for spying that violates federal privacy laws. It's a shocking argument that even the Bush Administration never made.

EFF cannot fight this alone. Over 70% of EFF's funding comes from individuals like you. Please lend your support to our ongoing efforts to secure accountability from the government, end the warrantless surveillance, and deliver justice to the countless ordinary Americans caught in the NSA's surveillance net!

Now, the Obama Administration is asking a court to throw out our latest lawsuit challenging the NSA's dragnet spying, this one against the government directly. This attempt to shield the surveillance program from court scrutiny is a stark reminder that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, no matter who is sitting in the Oval Office. Please help EFF in the ongoing fight for accountability: http://secure.eff.org/wiretapping The Obama Administration is arguing that the wiretapping program is a "state secret" and that the courts are barred from ever judging its legality. Even worse, they're arguing that under the PATRIOT Act, the United States government possesses complete "sovereign immunity" against lawsuits for spying that violates federal privacy laws. It's a shocking argument that even the Bush Administration never made. EFF cannot fight this alone. Over 70% of EFF's funding comes from individuals like you. Please lend your support to our ongoing efforts to secure accountability from the government, end the warrantless surveillance, and deliver justice to the countless ordinary Americans caught in the NSA's surveillance net!">

A call for Unity, A call for Leadership

In all the acrimony & screaming were seeing in the news with the bailouts of what we've seen so far & the then the Fed coming out saying well, they might need more money. One thing we need to understand, is we're all in this together, yes the Republicans have sold out to the Democrats & until the at the very least, the next election cycle is completed, the Democrats will have unchecked reign. Thats the Bad News!

Here's the Good News
We're $11,000,000,000,000.00 in the hole. We are in debt to our adams apples & there is only one way out of it, pay it off! Thats right its coming out of our mutual pocket books. mutually, were laying debt at the feet of our children & their children as well.

Now if thats not good enough Here is a point I'd like to make. Our 11 trillion dollars in debt we are in as of now is only one third larger than the loss we took on September 11 2001, on the 3 days after 9/11 the american economy lost 9 trillion dollars in lost revenue. While still 2 trillion short of our current calamity, I still dont see an end of the world scenario today, we pulled out of the mess then & we'll pull out of this mess now.

But the one thing I'd love to point out is when we pull out, the American People won't quickly for get who got us in to this mess to begin with. We as Libertarians need to remember this, this could be our moment to set aside personal differences & to come together for a greater cause. That of Liberty!

At this point I'm going to ask, if you can afford to, run for any office. While in many places at the local level, it is becoming more & more common to see Libertarians, but we can always use more people effecting a change. I'd also admonish you to consider state & federal legislative offices, places where we truly are a minority, & in the US House a nonexistant element as of yet. I hate to say it, but it is trying times like these that we have our chance to show what we stand for & what we can do if given the chance.
I want you to
Make a stand
Make a difference
Run for office

Income Tax is Voluntary says Harry Reid, Tea Parties Cancelled!

posted by Austin Petersen on Apr 10, 2009

Citizens across America rejoiced on hearing the news that the income tax is voluntary. We have it straight from the mouth of one of our elected representatives. Senator Harry Reid in this short clip describes our tax system as a voluntary system. I’m sure that’s a relief for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who may not have filed their taxes yet. If you were thinking about going to a Tea Party this coming Wednesday, I guess you can stay home.
">
Dictionary.com defines voluntary as:
vol⋅un⋅tar⋅y
1. done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution.
2, acting or done without compulsion or obligation.

I’m not certain what standards of definition they are using over on Capitol Hill, but I always thought that voluntary meant I didn’t have to do it if I didn’t want to.

Well, if you decide to go to the tea party events anyway, check our earlier blog or contact your LP affiliate for an appropriate event near your town. Make sure to bring LP brochures and sign up sheets for new members! If you are an LP candidate this will be a great way for you to spread the word about your campaign. Don’t hesitate to call or email me at LP National if you need help! Here’s the links to our posts:

http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarians-cordially-invite-you-to-a-tea-party

http://www.lp.org/blogs/donny-ferguson/you-are-cordially-invited-to-a-tea-party

Now go dump some tea!

In Liberty,

Austin Petersen

Director of Outreach

austin.petersen@lp.org