Archive for May, 2008

SAF blasts Brady bunch over effort to block pro-gun judicial nominees

Posted in Back Door Politics by R Lee Wrights on May 31st, 2008

by SAF staff

SAFIn their continuing effort to destroy the Bill of Rights, the Brady Campaign has launched a joint effort with the extremist CREDO Action to block confirmation of federal judicial nominees who accept the Second Amendment as protective of a fundamental individual civil right.

“If there were ever any question that the zealots at the Brady Campaign are determined to crush individual freedom and liberty in this nation,” said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, “this new fund raising effort should put that question to rest. This is yet another outrageous example of the extreme ends to which they will go in order to stack our federal courts with far left activist judges whom they hope will trample the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

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Huck’s fin: There’s a lot under it including lessons for libertarians

Posted in The Freedom Beam by R Lee Wrights on May 28th, 2008

by Roderick T. Beaman 

A critic once wrote that a person could read “Huckleberry Finn” every year of his life and get something out of it each time. I agree with that.

So far in my life, I’ve read it at least six times, most recently about five years ago and, once again, I got something new out of it. With its observations about the human condition, it’s never far from my mind.

The book has been made into at least three movies and one Broadway musical, Big River. The movies all seem to include a lot of music, evoking the feelings of the time but the book doesn’t mention much music. The minstrel music of the time always abounds with harmonicas and banjoes predominating.

The plot centers around Huck trying to escape from his drunkard father’s beatings and a slave, Jim, trying to escape from his master who, he overheard, wants to sell him and take him away from his wife and children. They meet up on an island in the middle of the Mississippi, fashion a raft from flotsam after a storm and journey down the river. Along the way, they encounter a slew of characters who serve as fodder for Samuel Clemens’, aka Mark Twain’s, parables.

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Libertarian at all governmental levels

Posted in Liberty's Friend by R Lee Wrights on May 27th, 2008

by William P. McMillen

Gadsden FlagLibertarians believe in the right of individuals to live their lives as they see fit so long as they do not interfere with the equal rights of others.  This basic principal when applied to human interaction allows for a peaceful harmonious society which is tolerant of the choices that others make even when we believe those choices to be wrong.

The formation of governments as a means to achieve some common purpose or provide for some desired service does not abrogate the basic individual right to personal sovereignty.

This nation’s founding documents recognize and assert the concept of individual rights, and the first ten amendments to the Constitution recognize and enumerate certain rights.  The Ninth Amendment makes clear that there are other rights that are retained by the people and the Tenth Amendment indicates that certain powers not provided for elsewhere in the Constitution may be allowed to the states unless prohibited by the Constitution.  Powers prohibited to the states would be any law or policy that denied the rights listed in the first eight amendments and any additional rights, not specifically referenced but that may be inferred from the first eight amendments and the ninth amendment.

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Massachusetts, the Moron State

Posted in Liberty Rant by R Lee Wrights on May 26th, 2008

by Larken Rose

courtesy of Kevin TumaWell, an important question is about to appear as a ballot initiative in the state of Massachusetts. The question to be on the ballot is this: “Are the people of Massachusetts the biggest morons on the planet?”

Okay, that’s not the exact wording, but that question will be answered. The real question is whether the state income tax should be abolished. If the people of Massachusetts answer with a resounding “No, we like being extorted and robbed blind!” then it will be confirmed once and for all that the majority of people in Massachusetts are dumb as stumps (as if the constant re-electing of Ted Kennedy wasn’t proof enough).

Of course, the control freaks are having hissy fits about the possibility of losing their extortion racket, predicting doom and gloom, and using words like “chaos,” “devastating,” and “catastrophe.” Well yes, it certainly would be a devastating catastrophe for the parasite class, but it would obviously be a huge boon to the people in the state who are actually productive. So the megalomaniacs of Massachusetts have formed the ridiculously named “Coalition for Our Communities,” which is trying to convince the rabble that being robbed is GOOD for them. And the idiocy the crooks use in an effort to persuade people is just amazing.

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Republic vs. democracy

Posted in Liberty Points by R Lee Wrights on May 25th, 2008

by Brian Irving

Brian IrvingIf you’ve ever been in a discussion trying to explain libertarian ideas to a so-called liberal, or even a conservation, you might have used the argument that we live in a Republic, not a democracy. When I have made that point, invariably the other party rolls their eyes, or says something like, “What’s the difference?” or “They’re the same thing.”

Score six points for government-run public schools. When I went to high school in the “olden days” (the Sixties) we learned the difference, but even then the distinction was gray. However, what I learned about the founding of our nation strength then has been reinforced by reading of done as an adult.

One of the resources I came across is website, the Nitty Gritty Law Library & Sovereign’s Paradise, (http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/index.html). The site has a discussion of the concept of a republic vs. a democracy and one of the references is to the definition of these terms published in, of all things the U.S. Department of War Training Manual No. 200-25, 1928 edition.

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Bloomberg outrage: Asks judge to ban Second Amendment references

Posted in Dangerous Politics by R Lee Wrights on May 24th, 2008

by SAF staff

SAFNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has moved from outrage to atrocity by asking anti-gun activist federal Judge Jack B. Weinstein to ban any reference to the Second Amendment during a civil lawsuit trial beginning May 27 against Georgia gun dealer Jay Wallace, proprietor at Adventure Outdoors.

The New York Sun reported that Bloomberg’s attorneys made the request. Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, said the move clearly shows that Bloomberg has “total disregard not only for the Second Amendment, but also the First.”

Bloomberg’s attorney on this case, Eric Proshansky, has reportedly argued in a brief that “Any references to the Second Amendment or analogous state constitutional provisions are likewise irrelevant” to the upcoming trial.

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What is the Libertarian Party?

Posted in LFA Flashback by R Lee Wrights on May 23rd, 2008

by R. Lee Wrights 

R. Lee WrightsI know, I know… it seems like an odd question. After all these years I wish it were a question that needs no answer. Sadly, such is not the case.

Even among the party’s own membership the answer to this question is still being debated more than thirty-five years after the founding of the party. It seems kind of silly to me. No one knows better than I how complicated politics can be; however, even in the mad, mad, mad, mad world of politics, some things remain quite simple. So, this is my attempt to give, as it appears to me, the obvious answer to a very simple question - What is the Libertarian Party?

I think we can begin with a more general question, “What is a political party?” Any political party, no matter what moniker they collectively agree to hang upon themselves, is basically a group of people. A group of individuals choosing to organize themselves according to the common bond they share in the political world of philosophy and ideas. These groups form an agenda, a plan if you will, their plan for running the government. They choose their leaders and spokesmen, call them candidates, and vie against other groups with their own agendas in public elections. Whichever party wins gets to own the government throughout the current election cycle. It is not perfect, but it is a relatively peaceful means for civilized nations to govern themselves. All that being said, political parties are still quite simply - groups of individuals.

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We need to end the drug war!

Posted in NtheDrgWar by R Lee Wrights on May 22nd, 2008

by Dr. Mary Ruwart 

Dr. Mary RuwartRecently I was asked about my stance concerning the War on Drugs. I support an end to all drug prohibition.  Here are some answers to questions I’ve given in the past:

We need to outlaw drugs to protect our children.

To save our children, we need to get drugs out of our schools. The only way to do that is to take the profit out through re-legalization.  You don’t see pushers selling tobacco and alcohol in the schools because there isn’t the profit margin that prohibition brings.  If we’re serious about saving our kids, we have to stop the pushers by slashing their profits.

The War on Drugs can’t even keep drugs out of our well-guarded prisons–how can we be so naive as to think it can keep them out of our schools?

If we legalize drugs, won’t more people turn to crime to fund their drug addiction?

Making drugs illegal drives up their prices a hundred-fold, so addicts must steal to support their habit.  People rarely steal to buy alcohol or cigarettes, even though these substances are addictive too.  Decriminalizing drugs will end the stealing and make our streets safer.

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Root or Barr would destroy the LP

Posted in Back Door Politics by R Lee Wrights on May 21st, 2008

by Jarret B. Wollstein, founder SIL

Jarret WollsteinSince co-founding the Society for Individual Liberty (now the International Society for Individual Liberty — www.isil.org) in 1969, I’ve worked with many people to advance liberty. I’ve also seen other movement organizations come and go, and a few which have endured.

One such enduring organization has been the Libertarian Party. LP founder David Nolan first proposed the formation of a libertarian political party in an article in SIL’s magazine, The Individualist, in 1971. A year later, the LP ran its first presidential slate.

Over the years I’ve watched the Libertarian Party go from meeting in David Nolan’s Denver apartment to boasting affiliates in every state. I’ve watched its presidential slate go from fewer than 4,000 votes to nearly a million, then fall back below half a million where it’s been stuck for nearly 30 years. Like many libertarians, I’ve had my doubts about the LP’s efficacy and value. But this year, I fear for something even more important: The party’s soul.

For several years, the LP seems to have been caught in the black hole that the Republican Party has become. What was once a glorious “neither left nor right” coalition of freedom-lovers has increasingly become a political retirement home for disgruntled and unsuccessful Republicans. Now “Republicanitis” threatens to destroy everything the Libertarian Party stands for.

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Munger: Governor proposes tax hikes to support waste and pork

Posted in Press Releases by R Lee Wrights on May 20th, 2008

from LPNC

Michael MungerNorth Carolina has a budget surplus this year, but rather than returning this money to its rightful owners, Gov. Mike Easley is looking for new ways to raise more money to waste on pet projects and pork barrel spending.

“That’s not so surprising,” said Dr. Mike Munger, Libertarian candidate for governor. “Our leaders think that they own our tax money, so returning would never occur to them.”

“But what I can’t understand is the governor’s proposal to raise taxes even further, on North Carolina’s poorest citizens,” Dr. Munger said. “If we have a surplus, why is it necessary to raise taxes on alcohol and tobacco?”

The governor has proposed a $21.4 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. This is a $1 billion increase in the state budget. And despite a $150 million surplus, Governor Easley is proposing increased taxes on beer, wine, alcohol and tobacco.

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