Free? State Libertarian ISSN 1076-3155
Volume 22 Issue 3
The Free? State Libertarian is published quarterly by the Libertarian Party of Maryland. All material is copyrighted 2000 and may be reproduced, provided credit is given as follows: "Reprinted from the Free? State Libertarian."
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Table of Contents
State Executive Board Officers
Campaign Report: Joe Pomykala for Congress, 3rd District
Maryland Libertarian Party Fall Convention
Book Review: SIC ITUR AD ASTRA
The 2000 National LP Convention -- A Personal Report
A Case for Repealing the Endangered Species Act
Spring Central Committee Meeting
$500 Available for Lobbying in Maryland
MdLP Party Status and the Presidential Election
The Little Red Hen Once Upon a Time
Lorenzo Gaztañaga Elected to LNC
From the Trenches ... County Chapter Notes
Regularly Scheduled Libertarian Gatherings
Chair: Steve Boone 410-789-4249 LPChairMD*aol.com
Vice Chair: Spear Lancaster 410-923-3331 SpearLib*aol.com
Secretary: Stuart Simms 301-681-4455 SWSimms*aol.com
Treasurer: Joe Miller 410-789-3899 hatsIwear*aol.com
Procedures/Youth: Nick Sarwark 301-562-0640 NSarwark*cuc.edu
Membership: Wayne Dougherty 301-834-6179 WDarty*aol.com
Road Show Outreach: Bill Galvin 301-990-0015 Liberty4Bill*aol.com
The executive board meets monthly. All meetings are open. Contact Steve
Boone for date and location.
Anne Arundel County: Spear Lancaster 410-923-3331 SpearLib*aol.com
Baltimore City: Susan Gaztañaga 410-325-2813 DiazVivar*aol.com
Baltimore County: Nancy Millionie 410-833-8991 LibertyGrl*aol.com
Frederick County: Wayne Dougherty 301-834-6179 WDarty*aol.com
Harford County: Derek Mancinho 410-836-3104 Mancinho*aol.com
Howard County: Kevin & Deborah Wolf 410-750-8531 Wolf8495*aol.com
Prince Georges County: Andrew Chawla 301-442-0736 Eightiesoid*hotmail.com
Montgomery County: Glenn Howard 301-585-1793 Glenn*tidalwave.net
Washington County: Kurt Sabert Freedom1*innernet.net
Joe
Pomykala was in Annapolis on August 7, 2000, with his son Kyle, and daughter
Claire. Several of the campaign volunteers were also on hand. The group
filed 4,243 signatures with Donna Duncan at the State Board of Elections.
Would 1,155 sigs over the 3,088 needed be enough? We would know within
20 days, according to law.
The drive for Joe unfortunately fell short by about 660 sigs. The validity rates were unexpectedly low, and Joe will not be listed on the ballot. Despite not achieving the ballot access goal, this is still an incredible opportunity for the Libertarian Party of Maryland.
Hearty thanks go to, in no particular order: Spear Lancaster, Lorenzo and Susan Gaztañaga, Tony Spezio, Bill Buzzell, Gail Mangum, John Lipka, all who contributed time and effort in volunteer signature-gathering. Our paid guys, too, deserve kudos: Joel Stevens from Silver Spring; Tom Dillin from Arlington, VA; Andy Jacobs from Camp Hill, PA; and Bob Lynch from Richmond, VA. In the heat, rain, and all the other weather, these folks were out trying to make sure Joe got enough sigs!
The campaign will continue as a write-in effort, and the all-volunteer campaign staff plans to stay together to work as hard as possible to ensure a good total for him. What's even better, several new volunteers -- completely new to the Maryland LP -- have signed on to do what they can to help out.
Certified write-in candidates are listed on signs placed next to the sample ballots posted at every polling place (and our people must make sure that those signs are UP on November 7). Many voters do consult the Sample Ballot before casting their vote. The write-in procedure is fairly painless in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard Counties -- one simply writes the candidate's name in on the line and connects the head and tail of the arrow. It's a little more difficult in Baltimore City because one must use a keypad to insert the candidate's name, but, it's not impossible.
This is a wonderful opportunity, because the Party has not had much of a chance to develop real campaign skills -- we've never consistently run candidates in the past. And, it gives us the chance to hone our skills so that we can run better campaigns in 2002. Having the candidate this year also keeps the LP in the voters' minds, and will make it easier when 2002 rolls around. We won't have to keep answering "who are you guys? Never heard of you."
Issues that can be used to bring attention to Ben Cardin's record are being dredged up by our opposition research volunteer, Anthony Frontuto, who has already discovered that Ben voted to keep "Know Your Customer" and other governmental snooping measures.
Another new volunteer, Trevor Reid, is helping with the fundraising letters effort. If we can raise the funding, the campaign intends to use the "Battered Voter Syndrome" ad produced for the 2000 Libertarian campaigns with a tag line for Joe on it -- it's available from the producers for a mere $350. Raising funds to get the commercial aired will be the next item of business.
In a number of selected precincts, we intend to have poll coverage as much as possible, to hand out sample ballots on Election Day, and if finances allow, to include pens with each of the sample ballots we give away. We want to target precincts for some good old-fashioned literature drops so that people know about Joe ahead of time, and then watch carefully for totals from those precincts to determine how well our strategies worked in comparison to other areas.
One of the best reasons to continue as write-in is that, with an active campaign, voter registration figures tend to bump higher because people learn of new alternatives. When Lorenzo Gaztañaga ran in Baltimore City for a City Council race in 1999, there were 39 registered voters in the LP. The campaign registered voters as part of its outreach, and by late November, the number of registered Libertarians in the City had more than doubled, to 92. The registration figures as of July 31, 2000, showed 177.
Public forums, debates, and questionnaires, whenever possible, can be used to garner more publicity. Joe has already been invited to several public meetings, and schedule permitting, plans to attend as many as he can. He plans to appear at various outreach events in the district, including the Fells Point Festival.
Contributions to the campaign prior to August 7 qualify as "primary election" donations under FEC regs, and were subject to a $1,000 limit. Contributions after August 7 qualify as "general election" donations under those regs, and have a separate $1,000 limit. Contributions should be sent to Mike Dobak, Treasurer; PO Box 265, Mayo, MD 21106-0265 and made out to "Joe Pomykala for Congress."
Joe was not the only candidate to fail the signature requirements. Green Party candidate David Gross also failed to gather enough signatures to make it to the ballot in the First District, against Wayne Gilchrest (R). Gross also plans to continue as a write-in.
There will be four minor party or independent candidates running for Congress in Maryland in November. In Montgomery's Eighth District, Brian Saunders, nominee of the Constitution Party, was the only one to submit enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. He will face the incumbent Connie Morella (R) and her Democrat opponent.
Besides Joe and David Gross, the other candidate is an independent candidate in the Second (Bob Ehrlich-R), who did not attempt the signature route and has no party affiliation in his drive for Congress. His name is Leroy Weekley, from Towson, but no other information is available on his candidacy at this time.
-- Steve Boone
| Date: | Saturday, November 11 |
| Location: | Timbuktu Restaurant (near BWI airport) www.TimbuktuRestaurant.com 1726 Dorsey Road Hanover, Maryland 21076 |
| Schedule: | 9:00 - 10:00 am: Registration + light breakfast 10:00 am - Noon: Central Committee meeting Noon - 1:00 pm: Lunch 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm: speakers expected to include Jim Lark, National LP chair 6:00 - 8:00 pm: Banquet 8:00 pm - Midnight: Liberty Festival, including: Dance and Raffle! cash bar, DJ, and lots of fun Open to all (invite your friends, Libertarian or not) |
Please print and mail completed form with check to:
Nick Sarwark
8560 Second Ave., Apt. 807
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Email: _________________
Telephone: _____________________
Name: __________________________
Address: _______________________
_______________________
| Discount Deadline: 11/1/00 | Before | After |
| Central Committee meeting |
$0 |
$0 |
| Speakers+breakfast+lunch |
$25 ____ |
$30 ____ |
| Banquet |
$25 ____ |
$30 ____ |
| Liberty Festival |
$5 ____ |
$5 ____ |
| Total Package (a bargain!) |
$40 ____ |
$50 ____ |
| Number ^^^ | Number ^^^ |
Amount enclosed $____ (payable to the MdLP)
Directions: From I-95, take Route 100 east to Coca Cola Drive, bear right and turn left; from MD295 (BW parkway), Route 100 west to Coca Cola Drive and turn left twice.
At
the August 26th State Central Committee Meeting, we officially
"kicked off" the Maryland Libertarian Speakers Bureau. Steve
Boone took my pulse, said "I think I hear one," and appointed
me coordinator. The minutes of the meeting should reflect that I was hired
at a salary of zero dollars and zero cents per annum. However, I was promised
a raise to ten times that amount in due course.
The Mission of the Bureau is to disseminate information and foster understanding about libertarianism and the Libertarian Party, by providing speakers to interested groups of Maryland citizens. My duties as Coordinator are: to enlist speakers, to publicize and advertise the bureau, to arrange and coordinate speaking engagements, and to report such goings on to the MdLP. In short, generate some business.
I consider this a long term project. That is, its mission is ongoing, does not diminish with the waxing and waning of the political calendar, and does not measure its success against short term activity. That is another way of saying that I think it may take a while to get going, but I think it has some real potential for us.
Of course, I need your help. No, don't stop reading now. There are things you can do without even leaving your home, but you will have to go through the rest of this article to pick them out. We need speakers. I already have a couple of volunteers besides myself, but it is a big state when you have to drive to a far end of it. It would be great to eventually have affiliates in every state, and a volunteer speaker in every affiliate. You do not have to be able to speak on anything. You can name your topics. If "Libertarian Tendencies in Early Taoist Thought" is all you've got, we will just wait for the right engagement. Maybe you are not comfortable speaking, but would not mind tagging along. I have been toying with the idea of "seconds." These would be people that would be available as back-up on any question-and-answer session, and could give the speaker some constructive private criticism afterwards. A short meeting at a place close to your home would make this not an onerous responsibility.
Speakers are expected to meet their own expenses. The propriety or legality of speakers being reimbursed for expenses or accepting fees from an audience or audience organization has not been determined. However, the acceptance of fees for speaking is discouraged. I doubt that it will come up.
You can help advertise. I am going to have some business cards printed up, and I will gladly send you some to pass out to anybody that may be in a position to use our services. This would also go for outreach booths, although I am considering a larger handout that could be printed off a computer. That way you could print them as needed (and you know who would not have to spring for the expense). Feel free to pass on any press releases or such that I generate to your local paper or whomever.
Speaking of newspapers, you could send me the name and address of your local fish wrap. Preferably with a point of contact. Or even better, send me an issue. I may not get around to doing anything with it for a while, as I get very busy paving that road to hell with good intentions that my mother told me about. Send me the name and address of your local Chamber of Commerce. How about bulletin boards? Let me know what kind of notice you can post and I will generate something. In short, help put me in touch with potential listeners. Let me hear your ideas. Also, if any of you are members of Toastmasters, I particularly would like to call upon you. Here is a potential way to help yourself, help your club, help the cause of liberty, and maybe get an occasional gratuitous meal.
I can be reached at 410-391-5336. My email address is greyno4426*aol.com. I thank you. Next time Steve Boone should check for signs of brain activity.
-- George Reynolds
Well,
so much for summer. It's been a fairly busy one, but not uneventful.
As most of you know by now, Joe Pomykala was nominated in May to be the Libertarian candidate for Congress in the Third District, for the seat currently held by Ben Cardin (D). There is an interesting "hook" in that the Republican nominee, Colin F. Harby, is a paper candidate, and will likely not campaign at all. Volunteers to help hand out sample ballots on Election Day and do other campaign activities from now until then will be needed. See the separate article regarding Joe's candidacy for more information [page 1].
New projects seem to be cropping up all around us, making for a very busy upcoming fall season. Of course, the Fall Convention is coming soon, and with it the election of some new Executive Board members.
First, the Liberty Festival Committee is headed by Matthew Abbott from Annapolis. I think he'll have a lot more information in the near future, but the LFC will be an adjunct to the LP-Maryland that will schedule events such as dances, socials, and other low-cost activities to show that we Libertarians can have fun just like the other guys. The first LFC event will be a dance immediately following the Fall Convention at the same venue. There is a Liberty Festival Committee eGroups list that those interested may join.
Next, Nick Sarwark will be working on projects designed to bring youth into the Party: some of these events will be in conjunction with the Liberty Festival Committee, and some will not. Nick's involvement in the LFC will also dovetail with the youth outreach. We're looking into some outside-the-box ways to increase our contact with high school- and college-aged people.
We've talked about having a Speakers Bureau for several years, but have, for one reason or another, never gotten past the talking stage. George Reynolds from Baltimore County made the latest proposal and found himself volunteered to take charge of the effort. George responded by volunteering me to become a speaker, and I accepted. He is now looking for other volunteers to contact him so that we can take the Libertarian message out on the road.
That mythical organization that we want to start in the Mid-Shore area is getting a step or two closer to reality. Two volunteers there, Michael Grosh and Allen Thomas, will be working to contact LP registered voters and other interested folks to set up some social events that will allow those on the Shore to meet each other, and start talking about goals that can be achieved in their area.
Our online database is now a reality and going through the testing phase. We will be able to better manage our future information needs with one centralized database rather than various copies scattered across the state. The testing phase should be complete by November.
In other news, thirteen of us made the schlep to Anaheim for the Libertarian National Convention from June 30 through July 3, 2000. As I'm sure you know, Harry Browne from Tennessee was nominated for the second time, and Art Olivier, the former Mayor of Bellflower, CA, was selected as his vice presidential nominee. Our neighbor from Virginia, Jim Lark, is the new National Chair. He's a fine and decent man, and I wish him well.
Though the majority of us from Maryland supported Don Gorman for President, and the Clean Slate for LNC offices, we weren't entirely successful. One of the bright spots was that our own Lorenzo Gaztañaga was elected to an At-Large seat on the National Committee. Hearty congratulations to Lorenzo! Clean Slate asked me to run for National Secretary, and I did, but was unsuccessful. It's fine, though, because my interests for activity remain here in Maryland, primarily in recruiting and training candidates for office in state and local elections in 2002.
Speaking of such plans, I have an update to my own. Last report, I announced that I planned on stepping down as Chair this coming October. The original thought was that Spear Lancaster, our Vice Chair, would take over, but he's asked to postpone the move for a year so that he can continue to learn, take on more responsibilities, and be more comfortable about moving into the position. No one else seems to be clamoring to take over.
I'll agree to stay on if the Party wishes, but I'd really like to see leadership development as a major goal for next year. Seminars, workshops, etc., to bring interested members along for both county and state leadership positions should be a part of our strategy in the "off" year, and I'll be asking former leaders for input, and even some time, to help develop and implement the program.
Did someone say a slow summer for the Maryland LP?
Until next time, I'll keep working my butt off for LIBERTY,
-- Steve Boone
As Chair of the Libertarian Party of the District of Columbia, I would like to congratulate our two local candidates -- the first in ten years -- who worked hard to collect more than twice as many signatures as is necessary to get on the ballot.
Rob Kampia is a candidate for D.C. Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives; and Matt Mercurio is a candidate for At-Large D.C. City Council seat.
Thanks, too, to other members of the LPDC Executive Committee, and to LPDC members, contributors, and volunteer petitioners for your support and work.
-- Carol Moore
Thanks to those who were able and willing to make it down on July 19th. We were in a great spot this year -- "among everyone," and between those VIP tents and "the FOOD." Michael Linder grabbed a great spot for us under the main tent, and.......... Loosely translated, that meant that everyone who walked to the food concessions saw us. They saw our shirts, they saw our table signs with "in your face" slogans and brochures. My favorite, and the ones displayed most prominently were: "Your Parents' politicians are not your Friends"... and "Is your Freedom in Danger?"
We rocked some boats. We had several Reps sucking up to us. Swell with pride, fellow Libs..... it was a good day.
-- Nancy Millionie
At
the national convention in Anaheim I purchased a book, SIC ITUR AD ASTRA.
I have been told this means "stairway to the stars." In any event,
it has been slow reading and I have several pads full of notes. It is a
very unusual book in that the author's main premise is that he intends
to do for politics what Newton did for physics or science. Newton, by the
way, is much admired by the author, Andrew J. Galambos.
He contends that all governments have failed. No exceptions. A 6000 year unbroken record. He mentions Gibbon's book, The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, and comments that you could replace Roman with Greek, Persian, Chinese, etc. He observes that they all used coercion, and that in the end, coercion is fatal.
Galambos makes the statement that man has never been free. That the closest he ever came to freedom was during the early American Republic. He states that if man ever does achieve freedom, there will be no turning back. That just as it would be impossible to return to chattel slavery, you could never return to coercive statism if man ever had true freedom.
He then goes on to develop a definition of property that is unique. He speaks of property as being primary and secondary property. Most people only speak of, and think about, secondary property -- which is material property. Bank accounts, buildings, land, etc. But Galambos feels that the most important property is primary property -- which are your thoughts, ideas, and your person. In fact, he develops a definition of property as being "individual man's life and all non-procreative derivatives of his life." He ties this in with the observation that most scientists and intellectuals are socialists. He explains why these people are turned off by the usual materialist standards, and often are bored or offended by what they feel is not important. He connects this with the anti-wealth sentiment that is so prevalent in Western society.
His definition of freedom is: "the societal condition that exists when every individual has full (i.e., 100%) control of his own property." The conditions needed to reach this state are developed throughout the book.
Profit is a word that makes many people squirm. They feel guilty about making a profit. In fact, I am convinced that many people select careers that they feel will not put them in the position of being accused of trying to make a profit. However, after reading Galambos' definition of profit, I was elated. He states that "profit is any increase in happiness acquired by moral means." Money made by immoral means is not profit, it is plunder.
The book is over nine hundred pages, so I will not attempt to even highlight it, but his explanation of why a conservative is not a capitalist, and a capitalist is not a conservative, is outstanding. It made me understand why I was never comfortable with the conservative camp. Even after I gave up on the Democratic Party, I was not jumping to join the country club set and the big R.
He also does an outstanding job of discussing what a true liberal really is, and why most people are not liberal. Also, why most people are trainable, but not educable. Last and most importantly, Galambos leaves you with the knowledge that this is a long term issue. That time is on the side of freedom and liberty. And that once in place, there will be no backing up. Unlike material things, primary things don't become consumed. You can wear out a car, deplete an oil well, cut down a forest, but ideas are not consumed. They grow exponentially.
It was a welcome tonic to the usual news that we are going to hell in a handcart, and only big G can save you.
-- Spear Lancaster
I've gone to every national LP convention since 1975, except one. My special concern at the 2000 convention was on pro-life and children's rights issues, as it has been at previous conventions.
I had barely finalized my travel arrangements to Anaheim in late June, when George Getz, the LP's Press Secretary, asked me if I was going. Jane Chastain, a Los Angeles radio talk show host, wanted me as her guest because of my organization, Libertarians for Life (www.L4L.org). She later requested that I report on what positions the five presidential contenders held on abortion. I scrambled to get statements from them, but on the air, she focused on Harry Browne's. I also reported on what's new in the LP platform regarding two planks, "Women's Rights and Abortion" (WR&A) and "Families and Children." The convention had accepted these changes by air time, 5:30 pm, Friday, June 30.
The Presidential Contenders on Abortion
Harry Browne made my task as reporter easy. Grabbing my notepad, he gave me a written statement, signed and dated, to read on the air: "I am opposed to abortion at any stage, but I have very little faith in the ability of government to provide a satisfactory, lasting solution to any social problem." "What about on the state level?" I asked him. I also reported his verbal reply to me: "I would not want abortion illegal on the state level, because I see no point to it." Chastain wondered if he also saw no point to outlawing the murder of born people.
Don Gorman was terse: "Abortion is like a third rail -- stay away from it." Jacob Hornberger was terser: "No comment." A David Hollist handout said, "Although you probably know that your life began when two cells united, do you know that people who create a nation are continuing a long history of things that unite? Atoms unite and form a molecule; molecules unite and form a cell; cells unite and form a person..." Verbally, Hollist told me, "The female should be able to separate from her offspring at any time she chooses." A Barry Hess handout said, "We hold that abortion is not a matter over which the federal government has any authority under the Constitution and that it is a matter explicitly reserved to the conscience of the individual and the State, respectively." It added, "We hold that all life is sacred, and that the point of its' [sic] origin is indeterminate, therefore each citizen should defer to prudence to protect life from its' [sic] conception." After the convention, I asked Art Olivier, Browne's running mate, for his position. He said: "The Constitution does not address abortion. According to the tenth amendment, the Federal government should make no laws making abortion illegal, nor should they stop the states from regulating abortions. Roe v. Wade was judicial activism."
I question such interpretations of the Constitution, but perhaps we can discuss this another time.
The Two Platform Planks
The Platform Committee convened June 28, two days before the official convention opening. LP members can submit proposals to amend the platform to PlatCom before the meeting. However, only PlatCom members can move to have them considered at the meeting. On the floor of the convention, delegates can also move to amend. I submitted testimony against abortion (which included the 1994 MdLP Central Committee's resolution favoring deletion of abortion choice from the national platform), for children's rights, and against the death penalty. The last failed in committee. In 1998, PlatCom voted to delete abortion choice, i.e., for having the party itself take no position, but this failed on the floor for lack of time to consider it. The change accepted by PlatCom in 2000 was more modest: delete from the second paragraph of WR&A what others later called a "laundry list," namely:
We oppose all restrictions on the sale of RU 486, and on the sale of menstruation-inducing contragestive pills, which block fertilized eggs from attaching themselves to the womb. We oppose legislation restricting or subsidizing women's access to abortion or other reproductive health services; this includes requiring consent of the prospective father, waiting periods, and mandatory indoctrination on fetal development, as well as Medicaid or any other taxpayer funding.
PlatCom also deleted from WR&A, "It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another's abortion." But it left its condemnations of state-funded and state-mandated abortions.
Five PlatCom members sent a Minority Report to the floor favoring restoration of the "laundry list," but it failed. Then, much to my surprise, someone moved to reinsert "It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another's abortion." I learned later, to my greater surprise, that it was Katie O'Brien, a volunteer escort for Planned Parenthood at abortion clinics. The revised plank was accepted, 292 to 105, much more than the two-thirds needed to pass. The second paragraph in WR&A now reads:
Recognizing that abortion is a very sensitive issue and that people, including libertarians, can hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe the government should be kept out of the question. We condemn state-funded and state-mandated abortions. It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another's abortion.
Lest anyone think I see this watering down of rhetoric as a pro-life win, I'm not thrilled. The platform's position is substantially the same as it has been since 1974. Officially, the LP still unconditionally supports keeping all lethal methods of abortion legal until full birth.
The platform had a "Children's Rights" plank for years, but in 1996, the convention deleted it. Various problems in it seemed too complex to resolve on the floor, e.g., where it said, "Children are human beings and as such have all the rights of human beings." Does this mean, one delegate objected, that a four-year-old has the right to pack a loaded pistol in his pocket? In 1998, an attempt in PlatCom to rewrite failed, but Henry Haller drafted a new "Families and Children" plank for 2000. I suggested some modifications, and after making some others, PlatCom accepted the plank. Passed by a voice vote on the floor, the platform now says, "A child is a human being and, as such, deserves to be treated justly." It also says, "Parents have no right to abandon or recklessly endanger their children. Whenever they are unable or unwilling to raise their children, they have the obligation to find other person(s) willing to assume guardianship." On this, I had something to cheer about. I worked for over fifteen years to get such positions on children's rights into the platform. The entire 2000 platform is accessible at www.lp.org.
A Fun Trip!
My newly redecorated room was near the pool -- and this time, I had my swimsuit, and I could sunbathe. I renewed old acquaintances and made some new ones. Even my flights going and coming were fun. My seatmates wanted to talk about the LP. One passenger in the lounge hailed me when he spotted my carryall with C-Span and LP convention information on it. But there's always something. I landed at BWI airport at 12:10 am. I telephoned my van service as directed, but they didn't come in the promised 10 minutes. I repeated my phone calls, and they repeated their promise. The airport kept getting darker and more deserted, but finally, a nice baggage clerk for Southwest Airlines helped me find another van.
-- Doris Gordon, Delegate
I'm
sure Bruce Baechler's many friends spread all over the country will be
sad to hear that Bruce died on September 2, 2000, after an automobile accident
and subsequent heart attack, in Ohio. Bruce was 49 years old. He is survived
by family in Connecticut.
Bruce grew up in Connecticut. A Quaker and pacifist who came to Washington, D.C. right after high school to join in anti-Vietnam War activism, Bruce refused to register for the draft. After a dramatic arrest at a Quaker meeting, Bruce was convicted of draft evasion and spent two years in a federal prison. Bruce later became a war tax resister and has resisted paying federal income tax since the 1970's.
Bruce was a long time member and organizer with both the Libertarian Party and the International Workers of the World (IWW). I used to tell him he was the only "Wobbly Quaker" I'd ever known, but he assured me he knew others. Bruce could always be depended on for help during a libertarian petition drive anywhere from Alaska to the District of Columbia, to help manage a local, state, or even Presidential campaign, or to help with accounting or database help for any of the libertarian or IWW groups he worked with.
While
Bruce spent much of the last twenty years in Texas, he also lived for several
years in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. He made his living as a computer
programmer. Currently, he was taking time off from working on a Masters
in Political Management from George Washington University, with the goal
of becoming a professional campaign manager. He was working on various
year 2000 election projects and had just helped two local D.C. candidates
get on the ballot in D.C.
I first met Bruce in 1987 when we both supported Russell Means for the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. We discovered we both were War Tax Resisters. We kept in touch over the years and hung out together when he lived in D.C. in the late eighties and the late nineties. I also visited Bruce in September of 1993 when he was living in Austin and we went up together to the ruins of the Branch Davidians church outside of Waco. Bruce was a committed supporter of the Waco Justice work.
I'm sure that many people have fond memories of Bruce, and stories to share about him. He will be missed.
-- Carol Moore
The
Endangered Species Act is a dismal failure, and a nightmare for landowners.
Since the Act's passage in 1973, only 27 of the more than 1400 listed species
have been removed from the endangered list.1 Upon closer examination,
it turns out that the Endangered Species Act has not saved a single species.
Of the 27 species that were removed from the list, seven are now extinct,
sixteen were listed erroneously (they were too prolific to be classified
as "endangered"), and the remaining four species recovered for
reasons that had nothing to do with the Endangered Species Act.2
Not only does the Endangered Species Act fail in its mission, it has the
opposite effect when it comes to preserving endangered species.
Under the Endangered Species Act, a property owner loses much of the control over the use of his land once it is declared an endangered species habitat. In fact, so draconian is the Endangered Species Act that in 1993, when forest fires ravaged Riverside County, California, homeowners were prohibited from clearing firebreaks around their homes, because it would have disturbed the habitat of the kangaroo rat.3 As a result, more than twenty-nine families lost their homes.4 The Endangered Species Act has prevented the construction of roads, shut down existing businesses, and prohibited people from building homes on property purchased years prior for retirement. It has driven people into bankruptcy, both through losses in the use of their land, and enormous legal fees.
Land use restrictions implemented under the Endangered Species Act create perverse incentives for landowners. Sam Hamilton, an official with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, admits, "if I have a rare metal on my property, its value goes up. But if a rare bird occupies the land, its value disappears."5 Worse yet, property owners are rarely compensated for the loss of land value which leaves few people willing to welcome endangered species onto their land. Frequently, the reaction among landowners who discover endangered species on their land is to "shoot, shovel, and shut up."6 Others will try to make the land less attractive, to discourage the endangered species from taking up residence. Take the case of Ben Cone, a North Carolina tree farmer whose family carefully managed 7,200 acres of forest for wildlife habitat. Unfortunately for Cone, several clusters of red-cockaded woodpecker were discovered on his land, and the Fish and Wildlife Service declared 1,560.8 acres of his land to be off limits to any use. Now fearful of the woodpeckers expanding their habitat onto the rest of his property, Cone can no longer afford to let the trees reach maturity and must cut them more frequently and in greater numbers.7
Disastrous results of environmental policies can be seen internationally as well. Kenya banned the hunting of elephants in 1976, and their populations plummeted from 100,000 to 26,000. Finally, in 1995, Kenya legalized the hunting of elephants. Zimbabwe took that step in 1975, and within twenty years the elephant populations rose from 45,000 to 65,000.8
If endangered species are ever to make a recovery, environmental policy needs to work with landowners, rather than against them. The best environmental policy is also the simplest: a system of private property rights; one that provides strong incentives for the wise use of natural resources, and penalizes those who abuse them. A system of private property rights and capitalism is self-regulating, dynamic, responsive to the needs of the individual, and is more effective at environmental protection than any form of government program or regulation.
1Environmental Briefing Book (Washington, DC: Competitive Enterprise Institute, 1999).
2Ibid.
3Ike Sugg, "California Fires -- Losing Houses, Saving Rats," The Wall Street Journal, November 10, 1993.
4Ibid.
5Quoted in, Betsy Carpenter, "The Best Laid Plans," U.S. News & World Report, October 4, 1993: 89.
6Jonathan Tolman, "Of Mice and Men: A Look at the Endangered Species Act" (Washington, DC: Citizens For A Sound Economy), November 1994.
7Richard L. Stroup, The Endangered Species Act: Making Endangered Species the Enemy (Bozeman: Political Economy Research Center, 1995).
8Ike C. Sugg, "Pachyderm Paradigms from Zimbabwe," The Washington Times, June 18, 1997.
-- Andrew Chawla
Andrew L. Chawla is a 1999 Government and Politics graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, and Chairman of the Prince George's County Libertarian Central Committee.
I
attended the August 30th debate on Senate Bill 509 (Baltimore
County ballot question #3). I think it went very well for Mr. Ports and
the Citizens for Property Rights. Mr. Ruppersberger did not effectively
respond to the effects of the bill, and Mr. Ports did a fine job of showing
the audacity of the current administration's selective picking of valuable
property over more blighted areas.
The Citizens for Property Rights are looking for assistance with the upcoming referendum. While I know we will be concentrating on our efforts primarily, I hope that some will at least join the group as a token of support. Membership is $5.00 if you are interested. The contact information is: Citizens for Property Rights, 1515 York Road, Lutherville, Maryland 21093 (phone: Janice Hundt, 410-963-0946). Website: www.EMRCIA.org
Upcoming Debates (7:00 pm)
-- Troy Zinderman
Comcast is planning to cover the debates for its Baltimore County cable system channel 25; it is unclear if the events are to be broadcast live, or replayed on other dates. Above photo taken at the Reister's Towne Festival, September 9th; procession urges a vote of NO on Baltimore County ballot question #3.
The MdLP met on May 13th at the Golden Bull Restaurant
in Adelphi. Ken Krawchuk (above right), who was an LP Vice Presidential
candidate for the upcoming November election, gave an exuberant talk on
local activism to the 45 attendees. Ken is from our neighboring state Pennsylvania,
which has had exceptional performance in getting Libertarian candidates
elected. He lost the VP bid to Art Olivier at the subsequent National
Convention, but I'm sure we haven't heard the last from Ken by a long shot.
Joe Pomykala was unanimously elected as the MdLP's candidate for U.S. representative to Congress in the Third district. Delegates and alternates to the National Convention were nominated and selected, including Bruce Baechler (obituary, page 7). Ten presidential electors were selected (who will comprise the Maryland portion of the Electoral College should Harry Browne carry our state). Michael Audi resigned from the Executive Board, and Nick Sarwark was voted in as his replacement.
The picnic and summer Central Committee meeting was held at White's Ferry on August 26th. White's Ferry is a private toll ferry service that links upper Montgomery County with Virginia, north of Leesburg. It accepts no government funds of any kind, and is our kind of place. They have a picnic grounds that we rented for the day. It was a lovely Maryland summer afternoon, and the grounds along the Potomac were picturesque.
There was some discussion of altering the MdLP Constitution to not restrict membership to adults and citizens, as well as changing the current two-year Executive Board term to one. The issue was sent to committee for future recommendation to the CC. Moving the state convention from the Fall to the Spring was discussed. (The primary reason is because the Fall is a busy time in election years.)
MdLP'ers spent the remainder of the time socializing, and enjoying the grilling expertise of Stuart Simms.
The Marijuana Policy Project hopes to set up a State Legislative Project in Maryland before the state legislature convenes in January. For only $3,000, we can monitor and coordinate grassroots lobbying on all marijuana-related bills in Maryland. Please visit www.mpp.org/SLP.
To date, $175 has been contributed towards this project from the citizens of Maryland. Pennsylvania was the first -- and Georgia will probably be the second -- to reach its goal. The good news is that I have located a philanthropist in Pennsylvania who is willing to spend an additional $500 to help a third state reach its goal.
If you are able to make a contribution that makes Maryland the next to come within $500 of its goal, this funder will donate the remaining $500 that is needed to set up our lobbying project in Maryland.
If we are able to raise $3,000 from MPP members and allies in Maryland, we will be able to (1) monitor and analyze all marijuana-related bills in the Maryland legislature, (2) email legislative alerts to thousands in Maryland describing why the bills should be supported or opposed, and (3) maintain a Web site that will permit supporters in Maryland to send letters to state legislators with just the click of a button.
Would you please consider making a contribution now, so that the $500 bonus will be sent to Maryland and not another state? (If you don't want to contribute unless MPP can guarantee that it will launch its grassroots lobbying project in Maryland later this year, you can note this on the form.)
Thank you for anything you can do to help us... to help you... to end the war on marijuana users in your state.
-- Rob Kampia
Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project
Concerned that new MdLP members might not know of past party accomplishments, several members at the picnic asked me to send in information on my 1982 campaign as a Libertarian for the Maryland State Legislature. I accomplished several things that have never before been matched, or since duplicated in the state!
The elected official who endorsed me, William Hermann, a Takoma Park city councilman, was the only elected official who was black in all of Montgomery County, and I carried his largely black voter precinct. I received a $150 PAC donation from the state insurance association, something that has not happened in this state before or since. Also, my district is about 20 square miles. I took a whole year off to walk it (going to about 20,000 doors, and talking to about 14,000 people). I was in great physical shape, but was economically devastated due to all kinds of financial problems that occurred that year while I was not "minding the shop" that made me shy away from being a candidate again. Without enough money to win a campaign, I have had less party activity in recent years -- I don't want to be a paper candidate and not taken seriously.
In peace and freedom,
-- Gerald Schneider
Fellow MdLP'ers: does this inspire any of you to run for office --
apparently you could sell off all of your exercise equipment, as it would
no longer be required to keep you in tip-top shape!
I had thought that if Harry Browne gets 1% of the vote for President in Maryland this year, that it would result in the MdLP's party status recognition being extended through the election in 2004. I have now found that is not correct, based on the new law which was passed in 1998, and which went into effect Jan. 1, 1999.
It appears that actually there will be no net extension of the MdLP's status based on the vote for Harry Browne this year, because the MdLP already has party status through the end of 2002, and getting 1% of the vote for the highest office in a statewide general election only extends the party status through Dec. 31 of the year of the next following statewide general election. I think the confusion was caused by the fact that in 1996, it did make a difference whether Harry Browne got 1% of the vote, as that would have extended MdLP party status through 1998. Likewise, Harry Browne getting 1% in 2000 will extend MdLP party status through 2002, but that is no net extension, since the MdLP already has party status through 2002, based on the party formation petition filed in 1999.
When a new party obtains official status by petition, the party status is good for the next two statewide general elections. Thereafter, party status can be retained for one more statewide general election by getting 1% of the vote for Governor or President, or for one year by having 1% of the voter registration as of Dec. 31.
-- Ron Kean
I
want to build a file of signs for fair booths so we'll have it available
for organizers to draw on. Eventually I'd like to be able to make a notation
next to the ones that have been made and who to contact to borrow one.
Some proposals are listed here. Please send more. Also, send in revisions
to the scripts to make these signs better.
-- Bill Buzzell
Bowiefest
was GREAT!
Thanks to Mark Leonard, Jim McLaughlin, Chip Spangler, Kurt Saberg, Ron Kean, and Carl from Caroline County (who introduced himself and surprised us)! They all helped to make the booth at Bowiefest a success! Anyone who missed our second appearance at Bowiefest missed out on a great opportunity. Chip asked me how I rate this festival in comparison to other ones. I hadn't made any real comparison in my mind to that point, but when I did: size-wise and "reception-wise" this festival rates second, in my book, to Towsontown Festival -- and that's saying something! The booth was quite active, thanks to Jim who gave The Quiz to many people, our other Libertarian activists, and those Bowie residents who were genuinely interested in our Party.
The festival, held on June 3rd, was very upbeat, and many thanks to Mark for organizing it. If he hadn't, there wouldn't have been a Libertarian presence there. Thanks to the troops who showed up for Bowiefest.
-- Nancy Millionie
Plenty of activity (including anti-SB509) at the first fair of the season on May 4-5 in Baltimore County. Candidate Joe Pomykala helps out Miss Liberty, a.k.a. Lauren Hill, who intently scrutinizes the May issue of the Free? State Libertarian.
Arts and crafts, cows and pigs in evidence -- and the Maryland Libertarian Party, too -- as Glenn Howard inspects the booth for the annual event, which this year took place over August 11-19. Reportedly there were over 200,000 fair-goers.
A contingent from the Maryland Libertarian Party, led by Nancy Millionie, went to Washington, DC to join the countermarch in opposition to the much-ballyhooed "Million Mom March." Held on Mother's Day (May 14th), it illustrates one advantage we have here in Maryland -- we are close enough to the belly of the beast in Washington to make it convenient to travel to various national rallies, media events, demonstrations, etc.
The
Big Event coming up is Election Day. I encourage all of you to try to help
the MdLP make its presence known at the polls on November 7th.
Yes, I know the likelihood of any Libertarian candidate actually winning
in the state of Maryland is slim at best. This election! How about
next time out? In order to improve our position, we need to increase the
general population's awareness of the Libertarian Party. Nothing makes
the citizens, press, and pundits more cognizant of us than votes.
And even if a voter doesn't cast his ballot in our favor, if we're there,
at least they'll know we exist! Perhaps next time, their ears won't
be as closed to our arguments as in the past. Maybe the time after that.
It takes repetition to get most any point across. If you
can, take the day off from work. If you can't, get to the polls before
or after work, when most people vote anyway. The sad fact is, with our
small numbers, there is no chance we can cover every poll in the state.
Yes, your showing up at a single poll for only an hour can make a difference.
You don't know what spark you might ignite and never even know: will that
one person's interest you arouse become an MdLP candidate, maybe even an
elected official some time in the future? Who knows? We'll never know if
we don't try. Please, do what you can.
I've always thought of Maryland as an ultra liberal state, and a tough sell for a libertarian. In 1996, Harry Browne got % of the national vote (485,120). But interestingly enough, he also collected % of the Maryland vote (9,018). Maybe we're not as bad off as I'd thought!
Take a look at the county-by-county breakdowns. Not necessarily what you might have expected, eh? Let's see what happens this time around -- maybe you can make an impact on your county's rank!
Thanks to all for contributing to this edition of the Free? State Libertarian. Keep those reports, opinion pieces, and photos coming! See you all after Election Day at the Fall Convention.
-- Robert Glaser
1996 Presidential Libertarian Vote in Maryland
Ranked by Total Votes: Baltimore Co. 1549 0.59% Montgomery 1518 0.48% Baltimore City 1009 0.58% Anne Arundel 869 0.53% Prince George's 859 0.37% Howard 572 0.63% Allegany 501 1.97% Harford 442 0.59% Carroll 354 0.69% Frederick 321 0.51% Cecil 215 0.91% Washington 144 0.36% Charles 92 0.27% Wicomoco 70 0.27% St. Mary's 68 0.30% Caroline 66 0.84% Calvert 63 0.28% Queen Anne's 61 0.47% Talbot 60 0.49% Worcester 49 0.31% Somerset 48 0.69% Dorchester 45 0.47% Garrett 23 0.25% Kent 20 0.30% Ranked by Percentage: Allegany 501 1.97% Cecil 215 0.91% Caroline 66 0.84% Somerset 48 0.694% Carroll 354 0.693% Howard 572 0.63% Baltimore Co. 1549 0.593% Harford 442 0.587% Baltimore City 1009 0.58% Anne Arundel 869 0.53% Frederick 321 0.51% Talbot 60 0.49% Montgomery 1518 0.48% Queen Anne's 61 0.468% Dorchester 45 0.466% Prince George's 859 0.37% Washington 144 0.36% Worcester 49 0.31% Kent 20 0.303% St. Mary's 68 0.300% Calvert 63 0.28% Charles 92 0.267% Wicomoco 70 0.266% Garrett 23 0.25%
Once upon a time, on a farm in Arkansas, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat.
She called all of her neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. And so she did; the wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.
"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification," said the pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.
At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share.
But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow.
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck.
"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the government agent came, he said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."
But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her, for she never again baked any more bread.
-- Ada Jane Cowper
(ajcowper*juno.com)
forwarded by Howard Rothenburg
The fire at Los Alamos has one significant consequence. A secret scientific document was discovered in a bunker whose security systems were mostly destroyed by the fire. This document was leaked to the public last weekend.
Actually it reveals nothing that we didn't already suspect. But it does show that the government has known all along that besides arsenic, lead, mercury, radon, strontium and plutonium, one more extremely deadly and pervasive element also exists.
Investigators at a major research institution have discovered the heaviest element known to science. This startling new discovery has been tentatively named Governmentium (Gv) but kept top secret for 50 years.
This new element has no protons or electrons, thus having an atomic number of 0. It does, however, have 1 neutron, 125 deputy neutrons, 75 supervisory neutrons, and 111 team leader neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Since it has no electrons, Governmentium is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.
According to the discoverers, a minute amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less than a second. Governmentium has a normal half-life of approximately three years; it does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the deputy neutrons, supervisory neutrons, and team leader neutrons exchange places. In fact, a Governmentium sample's mass will actually increase over time, since with each reorganization some of the morons inevitably become neutrons, forming new isotopes.
This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as the "Critical Morass."
-- via Consider99*aol.com
The
Maryland LP was represented in May at the annual Living Flag ceremony
held at Fort McHenry. Zoh Hieronimus emceed the event on May 23rd
and mentioned Third Parties, and Libertarians in particular. There were
also several MdLP members in attendance, proudly displaying their Libertarian
shirts.
The annual event draws over a thousand people, hundreds of which are schoolchildren from around the state, their teachers, parents, and various VIP's. The theme of the day is our rich American heritage, the meaning and importance of our flag, and the tribulation that went into its evolution and defense. Amid patriotic songs and music, the Pride of Baltimore stages a faux attack on the Fort, and costumed soldiers "return fire." The ceremony ends with the children holding red, white, and blue cards over their heads, making a huge "living" flag. The event is covered on the ground and by helicopter by all the local Media. Zoh did a great job in her message to the children, leaving them impressed, I'm sure, with the one word she cautioned was the "most important" for them to remember: freedom. In cheerleader fashion, she had them chanting "freedom" at the tops of their voices. It was a very impressive day, especially to a Libertarian. After all, it's all about freedom.
-- Nancy Millionie
At
the National LP Convention, Lorenzo Gaztañaga from the MdLP
was elected to an at-large seat on the Libertarian National Committee.
Congratulations, Lorenzo!
Summer flew by. We spent a lot of time getting signatures for Joe Pomykala's ballot drive. We also attended several meetings held by Citizens For Property Rights. In fact, last week Troy and I were at the Towson meeting, and the debate between Dutch and Jim Ports. If you were not inspired after hearing Jim Ports box Dutch in, you will never be inspired. Ports turned in an outstanding performance.
We also worked the Howard County fair. Kevin Wolf and his team are due a heartfelt thanks for a great job. We did not get a lot of play during the day, when I was there, but we did get some interested folks stopping by. The Montgomery County fair was a windfall. We ended up in the Girl Scouts' tent. Had a lot of play, and spoke with quite a few people. Steve Wilson, Bill Galvin, and the others really went all out. From all the Libertarians, a big thanks.
-- Spear Lancaster
The Maryland LP made a return this year to the Dundalk Independence Day Parade. Due to the National Convention, we had fewer participants this year, but there were a dozen adults and 4 children (including one in a stroller) representing the MdLP. We carried many flags and a huge LP banner, and Bill drove his car decorated to the hilt, sporting "Enough is Enough" signs. Our Congressional candidate, Joe Pomykala, walked with us, and was announced at both of the reviewing stands. We made a decent showing, and Allen Walden once again did a good job reading the announcement copy I had provided. I can't say the same about the second reviewing stand announcement by Frank Luber, but both of them announced Joe's candidacy, and Joe waved to the crowd. Luber did read the copy, "The Libertarian Party wants to remind everyone to remember the Constitution," and Luber's co-announcer (apparently someone involved with the parade organizers) mentioned that the LP has "supported the parade in the past as well." That was good PR.
We were, I think, even better received by the onlookers this year than last. I heard a lot more cheering for the LP, with some yelling things like, "Go Libertarians!", and "Yes! The Libertarian Party!" Other comments were: "We need something different." "Anything is better than what we've got." "You should get the prize for being the friendliest and the liveliest."
This is a great way for us to get exposure to literally thousands of Marylanders, and why we should continue to walk in this parade every year. Next year, we plan to have several thousand copies of The Quiz ready to hand out as we walk by, with MdLP contact info on it, of course.
-- Nancy Millionie
The MdLP eGroups list serves important functions at the state level, and I thought it would be beneficial to have a local group set up for Frederick County. Elected officials, residents, all parties are welcome to join. So far, it is going to be unmoderated, and I hope everyone will be civil to each other, so I do not have to start approving posts. The name of the group on eGroups is FredCoVoters. The URL is: www.egroups.com/group/FredCoVoters
-- Mike Barnes
This is turning out to be a busy summer for us! On Sunday June 25th we covered the International Festival (formally the Ethnic Festival) in Silver Spring. It was a hot, sunny but pleasantly breezy day. John Prue and Jim McLaughlin were there to help me out. The crowd had a liberal bent and many were open to learn more about the Libertarian Party.
In July we had a mail outreach to former LP members and got at least 10 to rejoin. The records were straightening out on others.
August, as usual, brings the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. Anyone who volunteered at the LP booth got into the fair free on one of our passes. During slow periods there was time to look around. Everything from arts and crafts to cows and pigs -- whatever turns you on was present. Many thanks to Steve Wilson for heading up the volunteer effort, and Bill Galvin along with Steve for spending many long hours at the fair! Thanks also to the many LP members who made it a success, particularly those who came the extra miles from outside of Montgomery County. The fair staff says 200,000 people visit each year. This year was a large turnout as well!
In August, we also had a letter campaign to reach 650+ voters that are registered Libertarians to get them to join the national, state, and county LP. Thanks to all that came and helped.
By the time this newsletter gets to press, the Takoma Park Folk Festival on Sunday, September 10th will have taken place.
Three additional county outreach events follow: Oktoberfest (Germantown), Saturday September 23rd; Gaithersburg Old Towne Day, Sunday September 24th; and Election Day, Tuesday November 7th. Let me know if you are willing to help in these outreaches.
Let's have a big turnout state wide on Election Day to support Harry Browne! Plan to take the day off. Past experience at the polls shows that we increase the Libertarian vote by two to three times when we are present. The Democrats and Republicans can't claim that!
-- Glenn Howard
At our August 30th meeting, I was elected Chairman, Mark Leonard was voted in as treasurer, and Peggy Beck was re-elected secretary. We have dropped the monthly meeting at Franklin's Deli; instead, we've consolidated into one meeting per month at the 94th Aerosquadron (fourth Wednesday).
-- Andrew Chawla
$100 Full Page
$60 1/2 Page
$35 1/4 Page
$20 Business Card
Make checks payable to the Maryland Libertarian Party, and send along with copy to:
PO Box 321, Owings Mills, MD 21117.
Note: consult www.MD.LP.org/events for up-to-date info. Contact numbers for persons listed on page 3 are omitted here. Regularly scheduled events are listed separately on the back page.
September 27 (Wednesday): SB509 Debate, Loch Raven (p. 9)
September 29 (Friday): 7:00 pm. LDDS, Timonium. Baltimore County Central Committee meeting. This month only, LDDS North meets on the 5th Friday, and will begin with the Fall Baltimore County Central Committee meeting. This replaces the 3rd Friday LDDS. Meeting place is AMF Bowling Lanes Lounge (see back page). LDDS Timonium returns to its new schedule of 7 pm, 3rd Friday of the month, in October. Nancy Millionie
October 4 (Wednesday): SB509 Debate, Essex (page 9)
October 11 (Wednesday): SB509 Debate, Perry Hall (page 9)
October 25 (Wednesday): SB509 Debate, Dundalk (page 9)
November 7 (Tuesday): Election Day -- help out at the polls
November 11 (Saturday): MdLP Fall Convention (page
2)
Stay up-to-date on MdLP activities with our online calendar-of-events:
visit www.MD.LP.org/events (often!).
Check page 3 for contact
numbers not listed here.
LDDS (Libertarian Drinking and Debating Society): Fridays, 7:00 pm at Enrico's, 200 S. Haven St. (one block south of Lombard St.), Balto. Earle Pearce, 410-327-1776
LDDS (Montgomery Co.): 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 7:00 pm at Bennigan's, Rockville Pike in Federal Plaza near Twinbrook Pkwy. (behind Texaco gas station). Glenn Howard
LDDS (Annapolis): 3rd Friday, 6:30 pm, at Piezano's, just east of the Rt. 2 and West St. intersection, next to the TrakAuto store. Wendy Jones (redleo*juno.com)
LDDS (Timonium): 3rd Friday, 7:00 pm in AMF Bowling Alley lounge, opposite Fairgrounds. Nancy Millionie
LDDS (Essex): 2nd Wednesday, 7:00 pm at the Poplar Inn, Merritt Blvd. and Wise Ave. Nancy Millionie
LDDS (PG County): 4th Wednesday, 6:30 pm at the 94th Aero Squadron, 5240 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Pk. James McLaughlin (jimmcl*hotmail.com)
Northwest Baltimore Supper Club: 4th Monday, 7:00 pm at the Dragon House Restaurant, Garrison Forest shopping center, Reisterstown Rd., Owings Mills. Nancy Millionie
Harford County Lib's: 4th Monday, 6:30 pm at Harford Community College, 209 Edgewood Hall. Derek Mancinho
