Build the LP!

See 'America: From Freedom to Fascism' for Free!

2007-04-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

Dear friends in Broward and beyond...

Please be our guest and come see Aaron Russo's 'America: From Freedom to Fascism' for free.

And not only can you see it for free, if you pay us a visit we will give you a DVD copy of the film for free.

And...stay an extra 10 minutes and we'll throw in free coffee as well!

A mighty generous offer if I do say so myself (and I do).

The what, when and where:

What:

Aaron Russo's 'America: From Freedom to Fascism'. See it on the big screen. More info about the film here.

When:

Monday, April 23rd, 2007 at 6:30pm

Where:

the North Regional Broward Community College Library

1100 Coconut Creek Blvd.

Questions?

Call: 866-682-9225

email: info@lpbroward.com

Hope to see you there!

In Liberty,

sean

Broward LP Meeting

2007-03-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of the Broward LP is this Wednesday, March 14th.

The meeting starts at 7:00pm, but many people arrive early to discuss liberty, freedom and the Constitution.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 14th, 2006 from 7pm to 9pm

Topic: Campaigns and Elections with Jim & the Florida LP convention

Directions for current meeting place:

We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at the Denny's on the corner of Powerline Rd. and Oakland Park Blvd. (3151 N.W. 9th Ave.) in Oakland Park, FL.

You can get there by taking I-95 to the Oakland Park Boulevard exit, going one block east, then making a left on Powerline.

Details and more information:

http://lpbroward.org/

Meeting info for the Broward, Fla. LP...

2007-02-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

Join us in 2007!

Broward LP meeting dates for 2007:

Second Wednesday of each month.

For 2007, the meetings will be held on: Wednesday, March 14th, April 11th, May 9th, June 13th, July 11th, August 8th, September 12th, October 10th, November 14th, December 12th. BLP elections will be held on Dec. 12th.

The dates are also posted at the bottom of each email on the yahoo discussion list.

Where: We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at the Denny's on the corner of Powerline Rd. and Oakland Park Blvd. (3151 N.W. 9th Ave.) in Oakland Park, FL.

For more information please see our web site: http://www.lpbroward.org

Rothbard was close!

2006-11-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

Important read for Libertarians...

Why? It looks like Rothbard was very close to the truth...read on for more.

-----

A Strategy for Liberty

Education: Theory and Movement

AND SO WE HAVE IT: a body of truth, sound in theory and capable of application to our political problems—the new libertarianism. But now that we have the truth, how can we achieve victory? We face the great strategic problem of all "radical" creeds throughout history: How can we get from here to there, from our current State-ridden and imperfect world to the great goal of liberty?

There is no magic formula for strategy; any strategy for social change, resting as it does on persuasion and conversion, can only be an art rather than an exact science. But having said this, we are still not bereft of wisdom in the pursuit of our goals. There can be a fruitful theory, or at the very least, theoretical discussion, of the proper strategy for change....

http://www.mises.org/rothbard/newliberty14.asp

You Voted for This?

2006-11-29T13:29:00.000-08:00

Good News or Bad?

The democrats are back!

Black Congressman Advocates a Return to Slavery

Posted by Thomas DiLorenzo at November 19, 2006 07:34 PM

Congressman Charles Rangel of New York has introduced a bill that would re-institute military conscription and create an army of slaves for the empire. His political pals at the liberal Brookings Institute and elsewhere are calling for making this form of slavery more "universal" by calling it "universal service." Congressman Rahm Emanuel is championing this odious venture, which would conscript every 18-year-old to perform several years of (non-military)"service" to the state. So far, no objections from the neocons....

What is BtLP?

2006-11-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

A reader asks: Sean, where is your idea? I'd like to read through it.

A short answer:

Basically, the idea is to apply the proven ideas of direct marketing to the LP.

For example, part of it is how to take someone with no knowledge of liberty (99.99% of the population) to libertarian, to activist and leader, to candidate and beyond...

And do this with systems, in a step-by-step formulaic way so that any teenager, even if they go to a gov't school, can do it (run the program) in a successful manner.

Then replicate it in other counties, other states, and maybe even other countries.

Other important points include:

1. the building of a local list (names, addresses, etc.). We can then call on those people during elections.

2. even if someone does not become a libertarian candidate, if they don't get that far, hopefully they will have picked up enough knowledge so they have a decent understanding of libertarianism, and they are sympathetic to those ideas and our candidates.

That I guess would be the intro part of the plan. I still have to type out the rest but this is the essential idea.

ABML&BtLP!

sean
ps. Don't miss the social hour. More info: http://lpbroward.org/

2006-11-15T06:23:00.000-08:00

An important read for libertarians.

from:

http://elfsoft.home.mindspring.com/politics/nolan.htm

The Case For a Libertarian Political Party
David F. Nolan
(From the July-August 1971 Individualist)

Four years ago, at the YAF convention in Pittsburgh, there was born a unique coalition - the coalition that is known today as "the libertarian movement". There, for the first time, Randists, Miseists, and elements of the old "radical right" from all over the country got together and established an embryonic network of organization and communication - laying the groundwork for future cooperation and building the foundations for a mechanism whereby previously isolated individuals could begin to act as a cohesive force in American society.

Since that time, "the movement" has come a long way.

Today, there are an estimated ten to twenty thousand individuals who can be loosely classed as "libertarian activists", with perhaps a thousand of these being "hard core" or "self-starting" activists.

Where, in 1967, we had no organizational home save the semi-hostile Young Americans for Freedom, today we have the Society for Individual Liberty. And where, in 1967, there were no libertarian publications of national scope, save a few esoteric journals, today we have several (Reason, Protos, The Individualist, etc.)

Press coverage of libertarian views and activities has mushroomed from an occasional local item or back-page squib to major proportions (Newsweek, The New York Times, The National Observer, etc.) and the libertarian philosophy is now beginning to find some acceptance among the intellectual community.

"The movement", in short, has come of age. Yet, despite this new-found acceptance, we have not yet been able to make any major impact on the course of events. Day by day, America moves ever closer to becoming an overtly statist country. And in a few areas where strides have been made towards libertarianism, it has been almost entirely irrespective of the existence of "the movement".

The question, the, is "What can we do about it?" And the answers that have been given, to date, have fallen (roughly speaking) into one of four categories, whose advocates can be described as follows...

1) The Educators, whose answer is, in a nutshell, "go forth and spread the Good Word, and, in time, people will Come To See The Light - and the millennium will have arrived."

2) The Infiltrators, whose strategy is to get libertarians into the seats of power (the academy, the media, think tanks, existing political organizations) in the hope that by a sort of reverse Fabianism we can undo past mistakes and "turn things around."

3) The Snipers, who have devoted their efforts to sharp-shooting at the more obvious and repugnant examples of statism, in the hope of either bringing statist programs to a halt, or arousing the public to the dangers such programs pose; activities such as picketing draft boards, blocking urban-renewal bulldozers, and refusing to pay one's taxes fall into this category.

4) The Retreaters, whose approach is one of liberation oneself, ignoring the state as much as possible, and encouraging other to do likewise - on the perfectly valid grounds that if everyone did so, all would be well with the world. Variants of this philosophy are the Waldenesque "build a cabin in the woods, and eat berries" approach, and the "start our own country, on the seas or in some remote location" idea.

There is, of course, an overlap in these four approaches - and all are both philosophically sound, and, to some extent, efficacious. The fact nonetheless remains that all of them (except the "infiltrative" strategy) also largely ignore a central fact that one of the major determinants (if not THE major determinant) of the course of events in this country is the political process.

Now, one may argue that politics is an "immoral" game, that political approaches are inherently coercive, that one cannot achieve pure ends by impure means, and so forth. But the fact nonetheless remains that we live in a society whose shape is largely determined by political processes, our chances of achieving our goals are not great.

Many libertarians have recognized this fact, of course - and have expended hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of man-hours in political activities. But to date, we have reaped only a minuscule reward for our efforts.

And the reason for this lack of success, I believe, is simply that the present two-party system is fundamentally "rigged against us."

The Myth of the Two-Party System

This statement may seem a little strong, at first reading - especially as most of us have been raised from first childhood to believe that the two-party system is The Best Of All Possible Arrangements.

We are told, for instance, that it is the hallmark of a free society - with the Soviet one-party system held up as its antithesis. Conversely, we are told that a multi-party system produces "chaos", which in turn means loss of freedom for those persons so unfortunate as to live under such a system.

The fact of the matter, however, is that, logically speaking, if a one-party system is tyrannical, a two-party system is only one step removed from tyranny. And empirical evidence shows that citizens of a country which has a multi-party system can be just as free as we are here in the United States; such countries as Germany, France, and Australia, while hardly libertarian nirvanas, are not significantly more repressive than our own country - and Switzerland, which has a four-party system, is probably the least despotic of any of the world's major nations.

The second popular argument against a multi-party system - that is produces "chaos" - is, from a libertarian viewpoint, actually an argument in its favor. The prospect of a coalition government, where any of a number of small parties can veto legislation, is far from horrifying to anyone who is inclined toward a limited-government (or no-government) philosophy.

A third argument, often brought to bear against anyone who advocates the establishment of a third party here in the United States, is that (historically speaking), third-party candidates "can't win". This argument has two basic flaws in it, however.

First, third-party candidates CAN win - especially in local or nonpartisan elections. Even at the national-government level, it happens occasionally. Third-party candidates have been elected to Congress more than one hundred times in this century, and there are two "third-party" Senators (Buckley and Byrd) in office at this very moment.

And second, "winning" (in the sense of electing someone to office) is not the only reason for having a political party - especially in the short term sense.

In fact, this very mania for "winning now" is one of the factors that makes both of our present major political parties unlikely vehicles for libertarianism. Both the Democrats and Republicans are so concerned with "winning" that they are almost rabidly hostile to the idea of candidates who would "rather be right than President". A third party, in contrast, can take a long-range approach - running candidates with no intention of immediate victory, for the purpose of building up support and organization for future elections.

Thus, upon analysis, we can see that the major consequences of our present two-party system are as follows...

1) It drastically limits the range of choices open to the voter, and the range of viewpoints which can be expressed in the political arena.

2) It assures that there will be a cohesive majority in the government at all times.

3) It eliminates from contention those poten- (sic)

The Present Situation

As might be suspected from the foregoing analysis, the two major parties in America today offer little hope as potential vehicles for the promotion of libertarian ideas. The GOP, at the moment is nothing more that a step-n-fetchit organization for Richard M. Nixon - who, even at his most promising, was nothing to rave about, and who is now virtually indistinguishable from his 1968 opponent Hubert Humphrey. The Democrats, by virtue of assiduous efforts, have managed to make themselves even less appetizing. And the present outlook is that neither party is likely to take any stance in opposition to the prevailing semi- statist ethic in the foreseeable future; after all, they both want to win.

Such third-party efforts as already exist are also less promising. Wallace, although probably not significantly worse than Nixon or Kennedy, is "anti-liberal", and most of his opposition to the "liberal" zeitgeist is on points where libertarians would tend to agree with the liberals (e.g., social issues) rather than where we would tend to disagree (e.g., economic issues).

Such third-party efforts as may materialize on the "left" are also unlikely to offer much. At best they will be hyped-up versions of the Democratic Party (e.g., a Lindsay-Gardner ticket); at worst, they will be voices for totalitarian nihilism.

All of which leads this writer inexorably to the conclusion that the time has come for us to form our own party. We have the numbers to mount a meaningful effort, nationwide. We have both a desire and a need to achieve visible results. And, despite the fact that we certainly aren't going to elect "one of ours" as President of the United States - at least not in 1972 - there are a number of advantages to be gained by such action.

First, and perhaps most important, we will be able to get a great deal more news coverage for ourselves and our ideas than we have ever gotten before. Public interest in political issues and philosophies is always at an all-time high during Presidential election years, and the media people are actively seeking news in this area.

As a direct consequence of this fact, we will probably reach (and hopefully convert) far more people than we usually do; hopefully, some of these people will turn out to support our candidates, and will thus enable to locate hitherto-unlocatable libertarians (or at least sympathizers).

Third, we will be able to get some idea of how much support we really do have (at least in potential form) around the country; if we can get 100,000 votes the first time out, we know there are at least 100,000 libertarians out there - and whatever number we get, we can figure that it represents only a small fraction of the total, as not all of our potential supporters will even hear about our efforts, and many of those who do will be in States where we can't get on the ballot.

Fourth, a libertarian political party would provide a continuing "focal point" for libertarian activity - something that "one-shot" projects do not provide.

Fifth, we will be able to hasten the already emerging coalition between the libertarian "left" and libertarian "right". At the moment, the former group is supporting people like Eugene McCarthy, while the latter is supporting people like Barry Goldwater. A truly libertarian party would draw support both from such "leftist" groups as the Institute for the Study of Non-Violence and the American Civil Liberties Union, and from "rightist" groups like the John Birch Society and the Liberty Amendment Committee, however. This would increase the political impact of the libertarian "movement", as "leftist" and "rightist" libertarians now usually wind up voting so as to cancel each other (when they vote at all). Furthermore, libertarian votes now get lumped in with "liberal" and "conservative" votes, whereas the votes received by a libertarian party would not be hidden in this manner.

A sixth point is favor of establishing a libertarian party is that by its mere existence, it would put some pressure on the other parties to take a more libertarian stand.

An finally, there is always the possibility that we might actually get some libertarians elected.

Broward LP Meeting

2006-06-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

"The creative spirit innovates necessarily. It must press forward. It must destroy the old and set the new in its place. Progress cannot be organized." - Ludwig von Mises, Socialism

-----

*The next meeting of the Broward Libertarian Party will be held on
Wednesday, May 10th, June 14th.*

Meetings are held monthly on the second Wednesday of the month.

The meeting starts at 7:00pm, but many people arrive early to discuss
liberty, freedom and the Constitution.

*Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 14th 2006 from 7pm to 9pm*

*Topic: guest speaker - John Wayne Smith, candidate for governor of
the American Libertarian Party.*

Members of the public are encouraged to attend, bringing their opinions
and concerns.

Directions for current meeting place:

We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at the Denny's on the
corner of Powerline Rd. and Oakland Park Blvd. (3151 N.W. 9th Ave.) in
Oakland Park, FL.

You can get there by taking I-95 to the Oakland Park Boulevard exit,
going one block east, then making a left on Powerline.

About the meeting room at Denny's...In order to use the room, we have to
order more than $75. worth of food. If we don't, we have to pay $75.!
That means it is VERY important that you come. So please make it a point
to come to the meeting and help your local LP grow!

More info about the BLP:

Our website:

http://www.lpbroward.org

Our announcement list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/browardlp-announce/

Our discussion list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LP-Broward/

Libertarian Party National Convention

2006-06-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

Don't forget:

http://www.lpconvention.org/

Registration for the Libertarian Party National Convention will open on July 1st. Business meetings will begin on June 29th (Platform Committee). Also, the LNC will hold a meeting on June 30th.

If you are member of the Platform Committee, ByLaws Committee, or the LNC, arrange to arrive in Portland on June 28th. Delegate credential registration opens at noon on June 30th. All other attendees should try to arrive on June 30th as conference registration opens at 9 a.m. and the first business session begins at 9 a.m.

To register:

We are offering six separate packages for the 2006 convention. To register, review the various package descriptions.

http://www.lpconvention.org/register.shtml

A Message from the LP...

2006-06-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

Comments on this coming soon...

A message from the LP...

Do you support the LP?

Dear friend,

Do you support the party?

We are always in need of your support . . . especially during an election year. . . especially during THIS election year.

I strongly feel that we are in a special time and the nation is ready for change. I'm not alone in this thinking. Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan agrees:

"Something's happening. I have a feeling we're at some new beginning, that a big breakup's coming, and that though it isn't and will not be immediately apparent, we'll someday look back on this era as the time when a shift began.

.. . . The Perot experience seemed to put an end to third-party fever. But I think it's coming back, I think it's going to grow, and I think the force behind it is unique in our history."

Peggy Noonan may recognize that our nation is ready for a change but she disagrees with me on one critical point. She doesn't think that the Libertarian Party has what it takes to take advantage of this situation.

I do believe that we can make an impact during this critical time and so do many of our candidates.

The party needs your help now and we'll need it down the road as well. That's why I ask that you take the time today to start a monthly pledge to the Libertarian Party.

By setting up this pledge, you'll become a member of the Liberty Pledge Club. Each month, an issue of Liberty Pledge News, which offers an "inside" take on party matters, will be delivered to your door .

Also, to make your decision easier, we're offering a special chance to win a custom "LP" Video iPod if you join the Liberty Pledge Club before July 2nd.

At the closing dinner of the Libertarian National Convention we'll raffle off two of these custom iPods to two lucky people. To take part in the raffle, just start a monthly pledge of $10 or more or increase an existing pledge $10 or more by July 2nd.

To start your monthly pledge, go to:

http://www.lp.org/members/contributeipod.shtml

You don't have to be at the dinner to win, but if you want to attend this great event, see www.LPConvention.org.

Thanks again for all that you do for the party.

Best Regards,

Shane Cory
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

He can sell Whole Foods, but can he sell liberty?

2006-06-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Liberty magazine has a good article by John Mackey of Whole Foods. Worth reading, and he has some insights into the modern liberal that might be of use.

Winning the Battle for Freedom and Prosperity
John Mackey outlines a plan for selling freedom in an unfree world.

http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2006_06/mackey-winning.html

Notable thoughts from the speech:

“Becoming an entrepreneur completely changed my life. Everything I believed about business was proven to be wrong.”

“Business is not a zero sum game with a winner and a loser. It is a win, win, win, win game — and I really like that.”

“If we are to win the allegience of the young people of America, we must create a vision of the good life and the good society that is irresistible to them.”

“The freedom movement must advocate the ideal of self-responsibility for health. We own our own bodies, don't we? This is no minor thing.”

“What would happen with true competition in school choice, with students and parents becoming truly empowered consumers instead of virtual prisoners and slaves? We would have an explosion in educational innovation.”

“The freedom movment must embrace the ideals of love, care, and compassion, and return these words to their true meanings.”

More info:
Winning the Battle for Freedom and Prosperity
http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2006_06/mackey-winning.html

FWIW, I think he might make a good candidate for the Libertarian Party!

Build the LP!

2006-02-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

Hi, and I'd like to welcome you to this blog...the soon to be both famous and infamous 'Build the LP' blog.

Why a blog about ‘building the LP’?

Well, for one thing, I think it is something that must be done. America is quickly turning into even more of a police state and, like it or not, a libertarian party may be the only thing that can stop it, save western civilization, the Earth and send us to the stars...yep, it’s THAT important.

It’s also do or die time for libertarians. Just take a look around. You know this to be true.

And, since I happen to hold many interesting, unique, controversial and unpopular ideas about the LP I figured why the heck not start a blog.

Maybe we could win.

Because I get many of the same arguments, questions and responses (from libertarians) to my ideas about the LP, I figured I better find a better way to share them (rather than answer the same questions again and again). So here we are. This blog.

Now, keep in mind, my ideas about the LP are not shared by many (if any!) libertarians yet. The key word is yet. Because if you want to live in a free country, you better start adopting them and acting on them, and you’d better do it fast.

What you’re doing isn’t working. And pretty soon it will be too late.

Stay tuned. And if you have any questions just let me know.

ABML!