Libertarian Party Weekly Newsletter

ExCom meets; discusses; makes big moves forward for LPKS. Opportunity to be known as a Libertarian throughout Kansas LPKS registrations approach a milestone Professor Liberty on Ethical Intuitionism  We apologize for the delay in getting this missive out to our supporters in Kansas. We’d like to conger a good excuse but we will save you the tedium. Since our last contact, the ExCom (recall: the Executive Committee) conducted an open meeting to which all Libertarians were invited. The 3½ hour event was considered very productive by all who participated. Even the visitors were impressed. All sections of our state were represented. Many counties have active groups meeting regularly or are in the final process of forming. If you have not heard of a county group either active or forming in your area, please let us know. We want all Libertarians to have an opportunity to get involved. Summer also brings County Fairs. We will have many booths at county fairs across the state. Of course, these require volunteers to meet those interested in learning more. Don’t hesitate to volunteer for one of these. It can be interesting. It is also a great opportunity to learn a great deal about our own party and how it is perceived by others. With the 2014 governor’s race fast approaching, we have our sights clearly on our goal of attracting a minimum of 5% of the voters to our candidate and, thus, achieving Major Party Status. This is important. If we are successful, it will be a first. LPKS will create a major news event across the country and our party will be included in future debates in Kansas. We believe it is achievable.  To improve our chances of success, Al, our state chair, established a task force to identify and interest well qualified candidates to run. Any supporters are encouraged to forward leads for a governor candidate to committee chair, Stacey Davis (policy@lpks.org.)  Al (same guy) also briefed us on the FOR campaign. This is a delightfully original concept to position LPKS as a party with constructive positions on the major issues that will achieve results most people in our society believe are good for all. We want to reach voters with a positive approach to the problems faced our society. Prior to the 2014 race, he wants to produce 25,000 FOR brochures we can hand out freely to attract voters. In addition, we would like to work on some U-Tube videos to reinforce our message.  As always, there is a little problem with money. But, this is actually an opportunity. With some anonymous matching funds, we can get 25,000 full color brochures for around $1,000. Each brochure can be printed with the name of the donor who makes it possible.  This is your opportunity: Make a gift to LPKS of only $1,000 and your name can be printed on all 25,000 brochures to be distributed across the state in support of Liberty in Kansas. Or, we can split the cost between two contributors and print two names on the brochures. Alternatively, you can underwrite the cost of producing one or more U-Tube videos. Talk about an opportunity! Douglas County Libertarians reported they have been busy on two fronts. In addition to their work to establish guidelines for Drone use in the county, they are working to prevent a tax increase necessary to provide security in public buildings due to new state gun legislation. This just out: This effort was successful! WOOO HOOO!!! Score another success for Libertarians. We applaud the good work being done by our Douglas County group. We hope it is an inspiration for other county groups. LPKS social media is growing. Our Facebook reach has grown from a few hundred views to a range of 2000 – 5000 views per week. If you haven’t visited us (and liked us) on Facebook, we hope you will. LPKS registered voter count now stands at 11,735. We are only 65 registered voters away from gaining 1000 new Libertarians since the 2012 election. If you are a regular reader of these messages and are not registered as a Libertarian, we hope you will consider the switch. Every milestone we cross is another opportunity to make news about our achievements. We have new printed state brochure available for outreach booths. (Thank you Rob Hodgkinson) Other national brochures can be purchased at lpstuff.com. We have a speakers bureau able to send speakers anywhere in the state. Rob Hodgkinson will be speaking to high school aged students in Hutchinson and Newton. Help us find more speaking opportunities with our youth across Kansas. And, now a word from Professor Liberty: Professor Liberty says: Ethical Intuitionism  Libertarianism is grounded in Natural Law and Ethical Intuitionism. Both a professional interest and pastime of mine is Meta and Normative ethics. My exploration of ethics is partially what led me to libertarianism.  Meta-ethics is the study of ethics itself, posing questions such as, ‘Are there objective morals?’ and ‘What is the source of ethics?’  Normative ethics attempts to answer the question, ‘What should I do to act morally?’  A thorough explanation of ethics is beyond the compass of this segment. For now, suffice it to say that I am persuaded that libertarianism is the political corollary of the most logically and intuitively sound approach to ethics: Ethical intuitionism, which is the view that at least some moral truths can be known intuitively.  The great Mahatma Gandhi summarized it best when he said, “The truth is self-evident. Once you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, the truth shines clear.”  Founding Father Thomas Jefferson alluded to intuitionism when he wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Jefferson went on to speak of the Natural Law, “…that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights…” Note that Jefferson is correct not because Thomas Jefferson said it, but because the rights are inherent in the human condition.  Our intuitions can be skewed by the likes of bias, prejudice, misinformation, and a thousand other forms of distortion. Yet we are both born with certain rights and grow perceptive to certain moral truths. Starting with these gifts, the individual then goes about making the choices of everyday life through observation, reasoning, love, and science. It starts with the individual.  Libertarianism, the philosophy that maximizes individual liberty, is most aligned with Ethical Intuitionism.

FFF Webinar

FFF Webinar:

"From Articles of Confederation

to the Constitution"

DATE:  July 17, 2013 –Wednesday

PLACE:  World Wide Web

TIME: 7:00 pm eastern

ADMISSION:  FREE

SPEAKER:  Sheldon Richman

FFF vice president and editor Sheldon Richman will host a free, interactive online webinar entitled “From Articles of Confederation to the Constitution.” This will be an interactive experience with Sheldon and will be limited to 24 participants.

The webinar will be held Wednesday, July 17, 2013 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. eastern. Participants will need a computer with a video camera as well as headphones with an integrated microphone. Computer speakers are not permitted as they cause feedback problems during the broadcast.

Participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis. To make a reservation for the webinar, please email Bart Frazier at bfrazier@fff.org with your name, email address, and telephone number. Participants will be notified before the event with instructions.

Remove my name from all future email correspondence

Address postal inquiries to:

The Future of Freedom Foundation

11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 800

Fairfax, VA 22030

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National LP News!

Table of Contents:

·         Snowden should be rewarded as a hero, say LP poll respondents

·         Libertarian Party: Defending the Fourth Amendment for 42 years

·         Libertarian Party applauds DOMA strikedown

·         LPVA governor candidate Robert Sarvis qualifies for ballot

·         March issue of LP News now available online

Snowden should be rewarded as a hero, say LP poll respondents
When National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the criminal ways in which the U.S. government is violating the privacy rights of Americans, Big Government Democrats and Republicans immediately began to demonize him and canceled his passport while they strongarmed other countries into denying him asylum. A majority of visitors to LP.org, however, have praised Snowden as a hero and overwhelmingly advocated big, bold cuts to the government's surveillance powers.
In poll results collected as of June 17, comprising 4,457 respondents (excluding the 695 who selected the "different combination" option), at least 88 percent advocated repealing the Patriot Act, the NDAA, FISA, and every other law that violates Americans' Fourth Amendment rights, and at least 75 percent agreed that the NSA should be abolished.
At least 54 percent of those who took the poll thought that Snowden should be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for shining a spotlight on how our militaristic security state has grown unaccountably out of control.
Read the rest at LP.org!

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Libertarian Party: Defending the Fourth Amendment for 42 years
The Libertarian Party has a long history of defending the rights to privacy guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Libertarian Party leaders and candidates joined a coalition of Fourth Amendment advocates on July 4 at rallies held across the United States sponsored by Restore the Fourth, a grassroots, nonpartisan, nonviolent movement.
Many of those attending the rallies are brought copies of a flyer showcasing a broad sample of LP quotes supporting Fourth Amendment rights. The quotes are taken from throughout the party's 42-year history. By bringing these flyers to rallies across the United States, Libertarian Party supporters showed their friends and other defenders of the Fourth Amendment that the LP has been a consistent advocate of constitutional privacy rights for more than four decades.
Read the rest at LP.org!

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Libertarian Party applauds DOMA strikedown
The Libertarian Party applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to strike the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that discriminates against non-heterosexual marriages.
The Libertarian Party has supported marriage equality since its founding in 1971.
"The Republican Party has never supported marriage equality," said Laura Delhomme, 2013 Libertarian candidate for delegate in Virginia. "Democrats, despite their alleged support of civil liberties, only added a reference to same-sex marriage to their party platform in 2012 — when it became politically convenient."
DOMA was pushed through by a GOP-led Congress and signed by a Democratic president.
"This is a landmark victory for personal freedom," said Geoffrey J. Neale, chair of the Libertarian National Committee. "The Democrats and Republicans who have advanced, defended, and let stand government intrusion into the private contracts and choices of consenting adults will be remembered for their inhumanity on this issue."
Ending DOMA means that the federal government will recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples in states that recognize marriage equality. This is a good first step toward ending government discrimination that has affected millions of Americans.
Read the rest at LP.org!

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LPVA governor candidate Robert Sarvis qualifies for ballot

Rob Sarvis,
LP Virginia
Candidate for Governor

Robert Sarvis, gubernatorial candidate for the Libertarian Party of Virginia, qualified for the state ballot this week. His qualification brings the current number of ballot-qualified candidates in Virginia to eight, including seven candidates for the House of Delegates.
"As state chair, I attended all of their nominating conventions and I'm very impressed with this year's slate of candidates," said Chuck Moulton, chair of the Virginia LP. He noted that LPVA hasn't run this many candidates in more than a decade, since the time it fielded 12 candidates in 2001.
Sarvis has emphasized concrete steps to cut government in his campaign, including ending the income tax, the car tax, business and occupational license taxes, and more. He proposes to implement school choice, legalize marijuana, decriminalize harder drugs, reform asset forfeiture laws, and reverse the militarization of police.
Read the rest at LP.org!

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March issue of LP News now available online
The March 2013 edition of LP News is now available in the LP News archive, which contains issues stretching back for five years.
So, if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to read our coverage of the Libertarian Party's extensive presence at the International Students for Liberty Conference, 2013 election hot spots, our full list of fall vote totals, news about campaigns and other battles for freedom from state affiliates, our 2012 annual report, and much more.
Hard-copy issues of LP News are mailed to sustaining members of the national LP. PDF versions of past issues are available for free at the LP News archive.
Click here to become a member and receive future issues of LP News hot off the press.
Read at LP.org!

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Please donate today to the Libertarian Party today. Shrink government — expand liberty.

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Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Fly Your Betsy Ross Flag Tomorrow!

Dear Friend of Liberty,
Tomorrow, we celebrate Independence Day, the day two hundred and thirty-seven years ago when Americans declared their independence from the king of Great Britain and set out to create a nation with a small and unintrusive government, leaving people free to live their lives in peace, harmony, and abundance.
Since then, Big Government interests have violated and usurped the Constitution. They have allowed governments in the United States — at all levels — to grow to a size and to a level of meddling that would make King George proud. Americans have lost many freedoms, and more are threatened every day.
The Libertarian Party stands alone as the only party in America dedicated to fulfilling the mission of our Founding Fathers to establish and secure our freedoms.
In celebration of Independence Day, and the unalienable rights our Founding Fathers put their lives at risk for, will you please donate today $17.76 to strengthen and grow the new American Revolution?
Simply click here to donate your special gift of $17.76.
We have a lot of work to do. Our freedom and prosperity are at high risk with today’s ever-growing Big Government.
We also have a big opportunity before us. Americans’ dissatisfaction with today’s Big Government is at record highs. We must capitalize on this discontent — and appeal to the love of freedom in every American’s heart.
Your symbolic donation of $17.76 will help our Libertarian Party mission to turn back Big Government, expand liberty, and restore prosperity for all Americans.
How will your $17.76 help the fight for liberty?
It will help seek and enlist more patriots like you into the Libertarian Party, and to tap into the emerging libertarian youth movement.
It will help fund our fight to overcome the many ballot access challenges and obstacles we face so Americans can vote Libertarian.
It will help us shine a spotlight on our fine Libertarian candidates and their Libertarian Solutions to shrink government in ways that directly benefit everyday voters.
Will you donate today by clicking here?
If we raise $1,776 in online donations before midnight on the Fourth of July, one of our generous Libertarian members will immediately donate another $1,776 to our party!
That means we need $17.76 from just 100 of you to double the impact of your donation!
Don't miss your chance to be one of those proud 100. Click here to donate today.
If you wish to make an even greater impact, you can donate more than $17.76. It would be greatly appreciated.
Every dollar will be used to further the cause of liberty and freedom for all Americans.
Thank you for your support and your dedication to liberty in America.
Sincerely,

Geoffrey J. Neale
Chair, Libertarian National Committee

P.S. — If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party with a mission to give voters a choice to downsize Big Government, to do so in the most humane way possible, to greatly reduce taxes, and to slash high government spending. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can simply make a contribution.

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Paid for by the Libertarian National Committee

Join the cause for Liberty!

Libertarians speaking at
Restore the Fourth protests on July 4
Protesters in cities across America will gather on July 4, 2013, to demand that the U.S. government adhere to its constitutionally dictated limits demanded by the Fourth Amendment.
The rallies are being organized by Restore the Fourth, a grassroots, nonpartisan, nonviolent movement spurred by revelations made by whistle blower Edward Snowden of the government’s widespread practice of spying on Americans without a warrant.
The July 4 demonstrations seek to demand an end to the unconstitutional surveillance methods employed by the U.S. government.
Libertarian National Committee Executive Director Carla Howell will speak at 12:30 P.M. at the Washington, D.C., rally being held at McPherson Square from 12:00 noon until 2:00 P.M. Libertarian candidate for Virginia House of Delegates District 53, Anthony Tellez, will speak at 1:15 P.M.
Here's a list of other cities in the process of organizing rallies:

• Tempe, Arizona
• Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Huntington Beach, California
• San Diego, California
• San Francisco, California
• Denver, Colorado
• Washington, D.C. (additional information)
• Gainesville, Florida
• Orlando, Florida
• Tampa Bay, Florida
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Savannah, Georgia
• Hilo, Hawaii
• Chicago, Illinois
• Iowa City, Iowa
• Wichita, Kansas
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Carson City, Nevada
• Albany, New York
• Buffalo, New York
• New York, New York
• Rochester, New York
• Syracuse, New York
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
• Dallas, Texas
• Houston, Texas
• Seattle, Washington

Visit LP.org to share this release!

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Please donate to the Libertarian Party, working to advance peace, individual rights, and American prosperity.

Paid for by the Libertarian National Committee
2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037
Content not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

State LP News!

Libertarian Party Weekly Newsletter

June 30 - July 6, 2013 Success has such a sweet fragrance. How does this all work? Who’s in charge? Welcome, newcomers, to our weekly missive. Shawn Smith   All we do here at LPKS Missive Central is attempt to keep up with the cascade of successful work accomplished by our members across the state. We didn’t realize it would be such a task! We have many new readers who may wonder what this is all about. But, more on that in a minute. ✤ First up, we can report that our Open Carry efforts have been wildly successful in Lenexa.  Long time readers will recall Lenexa had enacted a ban on Open Carry. LP Second-Amendment Task Force members Grant Nelson, Mike Kerner and Earl McIntosh led an effort to overturn this ordinance. They met with members of the city council and legal staff and pointed out how their ordinance was counter to state law. This past week, the Lenexa City Council voted unanimously to repeal their open carry ban ordinance. It was a quick vote with little discussion and no community input. While not all city council members were happy with the situation, they realized that with state law against them, they had a weak hand. We should to thank Lenexa's city council and mayor for working and meeting with us through this process the last year and a half. Score ONE for the tireless LPKS. ✤ Some may wonder how we accomplish so much? Or Who is in charge? Or How we set our priorities? The Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS) has no paid employees. We have an Executive Committee (ExCom) that consists of 8 office holders elected at our bi-annual state convention. They and others invited to attend by the Chair, meet periodically by phone or in person to discuss pressing issues and set policy. This weekend is a notable exception. The ExCom has scheduled an open meeting in Topeka on Sunday, June 30. Anyone who wants to may attend. It is at Annie's Place; 4014 SW Gage Center Drive. We will start the meeting at 1pm but the room is open for us at 12:30. Lots to eat and drink. Annie’s wants an estimate of those attending so please, if you are coming, send us an email. The meeting will begin with first reports from three newly organized committees: By-laws, Fundraising and Governor’s candidate search team.  We will also be discussing progress of county groups; outreach booths; a community drone resolution; a ballot access issue and much more. We expect the Douglas County group to have more information on a community drone resolution that can be used anywhere in the state. While this is officially an ExCom meeting and outside input is somewhat limited, it should be interesting for folks to listen in on what the leaders of the party are working on and how Ls can participate.  New LPKS state brochures will be available, just in time for our summer outreach booths. Rob Hodgkinson has generously designed and printed new state brochures as a donation to the party.  ✤ Welcome new readers of this missive. In the past month, we have added hundreds of new names and email addresses to our list. We welcome all our new readers and will work diligently to meet your expectations. It’s good to periodically remind everyone (including ourselves) of our purpose and objective.  We use email to send three different messages:  Weekly emails are one.  Free Kansan, our quarterly publication, is another.  Action Alerts are sent only to those who can assist when a situation arises. Our weekly emails keep Libertarians across the state informed about the good work Libertarians are accomplishing to promote Liberty and lead successful political campaigns. We are, after all, a political party. Free Kansan is sent out about quarterly and contains more in depth information about the various opportunities and challenges we see around the state. Here are some important things we ask our readers to do. And, they really are important. At the end of this email, to the right in the footer, you will find the county in which you live and your elected representatives. This is very important. From time to time, issues we care about come before state or county elected officials. If it is something we believe you can impact, we will send an Action Alert to ONLY those who can help.  The Action Alert will explain the situation and suggest action. You can choose to contact your representative or not. However, if we don’t know what county you live in or who your representatives are, we can’t keep you in this loop. Your full name should appear at the beginning of this email under the bullet points. Please check to insure the information we have for you is correct and let us know if it is not. We want to keep you informed. Finally, if you like what we say, or don’t like what we say, please communicate with us. We are trying to communicate with all LPKS members. We really like it when they communicate back. If you don’t want to receive these, we can remove you from the list. And, we aren’t offended ... really. Just send us an email and also tell us which communications you no longer wish to receive. Remember, we have three: Weekly Email; Free Kansan; Action Alert. Be careful: If you use the unsubscribe link at the end, you will no longer receive ANY of our emails. Professor Liberty says: Professor Liberty is unavailable this week. We look forward to his return next week.