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Old Dominion Liberty Letter Issue #27
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CONTENTS
1. RICHMOND NEWS: Packed House at the Richmond Libertarians 2010-01-05
2. NATIONAL NEWS: Homeowner Defends Herself 2009-12-04
3. VIRGINIA NEWS: Man Convicted of Indecent Exposure in His Own Home
4. NATIONAL NEWS: LP National Convention Update
5. NATIONAL NEWS: LP Issue Bumper Stickers
6. EXPLORING LIBERTY: The LP's "Labor Markets" Plank
7. LPVA: Next SCC Meeting: RESCHEDULED to Saturday, January 30, 2010
8. ONE-MONTH VIRGINIA EVENT HORIZON - Libertarian Events Around the State
9. Deep Thoughts
10. FEATURED LINK
THIS PUBLICATION NEEDS A PERMANENT EDITOR! Volunteer by leaving a message @
703-715-6230, or by writing to:
[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]?subject=odllvolunteer>
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1. RICHMOND NEWS: Packed House at the Richmond Libertarians 2010-01-05
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[written by Matthew Simpson)
At the Patrick Henry Supper Club in Richmond this month, a packed room of over
thirty Libertarians were honored with an informative presentation by Chris
Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Using factual
data, Mr. Horner presented a rational alternative to the propaganda of Man-Made
Climate Change. Mr. Horner's presentation showed that history and facts prove
Climate Change does exist, but that it is a cyclical process that occurs
without the influence of humans.
Chris Horner was both witty and correct to point out that "the Skeptics [of
human-induced climate change] have no burden of proof ... Alarmists are asking
for power and money; they have the burden of proof." And yet it is proof that
the Establishment is finding harder and harder to find. What these lobbyists
and legislators are relying upon is the complacent constituent willing to
accept the "trendy" view that the only thing unnatural on Mother Earth is human
life.
Mr. Horner's answer to Climate Change: wealth. Horner asks "Would you rather
be in Bangladesh or Florida when a hurricane hits?" Wealth ensures the
adaptability, and therefore the survival of humans. However, with this
Cap-and-Trade Bill, wealth is the very thing the government will be taking away
from its citizens.
It was a pleasure to hear Chris Horner talk. He continually rattled off
quick-witted jokes and has an engaging personality. He also proved to be a
reliable voice of reason regarding this intense political and scientific issue.
For full text of the Senate Bill:
http://kerry.senate.gov/cleanenergyjobsandamericanpower/pdf/bill.pdf
For more information on Christopher Horner, you may visit his website at CEI:
http://cei.org/people/christopher-c-horner
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2. NATIONAL NEWS: Homeowner Defends Herself 2009-12-04
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Courtesy of VCDL: This is an audio recording of a woman who was forced to
shoot an attacker (in Oklahoma). Had she not been armed, she would have been
dead long before the police ever came. It was over twenty-five minutes before
the police made first contact with her.
http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/54313835001
One of the more galling things about her conversation with the police was that
they wanted her to let them in, but to put her gun down first -- when she
didn't know if the man she shot was still alive or not. They wanted her to
step over the guy, unarmed, to let them in the gate. I understand they don't
want to get shot by a panicked victim, but come on.
But besides that, the police do the best they can, but sometimes they are
simply no where near you. This is what those who want everyone to be disarmed
simply fail to understand.
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3. VIRGINIA NEWS: Man Convicted of Indecent Exposure in His Own Home
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SPRINGFIELD, Va. - The basic definition of the crime of "Peeping" is "Peering
into a residence, not one's own, while on private property." At least
according to the Fairfax County Police.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gisapps/myneighborhood/mynpolice.aspx?fxmResolution=1024x768
(Scroll down to "incident definitions".)
So see if you can understand this:
Yvette Dean, the wife of a Fairfax County cop, couldn't look away from Erick
Williamson's house. In fact, she went through his yard (actually on his
property, according to FoxDC) and looked through his windows twice. Dean says
a nude Williamson made eye contact with her and intentionally exposed himself
while she was walking her 7-year-old son to school on Monday, October 19, 2009.
Williamson, 29, the father of a 5-year-old girl, is a commercial diver who grew
up in Hawaii and at the time shared the home with several co-workers. He said
his roommates were not home and he walked into the kitchen to make coffee about
5:30 a.m.
In essence, Dean's lack of eyeball control cost Williamson a criminal
conviction for indecent exposure. While Williamson faced a maximum of one year
in jail and a $2,000 fine, the judge did not sentence Williamson to serve any
jail time or any fine. He and his lawyer say they will appeal based on
principle. All witnesses testified that Williamson never stepped outside his
home and made no gestures; but the judge said since Williamson was seen by more
than one person over the course of several hours, the judge considered the
behavior "indecent".
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1844460
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/101909_man_caught_making_coffee_naked_faces_charges
Williamson has since moved out of the house. Great parting shot by Williamson:
"If I was looking in her window, I think we'd be having a whole different
conversation."
Fairfax County Prosecutor Marc Birnbaum said "No one deserves to see it,
certainly not a young child."
Apparently Birnbaum thinks it's better for a 7 year old to go to government
mind-laundry school at the crack of dawn and learn about MS-13 and other gangs,
and then get beaten up by the truant squad for being late (see
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/045146.html ), I suppose.
>From the Libertarian Party platform: "Crime and Justice - Government exists
>to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and
>property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others
>through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily
>at significant risk of harm."
The problem here is two-fold: public morals and public agencies.
Libertarians believe what one does on their own property is their own business.
Not everyone agrees that the government should be enforcing what are
essentially religious mores about modesty. It has at most times in American
history been illegal to be shirtless if female (and sometimes even males were
prohibited from being shirtless). Other discriminatory clothing regulations
have been in force from time to time. If another religion were to become a
majority, would you want that religion's requirement for head-to-toe covering
for females to be the law? Everyone must remember that a government powerful
enough to give you what you want is powerful enough to take everything you
have. Let's not give it that power.
Secondly, government police agencies should be disbanded and replaced by
neighborhoods privately contracting for security coverage; but where
privatization hasn't happened, government police should be required to spend
precious officer time on solving crimes of assault and fraud before spending
any time on anything else. At least just about everyone agrees assault & fraud
are wrong! Given that the clearance rate for homicides in the United States
has been falling for three decades, maybe diversion into these sorts of
"crimes" isn't the best thing we should be doing with our police.
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4. NATIONAL NEWS: LP National Convention Update
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Dear Delegates to the 2010 National Convention:
Our Bylaws prescribe how we allocate seats to representatives of affiliates who
will attend our 2010 National Convention in St. Louis. Delegate allocations
depend upon 1) vote totals for Bob Barr in 2008 and 2) Membership totals as of,
in this case, October 31, 2009.
All members are welcome to download and review our "Delegation Chairs Manual",
which has been updated to reflect our October 31 membership cutoff date. See
this link:
http://www.lp.org/files/Delegation%20Chair%27s%20Manual%202010.pdf
Of course, its not necessary to be a state or delegation chair to download and
read the document. It contains information about delegates, delegations and
procedures well use in the 2010 Convention. These are not procedures that the
LNC has dictated, but are ones we ourselves as members have codified in our
Bylaws and Convention Rules.
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5. NATIONAL NEWS: LP Issue Bumper Stickers
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And now, a word from our sponsor: Wear the LP colors! Check out these bumper
stickers:
http://www.zazzle.com/immigration_is_also_called_moving_bumper_sticker-128096227542326068
http://www.zazzle.com/abolish_the_irs_vote_libertarian_bumper_sticker-128151456887305334
http://www.zazzle.com/repeal_prohibition_libertarian_party_sticker_bumper_sticker-128231895702692440
http://www.zazzle.com/abolish_the_fed_bumper_sticker-128034935072085282
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6. EXPLORING LIBERTY: The LP's "Labor Markets" Plank
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This issue, we bring you the Libertarian Party's platform position #2.7, "Labor
Markets", which reads:
--------
We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find
employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the
right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an
employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We
oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or
imposing an obligation to bargain.
--------
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7. LPVA: Next SCC Meeting: RESCHEDULED to Saturday, January 30, 2010
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The next meeting of the state committee will occur on Saturday, January 30,
2010 at 12:00 pm, with an 11:00 am lunch preceding. The meeting of the State
Committee of the Virgina LP (i.e., "SCC") will be held in Charlottesville
(exact location TBA).
There will be an informal lunch gathering at 11:00. Anyone who would like to
join us should be there no later than 11:00 am.
The meeting will begin at 12:00 noon and should not run beyond 2:30 p.m.
Minutes of previous meetings are posted at:
http://www.LPVA.com/Archives/SCCMinutes/Minutes.php
Bring your appetite, your ideas, be ready to roll up your sleeves, and help us
win a free country!
PLEASE NOTE: Under LPVA rules, only LP members have the right to attend State
Committee meetings. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE SCC TO ATTEND!! In
fact, we encourage all Libertarian Party members to attend, as we are always
interested in ideas and **especially** new volunteers to help with ongoing
projects. If you're not e current member, you are free to join or rejoin at
the meeting.
ALSO NOTE: We are currently seeking one or more volunteers for the newsletter,
including selecting a new editor. If you are interested in the job, please
attend! Bring your resume and a sample or two of your desktop-publishing work.
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8. ONE-MONTH VIRGINIA EVENT HORIZON - Libertarian Events Around the State
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FOR COMPLETE DETAILS ON ANY OF THESE EVENTS, SEE:
http://lpva.com/Calendar/events08.asp
Monday, January 11, 2010 - 6:30 PM - Lynchburg Libertarians November Meeting,
Lynchburg.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 4:30 PM - JAL Happy Hour, Charlottesville.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 6:00 PM - Chesterfield Libertarians Meeting,
Midlothian.
Saturday, January 23, 2010 - 10:00 AM - Ninth Congressional District
Committee Convention, Christiansburg.
Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 7:00 PM - JAL "Fourth Thursday Salon", Crozet.
Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 12:30 PM - Fifth Congressional District
Committee Convention, Charlottesville.
Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 11:00 AM - State Committee Meeting,
Charlottesville.
Monday, February 08, 2010 - 5:30 PM - GMU: Economic Liberty Lecture Series,
George Mason University.
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OTHER IMPORTANT DATES
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December 2009 - February 2010 - congressional district committee conventions.
- consider formal endorsements of candidates for 2010 election
- elect LP congressional district officers (chair, etc).
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Friday, February 26, 2010 - 8:00 AM - Libertarian State Leadership Alliance,
Austin TX.
Annual meeting of LP activists from every state
See: http://StateChairsConference.org/about
Also sit in on the Libertarian National Committee,
the Bylaws and Platform committees.
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March, 2010
LPVA State Convention
Exact location & Date TBA.
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May 4, 2010
Municipal Elections
Remember to Vote,
and Vote Libertarian!
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May 28 - May 31, 2010
LP National Convention
Renaissance St. Louis Grand and Suites Hotel, in Missouri.
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9. Deep Thoughts
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"I don't think I'm ever more 'aware' than I am right after I hit my thumb with
a hammer." - Jack Handey
See more: http://www.quoteworld.org/authors/jack_handey__deep_thoughts_
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10. FEATURED LINK
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By Walter Williams:
http://www.shadowstats.com/
Have you ever wondered why the CPI, GDP and employment numbers run counter to
your personal and business experiences? The problem lies in biased and
often-manipulated government reporting.
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Old Dominion Liberty Letter Issue #27
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share
Alike 3.0 United States License by Marc Montoni.
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Publishing Schedule: Weekly - But it depends on YOU!
Publisher: LPVA Communications Committee
Editor: Marc Montoni
Distribution: 500 + readers, via LPVA-Announce
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Allow me to emphasize this: We prefer Virginia news
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WHAT'S GOING ON where you live? Make sure all
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JOIN THE PARTY - Never been a member of the
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like NOW to become a member of Virginia's third
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http://Membership.LPVA.com
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RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP - Have you been a member in
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Liberty!
http://Membership.LPVA.com
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http://Contribute.LPVA.com
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NOTES: This newsletter will be migrated to a CMS with an RSS feed (which our
webmaster has been very generous in setting up!) sometime soon. This version
is primarily to guage interest. If you want it to continue, then participate!
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