RE: Hey!!!!

[Paul Tiger]

I didn’t altogether disagree with some of what I read. It was just too much, I think. Gregg has put effort into this and we should respect that.   I am not of the opinion that we should take the national platform and re-write it to reflect Coloradoan’s tastes. We should be fresh and create our own. That which suits Coloradoans, with a Libertarian flair. But not a re-formation of national.   Like national, we should understand that our document and platform is a living thing. It should and will change. We should leave room for those that will follow to be able to make those changes, and understand that it is quite possible that ‘our’ platform may get scrubbed all together.   From the convention forward I have had serious concerns about the by-laws. I wanted to see a by-laws committee put into play by the BoD. Instead they empanelled a platform committee. Norm was the dissenter, because he felt as many of us do that the by-laws are way out of date and needed to be changed and updated before the next convention.   This evening I went to the BoD meeting of the LPCO and found that they were doing a last meeting centering on by-laws. Mike Seebeck worked the hardest on language, with all present giving the general notions of what the changes should look like. While a good effort was made, it was in my mind far too late to be hammer this out. Some things ended up getting tabled for the next board to deal with. Since follow-thru and pass-on has always been a problem, it was good to have three of the candidates for the next board in the room to note what these items were. Mike also suggested that current BoD members create a playbook for the incoming members so that there can be some continuity. It appears that Mike has done quite a bit of this already for his post. Norm also. The rest are left to tackle this in the next few weeks, or as we have come to know, some will not.   Vance is a complete idiot (IMHO). He had nothing good to contribute, was filled with sarcasm, and general dislike for everybody except himself. I also found that the January issue of Liberty is still sitting in boxes in the office and will never be mailed. And the most recent issue never got mailed because the postal permit had expired for lack of payment. So this issue is also sitting in boxes. I am personally pissed off, because I was encouraged to and did write a very nice op-ed piece that was printed in the January issue that will never reach the eyes of Colorado Libertarians.   After a round the room query we find that only one of the current BoD members have opted to stay on and attempt to gain the approval of our members for a board position. This was Norm. Everyone else is flying the coop. This is a good thing, because this board has only a few dedicated members. The rest were there because they were drafted by the chair.   There are a group of us that are now working together as a team to be the next BoD. We are a team now, before the convention. There is no drafting or begging going on. We have a clear plan on how to motivate our members and get more. And plans on encouraging committees and participation, which is already happening. Platform and by-laws are a part of these plans. Not to be created by an inner circle, but to be created by our members.   We don’t need to force the platform issues for this convention, but there should be something ready for the next election year. This gives time for participation by the membership and thoughtful consideration by the writers.   Paul Tiger     -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Dana ACLP Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:47 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Hey!!!!   Hi Gregg I hope your family is doing okay now. Some of us tend to get impatient with one another.  Like I said before I do not know what caused the outburst over "abortion" I just know that it happened. I don't have a problem with what your Platform states I said though b/c it caused such outcry that it might be wise to "chuck" that part of it is all.   The following is the actual word's of the platform. Please do not read your "old" Platforms. National has revised the Platform over the last year and you need to get your Platform info from the Platform online site.   Now we are supposed to discuss this among ourselves.Yes we need someone to head the committee. Who will it be...I personally don't know how to write a Platform. I do know though how to keep thing's on track & keep us  productive. Remember with Convention & raising fund's I have a full plate already. And on weekends I cannot get back with you. I work all weekend starting on Friday. So lets pick someone & be on our way guy's....   I know we don't want to ignore the issues but we need to be vague. That way candidates don't get stuck with something twisted. I liked Greggs Platform & didn't see anything wrong with it. I suggested we take out the word abortion is all. Just to stay on the safe side of the controversy.   Now I want to say something-recently I found out that National will be holding convention & electing someone to be "a presidential candidate" if this is the case. I hope to encourage full support of the candidate & that we pour our energy into getting this candidate elected. This is our ultimate goal, not your house of representative, senator, congressman. So what does the LPCO do in presidential election years????   Thanks, Dana         Nationals Platform:.  Individual Rights and Civil Order Women's Rights and Abortion We hold that individual rights should not be denied or abridged on the basis of sex. We call for repeal of all laws discriminating against women, such as protective labor laws and marriage or divorce laws which deny the full rights of men and women. We oppose all laws likely to impose restrictions on free choice and private property or to widen tyranny through reverse discrimination. 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. It is the right and obligation of the pregnant woman, not the state, to decide the desirability or appropriateness of prenatal testing, Caesarean births, fetal surgery, voluntary surrogacy arrangements, and/or home births. ----- Original Message ----- From: Gregg Miller To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 1:11 PM Subject: Re: Hey!!!!   Dana, National deals with the issue.  I believe that we must in some way deal with all Colorado issues.  We may find ways to improve positions, but we should not ignore any.    Gregg ----- Original Message ----- From: Dana ACLP To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 9:06 AM Subject: Hey!!!!   Where is the committee? Are we going to ignore eachother or what? John, Gregg, Paul -Are you all there? How about dropping the abortion word out of the Health part of the Platform??? I vote yay to remove the word.   Thanks, Dana