Libertarian National Committee Region 7

Friday, September 19, 2008

Action Item: Open the Debates!

Dear Open Debates Supporters:

The Commission on Presidential Debates, which was created by the
Republican and Democratic parties, still refuses to make public the
contract negotiated by the Obama and McCain campaigns that will
govern our presidential debates. This lack of transparency is
unacceptable. It is time to take action.

Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) of the McCain campaign and
Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) of the Obama campaign directly
negotiated the secret contract that will dictate the terms of the
upcoming presidential debates.

PLEASE CALL the offices of Sen. Graham and Rep. Emanuel and demand
that they make public the debate contract. They are elected
officials who are obligated to serve the interests of the voting
public:

Phone number of the Office of Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC):
202-224-5972
Phone number of the Office of Rahm Emanuel (D-IL): 202-225-4061

Also, PLEASE CALL the Commission on Presidential Debates and demand
that it makes public the debate contract. The Commission claims
that its mission is to “provide the best possible information to
viewers and listeners.” Hold them accountable to their mission.

Phone number of the Commission on Presidential Debates: 202-872-1020

Please let us know what happens.

Open Debates is teaming up with nine other pro-democracy
organizations to issue the following press release today demanding
the release of the debate contract:
http://www.opendebates.org/makecontractpublic.html

Additionally, you can hear Open Debates Executive Director George
Farah on the radio show “CounterSpin” at the following link:
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3610

Thank you for all your support!

-- Open Debates Team

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Important Ballot access case in Texas - Barr leads!



For those who haven't seen today's campaign eMail - it appears below, in its entirety.


Why did I post it here?

Because Richard Shepard, who is the litigation "Election God" (OK, he's a damn fine attorney, and an expert in election law!), says . . .

"Whatever else anyone may think of Barr, this is the one truly great thing he is doing for third parties of all persuasions."

And that's why . . . he is doing some good.


____________.:snip:._____________


Dear Rachel,

Just moments ago, Bob Barr and our campaign manager, Russ Verney, stood on the steps of the Supreme Court of Texas to rally a crowd of supporters and answer questions from the media.

Today, we filed an emergency stay to prevent the Texas Secretary of State from printing ballots until after our case was decided.

For a quick recap, earlier this week we filed a lawsuit to remove both John McCain and Barack Obama from the Texas ballot. Texas election code §192.031 requires that the "written certification" of the "party's nominees" be delivered "before 5 p.m. of the 70th day before election day" and both candidates missed that deadline.

When this story first broke, the New York Times , took a jab at us saying that if our campaign prevailed in Texas, the action may, "thoroughly alarm foreign investors."

This morning, political pundits beholden to the status quo got a bit more serious. In a scathing hit piece published by CQ Politics, Craig Crawford wrote that Bob is in Texas "promoting a bogus claim that John McCain and Barack Obama should not be on the state ballot in November."

Sorry, Craig, but you might want to do your homework the next time before you put pen to paper.

When we missed our deadline in West Virginia (a month before Republicans and Democrats were required to file I might add), we were forced off of the ballot. The law is clear and belonging to the Republican or Democrat party does not exempt you from its rule.

Politically biased members of the media are going to move into position and recite talking points that read "BOGUS" each time they are given the opportunity to do so. They'll also be sure to throw in a few other stretches of the imagination or bits of misinformation to smear our candidate and our Libertarian Party.

At this time, we need to simply acknowledge that the attacks will continue. They will be designed to discredit our efforts and demoralize our base.

If you're reading this right now, I doubt you're feeling demoralized. If you're like me, you're ready to do all that you can to fight a clearly corrupt system.

Today our fight is in the Texas legal system.

The first thing that we need is funds to fight this battle We've already incurred tens of thousands of dollars on this effort and we expect the costs to climb.

Please make a donation today and give us BOTH a financial and morale boost we so need.

Thank you for all that you do.

In Liberty,

Shane Cory
Deputy Campaign Manager
Bob Barr for President

P.S. I just got off of the phone with Russ Verney. They had a great turnout of supporters in Austin and "all of the right reporters showed up" to cover the event. Once I get my hands on photos or a video, I'll upload it to our site. In the meantime, please help us with a contribution today.

To donate by mail:

Barr 2008 Presidential Committee
P.O. Box 725007
Atlanta, GA 31139

To donate by phone:

Call 1-800-Bob-Barr

Paid for by Barr 2008 Presidential Committee.

Federal law requires us to report the name, address, and name of employer and occupation for any individual whose aggregate contributions total over $200 in a calendar year. Corporate contributions and gifts from foreign nationals are prohibited. Personal Credit Card gifts only. Contributions are not tax deductible for income tax purposes. Limit of $2,300 per person per election and $4,600 per couple if signed by both parties and drawn on a jointly held bank account.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008


Bob Barr Files Suit in Texas to Remove McCain, Obama from Ballot

Atlanta, GA – Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's nominee for president, has filed a lawsuit in Texas demanding Senators John McCain and Barack Obama be removed from the ballot after they missed the official filing deadline.

"The seriousness of this issue is self-evident," the lawsuit states. "The hubris of the major parties has risen to such a level that they do not believe that the election laws of the State of Texas apply to them."

Texas election code §192.031 requires that the “written certification” of the “party’s nominees” be delivered “before 5 p.m. of the 70th day before election day.” Because neither candidate had been nominated by the official filing deadline, the Barr campaign argues it was impossible for the candidates to file under state law.


Find the rest of the story . . . here.




Monday, September 15, 2008

Executive Session, Robert's Rules, LNC Policy Manual


An incredible number of party members have been hopping up and down mad about Robert's Rules, the use of Executive Session and the formality of meetings

Robert's Rules are a set of private rules, also known as parliamentary procedure, that are a means of ensuring a fair, orderly meeting in which the Chair does not have too much power.

This set of rules are used by at least 80% of all businesses, private clubs and organizations. Libertarian Party Bylaws (Article 13) specify our use of Robert's Rules. It's actually the best system for us to conduct meetings - private rules for a private, self-governing organization.

Robert's Rules are also guidelines for polite meetings. Meetings that don't start out in an orderly fashion, and don't have rules, often degenerate into unruly, disorderly, anarchic free-for-alls in which nothing is accomplished. Formality is part of this procedure, and politeness and the use of respect (
which may include the use of earned titles) can help to diffuse a lot of animosity in contentious situations. It also helps to remind me that obnoxious, untempered outbursts only hurt my chances of persuading my colleagues on the Committee.

Persuasion is one of the few tools I have, since my husband beats me for the use of force. .:very big evil grin:.

I also note that the titles used in meetings are earned titles; not only is the Admiral a hero for his long and distinguished service to our country, he is a reasonable, thinking and logical man whose opinions I very much respect. He has truly given His Time, His Treasure and His Sacred Honor in his service to both our country and the LNC in his contribution to more Liberty. Don't diss the Admiral in my hearing. (And for those of you to whom this is important, he also supports The Keaton's actions when she is right, and I believe that she still has his emotional support and friendship even if she is not totally in the right.)

Dr. Lark has earned his title of Dr. Not only is he a highly educated man and a college professor, he gives an incredible amount of His Time, His Treasure and His Sacred Honor to Liberty. He builds, maintains, and assists college libertarian organizations, as well as serving on the Board at The Advocates for Self-Government,
and the Board of Directors of the International Society for Individual Liberty
.

Dr. Mary Ruwart has also dedicated much of Her Time, Her Treasure, and her Sacred Honor to the cause.
Dr. Ruwart has served on the boards of the International Society for Individual Liberty, the Fully Informed Jury Association, and the Michigan chapter of the Heartland Institute.

You may have differing opinions, but it's in all of our best interests to respect those who work so hard for the cause. After all, all of us like to get credit where it's due, and dissing others is a pretty sure way to make sure that you are dissed.


The LNC Policy Manual

These are the rules under which the LNC operates, within Party Bylaws. When we join the LNC, we get a copy. It's in all our meeting binders, along with the Bylaws. This is where the use of Executive Session, and the rules that govern how it is used, are detailed. The policy of how and when Executive Session can be used are basically the same as what is used in Washington State meeting, under our Public Meetings Act. There are some differences, of course, especially in that the LNC Policy Manual contains fewer subjects for Executive Session.

There have been several suggestions that the LNC Policy Manual be made available on LP.org. Until this is instituted (and I'm sure it will be!), the Policy Manual is available from me. (Your Regional Rep. will probably be willing to provide it, as well.) It's a fairly large .pdf file. Email LPWA.com1@gmail.com, with "LNC Policy Manual Request" in the subject line, and I'll send it to you. I'll get it to you as quickly as possible, but be aware that it may take a week. It usually won't, but give me that long, please.

I hope that this answers some of the questions that you may have had about about these issues, and clears up some misconceptions.

Now go out an make it a gentle week . . . :o)