Category Archives: Libertarian

Since the 2016 election, the Libertarian Party (L.P.) has gained two sitting state legislators in New Hampshire. Not by having L.P. candidates win in that election, but by having two legislators who won as a Republican and a Democrat switch allegiance to the L.P.

Caleb Dyer

The first was former Republican Caleb Dyer (Hillsborough 37, the cities of Hudson and Pelham) in February. This month, a new two-person Libertarian Caucus in the New Hampshire House of Representatives was formed when Democrat Joseph Stallcop (from Cheshire House District 4, representing the city of Keene's Ward 1) also went L.P.

Both renegades are 21 years old.

Dyer found the Republican House leadership basically trying to scuttle nearly every bill he sponsored or co-sponsored, and began to suspect it wasn't the Party for him. (The bills included one mandating police body cameras and one allowing for easier annulment of arrest records when no conviction followed.) He was told more or less that anything that wasn't a pre-set part of the state Party's platform, he'd be obstructed on. This didn't sit well with Dyer. (The Republicans currently have a strong majority in the House.)

In a February Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session, Dyer explained that when he runs for re-election as a Libertarian, he has the chance of appealing to normally Democratic voters: "I am a firm opponent of Republicans on a great many social issues. I support the decriminalization of sex work with Rep. Elizabeth Edwards (D-Manchester). I am a co-sponsor on HB656, the primary bill for the legalization of recreational cannabis. I am also fervently against the death penalty." In that same AMA he complained that the state GOP "do not seem very focused on reducing expenditures but rather focused on finding ways spend a surplus that we realistically don't have. Apart from this I also question the Republican party's commitment to the accountability of executive agents including police."

Dyer ran and won last year as a Republican with a reasonably libertarian message: for school choice and constitutional carry of weapons, against income and sales taxes and the drug war, and wanting to reduce business taxes and spending. His handout to voters didn't even mention party affiliation and called him a "young voice of liberty."

In his official statement announcing his party switch in February, Dyer warned Republicans that the Libertarian Party in New Hampshire last year winning ballot access for 2018 (with its gubernatorial candidate Max Abramson passing the 4 percent barrier), shows "that [the GOP's] constituency is slowly but surely growing discontent with their increasingly partisan representation. For elected Republicans like myself who have libertarian leanings this is a truly golden opportunity to establish ourselves as a viable alternative to this representation and become advocates for principled, classically liberal policy....We hope that in two years' time our perseverance will inspire hundreds of People across the state to submit themselves to their peers as Libertarian candidates."

Stallcop, elected in November running unopposed as a Democrat and as a junior studying political science at Keene State, was inspired into politics from a more left-learning direction; in his press release announcing his defection to the L.P. he credited "Personally witnessing the situation at Standing Rock" as a major impetus to his political awakening, as it "showed me the danger of relinquishing power and authority into an institution." (Stallcop did no fundraising for his unopposed race.)

In a phone interview this week, Stallcop says the Standing Rock situation initially disturbed him because of "shocking" scenes of protesters and media being mistreated "for the sake of protecting a subsidized industry," and at one point felt that a policeman was likely to have shot and killed him for walking across a line.

Stallcop noted that when he took a version of the libertarian "Nolan test" (which maps your political beliefs regarding economic and other freedoms in quadrants rather than just a straight line on which one can only be toward the right and left), he was firmly in the "left libertarian" quadrant. (He was passionate when elected as a Democrat at extending anti-discrimination laws in the state to cover the transgendered.)

When he ran as a Democrat Stallcop also advocated a higher state minimum wage, but says he now thinks differently.

He credits Libertarian Party member Mary Ruwart's book Healing Our World with helping shift his political attitude in a more libertarian direction. That book helped him see that "as long as you are for achieving goals without aggression, than you are essentially libertarian, and that me being more left-leaning in my classical liberalism doesn't mean I can't be a Libertarian."

A talk with Dyer helped Stallcop realize the L.P. was a reasonable option for him, though Stallcop says Dyer was "rather surprised about the speed of my decision" to switch; it took him just a couple of weeks of awareness of the L.P. option to make the jump.

Libertarian Party of New Hampshire (LPNH) Chair Darryl Perry, who sought the Party's presidential nomination in 2016 on a platform of hardcore no-state libertarianism, admits that Stallcop is "not the most libertarian guy" but is impressed by his obvious willingness to "learn more about what [Libertarian] beliefs actually are."

Stallcop, who says he felt no particular partisan attachment before running for office and even contemplated being an independent until he learned of the petition requirements, quickly found his the Democratic Party's leadership in the New Hampshire House stifling and annoying.

He felt like he was being basically ordered to vote party line without adequate factual backing for the positions the Democrats insisted he take. Stallcop particularly found their insistence on voting against "constitutional carry" (permitless concealed weapon carry) grating. "I find it funny that many people who raise issues of police brutality" never ask "if we had less of these laws that enable police to come directly up" to citizens, might that not be better? "People want to lock down police yet create all these laws that push police to be more aggressive with us."

As he said in a press release announcing his switch, "it seems there is no longer a place for me here [in the Democratic Party]. With a high regard for individuals personally working in their communities to implement positive change, I hereby transfer to the Libertarian Party."

The Power of a Two-Man Caucus

Can the new Libertarian Caucus in the New Hampshire state house grow? Stallcop isn't sure if he'll run again; it depends on where he ends up going to law school, since that choice may take him out of state.

Dyer is already committed to another run in 2018 with the L.P. banner. (His voting record, for your personal judgments on his libertarian bona fides.) It is a common complaint of state and local L.P. candidates that the Party apparatus is almost always unable to do anything to help them gain office. Perry, the state L.P. chair, says that "I know that we will be able to provide [Dyer] with volunteers for going door to door campaigning. The election is 18 months away" so hopefully more resources might be available from the LPNH by then, though "at this point we are not necessarily able to throw a bunch of money at any legislative seat."

That said, Perry is encouraged that unlike many states, New Hampshire House seats are often winnable with spending of less, sometimes even far less, than a thousand dollars. Neither Dyer or Stallcap felt they had any meaningful help from their former major parties either, beyond whatever benefit the mere label has for party-line voters.

Because of the multi-member district that Dyer represents, in which each voter gets to pick 11 different representatives (meaning the top 11 vote getters all get a seat) he could potentially end up in the House again as a Libertarian with only around 5 percent of the vote. (Back in the 1990s, when the L.P. had four sitting members in New Hampshire's House, Andy Borsa won re-election with the L.P. label in Dyer's district.)

Dyer feels good about how well known he already is around Pelham and Hudson, and feels well equipped to do the necessary door knocking to put him over. But he does hope the state L.P. will be able to help with door-knocking, setting up events, and otherwise start "building a base of voters" but even "one or two people" from the Party to help him door-knock, "I'd consider that a success. I don't expect them to provide crazy phone banks or anything that like" right away "though I hope they will get there." (He won last time spending only around $400, Dyer says.) Having activists knocking on doors will be "infinitely more helpful" than giving him another dollar.

New Hampshire's House is unusually large, with 400 members. Any individual legislator in a committee system controlled by a Party not the legislators' own will likely find actually getting bills out of committee very difficult. One of the issues Dyer hopes to legislate successfully on is easier ballot access for third parties.

Dyer, who works as a Christmas tree farmer with his dad, for that reason is on the Environment and Agriculture Committee. And even though every House member is supposed to be on a committee, the Democrats stripped Stallcop of his and he's currently committeeless.

Stallcop expects that their colorful rarity as a two-man Party caucus could make their media bully pulpit more powerful, and Dyer says the ethos of the way the House works might make it important for the Democrats or Republicans to work on making bills satisfying to them to make them technically "bipartisan."

Perry is quite sure that the New Hampshire state House has more than a few libertarian members who are so far reluctant to abandon the two-party system. Stallcop and Dyer agree, though neither will out anyone publicly. Dyer thinks as many as 10 percent of the legislature might have a natural home in the L.P.

While running a candidate for every House slot is a herculean task even the two majors generally don't manage, says LPNH head Perry, they do hope to field many more than usual next year and also hope to provide more clear "statewide branding, we are Libertarians and this is what we stand for" though he knows they won't be able to provide concrete support to everyone who runs. He expects them to try to figure out "more viable ones" and help them.

Dyer believes "If I won re-election in 2018 as a Libertarian the whole game changes. If I win in Hudson and Pelham, in the Speaker of the House's district, a warning shot will have been fired. People will really take notice. The Republican Party will be very dismayed."

See the article here:

Libertarian Party Now Has Two Sitting Legislators in New Hampshire - Reason (blog)

Zoo owner Joe Exotic is one of the Libertarian Party candidates for governor in 2018. He spoke Thursday at the Oklahoma Capitol.[Photo by Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman]

Joe Exotic, the animal handler who owns a zoo and dipped his toe briefly into politics to run for president last year, is one of two announced Libertarian candidates for Oklahoma governor.

Exotic, whose name is Joseph Maldonado, joined other Libertarian Party candidates at the Oklahoma Capitol on Thursday.

Also running for governor is Rex Lawhorn, a small business management consultant from Tulsa. If they both file for office, they'll face each other in the 2018 primary election.

Maldonado, who owns Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, said he went on food stamps before running for governor to show how broken the system is. At one point, he held up the card.

To show you how desperately it needs overhauled, I ride around in a limousine and I choose not to get paid, while the state of Oklahoma gives me a SNAP card, he said, referencing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The program is funded by the federal government but administered by the states.

He criticized other state politicians, saying that lawmakers at the state Capitol don't have a clue.

I have some of the most amazing plans to overhaul some of these programs, he said. If we're going to keep up with the rest of America, we have to legalize marijuana. Even though I don't smoke it.

Maldonado also referenced the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's practice of parking in construction zones to slow traffic, saying he could save the state millions by, among other things, hiring a private security firm to sit in their cars with emergency lights on.

Lawhorn said the state's budget situation should have been fixed two years ago.

The example is in this building right now of why you need us, he said of the Libertarian Party.

He said when he walked into the Capitol, he looked up. On the inner ring of the Capitol dome are names of individuals, families and companies that helped pay for the dome's construction.

That disgusts me. That horrifies me that our government has corporate sponsorship, he said. That is the exact reason you cannot vote for a Republican. You cannot support the Democratic Party. They're the reason we got into this situation.

Read more:

Libertarian candidates visit Oklahoma Capitol | News OK - NewsOK.com

Maxime Bernier, QuebecMP and former ForeignMinister, narrowly lost his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada on Saturday to Saskatchewan MP and former House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer by just 49% to Scheers 51%.

Scheer is a closeally of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was criticized by libertarians during his tenure for his support for Keynesian-style stimulus spending. The relatively bland and generic Scheer is generallyassociated with the party establishment, while Bernier was seen as an outsider candidate.

Bernier was believed to be the frontrunner in this race after the impromptu withdrawal of fellow outsider and Shark Tank star Kevin OLeary, who went on to endorse Bernier.

However, the ranked ballot system usedin the leadership election, which involves eliminating lower polling candidates and transferring their votes to the voters subsequent preferences, made the ultimate result difficultto predict. This system appears to have benefited Scheer, who had less personal support, but had the benefit of being less polarizing than other candidates.

Bernier performed unusually poorly in his home province of Quebec, even losing the area he represents in Canadas Parliament, Beauce, to Scheer. Many in Quebec benefit from Canadas statist agricultural policy of supply management, which Bernier seeks to abolish. Supply management has been a major flashpointin Canada-U.S. trade relations, with President Trump lambasting the policy for its unfairness towards American dairy farmers.

Berniersomewhat made up for his lack of support in Canadas eastwith strong support in provinces in Canadas Mountain West, such as Alberta, where his limited government ideologyresonated with Conservative voters. Unfortunately, it appears this was not enough to prevail over Scheer.

Bernier, a self-described Ron Paul fan and an adherent to Austrian economics, previously didan interviewwith The Liberty Conservativelate last year. Much like Trump, Bernier embraced the use of memes during his the campaign, and garnered the support of prominent Canadian libertarian commentatorssuch as Lauren Southern. He also pitched himself as strong on immigration, calling for Canadian troops to be deployed to the border with the United States to prevent migrants denied refugee status there from illegally crossing the border to apply for refugee status in Canada. Berniers strong support fromCanadas young, libertarian-leaning, Trump-inspired new right managedto push Scheer in a positive direction on several important issues, with Scheer pledging last month to defund colleges that do not protect the free speech of students.

Although this result may dismay libertarians in Canada and beyond, Berniers close second place finish demonstratesthat libertarian ideas dohave electoral potential witha right-of-center electorate when combined with a healthy dose of anti-establishment populism. Should Scheer fail to beat Prime Minister Justin Trudeauat the 2019 Canadian general election, Bernier will be well-positioned to succeed him as Conservative leader and take on Trudeau in the 2023 general election.

Link:

Libertarian Maxime Bernier Narrowly Loses Canadian Conservative Party Leadership Election - The Liberty Conservative

Jake Dorsch is a libertarian activist, bank teller, investor and aspiring future economist from Green Bay, Wisconsin that is pursuing a bachelors degree in both political science and quantitative economics at Drake University. He is currently on track to graduate a year early and will likely continue to obtain a masters degree in econometrics.

Jake has been very politically involved, as he helped with current Libertarian Party of Wisconsin Chairman Phillip Andersons Senate campaign in 2016, he founded and became President of the Young Americans for Liberty chapter at Drake University, became the acting Vice Chairman of the House Liberty Caucus affiliate in Iowa and is a new addition to the Being Libertarian staff. Further, he has also participated in or led activism efforts on certain issues, including a campaign to contact politicians to legalize recreational marijuana in Iowa.

As far as political views go, Jake doesnt identify with any smaller faction within the libertarian movement because he views as counterproductive to unifying the libertarian movement. Further, he generally justifies libertarian thought in more of a utilitarian tone insofar as he prefers logical and economic reasoning over moral or philosophical reasoning. His intellectual influences include Ayn Rand, F.A. Hayek, Walter E. Williams, Charles Wheelan, President Calvin Coolidge, Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, and Edward Snowden. As a result, he champions lower taxes, fewer military interventions, legalized prostitution, decriminalization of drugs, gay marriage, gun rights, and free trade.

Read this article:

Jake Dorsch - Being Libertarian

Despite being cited for misdemeanor assault on a reporter yesterday (which leaves him open to a possible six months in jail), Republican Greg Gianforte won handily in Montana's special House election today over Democrat Rob Quist.

As of posting time, Gianforte has a 50-44 lead.

Mark Wicks Facebook

As FiveThirtyEight pointed out, despite this apparent huge win for the Republicans, in comparison with the weighted average win for the GOP in the last two presidential elections which would lead one to predict a 21 percent win, and with former Rep. Ryan Zinke's last victory of 16 percent, this 6 percent win isn't the best news Republicans could hope for looking forward to 2018 and first national election in the age of Trump.

Gianforte also has a $5 million lead in outside spending against Quist. The 53 percent turnout today was very close to this decade's general pattern for non-presidential elections for Montana.

Libertarian Mark Wicks, a rancher, came in with 6 percent, his raw vote total (21,332 as of time of posting) nearly beating the spread between them.

Since the Republican won, Wicks will likely not be accused of "spoiling" the race for the loser. Wicks' total, says Libertarian National Committee chair Nicholas Sarwark via email tonight, means "that there's a solid block of Libertarian voters who control the balance of power in elections."

Wicks beat the result for the L.P.'s 2016 presidential candidate Gary Johnson in the state in percentage terms (though not in raw votes, given smaller turnout). Wicks spent less than a dollar per vote, Sarwark says. (Wicks' campaign got a rare $5,000 donation from the LNC.)

In the last three Montana House elections, no Libertarian got more than 4.2 percent. In 2012, Libertarian Dan Cox in Montana's federal Senate race got over 6 percent, far wider than the spread between winning Democrat Jon Tester and losing Republican Danny Rehberg.

Wicks had the rare distinction for an L.P. candidate of appearing in a televised debate with his major party opponents.

In it, he seemed to be trying to appeal more as a change agent for those dissatisfied with major party sclerosis in general rather than a hardcore freedom guy, though he tipped his hat to the Constitution. He was solid on gun rights, but made sure the viewer knew that though he supported marijuana legalization he did not feel the same about harder drugs.

He said he believed in a border wall in certain places, and spoke out twice against sanctuary cities and expressed a fear that unmanaged immigration could lead to another 9/11. His solution for medical drug price inflation was suggesting a law forbidding American drug makers from selling their drugs overseas for any less than they sold them here (rather than, say, allowing Americans to buy them at cheaper overseas prices and import them).

As the Libertarian he was of course asked if a vote for him was "wasted." Wicks replied that "we've been doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results," that "the people in Washington are not doing what they are supposed to" and are "beholden to special interests and taking lobbyist money and not doing what's best for Montana" while criticizing the media for ignoring him.

He called on Montana's historical distinction as the first state to send a woman, Jeanette Rankin, as a representative to Washington in 1916 and asked them to do the same for the first Libertarian.

That didn't happen. But Wicks said on his Facebook page this evening, "Next go around we'll be ready to go further."

See original here:

Republican Gianforte Wins Montana House Race Despite Assault Charge; Libertarian Mark Wicks Pulls 6 Percent - Reason (blog)

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By Jordan LaPorta

Forty years ago, pop culture was changed forever by a film most people thought would be nothing more than an ephemeral summer flick. The movies mastermind had minimal acclaim prior to its release, and his biggest hit before 1977 was American Graffiti. But in 2017, Star Wars is now a household name. Its characters have become as recognizable as any in cinema, and its lines of dialogue are co-opted and spoofed on a daily basis.

Almost everyone loves Star Wars, and anyone who does not share that opinion is generally seen as a cultural outlier. Every franchise made since has tried to mimic the success of the space opera saga, but few, if any, have been able to capture the same magic.

Star Wars appeals to people for varying reasons, as the movies tell exciting tales of adventure, romance, and friendship that cut across all ages, races, and backgrounds. At the center of the beloved galaxy far, far away is an idea also similar to that which has also made America great: the idea of liberty.

When people go to the movies, politics is generally not their primary concern. Average, everyday people go the theater to be entertained and escape the drama and perils of real life. What makes movies like the Star Wars saga so successful is their ability to connect with people on a basic human level. Whether hardcore or casual American fans realize it or not, Star Wars taps into key political elements of the American identity that have been present since the Nations founding.

Anyone who has made it farther than grade school knows about the story of the American Revolution. The story was about a land, ravaged by taxes which were being imposed by a distant empire that excluded their voices and oppressed their people utilizing a large police state. The colonists, growing tired, rose up against the British Crown, eventually declaring independence in 1776.

The story is told over and over again in schools, tv shows, and movies. The revolutions heroes are represented on national monuments, the names of cities, and even on our currency. It is a story that Americans cannot escape, and it is a critical part of who we are as a society.

The rebels in the Star Wars universe are hardly different from the men Americans grew up learning about in history books. Like their American counterparts, the Galactic Rebellion opposed a harsh, militaristic, distant Empire, whose harsh tactics were fleshed out in the recent smash hit Rogue One. The Galactic Empire, headed by the tyrannical Sheev Palpatine, used fear to keep the local systems in line.

Palpatines Nazi-like regime employed the iconic storm troopers to maintain its rule, headed by none other than the ruthless Darth Vader. In its short thirty-year reign, the Empire wiped out an entire religious group, established work camps for political dissenters, and oppressed lesser alien species.

The Emperor came to power by consolidating his authority over the original Galactic Republic through emergency war powers. He then mobilized the government against an external threat he concocted, and persuaded the Senate to abdicate its role and reorganize as a centralized empire for a safe and secure society.

Throughout the original six movies (plus Rogue One), the government is the villain, and the heroes take armed action to actively overthrow it. Whether liberals like it or not, the rebellion is a gun-carrying group of ruffians opposed to the evils of an oppressive, overbearing state.

Consider the original cast of characters. Luke Skywalker was a simple farm boy looking for a better life and higher sense of meaning. Han Solo was a shoot-first space pirate who actively ignored the governments rules on intergalactic shipping. Princess Leia was a diplomat who helped organize the rebellion against imperial rule. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a relic of a religious group systematically wiped out by a government looking to avoid conflict. These people despised the Empire, and they dedicated their lives to seeing its violent end.

Perhaps the greatest irony is that the progressive opposition to Donald Trump has dubbed itself The Resistance the same name of the group that succeeds the rebels in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. While Donald Trump is certainly no libertarian, the members of the so-called Resistance are not exactly classical liberals, either. In fact, they prefer centralization, forced conformity, and big government more than almost anyone else just not when the person at the helm is Donald J. Trump. These tactics favored by todays progressive left formed the bedrock of the Empires galactic tyranny.

Americans may not always favor libertarian solutions in practice, but they still look to libertarianism as an ideal to strive toward. No matter how statist a politicians plans actually are, voters always gravitate towards the rhetoric of limited government, personal responsibility, and liberty. It was clear in the words of The Declaration of Independence, and it is still clear today in our love for Star Wars.

May the force be with you.

EmpireGovernmentgunslibertarianismphilosophyrebellionstar wars

The rest is here:

Star Wars Highlights America's Libertarian Spirit - The Libertarian Republic

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By Zach Foster

Cuban Libertarian Party Jos Mart spokesman Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand disappeared on the night of May 22 under very suspicious circumstances. We in the Cuban LP and LP Nevada believe Nelson was kidnapped on his way home by State Security! The party leaders have searched all the police stations and jailhouses but magically, hes nowhere in the records.

Obviously the police have been contacted, but No crime has been committed; not coming home isnt a crime, and he hasnt been gone long enough yet to be considered a missing person.

We know that, 1) State Security was seen tailing him. 2) He left his sons home after 10pm. 3) Hes disappeared. 4) None of the ERs/hospitals have him and the police deny having him. A Mises Cuba co-founder who was previously incarcerated at Combinado del Este prison says this pattern is common with State Security action.

No, there were no witnesses, but there is ample circumstantial evidence and reasonably compelling motive. There are witnesses to the group being followed throughout the day by men in civilian clothes. None of the hospitals or emergency rooms have him. The secret police most likely do. Invisible arrests in the middle of the night are common in Cuba.

The Cuban LP believes Nelson was kidnapped by State Security. Based on recent patterns of State Securitys behavior to libertarians in recent months, they believe the police will either hold him for ransom over time, or will convict him in a kangaroo court and send him to a labor prison.]

The Cuban LPs leaders and I discussed this very possibility, and we knew this kind of thing would happen, that people would disappear without a trace. And we agreed that WHEN that happened, not if but when, wed light a fire under our own ass and get busy spreading the word writing / making videos about it, contacting blogs and media, bugging/shaming the Cuban government, and finding people to donate to Mises Cuba on PayPal.

Whats the motivation for kidnapping an activist? Theres A LOT of American tourism in Cuba now. Theyve increased repression across the board, across the island, since this January. They have to get rid of the problem children, and they have to do it quietly.

Nelson is definitely a problem child. Hes been peppering the hell out of Havana every night with hundreds of posters demanding the regime release the libertarian political prisoners Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea, who were also very active problem children in the eyes of the regime..

Reporting it to the media, any and all media outlets, is highly recommended.

Another option to keep the traction going is for as many of us as possible to make a video for Facebook. Facebook videos get higher feed traffic than regular posts or YouTube links, and live videos are even better! That in itself is a marketing asset. Anyone with a mobile phone or webcam can make 1-2 minute video where they:

1) Talk about the alleged, though plausible and extremely likely, undocumented police kidnapping of Nelson and the main reasons why;

2) Ask people to contact both Cubas Ministry of Foreign Relations (@CubaMINREX on Facebook AND Twitter), AND Amnesty International (report@aiusa.org) and Human Rights Watch (hrwpress@hrw.org) plus other human rights watch groups; and

3) Remind people that LP Cuba NEEDS money for effective activism. They just opened up a new Libertarian Library in Camaguey province. Also, print shops are pricy in Cuba and theyve put up HUNDREDS of posters and flyers, plus bus tickets to other provinces. Money also helps the Cuban LP boost newsworthy posts as if they were ads, and through specific targeting, find new donors. We the People become the media and we become our own financiers! People can donate at https://paypal.me/institutomisescuba

4) Also, they can ask libertarian friends to do the same. Every single candle is a light in the dark, and their glow intensifies as they increase in numbers until the darkness is fully lit. Every voice counts, yours too.

A joint press release published last night by the Cuban Libertarian Party and the Libertarian Party of Nevada says:

This situation is intolerable and must be protested with every medium available, no matter how stacked against Nelson and the Cuban Libertarians the odds may be. The odds were stacked against the revolutionary statesmen and the revolutionary troops fighting for U.S. independence in 1775. The odds were stacked against Jos Mart when he led troops into battle in for independence in 1895. The odds were stacked against Fidel Castro when only 17 July-26 guerrillas survived the year 1956. This struggle is another chapter in a longer story, and its one thats about our generation.

amnesty internationalCuba's Ministry of Foreign RelationsCuban Libertarian Party Jos MartHuman Rights WatchManuel Velazquez ViseaNelson Rodriguez ChartrandUbaldo Herrera Hernandez

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Cuban Libertarian Party Spokesman Disappears Under Suspicious ... - The Libertarian Republic

Student also had her LinkedIn profile posted, called racist

Jessica Murphy, a 20-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, recently published a column that represented the culmination of months worth of work and research, including a dozen public records act requests to the University of Wisconsin system.

Her target? Biased classes offered through the public university system that indoctrinate rather than teach, and degrade capitalism, praise Marxism and encourage a social justice warrior ideology, she wrote in her piece, headlined Top Five Wasteful Classes in the UW System.

Published Monday by the MacIver Institute, a Wisconsin-based think tank that promotes free markets, individual freedom, personal responsibility and limited government, the piece quickly spread through Wisconsinite social media circles.

But it was after Murphys piece, which she wrote as an intern for the institute, landed before a professor whose class was targeted that sparks really started to fly.

On Tuesday, Associate Professor of Philosophy Sarah LaChance Adams posted the article on her Facebook page with the comment: Check it out comrades. LaChance Adams course, Teaching for Social Justice, earned the No. 5 spot on the list.

Murphy, who obtained a copy of the syllabus through one of her public records act requests, noted in her piece that the course hasstudents reflect on their privilege and marginalization. Students also review how meritocracy and the American Dream is a myth. Why work hard to achieve your dreams if you can blame sex/race/class/sexuality for your lack of success?

Murphy added:

A portion of the participation grade is based on whether or not students were inclusive and supported other students expressing their thoughts. This is college, not charm school and these students (and taxpayers!) are essentially paying hundreds of dollars for a course on how to be nice to people.

One of the required readings, Chad Kautzers Radical Philosophy: An Introduction, reviews Marxism, feminism, queer theory, and more. Students are asked to call upon this book for the group presentation, which makes up 15 percent of the total grade.

The course instructor, professor Sarah LaChance Adams, is UW-Superiors Womens and Gender Issues Coordinator. She specializes in feminist philosophy and her current research project is titled An Epistemology of Erotic Errors.

The other four classes on the list are: the History and Politics of Hip Hop at UW-Platteville; Exploring White Privilege at UW-La Crosse; Culture of Third Wave Feminism at UW-Eau Claire; and Class, State, and Ideology: An Introduction to Social Science in the Marxist Tradition at UW-Madison.

Visceral reaction on Facebook

Facebook friends of LaChance Adams did not respond kindly to the article. In the comments, many accused it of being poorly written. Others found it disturbing, suggesting LaChance Adams had been targeted and may need to watch her back. Others accused Murphy of being brainwashed by capitalism.

Some wrote they thought the five classes sounded super interesting. Several poked fun of the entire situation, such as teasing LaChance Adams for only coming in at the No. 5 spot. Said another satirically: Im so disappointed the health class I was required to take as a freshman didnt even get an honorable mention. I literally paid hundreds of dollars to reiterate what I learned for free in my high school health class. Smoking is bad, wear your seatbelt, use a condom.

But some comments got, as Murphy calls it, absurd. Someone posted her LinkedIn profile to the thread with the comment: Shes South African. Keeping up old traditions?

Added another: More than likely with her background, I would not be surprised to learn that she targeted Sarah purposely. Im sure [Professor] Meghan Krausch will be on her list eventually, with all her talk of sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia.

A third person chimed in: I could punch her in the face for you. I can be an academic and respect my upbringing from the barrio.

Professor LaChance Adams liked all the comments.

I am not concerned for my life, but why would you resort to violence when I am just trying to be open with my ideas, Murphy told The College Fix in a telephone interview Wednesday. A lot of these comments are very visceral responses, but that is very typical of the left.

Why attack me?

Murphy said she came across the comments after searching the Internet, curious of the reaction her column was getting.

The personal attacks are unfounded in my opinion, she said. I am a 20-year-old college intern, why attack me? Have an honest discussion about the articles content.

She said someone posting her LinkedIn profile felt a bit stalkerish, and the comments suggesting she is racist for being from South Africa are off base. She moved to America when she was a toddler.

Suggesting she might go after a professor because they espouse sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia is mistaken, Murphy said, describing herself as socially liberal.

She added she supports their right to say and do whatever they wish as an active member of student liberty groups she has even lobbied for free speech rights but added it would be nice if the actual findings in the article were discussed as opposed to personal attacks against its author.

This is a public intereststory

The project aimed to expose one-sided, biased courses, Murphy said.

Starting in February, she and fellow interns scoured class catalogs from all 26 campuses in the system to narrow down their list. Then they used public records act requests to obtain the syllabuses of 12 classes that caught their eye, finally settling on the top five.

The piece was written in a BuzzFeed tone, complete with memes, to attract a wide and unique audience and engage new readers, she said.

She said she acknowledges feedback on the article includes the argument that these five classes offer something of value to students and society.

Thats fine, differences of opinion, Murphy said.This piece is to inform the taxpayers of where their money is going. These classes present a one-sided view.

Murphy called comments that the storyshows she is close-minded ridiculous.

This is a public intereststory, she said.

Her piece ends by pointing out that offering courses that ignore the prosperity created by capitalism and cover absurd topics such as lumbersexuality is not only a disservice to the students paying thousands of dollars to attend a university, but is also a slap in the face to the hardworking Wisconsin taxpayers whose money goes to waste on courses that do not have a direct, positive impact on society.

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'I could punch her in the face': Libertarian student draws ire for exposing biased UWisc classes - The College Fix

Gage Skidmore / Flickr.comOne of President Donald Trump's federal court nominees favors an interpretation of the 14th Amendment that libertarian legal scholars have roundly rejected.

Kevin Newsom, the former Alabama solicitor general recently nominated by President Trump to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, is the author of a January 2000 article in the Yale Law Journal in which he argues that the Supreme Court's 1873 decision in The Slaughter-House Cases correctly held that the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the 14th Amendment offers zero protection for economic liberty. That view is hotly contested by libertarian constitutional experts.

At issue in The Slaughter-House Cases was a Louisiana statute that granted a private corporation a lucrative 25-year monopoly to operate a central slaughterhouse for the city of New Orleans. A group of local butchers challenged the law in federal court, arguing that the monopoly was a special-interest boondoggle that served no legitimate health or safety purpose and violated their fundamental rights to earn a living free from unnecessary government control. According to the butchers, the right to economic liberty was one of the privileges and immunities of U.S. citizenship recently secured against state abuse by the 1868 ratification of the 14th Amendment, which reads in part, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States."

From the standpoint of constitutional text and history, the butchers had a strong argument. The debates over the framing and ratification of the 14th Amendment make it clear that the provision was originally understood to protect economic liberty. Indeed, according to the principal author of the Privileges or Immunities Clause, Republican Congressman John Bingham of Ohio, "the provisions of the Constitution guaranteeing rights, privileges, and immunities to citizens of the United States" includes "the constitutional liberty...to work in an honest calling and contribute by your toil in some sort to the support of yourself, to the support of your fellowmen, and to be secure in the enjoyment of the fruits of your toil."

But the Supreme Court saw things differently. Adopting a posture of judicial deference, the Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the state legislature and effectively eliminated the Privileges or Immunities Clause from the Constitution. According to the majority opinion of Justice Samuel Miller, the Court had no business acting as "a perpetual censor upon all legislation of the States." To rule otherwise, he said, would "fetter and degrade the State governments." The Privileges or Immunities Clause basically offered no real protection at all, Miller insisted, except for a handful of mostly inconsequential federal rights, such as the right to access federal waterways. Slaughter-House rendered the clause toothless against virtually all state action.

Because Slaughter-House was the first case in which the Supreme Court interpreted the meaning of the new 14th Amendment, the ruling had a transformative impact on the future course of American law. Its significance cannot be easily overstated.

Today, a growing number of constitutional originalists, particularly those associated with the libertarian wing of the conservative legal movement, have concluded that Slaughter-House was wrong the day it was decided and therefore deserves to be confined or even overruled by the Supreme Court.

For example, according to Clint Bolick, the Institute for Justice co-founder who currently serves as an Arizona Supreme Court justice, Slaughter-House is "one of the worst decisions in American law." In Bolick's view, the ruling eviscerated "one of the most sacred and central rights of Americans: economic liberty, the right to pursue a business or occupation free from arbitrary or excessive government regulation." Georgetown law professor Randy Barnett, one of the most influential originalist scholars at work today, has likewise concluded that Slaughter-House "ignored the original meaning" of the 14th Amendment.

To be sure, Slaughter-House has had its defenders, particularly among the school of legal conservatives who favor a more deferential judiciary. For example, the late Robert Bork, who famously maintained that, "in wide areas of life, majorities are entitled to rule, if they wish, simply because they are majorities," insisted that Slaughter-House represented a "sound judicial instinct" and should be applauded as "a narrow victory for judicial moderation." Along similar lines, Ken Blackwell of the Family Research Council, writing with Ken Klukowski of the American Civil Rights Union, has argued that "what's so important about [Slaughter-House] is that there's nothing in the Constitution about such an economic right." If the case is ever overturned, the two have argued, "activist" judges might "use the Privileges or Immunities Clause to challenge state and local labor laws, commercial laws, and business regulations around the country."

Kevin Newsom, Trump's nominee for the 11th Circuit, falls in the Bork-Blackwell-Klukowski camp. In the Yale Law Journal, Newsom praised the Slaughter-House majority opinion for its "judicial restraint" and for its opposition to "the constitutionalization of laissez-faire economic theory." When it comes to the "economic rights claimed by the butchers" in Slaughter-House, Newsom maintained, the Court was right to conclude that "the 14th Amendment did not safeguard [them] against state interference."

Newsom's views on the 14th Amendment thus put him directly at odds with the flourishing camp of libertarian-minded lawyers, judges, and scholars whose influence on the conservative legal movement has been on the upswing in recent years.

It remains to be seen if this clash of constitutional visions will play any role in Newsom's confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Libertarian Legal Scholars Reject Trump Judicial Nominee's Views ... - Reason (blog)

Being Libertarian

Why The Government Should Pay Off Student Loan Debts Being Libertarian This plan isn't the most libertarian friendly, but it is a strong incentive to pass reform and cut funds that help long-term. Government absorption of debts This is an offer made to people. The government will absorb the student loan debts of people ...

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Why The Government Should Pay Off Student Loan Debts - Being Libertarian