Libertarian Party of Canada Convention is April 30 and May1, Vancouver | Independent Political Report

Libertarian Party of Canada Convention is April 30 and May1, Vancouver | Independent Political Report - Marc Montoni, Mar. 28, 2011:

"As announced earlier the convention of the Libertarian Party of Canada will be held April 30 and May 1st in Vancouver at Columbia College. This is a chance to listen to well known libertarian speakers and to elect a new board and leader for the party. We are especially pleased at the line-up of featured speakers which includes Jan Narveson, Pierre Lemieux, and Walter Block.

"Ramada Inn (on Pender) is offering a group rate of $75 per night for April but $130 for any nights in May. Cost to attend the convention is $60, some refreshments are included in that fee. Proxy Fee for those eligible to vote but not able to attend is $25...."

http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/03/libertarian-party-of-canada-convention-is-april-30-and-may1-vancouver/

Libertarian Party of Canada     http://libertarian.ca

The Tea Party Goes to Washington | CAIVN

The Tea Party Goes to Washington | CAIVN - W.E. Messamore, Mar. 26, 2011

"Book review: The Tea Party Goes to Washington by Rand Paul with Jack Hunter

"In the early days of Rand Paul's campaign, back when it was just an exploratory committee, there was only Rand and his campaign spokesman-- a tall, well-mannered, southern man in his early thirties who would tell me how badly our country needed someone like Rand Paul in a position of political leadership. He donated his meager salary right back to Rand Paul's fledgling exploratory committee each month.

"Back then the Kentucky ophthalmologist's prospects looked rather bleak. In retrospect, it's all too easy to view Rand Paul's election to the United States Senate with some aura of historical inevitability, but the truth is that no one was at all certain how far Rand would go back in May of 2009 ... "

http://caivn.org/article/2011/03/26/tea-party-goes-washington

Gary Johnson to Announce Intent to Run for President in Late April - FoxNews.com

Gary Johnson to Announce Intent to Run for President in Late April - FoxNews.com - Kelly David Burke, Mar. 25, 2011:

"Fox News has learned the former Governor of New Mexico will announce his candidacy, for President of the United States in late April. Johnson insiders say he will bypass the exploratory stage, announce his candidacy and immediately travel to New Hampshire sometime after tax day, April 15. Johnson is a strong supporter of legalizing marijuana and gay marriage....

"Johnson has traveled to more than 30 states and spoken to 500 groups in the last 15 months, and plans to visit Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, and South Carolina in coming weeks, all states crucial to anyone eyeing a White House run....

"The lifelong Republican does believe the GOP is the only party that can fix America's financial problems. But, he believes the White House can only be won if the party becomes more inclusive. 'If you take the 15 or so that may be out there as potentially running, I think for the most part most of them are saying the same thing about every single issue. I'm trying to grow the base; I'm trying to grow the Republican Party.'

"He does not see his stand on issues like marijuana legalization as detriments to a potential GOP nominee. "It's just one in a series of cost-benefits. What are we spending our money on and what are we getting for the money we're spending. Half of the money we're spending on the courts and law enforcement and prisons is drug related."

"Here we go again" - Gary Johnson on Libyan intervention

Libya | Barack Obama | Here we go again | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment - Gary E. Johnson, Mar. 23, 2011:

"When are we going to learn? Injecting American military right into the internal strife of other nations with no clear definition of a successful outcome doesn’t work. Our service men and women who are putting themselves at risk, the taxpayers who are paying $600,000 for every Tomahawk missile launched, and yes, the people in Libya we are supposedly trying to help, all deserve to know what the plan is. That really isn’t too much to ask.

"Sometimes it appears our political leaders doubt that we can handle the truth.

"If the objective in Libya is to replace Muammar Gaddafi — then why don’t we just say it, and do it? Or at least have an honest debate about it. If that is the idea, it is perhaps worth noting that the guy has hung on to power for decades and just bombing his missile defenses may not do the trick. It is also worth pointing out that we went into Afghanistan to get rid of Osama bin Laden and his cronies, and almost ten years and hundreds of billions of dollars and too many American lives later, we are still there — and bin Laden isn’t."

http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/23/here-we-go-again/

Capitol Alert: Ron Paul wins one 2012 straw poll at GOP convention

Capitol Alert: Ron Paul wins one 2012 straw poll at GOP convention - Mar. 20, 2011:

"GOP Rep. Ron Paul was the top vote-getter in a straw poll organized by one group at [last weekend's California Republican Party convention]. Paul ... won 17.8 percent of the 202 votes cast in the informal straw poll conducted at a booth run by the Republican Liberty Caucus of California..... Romney ... came in second with 10.9 percent of the vote and former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin followed with 7.9 percent. The two could-be candidates who spoke at the convention didn't fair as well. The 'undecided' category won more votes (5 percent) than either former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton (4 percent) or Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (2 percent), though the poll was conducted prior to Barbour's Saturday night speech."

Amash: NPR Defunding ‘Does Not Actually Save Taxpayer Dollars’

ThinkProgress » GOP Congressman: NPR Defunding ‘Does Not Actually Save Taxpayer Dollars’ - Alex Seitz-Wald:

March 18, 2011 - "Yesterday, the House narrowly voted to defund NPR by prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used by local radio stations to purchase NPR content.... Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), who voted “present” ... explained his opposition in a statement to Fox News by noting that the bill voted on yesterday would not save a dime of taxpayer money:...

"'The funds CPB does not send to NPR under the bill are returned to CPB to be spent subsidizing other private radio producers. I offered an amendment in the Rules Committee to require that any funds not sent to NPR be redirected to pay down the deficit, but the amendment was ruled out of order. Therefore, public broadcasting will not see any reduction in federal funding even if this bill becomes law.'

"Republicans have claimed stripping taxpayer dollars from NPR is about the need to cut spending and rein in the deficit.... But as Amash and many Democrats have correctly pointed out, the bill doesn’t actually save taxpayer money — it merely moves around money already allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, away from NPR and to other public broadcasting operations."

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/18/gop-rep-npr-defunding-does-not-save-money/

Canadian war planes going to Libya: Harper - CTV News

CTV Montreal - Canadian war planes poised to enforce Libyan no-fly zone: Harper - CTV News, Mar. 18, 2011:

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will send CF-18 fighter jets to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, despite Moammar Gadhafi's ceasefire declaration.

"Canada's six war planes will join an international effort authorized by the United Nations Security Council on Thursday night.

"'If Col. Gadhafi does not comply with this Security Council resolution, Canadian armed forces working with other like-minded nations will enforce this resolution,' Harper said.

"The jets were to leave Canadian Forces Base Bagotville in Quebec as early as Friday afternoon for an air base in Italy. About 150 support staff will be joining them."

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110318/mtl_noflyzoneenforcement_110318/20110318/?hub=MontrealHome

Sen. Paul Unveils 5-Year Budget Plan: Eliminates Four Federal Agencies

Sen. Paul Unveils 5-Year Budget Plan: Eliminates Four Federal Agencies - The Note, Mar. 17, 2011: - ABC News' Mary Bruce reports:

"Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., unveiled today his five-year path to a balanced budget, leaving several federal agencies behind. Among the items on the cutting room floor are the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.

"The proposal also calls for the repeal of 'Obamacare,' but leaves entitlements untouched....

"According to Paul, a Tea Party conservative, the proposal will bring spending to the 'historic average since World War II' in just one year. He further claims the budget achieves a $19 billion surplus by FY2016 and will bring all non-military discretionary spending back to FY2008 levels.

"Paul’s proposal gained support from freshman Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, who today challenged anyone who opposes the plan to come up with a better option."

Will Rand Paul Run?

Will Rand Paul Run? - George Dance, Nolan Chart, Mar. 13, 2011:

"Salon acknowledged in May that Rand Paul had 'pulled off a remarkable feat in Kentucky: uniting his father's libertarian army with Rush Limbaugh's Dittoheads in a coalition that the party establishment has been powerless to stop. If he could even begin to replicate that Kentucky formula on the national stage, Rand Paul would be far more formidable than Ron Paul ever was or ever could be.'

"Sometimes it looks as if Rand Paul is already running against Obama.... Rand Paul is scheduling speaking trips of his own to Iowa and New Hampshire, 'raising reporters' eyebrows because of both states' status in the presidential nominating cycle' according to Washington insider blog The Hill....

"The younger Paul has many reasons to encourage such speculation and the attention it brings him.... But it cannot be denied that he is positioning himself for a Presidential run."

http://www.nolanchart.com/article8449.html

Ron Paul supporters already out in force for 2012 Republican nomination

Ron Paul supporters already out in force for 2012 Republican nomination - Richmond Republican | Examiner.com - Karyn McDermott, Mar. 14, 2011:

"Richmond area Ron Paul supporters will be out in force Monday afternoon waving signs at the intersection of Pump and Broad from 4:30pm.

"So why sign waving and why Ron Paul? The Examiner spoke with organizer Igor Prohorov who expects a decent turnout. 'Sign waving gets the message out to a lot of people in a short period of time, and it’s a lot of fun....

"'Ron Paul is very popular with young people and he is considered a hero by the anti-war movement and those who hold civil liberties dear. He is also popular with Independents,' enthused Prohorov, a long-time supporter of the libertarian conservative doctor from Texas....

"'No one else, whether it be (Mitt) Romney, Sarah (Palin), (Mike) Huckabee or (Herman) Cain … can win those key demographics. So, the real challenge for the Republican Party is how much do they really want to get Obama out of office?,' Prohorov asks."

http://www.examiner.com/republican-in-richmond/ron-paul-supporters-already-out-force-for-2012-republican-nomination

Rand Paul among group vowing to block non-debt, deficit legislation

Rand Paul among group vowing to block non-debt, deficit legislation - James R. Carroll, Louisville Courier-Journal, Mar. 10, 2011:

"Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and seven other Republican senators vowed Thursday to block all legislation before the Senate that doesn't reduce federal spending or the size of government.

"The move appears to challenge a 'gentlemen's agreement' struck in January between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., that would avoid delaying tactics like the filibuster that bogged down the Senate last session.

“'The Senate Democrats have failed to address the current debt crisis,' Paul said in a statement. 'With less than a week before the temporary spending bill expires, they intend to bring up other pieces of legislation instead of providing ample time for debate and amendments on the (next temporary spending) bill.'

“'Unless they directly address the current crisis, we have notified Senate Democrat leadership that we will object to the consideration of any legislation brought before the Senate,' the statement said."

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110310/NEWS01/303100075/-1/GETPUBLISHED03/Rand-Paul-among-group-vowing-block-non-debt-deficit-legislation?odyssey=nav|head

Bleeding Heart Libertarians

Bleeding Heart Libertarians | The Volunteer - Peter Jaworski, Mar. 11, 2011:

"There’s something of a growing movement afoot, a new kind of fusionism, and a surprising disentangling of former alliances. The new fusionism is liberal & libertarian.... It started, more or less, with a seminal [2006] article by Brink Lindsay, formerly of the Cato Institute, called “Liberaltarians”. In it, Lindsay argued for a new alliance between liberals and libertarians, and urged the further dissolution of the old alliance between traditionalists and libertarians.

"The article caused something of a stir after its publication in the New Republic. Slowly, others joined the movement, or came out of the closet as having always been liberal in cultural attitudes.... Foremost amongst these early adopters was Will Wilkinson, also formerly of the Cato Institute and now, amongst other gigs and duties, a blogger for The Economist....

"Most recently, and most excitingly, a group of academics the three of us respect a great deal have started an academic blog called 'Bleeding heart libertarians.' That blog is full of young intellectuals who are trying to break the association of libertarianism with natural rights theories, and with traditionalist attitudes."

http://www.thevolunteer.ca/2011/03/bleeding-heart-libertarians/

GOP's 2012 playbook: Budget cuts

GOP's 2012 playbook: Budget cuts blaze trail - Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen - POLITICO.com, Mar. 11, 2011:

"But the tea party, treated at first by the media as exotics, forced Republicans to focus almost exclusively on the size of government. By the time the 2010 elections rolled around, tea party activists and most independent voters were completely aligned on the need to cut, cut, cut. Midterm election results showed that this approach offers the GOP its best – and maybe only – hope of keeping the interests of independents and tea party activists aligned enough to beat Obama....

"The uncontrollable power of the government-gutting wing is certainly causing unease with top congressional leaders in Washington. House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders got trampled by the stampede of conservative freshmen demanding bigger cuts than the party brass envisioned. Perhaps Boehner and Co. thought the goodies that worked so well for so long – cool committee assignments and a seat at the leadership table – would tame their passions. They didn’t. One of the lessons of the 2010 election was that tea party freshmen have way more incentive to listen to activists than placate the establishment.

"This has party leaders unnerved. One top aide told Politico these freshmen are like 'ravenous dogs,' untamable and wildly unpredictable. This is why it would be foolish to bet big against a government shutdown if an agreement on substantial budget cuts cannot be reached."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51099.html

Hemp for Victory | Ron Paul interview in Mother Jones

Ron Paul: Hemp for Victory | Mother Jones - Josh Harkinson, Mar. 10, 2011:

"For the first time since I began writing about Paul and his movement more than three years ago, he agreed to speak with me over the phone yesterday. The occasion was his desire to talk about his support for legalizing industrial hemp. Hemp, a non-psychoactive variety of cannabis famously grown by the likes of George Washington and promoted in the World War II propaganda film Hemp for Victory, is an envrionmentally-friendly [sic] source of fiber and protein. Paul is the author of several hemp legalization bills, the latest of which will be promoted in May during the second annual Hemp History Week."

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/ron-paul-hemp-legalization

Without cowboy poetry festival, over 20,000 people "would not exist" (video)

Sure, the U.S. has a trillion-dollar deficit, and something has to be done to cut it. But this is going too far. Now they want to cut Elko, Nevada's cowboy poetry festival, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering!

Fortunately, there are still a few cool heads left in Washington. Here's Senator Harry Reid (D-NV):

"The mean-spirited bill, H.R. 1, eliminates National Public Broadcasting. Now, that is really saying a lot, madam president. It eliminates the National Endowment of the Humanities, National Endowment of the Arts. These programs create jobs. The National Endowment of the Humanities is the reason we have in northern Nevada every January a cowboy poetry festival. Had that program not been around, the tens of thousands of people who come there every year would not exist.”

http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/08/harry-reid-blasts-mean-spirited-republicans-who-want-to-cut-taxpayer-funded-poetry-festival/

Rand Paul blames banking collapse on Fed

Rand Paul: Banking Collapse Was Caused By Too Much Regulation | TPMDC - Jon Terbush:

March 8, 2011 - "On the Daily Show Monday night, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blamed ... the banking collapse [on] too much meddling by the Federal Reserve.... By arbitrarily setting interest rates rather than letting those rates be determined by the free market, the Fed created an unsustainable financial structure, Paul said.

"'I don't say that's a failure of capitalism,' Paul said. 'That's a failure of a central bank getting involved and messing up capitalism'....

"[Host John] Stewart started the interview off by praising Paul for being the 'walkiest of the talkers' for his willingness to call for spending cuts across the board, including cuts to entitlement programs and defense spending. But when the talk turned to federal regulation of business, Stewart was unconvinced by Paul's argument on how limited the government's reach should be."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/rand-paul-banking-collapse-was-caused-by-too-much-regulation.php

rEVOLution 2.0 -- The case for a Ron Paul Presidential campaign in 2012

The case for a Ron Paul Presidential campaign in 2012 - George Dance, Nolan Chart, March 6, 2011:

"Should Ron Paul run for POTUS once again in 2012? Of course. From the perspective of the rEVOLution (as defined), there is no better candidate.

"First, Ron Paul's 2008 Presidential campaign, and so far only Ron Paul's 2008 Presidential campaign, has shown itself able to mobilize the cadre -- both as boots on the ground, and as donor base -- that the freedom movement requires to be a credible vehicle for political change. (1)

"Second, a significant portion of that cadre is still connected, in a spontaneous order, via the internet.... These seasoned rEVOLutionaries are not only willing to march behind Paul again; for the most part, they are demanding that he get in front right now and start leading them."

http://www.nolanchart.com/article8429.html

Justin Amash and Accountability

Accountability in the New Congress | Cato @ Liberty - John Samples, Mar. 2, 2011:

"Just over a week ago, Politico ran a story noting that Justin Amash, a newly-elected House member from Michigan, had already voted 'present' more often than his predecessor had in eight years.... In general, the story suggested that his 'present' votes were a failure in some way to meet his responsibilities as a representative....

"Politico also reported some of Amash's reasons for voting 'present': when he does not have 'reasonable' time to review the legislation, when called upon to choose 'between programs he hasn’t been given time to study,' when he has 'procedural or constitutional concerns about a piece of legislation that has desirable ends,'...

"Amash sounds like a representative trying to take his obligations seriously. Apparently he feels he owes his constituents his best judgment about bills before the House and, absent enough time, he refuses to delegate his judgment to party elders or to mere caprice....

"What I have seen so far, including these criticisms of him, confirm what I have thought for some time: Justin Amash is one of the most interesting and potentially important representatives to come to DC in a long time."

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/accountability-in-the-new-congress/

rEVOLution 2.0 -- prologue

rEVOLution 2.0 -- prologue - George Dance, Nolan Chart, Mar. 4, 2011:

"Welcome to rEVOLution 2.0, a series of occasional columns about the next stage of the rEVOLution. By 'the rEVOLution' I mean the whole political struggle for a free society in the 21st century, but I intend to concentrate on one set of principal events in that struggle, arguably the most significant: elections for President of the United States."

http://www.nolanchart.com/article8421.html

Rand Paul for President 2012 speculation

Rand Paul adds New Hampshire trip in April - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room - Michael O`Brien, Mar. 3, 2011:

"Rand Paul will head to the Granite State in late April following a trip to Iowa earlier that month, raising reporters' eyebrows because of both states' status in the presidential nominating cycle.

"The Kentucky senator will keynote a Cheshire County Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader's John DiStasio.... Rand Paul is also slated to headline the Iowa Republican Party's 'Night of Rising Stars' on April 2, meaning the freshman senator will be making two trips to two key primary states within a month....

"The trips to Iowa and New Hampshire do nothing to tamp down speculation that the younger Paul will make a run if his father opts against another campaign, and he's been on a media blitz to promote it."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/147395-rand-paul-adds-new-hamshire-trip-in-april

'Tea Party mayor' elected in Nagoya, Japan

Nagoya Tea Party mayor brews trouble for Japan PM | Reuters - Linda Sieg, Mar. 3, 2011:

"'I want to make it a battle of ideologies,' said Takashi Kawamura, whose U.S. Tea Party-like pledge to cut taxes and slash legislators' salaries swept him to victory as mayor of Nagoya, a city of two million and capital of a prefecture that is home to Toyota Motor and other major Japanese manufacturers whose workers have been an important support base for the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

"'I want to make Japanese politics a battle between Tax Cut Japan and Tax Hike Japan, between the socialist idea of raising taxes and the idea of cutting taxes and small government,' Kawamura told Reuters in an interview in his slightly shabby private office, where a poster proclaims 'Japan Tax Cuts and Democracy Start from Nagoya.'...

"Kawamura, who won almost 70 percent of the vote in the Nagoya mayor race, has tapped a deep well of dissatisfaction.... 'We wanted things to change but it seems like the two main parties have become just the same,' said 72-year-old Yasuo Kitagawa, who voted for Kawamura in the February mayoral race."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/03/us-japan-politics-tea-party-idUSTRE7221SK20110303

Anarchism articles hit 1,000 reads

One of my 2009 articles on the libertarian anarchism / minarchism dispute, "Childs's argument for anarchism," gained its 1,000th read in February, ending the month with 1,018. I had hoped to announce that both of my 2009 articles on the subject had passed that milestone; alas, the other, "'Government or Anarchy?' revisited", ended February with just 999 reads. (It's since passed 1,000.)

Other articles of mine that crossed the 1,000 threshhold last month were "Injustice at Nolan Chart!", a 2008 spoof based on Alperovitz & Daly's book Unjust Deserts (1,009); and "ACLU sues Transportation Security Administration over Ron Paul staffer's detention" (1,003), about the 2009 airport detention of Steve Bierfeldt.

Last but certainly not least was February's own "Ron Paul money bomb raises over $400,000," which gained more than 1,000 readers in just 24 hours, and finished the month with 1,207.

Top Libertarian 40 Sites: March 2011 | DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts

Top Libertarian 40 Sites: March 2011 | DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts, Mar. 1, 2011:

"DBKP Reports has released its ratings of the top 40 most popular Libertarian websites on the Internet. Ratings are based on the sites’ 3-month average of Alexa worldwide traffic as ranked on February 27-28, 2011.

"The Libertarian 40′s top five most popular sites is led by Lew Rockwell, followed by Reason and Ludwig Von Mises Institute. The top five is rounded out by The Daily Paul and the Big Picture.

"Like all lists, the Libertarian list covers a lot of ground; our broad definition: all these sites cover topics of interest primarily – but not limited to – Libertarians: individual freedom and liberty, small government, unabashed defense of capitalism and the free market and fiscal restraint."

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2011/03/top-libertarian-40-sites-march-2011/