On abortion, Obama pretends to be a libertarian

When He Talks Abortion, President Obama Pretends to Be a Libertarian - Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic:

April 29, 2013 - "Addressing Planned Parenthood last week, President Obama made what must be one of the least self-aware statements of his tenure. 'Forty years after the Supreme Court affirmed a woman's constitutional right to privacy, including the right to choose, we shouldn't have to remind people that when it comes to a woman's health, no politician should get to decide what's best for you,' he said. "No insurer should get to decide what kind of care that you get. The only person who should get to make decisions about your health is you'....

"Contrary to his rhetoric, however, Obama doesn't believe that American women should alone be empowered to decide what's best for their health as a general matter.... Obama verily believes that politicians like him ought to interfere in myriad decisions about personal medical care. It is illegitimate for him to invoke the language of liberty to score points on this set of issues."

Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/04/when-he-talks-abortion-president-obama-pretends-to-be-a-libertarian/275364/
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Ron Paul: Boston occupation "should frighten us as much or more than the attack"

Ron Paul: Boston shutdown during manhunt ‘should frighten us as much or more than the attack itself’ - Boston.com - Matt Viser, Political Intelligence, Boston Globe:

April 29, 2013 - "Former US representative Ron Paul has a warning for Americans after the Boston Marathon bombings, and it may come as a surprise.

"The prominent libertarian says citizens should perhaps be more frightened by the police response to the attack – which killed three and injured scores more – than by the explosions themselves.

"In an article called 'Liberty Was Also Attacked in Boston,' the former Republican congressman and two-time presidential candidate compares the intense April 19 manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to “scenes from a military coup in a far off banana republic.”

“'The Boston bombing provided the opportunity for the government to turn what should have been a police investigation into a military-style occupation of an American city,' Paul writes. 'This unprecedented move should frighten us as much or more than the attack itself.'

"Paul argues that the Boston case sets a dangerous precedent, recounting scenes of “paramilitary police riding in tanks and pointing automatic weapons at innocent citizens.”

"'Once the government decides that its role is to keep us safe, whether economically or physically, they can only do so by taking away our liberties,' Paul writes. 'That is what happened in Boston.'"

Read more: http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2013/04/29/ron-paul-boston-shutdown-during-manhunt-should-frighten-much-more-than-the-attack-itself/tJrn0CELVKOWqHrOchfoPL/story.html
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A libertarian case for the background checks bill

A Libertarian Case for Resurrecting the Manchin-Toomey Compromise - NYTimes.com - Robert A. Levy:

April 26, 2013 - "I’m a libertarian who played a role in reducing handgun restrictions in the nation’s capital. In 2008, in a landmark case I helped initiate, Heller v. District of Columbia, the Supreme Court declared for the first time that the Second Amendment protected an individual’s right to bear arms....

"The focus on background checks should not distract gun owners from the positive provisions in the Manchin-Toomey proposal.

"It would allow Americans to buy handguns from out-of-state sellers, which is not allowed currently.

"It would explicitly prohibit the creation of a national gun registry, and make it a felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, to misuse records from the national database used for background checks.

"It would affirm that unloaded guns with a lock mechanism in place can be transported across state lines.

"It would immunize private gun sellers from lawsuits if a gun they have sold is used unlawfully, unless the seller knows or should have known that the buyer provided false information or was otherwise ineligible to buy a gun."

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/opinion/a-libertarian-case-for-resurrecting-the-manchin-toomey-compromise.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1367154814-QuUFWFCDXEyvrd8t0rC1Kw
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Libertarian perspective: Drugs in America

Libertarian Perspective: Drugs in America | Toledo Free Press - Kenneth Sharp:

April 25, 2013 - "Some cops say legalize drugs? Yes, many do and I will explain some of the reasons why.

"In America, we have strong moral feelings about drugs that can cloud reason, especially when coupled with a lack of understanding of history. It isn’t that those who clamor for tough laws and prison sentences are without empathy; on the contrary, most believe those affected will receive the help they need. And it isn’t that these good people are intentionally ignoring history; they simply aren’t taught it....

"There are few Americans alive today born before the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act went into effect in 1914. There are probably fewer Americans of any age that are aware of it or what it has meant to society.... After this act, doctors were arrested for supplying the necessary drugs to treat addicts and ameliorate their issues. Doctors could no longer treat these people as patients.... The addict was forced to find his supply on the black market. This is prohibition. Prohibition leads to crime and immense wealth for the profiteers. The underlying issues do not disappear with prohibition, and the profiteers see their market increase. In order to survive, addicts turn to crime, including theft."

"As the crimes associated with drugs increase, along with profits, the image of the minority as prime user and criminal is reinforced. Prohibitions have always targeted minority groups to secure authority of the powerful elite classes. Opium was used to target the Chinese in America, even as the U.S. government and commercial interests worked to open markets to it in China. Propaganda described marijuana and cocaine as the gateway for black men to corrupt white women, especially with the advent of jazz music. There were powerful corporate and government interests invested in outlawing hemp for their own gain.

"Americans have not received the benefits they hoped for with drug prohibition. Instead, we have ever escalating and more violent crimes. We are less safe and so are our police and safety forces. The profits have increased yearly despite economic recessions. Usage has increased year after year.

"But other countries, like Portugal and Switzerland, have tried different approaches, like decriminalization and legalization. These approaches have succeeded in every category we have hoped for and failed to achieve. They have less use of all drugs, less crime, less spread of disease, less cost to society and fewer lost lives and broken families."

http://www.toledofreepress.com/2013/04/25/libertarian-perspective-drugs-in-america/
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Why the GOP needs to support young libertarian politicians

Libertarianism defined & why the GOP needs to support young libertarian politicians - Neal Gallagher, Red Alert Politics:

April 26, 2013 - "There’s a movement afoot in the conservative ranks. Day by day, more young people are coming out as libertarians, confusing their friends and scaring their families. I am a libertarian, and increasingly, many conservatives are coming to the same conclusion..... But what exactly is a “libertarian?”

"Some of us are socially conservative, god-fearing, 'Reagan-ites.' Some of us are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage atheists who revere Thomas Paine and Barry Goldwater and think Reagan destroyed the ideology of the Republican Party. Some of us wear suits and ties, some of us wear muddy jeans and t-shirts. Some of us have never touched a gun, while some of us shoot regularly and open-carry....

"What unites us is that we want less government. It would be almost impossible to have more government at this point, without officially crossing over into socialism. Government has its nose in what we earn, who we go to bed with, what we watch on TV, what we purchase, what we put in our bodies, what we do with our bodies. The FDA sends agents to raid farmers markets… really Orwellian stuff. Government monitors everything- except itself. Government does what it wants, spends what it wants. This is not the purpose of government as defined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In fact, it directly contradicts them."

"The foundation of libertarianism is smaller government, especially at the Federal level, and an emphasis on civil liberty, both personally and financially. While many libertarians agree with Democrats on social issues like gay rights and marijuana decriminalization, rarely do I meet a libertarian who identifies with the Democratic Party. Democrats want more government. That is their main agenda, and our main enemy. "Republican hands are not clean, either. Many libertarians don’t trust the Republican leadership. Libertarians and the Tea Party helped the Republican establishment take over the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections, but were then excluded from governing. "There’s also the establishment’s hypocrisy. The GOP claims to be for a smaller, less intrusive government, but in the 2012 GOP presidential primary, every Republican candidate except Ron Paul said he or she would support a Constitutional Amendment that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The GOP even included the position as part of its party platform. Also, the Republican position on the role of the U.S. military is at odds with the libertarian philosophy of not policing the world. "Libertarians and Republicans have a common political enemy. Republicans want to defeat Democrats, and they need libertarians to do it. Libertarians want a smaller government, and they need the Democrats to lose in order to achieve that." Read more: http://redalertpolitics.com/2013/04/26/libertarianism-defined-why-the-gop-needs-to-support-young-libertarian-politicians/
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Civil libertarians and local residents react differently to Tsarnaev manhunt

Civil libertarians and local residents react differently to Tsarnaev manhunt - Less Is More blog - Boston.com - Garrett Quinn, Reason:

April 23, 2013 - "WATERTOWN, Mass. - Boston-based civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate told Reason.com he is very troubled by the measures taken by law enforcement officials during the manhunt for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His views contrasted greatly with what this reporter came across during dozens of man-on-the-street interviews conducted across the greater Boston area last week, where residents voiced overwhelming support for the actions of local, state, and federal officials.

"'It was only after people were allowed out of their houses did somebody spot the guy, proving that an alert citizenry is more capable of ensuring safety than an army of militarized police,' said Silverglate, who described Gov. Deval Patrick’s advisory to 'shelter in place' as 'outrageous and counterproductive' and likened it to something out of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel Brave New World....

"As for the huge outpouring of public support for law enforcement in the wake of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s capture, Silverglate called it 'very dangerous' and bordering on 'adoration'."

Read more: http://boston.com/community/blogs/less_is_more/2013/04/civil_libertarians_and_local_r.html
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Harry Reid compares Tea Party to "Anarchists"

Harry Reid Compares Tea Party to "Anarchists" | United Liberty | Free Market - Individual Liberty - Limited Government - Jason Pye:

April 24, 2013 - "On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) took a shot at the Tea Party movement while discussing the sequester and the Simpson-Bowles fiscal reform plan with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK).  Coburn ...  objected to S.788, which would suspend the sequester for the current fiscal year. The sequester — a plan that merely cuts the rate of spending increases, is being blamed for flight delays due to FAA furloughs of air traffic controllers — a move with political motivations behind it.

"'I didn’t vote for the Budget Control Act. I think sequester is a stupid way to cut spending. But I want us to understand exactly what is going on,' Coburn continued. 'This is a contrived situation because no effort — zero effort — by the FAA or the Department of Transportation has been made to have any flexibility in terms of how they spend their money.... They have over $500 million unobligated sitting in balances that aren’t obligated, so none of this had to happen. This has been a created situation.'

"Reid responded with revisionist history, bogus numbers, and a slam against both Coburn and the Tea Party movement.

"'We have a situation where this country has been driven by the Tea Party for the last number of years,' Reid said in response to Coburn. 'When I was in school, I studied government and I learned about the anarchists. Now, they were different than the Tea Party because they were violent. But they were anarchists because they did not believe in government in any level and they acknowledged it. The Tea Party kind of hides that.'"

Read more: http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/13441-harry-reid-compares-tea-party-to-anarchists
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Koch Industries plans to buy Tribune newspaper chain

Koch Brothers Making Play for Tribune’s Newspapers - NYTimes.com - Amy Chozick, New York Times:

April 20, 2013 - "Three years ago, Charles and David Koch, the billionaire industrialists and supporters of libertarian causes, ... laid out a three-pronged, 10-year strategy to shift the country toward a smaller government with less regulation and taxes.

"The first two pieces of the strategy — educating grass-roots activists and influencing politics — were not surprising, given the money they have given to policy institutes and political action groups. But the third one was: media....

"Now, Koch Industries, the sprawling private company of which Charles G. Koch serves as chairman and chief executive, is exploring a bid to buy the Tribune Company’s eight regional newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant.

"By early May, the Tribune Company is expected to send financial data to serious suitors in what will be among the largest sales of newspapers by circulation in the country. Koch Industries is among those interested, said several people with direct knowledge of the sale who spoke on the condition they not be named. Tribune emerged from bankruptcy on Dec. 31 and has hired JPMorgan Chase and Evercore Partners to sell its print properties."

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/business/media/koch-brothers-making-play-for-tribunes-newspapers.html?_r=1&
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Terrorist plots hatched by the FBI - New York Times

Terrorist Plots, Hatched by the F.B.I. - NYTimes.com - David K. Shipler, New York Times:

April 28, 2012 - "The United States has been narrowly saved from lethal terrorist plots in recent years — or so it has seemed. A would-be suicide bomber was intercepted on his way to the Capitol; a scheme to bomb synagogues and shoot Stinger missiles at military aircraft was developed by men in Newburgh, N.Y.; and a fanciful idea to fly explosive-laden model planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol was hatched in Massachusetts.

"But all these dramas were facilitated by the F.B.I., whose undercover agents and informers posed as terrorists offering a dummy missile, fake C-4 explosives, a disarmed suicide vest and rudimentary training. Suspects naïvely played their parts until they were arrested....

"This is legal, but is it legitimate? Without the F.B.I., would the culprits commit violence on their own? Is cultivating potential terrorists the best use of the manpower designed to find the real ones? Judging by their official answers, the F.B.I. and the Justice Department are sure of themselves — too sure, perhaps."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/terrorist-plots-helped-along-by-the-fbi.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
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FBI 'entrapment' tactics questioned in web of phony terror plots and paid informants

FBI 'entrapment' tactics questioned in web of phony terror plots and paid informants - J.D. Heyes, Natural News:

December 5, 2011 - "Dave Williams might have made some bad choices in his life that ultimately led to some jail time. But his greatest 'crime' seems to have been manufactured by an overzealous federal agency looking to make some sort of 'progress' in the war on terror.

"Williams ... and three other local men were arrested in May 2009 on charges they plotted to blow up Jewish synagogues and purchase anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down military planes.... Oddly enough, however, the weapons ... were provided by none other than the F.B.I. who, through a paid informant, set up a so-called 'terror' plot they themselves were then able to take down - and take credit for busting up.

"Lawyers for Williams and his three 'co-conspirators' agree that, were it not for the F.B.I. creating this so-called plot out of thin air, none of the men would be in jail and, in fact, there would have been no plot at all."

Read more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034325_FBI_entrapment_terror_plots.html
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The Bill of Rights was written for Dzhokar Tsarnaev

The Bill of Rights was written for Dzhokar Tsarnaev | Washington Times Communities - Tom Mullen:

"TAMPA, April 20, 2013 – 19-year-old Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev is in custody. Assuming that Tsarnaev is indeed guilty of these crimes, a very real threat to public safety has been taken off the streets. That’s the good news.

"The bad news is that the Tsarnaev brothers have taken the last vestiges of a free society in America down with them....

"Not only did the militarized domestic law enforcement complex put the City of Boston under martial law, but nobody seems to have found it out of the ordinary, much less outrageous. Yes, a few journalists like libertarian Anthony Gregory raised a finger. But, for the most part, nobody seemed to mind that the entire city was under military siege, complete with paramilitary units in full battle gear, battlefield ordinance and tanks. Tanks!

"How did we get here? 238 years ago to the day, the inhabitants of the very same city started a war and seceded from their union over a mere infantry brigade attempting to disarm them. Now they cheer those who violate their rights much worse than the British ever did."

Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2013/apr/20/bill-rights-was-written-dzhokar-tsarnaev/#ixzz2R1LGZNNs
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New Hanover (NC) County Commissioner Brian Berger switches to Libertarian Party

Berger switches to Libertarian Party | StarNewsOnline.com - Ashley Withers, Wilmington Star-News:

April 19, 2013 - "New Hanover County Commissioner Brian Berger is no longer a member of the Republican Party.

"Berger submitted an application to the county Board of Elections Thursday afternoon to switch back to the Libertarian Party, according to county spokesperson Charles Smith.

Berger ran for commissioner in 2008 as a Libertarian and lost, but switched to the Republican Party before his successful election in 2010.

"Recently, the New Hanover County GOP has spoken out against Berger.

"In late March, the local party adopted a resolution 'censuring and repudiating the actions of Brian Berger' and echoed calls for his resignation."

Read more: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130419/ARTICLES/130419587?Title=Berger-switches-to-Libertarian-Party
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Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity launched

The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity « Antiwar.com Blog - John Glaser:

April 18, 2013 - "Yesterday I attended a press conference held by the brand new Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, an educational 501(c)(3) that will collect and produce news and commentary on US foreign policy and put on seminars to teach primarily young people about non-interventionism.

"As previously noted, the executive director of the Institute is Daniel McAdams, the foreign policy advisor to Paul when he was still in the House of Representatives. After Dan’s introduction, Ron Paul spoke, along with Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), the last Republican in Congress who voted against the Iraq War, Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC), and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) – all of whom are on the board of the Institute. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) also spoke.

"Aside from the educational website and seminars, the Institute will follow congressional votes and grade members of Congress according to their adherence to non-interventionism and protection of civil liberties."

Read more: http://antiwar.com/blog/2013/04/18/the-ron-paul-institute-for-peace-and-prosperity/
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B.C. Libertarians would replace top-down government with individual responsibility

Paul Geddes: B.C. Libertarians would replace top-down government with individual responsibility | Georgia Straight:

April 1, 2015 - "Unlike members of other parties, Libertarians will admit to not knowing the best way to run B.C.’s education system, B.C.’s health care system, our transportation system, and all of the other systems and programs that the planners in other parties promise to deliver to you. Rather we want to create an environment in which individuals are free to experiment, trade, and learn from each other so that better ideas can win out over less good ideas. The environment we want is one that replaces top-down government-knows-best monopoly schemes with voluntary alternatives in which willing customers direct resources to the services they most want.

"The citizens of B.C. are not cogs in a machine. We all have different dreams and preferences, and we each bring different talents to the table. To get the most out of each other, we don’t want to restrain or punish each others’ choices, earning power, or abilities. Rather, we wish to encourage each to seek that path which you think is best so long as you do not interfere with other people’s lives or property."

Read more: http://www.straight.com/news/367511/paul-geddes-bc-libertarians-would-replace-top-down-government-individual-responsibility
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Tea Party promotes a New Fair Deal

To reinvigorate Republican Party, tea party takes page from Occupy - CSMonitor.com - David Grant, Christian Science Monitor:

April 15, 2013 - "If Republicans are going to bounce back in 2014, the tea party thinks it has the answer: the New Fair Deal.

"A dozen House lawmakers and Sen. Mike Lee (R) of Utah – backed by swarms of activists affiliated with the group FreedomWorks – are offering up a package of about a dozen proposals on Monday that are the tea party’s contribution to how the party should go forward.

"The thing that’s been missing is a reform agenda that excites people and gets them in the streets, that they believe can happen,' says Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy at FreedomWorks and a chief organizer of the New Fair Deal package. 'What can we do to help the guys that we helped get elected in 2010 actually restore credibility for this movement'....

"The New Fair Deal consists of 10 bills, which will include:
           * Cuts to a wide array of subsidies, with alternative energy companies, sugar growers, and high-speed rail all to get the ax.
           * A conservative alternative to Obamacare.
           * A 'flat tax' system.
           * A private savings option for Social Security.
           * Tax reform to broaden the tax base."

Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0415/To-reinvigorate-Republican-Party-tea-party-takes-page-from-Occupy
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Movie Silver Circle a libertarian love story

Silver Circle: A libertarian love story where the bad guys work at the Federal Reserve - The Washington Post - Monica Hesse:

April 14, 2013 - "Silver Circle is an animated love story/hyperinflation dystopia set at the Federal Reserve. It had its Washington-area premiere this weekend: one screen, one theater, a one-week run at the Regal theater in the Ballston Common mall....

"Made for around $2 million, funded primarily by Roberts’s production company, Two Lanterns, it has become a small symbol for a passionate cohort that believes in tiny government.... Ron Paul endorsed it. Paul inadvertently advertised it in Congress, actually, in 2012 when he whipped one of the film’s promotional silver pieces out of his pocket during a hearing of the House Committee on Financial Services and used it as an object lesson on inflation....

"The story is set in 2019, a mere six years from now, a span of time during which the cost of a loaf of bread has risen to $52 and bars have begun to advertise $90 beer specials. The villainous Federal Reserve’s Department of Housing Stability now evicts the hard-working middle class from their homes in order to regulate market demand."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/silver-circle-a-libertarian-love-story-where-the-bad-guys-work-at-the-federal-reserve/2013/04/14/7ff894d2-a451-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html
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"Randsplaining" by David Wiegel

Rand Paul speaks at Howard University: The libertarian presidential hopeful went to the historically black college to find voters Republicans always neglect. - Slate Magazine - David Wiegel:

April 10, 2013 - "It was all going fine until Rand Paul got stuck on a name. The Kentucky senator had just finished a 20-minute speech at Howard University, the 167-year-old historically black college in northwest Washington, D.C. He’d survived the inevitable civic demonstration, when Brian Menifee, a mechanical engineering senior, tried to unfurl a red and black and green banner reading “Howard University Doesn’t Support White Supremacy.” Menifee, wearing dreadlocks and a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe T-shirt, was yanked out of the room by security as the senator looked on and the audience applauded.

''You know, I wasn’t sure if my speech would be entertaining,' joked Paul.

"That got a laugh. Paul got through his remarks, all about how 'when the time is right, I hope that African-Americans will again look to the party of emancipation, civil liberty, and individual freedom.' Students ran to the microphones, the queues for questions spilling into the aisles of the auditorium...."

Read more: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/04/rand_paul_speaks_at_howard_university_the_libertarian_presidential_hopeful.html
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Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity announced

Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity Announced – ICON - Carl Wicklander, Independent Voter Network:

April 13, 2013 - "Next Wednesday, former Texas US Rep. Ron Paul will formally announce the creation of a new foreign policy think tank. It will be called the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

"According to the former congressman’s office: 'It will fill the growing demand for information on foreign affairs from a non-interventionist perspective through a lively and diverse website, and will provide unique educational opportunities to university students and others'....

"Paul will be the CEO. Daniel McAdams, who served as a foreign policy adviser to Rep. Paul for several years, will be the executive director. Serving on the board will be Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano and Faith Whittlsey, the former ambassador to Switzerland under President Ronald Reagan. Also on the board are US Reps. Walter Jones of North Carolina and Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee as well as former Paul staffer Lew Rockwell.

"Another adviser on the board is former Ohio US Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Although a Democrat, Kucinich frequently worked with the Republican Paul on numerous common causes including the defense of civil liberties, restraining presidential war powers, opposition to drones, and Federal Reserve transparency."

Read more: http://ivn.us/icon/2013/04/13/ron-paul-institute-for-peace-and-prosperity-announced/
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U.S. Libertarian Party accepting Bitcoin donations

The Libertarian Party Is Now Accepting Bitcoin Donations - Garance Franke-Ruta - The Atlantic:

April 11, 2013 - "America's biggest third party is accepting donations of the electronic currency through bitpay.com, which converts the donations into U.S. dollars. Given that Bitcoin is sometimes called a 'libertarian fantasy,' it's not so surprising the Libertarian Party would make room for the currency in its fundraising efforts.

"The currency has been gaining popularity as a mechanism for political donations since the fall of 2012, when a Republican New Hampshire state representative became the first major-party politician to accept Bitcoin donations. A libertarian candidate in North Dakota and an independent state senate candidate in Vermont also set up systems to accept Bitcoin donations in the fall. The Libertarian Party of Canada began accepting Bitcoin in March."

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/04/the-libertarian-party-is-now-accepting-bitcoin-donations/274935/
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Thatcher an accidental libertarian heroine

Margaret Thatcher: An Accidental Libertarian Heroine » Spectator Blogs - Alex Massie:

April 10, 2013 - "Mrs Thatcher, of course, was a great economic liberal. Her approach to economics, guided by Smith, Hayek and Friedman, stressed the importance of individual endeavour. Remove the dead hand of state control and Britain could flourish again. The many individual invisible hands of the market would improve our collective lot....

"And she was right. As a Manchester Liberal, Thatcher appreciated the power and value of economic liberty. Slowly, if unevenly, the impact of an era of market forces and economic liberalisation have been felt across the globe. Millions, even billions, have benefited from the more efficient allocation of capital. In Asia, Latin America and even (to some extent) Africa, market forces and liberal economic policies have worked. If the journey is not yet complete, we still inhabit a world transformed....

"Mrs Thatcher was a social conservative. But one part of her legacy that is perhaps under-appreciated is the extent to which her triumph on the economic front contributed to her defeat in the social arena.... Margaret Thatcher’s economic libertarianism (if it can so be called) would eventually advance the cause of social libertarianism as well. That she would have disapproved of this matters little; it is part of her legacy too. And a welcome one."

Read more: http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/alex-massie/2013/04/margaret-thatcher-an-accidental-libertarian-heroine/
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Joe Lhota will decline Libertarian Party nomination for NYC mayor

Joe Lhota Will Decline Libertarian Party Nomination; Won't Co-Star With Kristin Davis | New York Daily News - Celeste Katz, Daily Politics:

April 10: "'Joe Lhota did not seek the Libertarian line and he will not accept it,' spox Susan Del Percio emailed the Daily News this morning in response to a story about the party endorsing Lhota for mayor at its convention Tuesday night. 'While he cannot stop this group from circulating petitions with his name, he will decline the nomination at the earliest possible time under state election law.'

"Lhota ... does have some Libertarian leanings. For example, he believes pot should be decriminalized.... But the former MTA boss and Rudy Giuliani deputy, who's made law and order a cornerstone of his campaign, might have found it a little awkward to appear on the ballot alongside self-proclaimed 'Former Felon' Davis -- who did time at Riker's Island after pleading guilty to promoting prostitution in the scandal that felled former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

"No word yet from Roger Stone, the peripatetic operative whose been pushing Davis as a candidate for mayor (and previously for governor)."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/04/joe-lhota-will-decline-libertarian-party-nomination-wont-co-star-with-kristin-
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Ron Paul launches libertarian-edged home school curriculum

Ron Paul launches libertarian-edged home school curriculum | Fox News:

April 8, 2013 - "Ron Paul ... has found a new way to spread his libertarian message – an online, home-school program that is based on the 'history of liberty' and teaches the 'biblical principles of self-government.'

"The former Texas Republican congressman and three-time presidential candidate is offering the program, called the 'Ron Paul Curriculum,' free to parents and students in kindergarten through fifth grade. However, Paul, following his own belief in a free-market economy, is charging those wishing to continue through the 12th grade.

"The 77-year-old Paul ... has assembled a faculty-staff that includes author Tom Woods. 'For people who have been wondering what Ron Paul has been up to since retiring from Congress, then here’s your answers,' Woods said in announcing the start of the program. 'This, I am convinced, will prove to be Ron Paul’s most significant contribution to the cause of liberty.'"

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/08/ron-paul-starts-libertarian-minded-money-back-guaranteed-home-school-program/
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The actual libertarian movement didn’t ‘Go Nuts’ — just the one inside Bill Maher’s head

No, The Actual Libertarian Movement Didn’t ‘Go Nuts’ — It’s Just The One Inside Bill Maher’s Head | Mediaite - Andrew Kirell:

April 8, 2013 - "During his HBO show last Friday, Bill Maher dedicated four minutes to bashing libertarians for having 'ruined libertarianism.' The comedian lamented that even though he himself once identified as a libertarian, the movement has 'morphed into this creepy obsession with free-market capitalism based on an Ayn Rand [novel] called Atlas Shrugged.'

“I didn’t go nuts; this movement did,” he concluded before launching into a series of cartoonishly reductive descriptions of what he thinks are the ultimate libertarian ends.... But throughout all the libertarian bashing, ... he revealed that he really does not have a grasp on what the movement/ideology actually represents.....

"When Maher declared himself a 'libertarian' back in 2001, Salon declared it a 'joke,' noting that only a handful of his beliefs (specifically in the social issues realm) overlapped with libertarian ideology. His staunch support for the expansion of government over guns, education, business, etc., were all in direct opposition to what libertarians generally believe — and yet, somehow, he bizarrely believes to this day that the movement left him."

Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/no-the-actual-libertarian-movement-didnt-go-nuts-its-just-the-one-inside-bill-mahers-head/
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Jeremy Irons says no to Bloomberg's health regulations

Jeremy Irons says no to Bloomberg's health regulations | The Daily Caller - Tim Cavanaugh:

April 4 - "Jeremy Irons, the Oscar-winning actor ... told the Huffington Post yesterday that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s highly regulated New York brings out his libertarian instincts.

"Asked by HuffPost Live host Josh Epps about Bloomberg’s efforts to ban large sodas, Irons launched into a tirade worthy of “Die Hard with a Vengeance” bad guy Simon Gruber.

"'I am completely libertarian,' said Irons. 'I think it’s very, very dangerous, and I really mean that. I think the smoking ban is the tip of an iceberg, of the leaders of society telling us how to be. I think it is not their business. It is their business to tell us to care for and respect each other and each other’s health and each other’s happiness. And we are responsible enough to do that.'"

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/04/completely-libertarian-jeremy-irons-says-no-to-bloombergs-health-regulations/
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David Stockman champions "Ron Paul libertarianism" in The Great Deformation

David Stockman takes U.S. on libertarian trip to woodshed - Morning Call - Clive Crook, Bloomberg View columnist:

April 5, 2013 - "David Stockman first came to prominence as Ronald Reagan's publicity-prone director of the Office of Management and Budget in the early 1980s. In the decades since he was fired from that job, his career in the leveraged-buyout business has been of no great distinction except that it included an indictment for fraud. (The charges were dropped and he paid $7.2 million to settle a civil case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission.) Now here we are discussing his new book on the corruption of American capitalism, The Great Deformation....

"Stockman has a reputation, acquired during that spell at the OMB, for speaking truth to power. That's rare enough in Washington to leave a lasting impression. He's unusually smart. His judgments of people he disagrees with, a group which includes almost everybody, range from memorably blunt to gratuitously offensive. That works, too. The main thing, though, might be the trait that has defined him all along and which is stamped all through "The Great Deformation": Stockman is a man who loves a theory....

"The new book is as full a statement as you could wish of where that strong theory now stands. It turns out to be Ron Paul libertarianism, give or take. Stockman is both impressive and infuriating in just the same way as Paul. He makes valid criticisms of many policies, but his ideas form a sealed intellectual system. Everything depends on everything else. Things can't be improved here and there. Suggesting palliatives is missing the point — the entire body politic is sick and has to go."

Read more: http://articles.mcall.com/2013-04-05/opinion/mc-david-stockman-crook-stockman-column-20130405_1_david-stockman-new-book-omb
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Cobb County, Georgia, chair explains Big L Libertarianism

The Marietta Daily Journal - Cobb chair explains Big L Libertarianism: Brett C. Bittner:

"I, as chairman of the Libertarian Party of Cobb County, would like to ... help my Republican friends better understand a few things.

"While freedom is increasingly popular ... there are a few Republicans who have yet to realize the Republican Party is not the vehicle for advancing the liberty and freedom envisioned by our Founders. They continue to work within the two-party system to change the rhetoric of their adopted platforms and speeches into the reality of their actions in office. I cannot blame them, because I know how trying it can be to be on the outside of the two-party stranglehold on American politics.

"There are many independents, Republicans and Democrats that hold 'libertarian' beliefs, but are not 'Libertarians,' in that they are not members of the Libertarian Party. In fact, many Republicans are libertarian in their support of economic freedom, and many Democrats are libertarian in their support of personal liberty. Neither of the old parties 'gets' the whole package, while Libertarians believe that liberty is indivisible.

Read more: http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/22161671/article-Cobb-chair-explains--Big-L--Libertarianism-?instance=secondary_story_left_column
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Homeschool convention to bring Ron Paul to Cincinnati

Homeschool convention to bring Ron Paul, 15,000 visitors to Cincinnati - Business Courier- Erin Fischesser:

April 2, 2013 -"Former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul is among the notable guests who will attend the Midwest Homeschool Convention at the Duke Energy Convention Center April 4-6.

"The convention is expected to attract more than 15,000 attendees to Cincinnati, which will contribute to the growing Downtown economy.

"The convention is open to the public and admission cost starts at $40. Tickets for Ron Paul’s keynote speech will be sold separately starting at $6. The speech will be at 8 p.m. April 6."

Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/04/02/homeschool-convention-to-bring-ron.html
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Rand Paul takes more moderate position on foreign military bases

Rand Paul 2016? Libertarian Takes More Moderate Position On Military Bases - Alex Goldberg, PolicyMic:

April 1, 2013 - Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has been elevated into the media spotlight as a champion of libertarian and Tea Party politics ... has been mentioned frequently as a possible presidential candidate in 2016. However, despite his appeal among libertarian conservatives, Paul has had less success in winning over the broader conservative base. Possibly as a result of this, Paul has recently expressed opinions, particularly regarding foreign policy, that seem to be more centrist than the traditional libertarian positions expressed by his father, possibly as a strategic move to broaden his appeal prior to a run at the presidency.

"In a recent speech addressing the Women Republicans of Central Kentucky, Paul espoused that there was a need to audit the Department of Defense — a move that could lead to cuts and result in the closing of U.S. military bases around the world. While both of these would seem to be fairly basic libertarian ideas, he also stated that there should be some bases kept open in order to support a strong national security policy, saying, “I’m not saying we don’t have any [foreign bases] … I’m just saying maybe not 900.”

"He then added that there was a more pressing need to invest resources being used in foreign aid and military occupation in homeland infrastructure and defense."

Read more: http://www.policymic.com/articles/32143/rand-paul-2016-libertarian-takes-more-moderate-position-on-military-bases
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St. Louis County Libertarian Party opposes Proposition P

St. Louis County Libertarian Party Opposes Proposition P - StLToday.com:

April 1, 2013 - "The St. Louis County Libertarian Party stands in strong opposition to Proposition P, the Safe and Accessible Arch and Public Parks Initiative.

"Proposition P would allow an additional 3/16ths of a cent increase in regional sales taxes to fund a park under Federal jurisdiction.... But, as it stands, collecting a local tax to bolster a Federal endeavor is illogical.

"The St. Louis County Libertarian Party does not hate parks. We don’t hate The Arch. We do not oppose beautification efforts or civil engineering improvements in public space. We do, however, oppose Proposition P. If the Federal government wants to subsidize Federal parklands by reprioritizing its already massive $2.9 trillion dollars in Federal revenue, that would be the responsible course of action. If local business leaders and entrepreneurs feel this redesign of The Arch grounds would bring in more tourism revenue, it is in their interest to fund the project through private donations."

Read more: http://interact.stltoday.com/pr/local-news/PR040113095112384
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