Maine LP denied party status: SoS failed to process all registrations

Maine Secretary of State Denies Libertarian Party’s Ballot Access | Ballot Access News - Richard Winger:

December 9, 2015 - "On December 9, the Maine Secretary of State said the Libertarian Party is not a qualified party. The law says a new party can qualify by having at least 5,000 registered members by December 1 of the odd year before the election. The Libertarian Party submitted approximately 6,400 registration cards, but election officials only processed 4,489 by December 1. There are enough unprocessed registration cards to put the party over the 5,000 requirement, but the Secretary of State says they don’t count because they haven’t yet been processed.

"It is extremely likely that the December 1 deadline is unconstitutionally early. Courts have struck down early petition or registration deadlines for a group to qualify for party status in Alabama (April was too early), Arkansas (January was too early), California (January was too early), Idaho (May was too early), Nebraska (February was too early), Nevada (April was too early), New Mexico (April was too early), Ohio (November of the year before the election was too early), South Dakota (February was too early), and Tennessee (April was too early). All of those were procedures to qualify a party, not procedures for candidates."

Read more: http://ballot-access.org/2015/12/09/maine-secretary-of-state-denies-libertarian-partys-ballot-access/
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Toronto man charged with 'criminal' tweeting gets crowdfunding help with legal bills

Only The Internet Can Save Gregory Alan Elliott - Milo Yiannopoulos, Breitbart News:

November 17, 2015 - "His name is Gregory Alan Elliott. He has been on trial for three years, in a costly Canadian court battle with drastic implications for free speech. For two years, he was banned from the internet, where he previously earned much of his income. His artwork, hanging in a local coffee shop in Toronto, was recently defaced by a mob of enraged activists.

"Crippled by loss of work and the ongoing court case, Elliott and his family have been forced to turn to an online crowdfunding campaign to cover their legal costs. What did he do to bring about such persecution?... Elliott criticised feminists on the internet.

"The story begins in 2012.... Stephanie Guthrie, a young Toronto woman looking to raise her media profile, had a bright idea: she would lead a Twitter mob against a critic of professional feminist whingebag Anita Sarkeesian....Her target was Ben Spurr, an unruly video games designer who had created a game that allowed players to punch an image of Sarkeesian in the face.... Guthrie plotted to 'sic the internet' on Spurr, in a way that would 'impact his real-life experience'.... Elliott, a well-known local artist who closely followed Toronto’s online political scene, objected to Guthrie’s plan to ruin Spurr’s life. Online mob justice was 'every bit as vicious as the face-punch game,' he tweeted....

"In November 2012, Guthrie accused Elliott of 'criminal harassment' on the basis of his tweets. She was joined by ... Toronto feminists Heather Riley and Paisley Rae. With no evidence showing that Elliott’s tweets were in any way threatening – the arresting officer, Jeff Bangild, admitted as much in court ... Elliott was arrested, detained and charged by the Canadian crown....

"According to Gregory Elliott’s son, Clayton, the Canadian courts initially sought to detain him for the duration of his trial.... Eventually, the Crown was persuaded to grant bail, although, as part of his bail conditions, Elliott was prohibited from using 'the internet and any device with access to the internet.' A graphics designer by trade, this was crippling to his career. Before he even had a chance to figure out how to continue doing his job of 17 years with these restrictive bail conditions, he was fired without cause. Forced to withdraw his pension early, the 55-year old father of four has spent more than $50,000 in legal fees, and still owes a further $40,000.

"Guthrie and Riley do not need to win their case. Without a serious surge in his crowdfunding campaign, Elliott’s livelihood has already been destroyed. The process has been the punishment – and it is still not over yet.

"Christie Blatchford of Canada’s National Post describes how his accusers 'convened a meeting of friends to discuss how Elliott should be publicly shamed; they bombarded their followers with furious tweets and retweets about him (including a grotesque suggestion from someone pretending she was a 13-year-old that he was a pedophile); they could and did dish it out.'

"Paisley Rae, one of the women who accused Elliott, has mates at the Toronto PD.... Twitter archives show that Rae has maintained a friendly relationship with Detective Jeff Bangild, the officer in charge of the Elliott case, since early 2012. In 2013, while she was still a complainant in the Elliott case, she was still giving Bangild public pep talks on his social media presentations.... Rae, with her close connections to Toronto Police, dropped out of the trial. But it didn’t matter. Elliott had already been charged....

"Freedom of Tweets, a campaign launched today on behalf of Gregory Alan Elliott ... hopes to raise the $100,000 paid by Elliott in legal fees, and repair some of the damage to his livelihood and public reputation.

"The campaign is co-ordinated by an acquaintance of mine, Lauren Southern, a ferocious Canadian libertarian activist.... Southern told me today: 'I hope that supporters of free speech on the web will recognise the importance of this case, and lend their support to Gregory Alan Elliott. Some good can come of this if we show the world that the public will be galvanised when an individual’s free speech is threatened.'"

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2015/11/19/a-life-ruined-by-feminists-and-the-state-only-the-internet-can-save-gregory-alan-elliott/
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Donate here: http://www.freedomoftweets.ca/donate/

John McAfee enters Libertarian presidential race

Anti-Virus Pioneer John McAfee Enters Libertarian Party Presidential Race - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Brian Doherty:

December 28, 2015 - "John McAfee is the 70-year-old founder of the antivirus software firm that bears his name (though he has not been actively involved with it since 1994, and the company was bought by Intel in 2010). He's also a colorful world adventurer who has been candid about his extreme exploits in everything from drug use (and sales) to private home antibiotic-tech experimentation. He is also seeking the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party (L.P.), he announced last week....

"While McAfee had been planning since September to launch a presidential run under the rubric of a new 'Cyber Party,' McAfee says in a phone interview this morning that he changed his mind when he realized getting meaningful ballot access from a standing start like that for a third party is effectively impossible (which is just as the major party forces who write and enforce ballot access laws intend it).

"Since McAfee thinks his ideas about government largely match that of the Libertarian Party, and since that party has since its 1972 debut on the national presidential stage managed to win ballot access in the vast majority of states, he decided he'd be better off seeking its nomination. Some Libertarian Party officials had already reached out to him to discuss the possibilities that he might have something to offer the L.P., and the L.P. something to offer him.

"McAfee says that he abruptly decided last week, without consulting with his former Cyber Party brethren, to go to USA Today with the scoop that he intends to run as a Libertarian when he knew the fresh party route was a no-go....

"When I ask if he always considered his politics libertarian, McAfee corrects me: politics is 'procedure and actions required to gain power and hold power in government, and I want to be divorced from that term.' But he says his personal beliefs 'align 100 percent with the Libertarian Party. Government is too large, welfare is an insidious drain on the soul, on society, and personal freedom is the one thing that keeps us whole as human beings ... my view of the world was libertarian before the word' was even in wide use.

"But he stresses things he thinks the government must do well that it's not doing well now, such as preparing for the 'cyberwarfare' that he knows is coming. That war 'is going to be far more devastating than anything in our imagination.' For a man who made his fortune in antivirus work, 'it's what I know best, and I know for a fact' that cyberwar looms.

"While McAfee's fortune was reported to have maxed out as high as $100 million, most of it is gone. He is not, he says, in a position to independently fund his campaign but 'I have smart people who I think will solve' any fundraising problems.... But because of his background and character, 'it's no secret I have no trouble getting press.' He says he will appear on Steve Colbert's show around January 5th, and that 'I have access to people' in media that no other L.P. hopeful does."

Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2015/12/28/anti-virus-pioneer-john-mcafee-enters-li
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Militarism & authoritarianism to increase in 2016

Libertarian: If you want security, pursue liberty - The Bristol Press - Ron Paul:

December 18 2015 - "Judging by his prime-time speech last week, the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency will be marked by increased militarism abroad and authoritarianism at home. The centerpiece of the president’s speech was his demand for a new law forbidding anyone on the federal government’s terrorist watch list from purchasing a firearm. There has never been a mass shooter who was on the terrorist watch list, so this proposal will not increase security. However, it will decrease liberty.

"Federal officials can have an American citizen placed on the terrorist watch list based solely on their suspicions that the individual might be involved in terrorist activity. Individuals placed on the list are not informed that they have been labeled as suspected terrorists...

"Individuals can be placed on the list if their Facebook or Twitter posts seem 'suspicious' to a federal agent. You can also be placed on the list if your behavior somehow suggests that you are a 'representative' of a terrorist group (even if you have no associations with any terrorist organizations). Individuals can even be put on the list because the FBI wants to interview them about friends or family members!

"Thousands of Americans, including several members of Congress and many employees of the Department of Homeland Security, have been mistakenly placed on the terrorist watch list. Some Americans are placed on the list because they happen to have the same names as terrorist suspects. Those mistakenly placed on the terrorist watch list must go through a lengthy 'redress' process to clear their names....

"President Obama is also preparing an executive order expanding the federal background check system. Expanding background checks will not keep guns out of the hands of criminals or terrorists. However, it will make obtaining a firearm more difficult for those needing, for example, to defend themselves against abusive spouses.

"Sadly, many who understand that new gun control laws will leave us less free and less safe support expanding the surveillance state. Like those promoting gun control, people calling for expanded surveillance do not let facts deter their efforts to take more of our liberties. There is no evidence that mass surveillance has prevented even one terrorist attack.

"France’s mass surveillance system is much more widespread and intrusive than ours. Yet it failed to prevent the recent attacks. France’s gun control laws, which are much more restrictive than ours, not only failed to keep guns out of the hands of their attackers, they left victims defenseless. It is thus amazing that many American politicians want to make us more like France by taking away our Second and Fourth Amendment rights.

"Expanding government power will not increase our safety; it will only diminish our freedom."

Read more: http://www.centralctcommunications.com/bristolpress/article_b0db1ef0-a5f5-11e5-8ad5-f70a962d73aa.html
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NH libertarians offer free rides New Year's Eve

Giving Drunks a Ride Home On New Year's Could Be a $500 Fine in the "Live Free Or Die" State - Keith Farrell, Libertarian Republic:

December 31, 2015 - "If you’re giving a drunk person a ride home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire this New Year’s Eve you could face a stiff fine. To be sure, you better not accept any gas money or a tip for your time. It’s part of the city’s crackdown aimed at the ride share service Uber. For one local man, the regulation spurred the idea to launch a free ride service for the holiday in protest.

"'I just want to get as many people home safely as possible,' said Christopher David.... David is a libertarian and a Free State Project activist. He says that the Portsmouth regulation and enforcement of ride share restrictions are motivated by pressure being exerted by special interests; specifically the owner of the area’s largest taxi company, Great Bay Taxi. As is usual in areas where Uber has begun to operate, companies like Great Bay Taxi lobby to restrict Uber’s operation as a way of limiting competition. In Portsmouth, it has gone even farther.

"Great Bay’s owner, John Palreiro, actually pulled his cabs out of the city the night before Thanksgiving in protest. He threatened to do the same on New Year’s Eve unless the city cracked down and began enforcing an existing ordinance against Uber.

"The restrictions and pressure angered David, who used to drive for Uber.... In protest, David has organized a free ride share service for the evening. He’s already had 40 passengers sign up for rides. David and the 10 drivers he has organized will be doing a great service for the community, providing safe rides for people who will most likely be inebriated.

"Originally, David and his drivers were going to accept tips, but when local police got word of their plans ... Portsmouth Acting Deputy Police Chief Frank Warchol disagreed. If the drivers offer completely free rides, 'then it doesn’t fall under the ordinance,' he said. 'If they accept donations, they would fall under the ordinance.'

"The penalty for violating the ordinance is $500 for the first offense, $1,000 for any subsequent offense.

"So David assures me that for tonight all rides will given completely free of any compensation. But he doesn’t plan on stopping there.

"'My plan is to launch a decentralized competitor to Uber,' David informed me.

"He’s already in the process of developing an app which he says will launch in about a month’s time. It’s called Arcade City.

"'The police are already threatening to fine users and it isn’t even out yet,' David laughed.

Read more: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/giving-drunks-a-ride-home-on-new-years-could-be-a-500-fine-in-the-live-free-or-die-state/
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Ohio Libertarians being kept off 2016 ballot

Sandusky Register: Libertarians not allowed to file in Ohio - Tom Jackson:

December 23, 2016 - "When last week's filings for office concluded, the candidates included plenty of Democrats and Republicans and a Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate, Joseph DeMare.

"But the filings didn't include any Libertarian candidates.

"Ohio Libertarian Party spokesman Aaron Keith Harris said the party is still battling in federal court before U.S. District Judge Michael Watson in Columbus to try to overturn state ballot access law in court that made it harder for smaller political parties in Ohio to be recognized. Watson has not issued a final ruling in the case.

"Secretary of State Jon Husted's office advised election boards not to accept Libertarian Party filings for office, Harris said.

"Several would-be Libertarian candidates tried to file, while others were ready but did not go ahead after being told their petitions would not be accepted....

"'We are obviously very disappointed Husted has chosen to enforce a law that is still being challenged in the courts,' Harris said. 'We are frustrated that the court proceedings have taken this long.' If Libertarians lose their court case, "we'll appeal until we can't appeal any more," Harris said.

"Joshua Eck, a spokesman for Husted, said the Libertarian Party currently is not a recognized political party in Ohio.

"To gain recognition, a minor party must collect at least 3 percent of the vote in the most recent race for president or governor in Ohio. Green candidate Anita Rios got 3.3 percent when she ran for governor in 2014, Eck said.

"The Libertarian candidate for governor in 2014, Charlie Earl, was tossed off the ballot....

"Eck said if Libertarians want to be recognized as a political party, they must turn in petitions signed by 1 percent of people who voted in the last presidential or gubernatorial election. At least 500 signatures must be collected in at least half of the state's U.S. House districts, he said."

Read more: http://www.sanduskyregister.com/Politics/2015/12/23/Libertarians-not-allowed-to-file-in-Ohio.html?ci=stream&lp=4&p=1
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2015 highlight: Canada's Red Tape Reduction Act

Backgrounder – Legislating the One-for-One Rule:

"On January 29, 2014, the Government of Canada introduced the Red Tape Reduction Act in Parliament to control the administrative burden that regulations impose on business.  The Act received Royal Assent on April 23, 2015, which  fulfills a commitment made in the Government's October 2012 Red Tape Reduction Action Plan and reaffirmed in the October 2013 Speech from the Throne.

"The One-for-One Rule, which came into effect on April 1, 2012, places strict controls on the growth of regulatory red tape on business. Under the One-for-One Rule, for every new regulation added that imposes an administrative burden on business, one must be removed.

"The One-for-One Rule is one of six systemic reforms under the Red Tape Reduction Action Plan. The Action Plan committed to reducing regulatory burden on Canadians and businesses, making it easier to do business with regulators and improving service and predictability in the federal regulatory system.

"Highlights:

• The Red Tape Reduction Act helps to permanently control federal regulatory red tape.
  During its first two years of implementation, the One-for-One Rule provided a successful, system-wide control on regulatory red tape impacting business. 
• Between 2012 and June 2014, under the One-for-One Rule, the Government has reduced the net annual administrative burden on business by over $22 million, resulting in an estimated annual savings of 290,000 hours in time spent dealing with regulatory red tape, and has achieved a net reduction of 19 regulations taken off the books. 
• Canada is now the first country in the world to legislate the One-for-One Rule to control regulatory red tape."

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/hgw-cgf/priorities-priorites/rtrap-parfa/0129bg-fi-eng.asp
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