LPWA News Room
October 20, 2005
SEATTLE — On Wednesday, October 19, the Libertarians at the University of Washington (LUW) hosted a bake sale in front of the Husky Union Building to benefit earthquake victims in Pakistan. In about five hours the group raised over $450 which will be donated to Pakistan Relief, an organization that provides direct aid in the effected region.
Pakistan Relief is one of many organizations working to help victims of the 7.6 earthquake that hit Pakistan earlier this month. With nearly 80,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, there is a desperate need for food, clothing, medicine, and shelter. To date, however, international aid has been lackluster when compared with the response to the Indonesian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. It was this lack of support that prompted LUW to hold the bake sale.
“Several of our members expressed frustration with the lack of public attention given to the Pakistan disaster,” explains LUW President Don Rasmussen, “so we decided to raise awareness and money by holding the bake sale.”
The group also plans to help the Pakistan Association of Greater Seattle with an upcoming Tent Drive to raise money for temporary shelter for the thousands of people left homeless by the earthquake. When asked why a political organization was raising money for Pakistani earthquake victims, LUW founder Travis Wright responded simply, “Because somebody has to.” Wright added, “We all have an obligation to help people in need and we can’t just pass that off to the government or expect someone else to do the work.”
That basic premise is behind an ongoing charitable effort that LUW calls People Helping People. “LUW is primarily a Libertarian political group,” states Rasmussen, “but some issues should not be about politics. Some issues are just about people, and this project reflects that attitude.”
LUW is a registered student organization affiliated with the Libertarian Party. More information about the group is available online at www.uwlibertarians.org. For more information about earthquake relief efforts or to contribute online, visit www.pakistanrelief.org or www.pakistanseattle.com.
October 13, 2005
SEATTLE — KVI talk show host, Kirby Wilbur has listed Astrid Gielen as his pick for Seattle School Board Position 4. Ms. Gielen is a 19 year-old student of evolutionary biology at the University of Washington. She was also a founding member of Libertarians at the UW, of which she is now Vice President of Business.
A life-long student and recent graduate of Seattle Public Schools, she believes she can bring a fresh perspective to the board. In a recent interview with a reporter from IndyMedia, she states “I think that amidst the PTA members and the soccer moms and the professional politicians, a recent Seattle schools student would help bring diversity to the board and help highlight the concerns of students, as opposed to the concerns of teachers and parents”
Mr. Wilbur apparently agrees. He decided to endorse Astrid after meeting her last Wednesday at a monthly dinner event for King County Libertarians called the Liberty Forum. Mr. Wilbur was invited to address the Liberty Forum about Initiative 912 which seeks to repeal the recent gas tax hike. Afterwards, he was introduced to Astrid and was impressed by her enthusiasm.
Although he is a Republican, Kirby Wilbur has been sympathetic to the Libertarian Party on many issues. Through his radio show, he has been a champion of limited government and personal responsibility. He has even attended and addressed a few Libetarian Party of Washington State conventions.
October 6, 2005
BELLEVUE — The Libertarian Party of Washington State (LPWS) has selected Bremerton as the site of its 2006 convention. Convention organizer Penelope Wright explains, “we wanted to hold our convention in a beautiful area of the state in an exceptional facility that was easily accessible. The Kitsap Conference Center meets our needs perfectly.”
According to Wright, past state conventions have focused on membership issues and internal business. This time, however, the party is planning something much broader.
“The theme of our 2006 convention is ‘Building Tomorrow Together’,” states Wright, “We’re emphasizing the importance of cooperation in advancing the cause of freedom.” She further remarks, “We’re not just going to market our convention to current members, but to like-minded people who may not have gotten involved in politics before.”
The convention will feature speakers from nationally recognized public policy organizations such as the Cato Institute and the Reason Foundation. Presentations will focus on five subject areas: education, the environment, healthcare, property rights, and transportation. Issues that, according to Wright, “are concerns of every resident in our state, not just Libertarians.”
“Libertarians are building a party in the sensible center to put freedom of choice and responsibility back into your hands,” said Libertarian Party State Chair, Ruth Bennett. “We are most effective in districts like much of Kitsap County that elect both Democratic and Republican legislators. That’s where Libertarian candidates affect the outcome of close elections and can change the balance of power in Olympia. What a perfect place for the 2006 Convention!”
The convention will be held April 8-9, 2006 at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton. Details about speakers and registration will soon be available on the party’s website.
BELLEVUE — The Libertarian Party of Washington State has dramatically redesigned its online presence. From the graphic design to the content layout, the website is recognizably different - even the address has changed! While the old web address of www.LPWS.org will still work, the official web address is now www.LPWA.org. This change will bring us more inline with the practices of other state organizations (it also mean a change in email addresses, so check the directory for more information).
In addition to the obvious visual changes, the new site leverages modern web technologies. These changes will allow site administrators to more easily maintain the content while keeping the look and feel uniform throughout. Further, the new site will provide a mechanism for delegating maintenance tasks. For example, news articles can now be published by any number of authorized contributors using an interface similar to a weblog and the Event Calendar can be directly updated by regional representatives.
And more improvements are on the way. In the near future, a complete online community for LPWS supporters will be made available. The password protected environment will facilitate communication between party officials, volunteers, and other supporters. Features will include regional chat rooms, regional and topical discussion forums, a document repository, and a collaborative document editing system called a “Wiki.” Most importantly, this system will allow individual supporters to update their own contact information and volunteer profile. Look for more on this exciting project in the coming months.
Ultimately, the goal is present the party in a more attractive and modern light. With the recent increase in media attention, it is important that LPWS provide the best online experience it can. This new site is huge step in the right direction.
