Published bimonthly by the Libertarian Party of Washington State

Contents copyright (c) 1999 by Washington Libertarian. Any material may be reproduced with credit to the author and to Washington Libertarian.

For the latest on events, speakers, etc., see the ''Updates'' Calendar on the main LPWS web site, http://LPWS.org/events.htm.

     Because just about everyone likes to see their name in print, we want to say a big thanks to the following volunteers, who made the difference at our Politically Homeless booths this summer: Lauren Bain, Don Baldwin, Chip Barron, John Bennett, Deborah Benson, Vic Bottomly, Brian Brewer, Jesse Brocksmith, Mamie Brown, Elizabeth Campeau, Wes Clark, Matt Dunning, Heidi Duty, Morgan Duty, John Evans, Kay Evans, Dave Franta, Robert Godwin, Ruth Godwin, Mark Hamilton, Kelly Haughton, Rachel Hawkridge, Gene Hawkridge, Mike Hihn, Robert Hill, Gene Hopp, Michael Justice, Jocelyn Langlois, Steven Lewis, Erne Lewis, Ralph Lieser, Linda Lieser, Ernie Ludwick, Matt McCally, Pam McEachern, Bernie McIlroy, Nathan Messer, Carol Miller, Mary Norton, Dennis Norton, Don Post, Art Rathjen, Howard Schmidt, Bud Shasteen, Larry Sontag, Juliana Thompson, John Tyson, Gail Wheeler, Charlotte Vanderwolf, Chris Wiswell, David Whitlock, and Doug Witt.

     Special mention to Jesse Brocksmith for working every day at the Puyallup Fair, Ed Donaldson for organizing the Paloose Fair booth, Gordon Beeman for organizing the Grant County Fair Booth, and Chris Wiswell for organizing the Hempfest Booth.

     You all rock!

Doug Witt gets name in big letters
     Very special honors to Doug Witt for organizing the Puyallup Fair booth, the 17-day high-volume event in which we got contact information for 200+ libertarians. "Single handedly, he garnered support for a Libertarian presence at the Puyallup Fair," said John A. Bennett. "With overwhelming commitment he stood by his idea and dedicated two weeks of his summer to be present on a daily basis. Many good Libertarians helped Doug, but he made it happen."

     "Forty-four people volunteered their time to work the booth," said Rachel Hawkridge. "Some drove long distances, stayed overnight, and so on. Some had never been involved with the party before. We met people who said 'I'm so glad to see you here, I didn't know the LP was active here.' We found people who didn't know they were Libertarians, and were surprised.

These Libertarians stand out, too...
     "Kudos to Lew Randall of Island County for donating 300 copies of the pocket size U.S. Constitution published by the Cato Institute," said Brett Wilhelm. "These sold for $1 each at fairs and events, and the proceeds will replenish stocks in perpetuity."

     "I nominate the team of Matt and Branden Hamilton," said Kelly Haughton, who managed Mark Hamilton's campaign in Pierce County. "Matt, who is Mark Hamilton's brother, and Branden, Matt's son, were the leaders of the Mark Hamilton for Port Commissioner yard sign campaign."

     "They discovered the optimal time of the week to put up signs is Sunday morning from 4am to 7 am," Haughton explained. "For five or six weeks running, they were up putting up signs at this unusual time of day. The two of them put up hundreds of signs throughout Pierce County. Branden was particularly good at finding highly visible but difficult places to put signs. This made them difficult to tear down as well!"

     Matt Dunning praised, "Erne Lewis and Paul Goodwin have put forth great effort gathering I-695 signatures in the South Sound, working on the Randy Brooks campaign, and volunteering to help print signs for candidates across the state."

     John Gearhart cited two individuals who helped with his campaign and growing membership in Pullman. "On the west side you have Matt Dunning who was able to take a general outline for a yard sign and turn it into a really eye catching display. He then produced the signs at a price which I'm sure did not generate much of a profit, if any at all, and in a very short time period. Here on the east side, Ed Donaldson, of Pullman, has put forth great effort in hosting a Foundation for Economic Education club and looking for new recruits. And being a retired physics professor has enabled him to attract a very well-educated class of individuals who are in their own right effective spokesmen for the cause."

     Morgan Duty organized the Liberty Dinner Club of Spokane in order to promote libertarian ideals and community outreach; he and his wife Heidi Duty have appeared at community events to represent the Libertarian Party and have written letters to the editor.

     Bruce Coe has written letters to the editor using the word "Libertarian."

     Bill Healy notes, "it would be great to mention Scott Semans and Kevin Bjornson for their hard work over the years. If it weren't for them, I doubt I would still be involved." Kudos to all these stand-outs!

     LPWS Convention: April 29-30, 2000. Saturday features fabulous speakers and workshops; guests include talk show hosts Peter Weissbach; economist David Friedman, and tentatively comedian Tim Slagle. Sunday is annual business meeting. Doubletree Inn, Bellevue. Questions, Carol Miller, director@LPWS.org or 206-329-5669.

     Minor Party Convention Announcements on: June 14, 2000.

     Allowable Days To Hold Minor Party Conventions: June 24 - July 1, 2000.

     LP Presidential Nominating Convention: June 30-July 3, 2000. (Fri-Mon) This happens only once every four years, and it will be amazing. This time, Anaheim, California! Rooms available for $104/night at Anaheim Marriott, same location as the convention itself. It will sell out, so reserve soon. Call 800-228-9290 for reservations. More information available from Balcom Group, 202-234-3880 or LPconv@aol.com.

     Primary Convention: September 19, 2000.

     General Election: November 7, 2000.

     Benton/Franklin Counties Business meeting 4th Thursdays except December, when it will be the 3rd Thursday (Dec 16) at the Godfathers Pizza, Richland. 6:30pm social time, 7:00pm meeting. Godfather's Pizza, 1051 George Washington Way, Richland. Directions: From I-182, take Exit 5 = north on George Washington Way; it's 1/2 block past Swift Ave. on the left. From Hwy 14, take the George Washington Exit and head north; it's 1/2 block past Swift Ave. on the left. Lost? 509-943-8488. Questions? contact Dave Carson at 509-627-1303 or benton@LPWS.org.

     Clark County Business meetings 3rd Thursdays at the Clark County PUD Operations Center Community room, 8600 NE 117th Ave., Vancouver, 7 to 9pm. Questons, Bruce Lytle, brucekey@ix.netcom.com.

     Grays Harbor County Business meetings, 3rd Saturdays, Jan 15th, 1pm. River Haven Restaurant, 120 Lincoln Ave, Hoquiam. (No December meeting.) Directions: It's on Hwy 101 just N of Hwy 109 turnoff. Lost? 360-532-0126. Questions, Art Rathjen, 360-289-4940 or grays@LPWS.org.

     King County 1. Liberty Supper Club (Seattle) 2nd Thursdays Jan 13: Evergreen Freedom Foundation founder and head, Bob Williams. Feb. 10: Mary Novella, Reno, NV, member of the Alliance for Separation of School and State, will speak on her book, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Father of Government Schools. Mar. 9: Doreen Kimura, Professor of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., President of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship, author of Sex and Cognition (and Charlotte Vanderwolf's mom!!!) will speak on "The Chilly Climate of Academic Freedom in North America." Dinner (optional) at 6:30pm speaker at 7:45pm. New location: Olympia Pizza, 4501 Interlake, in Wallingford. Directions: From I-5 in Seattle, take the NE 45th Street Exit, part of Exit 169. Turn west onto NE 45th St. The restaurant will be on your right after .9 miles. Look for green and red neon signs. Park on street or in post office lot, 46th & Interlake. Lost? Call 206-633-3655. Questions, Lauren Bain, lbain@evergo.net or Jessica Nall, 206-768-3156.

     2. Liberty Forum: (Bellevue) 3rd Wednesdays. Bellevue Las Margaritas, 437 108th NE. Dinner at 6:30, announcements at 7:15, speaker at 7:30. Bring a friend! Directions: From I-405, take NE 8th Exit #13B westbound; immediately get in left lane to make a left on 108th NE. It's on your right about 150 yards down. Right turn to the back for parking. Lost? 425-453-0535. Questions? Doug Witt, 425-888-2266 or eastking@LPWS.org.

     3. Liberty Forum: (Covington) 4th Tuesdays, except Dec. A's Restaurant, 17051 SE 272nd St, Covington. 6:30pm - Dinner and informal conversation (optional); 7:15pm - Guest Speaker; 8pm - Liberty Forum business meeting begins. Dinner optional. Suggested donation $2 per person. Directions: At the west end of the Covington Square Safeway shopping center. Covington Square is located just east of SR18 on the south side of 272nd St (also known as Kent-Kangley Road or SR516) and behind Fred Meyer. Convenient access from SR18. From Kent, go east along SR516. From Maple Valley Highway, go west at 4-corners. For more information, contact Steve Phillips at 425-432-4215 or stevephillips@hotmail.com.

     4. Liberty Forum: (Issaquah) First Tuesdays. Driving Directions: Heading East on I-90, take the Front Street exit. Turn right onto Front Street. Go to the 2nd light and turn left onto Sunset Way. The Mandarin Garden will be on your left (north side of street). Heading West on I-90, take the Sunset Way exit. The Mandarin Garden will be on your right. If you get to Front Street, you went just a little too far. Questions, Juliana Thompson at 425-557-9423 or juliana@summerwalk.com.

     5. Kirkland Libertarians: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays meet in advance of City Council meetings at 6:30pm. Meet at Wendy's at 312 Central Way. Council meetings start at 7:30, go there as a group. Confirm with Rachel in advance. Questions? Rachel Hawkridge,425-814-4548 or raehawkrij@alt.net.

     6. Business Meeting, East King County (organizers of Liberty Forum): Changing to 1st Wednesdays, contact Doug Witt as above.

     Kitsap County 2nd Tuesdays at 6:30pm NEW LOCATION for Dec. only: Silverdale Community Center, 9729 Silverdale Way, in the A-frame room, upper level. That is immediately south of the Poplars Motel and across the street from the Cimmaron Motel. Drive around the building to the upper level in back. The meeting will be at 6:45pm. Jan. meeting at Roundtable Pizza, 3276 NW Plaza Rd. (between Toys R Us and Target) Directions: Hwy 16, then Highway 3 North to Silverdale, take the Hwy 303 South = Kitsap Mall Exit, turn right off exit onto Kitsap Mall Bvd, turn right at second stoplight at Plaza Road, the restaurant will be on the right. Lost? call 360-698-4040. Questions? Harry James, 360-779-3328 or kitsap@LPWS.org.

     Pierce County 1. Business meeting Thursday, Jan 20th, 7pm. Roundtable Pizza, 7901 S Hosmer Street, Tacoma, at "round table" up front. Directions: I-5 to Exit 129; take 72nd St east; turn south at first light; restaurant next to theatre. If lost, call 253-988-7031. Questions? Kelly Haughton at pierce@LPWS.org or 253-858-7523.

     2. Dinner with Sherry Bockwinkel of CLEAN as speaker, date TBD. Contact Kelly as above.

     Snohomish County

     1. Business meetings 3rd Saturday of every odd-numbered month. 1:30pm-3:30pm, Everett Main Library, corner of Everett & Hoyt in Everett. Call 425-513-0474 for directions. NOTE: January meeting will start at 3pm.

     2. County Executive Meeting 3rd Saturday of every even-numbered month. 9am at the Buzz Inn Steakhouse (for now) on Broadway in downtown Everett.

     3. The annual meeting is now set for the 3rd Saturday in March at the Everett Library 1:30pm until ~3:30pm. We will have a guest speaker, Howard Schmidt, talking about transportation. Also this is the time where we update the County Charter, endorse candidates, elect new county officers, and discuss issues for the 2000 election cycle Questions, Jesse Brocksmith, 425-513-0474 or snohomish@LPWS.org.

     South Sound (Thurston, Lewis, Mason Counties) First Wednesdays at 6pm, Nicholby's Restaurant at 600 Trosper Rd SW, Tumwater. The restaurant is immediately to the right of I-5 southbound Exit 102. There will be a standard charge of $12 per person for the limited menu dinner. No-host bar starting at 6 PM. Featured speakers will be announced by email. Questions, Erne Lewis at ernelewis@home.com or 360-866-7347.

     Spokane County Organizers anticipate a Saturday brunch for winter months. Contact Morgan Duty at OnDuty24x7@aol.com or 509-292-0706.

     Stevens, Ferry and Pend Oreille Counties (NE WA)

     1. Libertarian Coffee, Jan 22 (due to holidays, no Dec. coffee), Eva Hart's residence in Colville. 1 PM to ???; Eva Hart's residence - 531 East Birch Avenue #3, Colville. This is an informal gathering where libertarians and guests can get together and discuss libertarian ideas and solutions. It is an excellent opportunity for those unfamiliar with Libertarianism to learn more. Cookies and coffee will be served. Every 4th Saturday unless otherwise noted here. Questions? Directions? Contact Eva Hart at ehart@theofficenet.com or 509-684-3595.

     2. Monthly Business Meeting, Dec 18, Jan 15 at Cookie's Café in Colville. 1pm to 3pm; Cookie's Cafe - 198 East Second Avenue, Colville. Guests are welcome, however only party members may vote on business matters. Party members are asked to make a voluntary dues payment of $2 at each meeting. Every 3rd Saturday unless otherwise noted here. Questions? Directions

     We each have our own unique way of expressing our philosophy, as well as our own interpretation of how that philosophy should be advanced.

     All of us are furthering a common goal, a goal that is labeled differently by each of us but is shared by all.

     Liberty.

     We are activists and writers. We are economists and teachers. Some of us, knowing our limitations, whether they are time or talent, prefer to give financial resources. There are those who devote every waking moment and those who give every available moment, an hour a week or an hour a day.

     It is wonderful to have so much diversity in our ranks. This assures that we have a talent to meet every need. The important thing to remember is that we should work to our talents and try not to be or do those things we are not suited to. Falling into that trap will cause our message not only to be diluted, but would cause it to be expressed in ways we did not intend.

     There is no one way for us to reach this goal, certainly not just one correct way. Not only do we each have different talents to bring to the effort, but the people we wish to educate and convert come from as many different backgrounds and viewpoints as we do. Our efforts should be tailored to our audience: yelling progressively louder in English to a non-English speaking person will not get a point across. Tailoring is not compromise! Compromise, when defined as "...to lay open to danger, suspicion, or disrepute..." or "...to weaken or give up one's principles and ideals for reasons of expediency...", is our enemy.

     Do not compromise, but tailor the expression of your views to the audience. Ease gently into our views to end prohibition when speaking to a young mother. Do not allow our veterans to mistakenly believe we would unfund government to the extent that they would be thrown out of their hospitals and onto the street. Do not yell to an environmentalist that if they want to have some wilderness in their area they should darn well fund it themselves. Remember that even among our members there are many viewpoints. We are lucky to find a party that comes so close to every ideal we hold; if there are members with reservations in an area, that is their right.

     Remember we are all individuals with individual ideas. We each know the best way to express ourselves, and the best way to interact with those closest to us. Take your talent and run with it!

     The only thing we have to gain is a free country. O

Where are libertarian hotspots?
     By Matt Dunning

     To satisfy my curiosity, I downloaded the county voting percentages for a few statewide initiatives where libertarians come down uniformly on one side. I used Car Tabs, Medical Marijuana, Minimum Wage Increase, and Civil Rights (I-695, I-692, I-688, I-200). I added up pro-libertarian percentages, normalized the percentages for each county against the state average, and then plotted the result by standard deviation from the mean value.

     There are several ways to weight the data. This map has the marijuana initiative weighted double in order to roughly equalize the issues that appeal to liberals and those which appeal to conservatives. Possibly I'll try to identify more initiatives, which would improve the analysis.

Most Libertarian Counties

Compiled from an analysis of county voting records for the following initiatives: I-200 (Civil Rights), I-692 (Medical Marijuana), I-688 (Minimum Wage), and I-695 (Car Tabs)

Darker counties scored more libertarian; the outlined ones the most libertarian

     I think this is very useful information when we are selecting which countywide candidates to put resources behind. For example, a nonpartisan libertarian candidate in Pierce is going to find a lot more voter resonance than a similar candidate in King. The most libertarian counties should definitely be running both partisan and nonpartisan candidates.

     If I can get the data together at the precinct level, I will do this for individual counties as well. We'll be able to find Libertarian "hotspots." Any help would be appreciated.

     List of counties

     The list of counties, from most to least libertarian: Douglas, Chelan (2 to 3 std. deviations over the mean); Benton, Pend Oreille, Franklin (1 to 2 std. deviations over mean); Grant, Clark, Lewis, Columbia, Stevens, Okanogan, Ferry, Yakima, Kittitas, Skamania, Pierce, Spokane, Walla Walla, Snohomish (0 to 1 std. deviation over mean); Asotin, Jefferson, Island, Skagit, Klickitat, San Juan, Wahkiakum, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific, Lincoln, Grays Harbor, Clallam, King, (0 to 1 std. deviation below mean); Whatcom, Cowlitz, Adams, Whitman, Thurston, (1 to 2 std. deviations below mean); Garfield (2 to 3 std. deviations below mean).

     Matt can be contacted at GIS@LPWS.org or 253-219-9021. O

     The citizens of this state are the sixth-highest taxed citizens in the nation. The revenue lost will only amount to 2 percent of the state budget and the citizens have had only one tax break in the last 20 years!

     After their recent unprecedented pay raises, the state officials of Washington are among the highest paid state politicians in the U.S. Isn't it about time we got a pay raise too?

     John Morgan Duty III
Spokane

     Ed note: Morgan and Heidi Duty had three letters to the editor published in October in the Spokesman-Review which mentioned the word "Libertarian." This one was published on 10/29. Kudos to the Duty family!

ISIL literature at LPWS HQ
     Nolan booth activists from Puyallup to Pend Oreille have praised International Society for Individual Liberty pamphlets as giveaways. The brochures are attractive, literate and relevant, and can be viewed in their entirety at the organization's web site, www.isil.org. Carol Miller has a few extras at headquarters. Contact her for information on obtaining some.

The power of one vote...
     Although Brien Bartels lost in the primary of his Ellensburg City Council, he got in a parting shot in the general when his two opponents tied.

     "I did it," he proclaimed in a letter to his local paper. "It's all my fault. By election day, I figured the race was decided, so I wrote my own name on that tantalizing blank space on the ballot.... There's nothing to do now but apologize to those citizens at the canvassing board who have to count the ballots again. And to everyone else, sorry about the inconvenience."

     According to the county auditor, the election will probably be decided by coin flip.

See Secretary of State site for "can't miss" dates
     Kelly Haughton recommends that candidates considering running for partisan office in 2000 review these web pages by the Secretary of State:

• www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/mpprocd.htm

• www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/cal2000.htm

     Filing week is the week of July 24, and minor party candidates must have certificates of nomination filed within one week after the close of their nominating conventions.O

Promoting Liberty Now
     By Carol Miller, Executive Director

     Last month, long-time members might have noticed something unusual: the bi-monthly Director's Report (and request for money) did not arrive!

     State Chair Jocelyn Langlois has given me approval to fund-raise by phone calls and other means, reducing the number of "fund-raising letters."

     I hope that this will be well-received by members, and I will also use the opportunity to find more activists among us. We save postage, preparation time, and of course trees.

     Please consider these ways to get involved:

     "Volunteers live longer and are happier!"

     Here are some possibilities. If you want to help further the cause of Liberty but nothing here appeals to you, let me know. I can suggest other possibilities—or you can suggest some to me. Where no one listed as a contact person, contact me—info on the back page.

     Run for public office. Contact Rachel Hawkridge at campaigns@LPWS.org or 425-881-4548 to find out more.

     Help candidates. We are creating a database and regional teams to support all partisan candidates for office. How would you like to help?

     Manage the LPWS website, or websites for our candidates/regions.

     Create content for "links" section of LPWS website.

     Distribute contact information for new and prospective members by email so that regional leaders can easily contact them.

     Run/ help with auction. Already excited to help: an auctioneer, and a harpist for entertainment during a silent auction section. You can also donate!

     Speak to high schools, other groups. Call Bud Shasteen at 206-932-4096 for Seattle area, contact Ben Johnson at agentkooper@hotmail.com or 415-747-7073 for East King County.

     Plan booths at fairs all over the state. Create a list of possible fairs, distribute to regions, track volunteer leaders.

     Create biography sheets for Convention speakers. Contact Convention speakers for biography information. Edit into short and long versions.

     Wish list—things that money can buy

     Stuff: copier for Executive Director; office space, perhaps just in the evenings/weekends, preferably in/near Issaquah; places to make local phone calls from, to assist our candidates, evenings/weekends, 4 or more lines.

     Money:

     $2500 to $3000 (depending on negotiations) to purchase voter lists from every county in the state—this will help us better support our candidates, especially as we track people who are willing to have Libertarian yard signs, etc.

     $$$ for advertising

     $3000 to buy mailing lists, so national will do "Project Archimedes" direct mail to Washington State (we'll also take direct donations and consider trades).

     Monthly pledgors, credit card or otherwise, are tremendously valued.

     The Executive Director salary (that's me) is being paid mostly by one generous donor, and we would all like to make the LPWS more stable, with a broader base of donors for this allocation. Pledges don't go toward Executive Director compensation unless earmarked for it.

     You can send checks to the return address on the back page; be sure to earmark your contribution. O

Political web page inspires activism.
     By Larry Ashby

     With the two-year old Yakima Valley News (www.yakvalnews.com), I have several goals:

• Provide online profile information of unprecedented depth about local politicians, bureaucrats, and thugs
• Have others replicate YVN in WA's other 38 counties, and in the remaining other counties in the U.S. (about 3,100).
• Network and link all these other "YVNs".

     State and federal agents also live and act in Yakima County. It is their job to enforce many unconstitutional laws at the local level. YVN does its best to name them with equal detail. This includes agents of the IRS, DEA, and others as we can get them. We want to know who they are, what they're doing, when they do it, whom they do it to, and with which local officials they prefer to coordinate with. We want to identify them and their activities. Whether they deserve to be social outcasts is entirely up to individuals within their jurisdiction.

     In digging up public records about IRS folks, we learned that IRS liens on Yakima County homes had increased 200 percent beginning in 1997. We immediately brought locally operating tax goons into the light, named them, and in some cases, even revealed their home addresses and telephone numbers.

     Of course, the controlled press (Yakima Herald Republic) was silent as the grave about this breathtaking local manifestation of federal power abuse. Increasing tax liens 200 percent on Yakima County homes is a tremendous news story. Is this outrage taking place in the other 3,100 counties? With a "YVN net" we'd know within hours.

     YVN hoists up the mug shots of violent criminals of any age, which is entirely against the tired 70s-era policies of government and controlled news media. YVN shows thugmugs, home addresses, phone numbers, and their crimes. News stories about local violent thugs are linked to the photo files. People can see thugs coming down Sunnyside streets, know them, know their crimes, know their families, avoid them, or get to thugs' front porches in minutes, if desired. Violent thugs no longer get anonymity. Not in Sunnyside, anyway.

     YVN provides national Libertarian Party editorials which often have local implications. We link to the Fully Informed Juries Association. We link to the National Rifle Association and provide a page about where to get guns and gun training. We list all county attorneys, linking the page with court dockets, judge profiles, Black's Law dictionary, and court system background info. We list all state newspapers, their employee-publishers, their staff, their emails, their bankers, and how to contact their owners. We attach a "handle" to every element of the local political world, and urge people to grab it when they want to run for office, voice grievances, expose malfeasance, or demonstrate in the streets.

     All the above enables YVN readers to "get a handle" on both government and street thugs. NO other local news media offers that today. With political information comes personal and political power. It's just that YVN now offers it to anybody who can access the Internet.

     In many cases, links are provided between news stories-latest and archived-and detailed profiles of politicians who appear in a story. Come election time, their sins and glories are archived online.

     Persons who "hit" the YVN site daily are (a) those with enough savvy to realize its political value and (b) those who are politically active. Who are they? Attorneys. News reporters. State and local politicians. Bureaucrats. Educators. Policemen. University Professors. Students. Political activists. To my surprise, YVN also gets hits from all over the world, occasionally from folks who go through the entire 565-page electronic document. One anonymous out-of-stater spent from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. on an August Monday doing just that. He could have lived in Calcutta as far as I know.

     YVN accolades have come from the above via email, letter, phone calls or in person. To my disappointment, few Libertarians have reflected YVN's usefulness back to me. They seem passive. This seems to indicate that most have little idea what the YVN is all about. I've worked in the political trenches where live political ammo was being fired, where the camp with the best and quickest info wins. I fear most Libertarians-at least in Washington State-have never had this experience.

     If each county hosted a YVN-style news source, people could attach faces, names, addresses, and phone numbers to government bureaucrats and violent criminals at the local level. Coupled with investigative reporting, street demonstrations, and a variety of tactical and strategic grassroots political activities, this information can provide the general population with political power over individuals who make up the ranks of rogue government and criminals. Usable information is power. Government is not a Leviathan. Rogue government is individuals. Crime is not a monster. It's individuals. Name 'em, go get 'em, and render them powerless in each of the 3,100 counties in the U.S.

     As most persons have learned, all governments, corporations, and criminal organizations have access to usable information about you and me. They use it to maintain government power or add to corporate profits. Criminals use it to find out where you live. It's important that these powers know the average person can quickly obtain and use information about them as well.

     Said one local government official with only half a grin: "We're careful. We don't want Larry to write us up. He names names, and people read that dang website every day."

     Imagine how things could be in the U.S. if such a "dang website" were available to the people and operating in all 3,100 U.S. counties. It would give new meaning to the term, "Watchdog Press." O

Doorbelling isn't for sissies
     By LPWS News Services

     Normal people dread doorbelling. One LP member told me she'd prefer telemarketing on election day to doorbelling, and she spoke from experience. But there are so many ways in which Libertarians aren't normal. We're above the mean in so many ways we ought to be able to do this.

     Doorbelling is a tremendously important way of connecting with voters and learning to identify with them, and gauge their interests in the campaign.

     Juliana Thompson walked precincts for Chris Caputo in Seattle. "No one asked any hard, combative questions," she said. "In all, it was a fairly pleasant social occasion. And I got a peek at peoples' living rooms. I can't say I am enthusiastic about doorbelling, but I would be willing to do it again."

     Most doorbellers go out with a script, which Thompson described. "I am a friend of CC. CC is running for .... and wants to..., Have you heard of his campaign? Yak, yak. Are you likely to vote for him? I'd like to leave some literature. Yak yak. May I have your permission to post a yard sign? The talk varied depending on what I felt like saying, but the gist was there."

     Matt Dunning also hit the streets for Caputo. "I found doorbelling with a script and a tracking sheet to be too restricting. I departed from the script and went a bit more freeform and things went better. It was very difficult to get a positive response when asking the leading question, 'Can we count on your vote for Chris?' People hesitated at being asked to make a commitment so quickly. Asking, 'Will you consider voting for Chris?' got a much more positive response."

     Doorbelling isn't for sissies. Wearing down the shoe leather takes it out of you. Never knowing what response you're going to get when you knock on the next door keeps you in a constant state of adrenaline rush. It's important to have an abundance of well-coached doorbellers, both because many hands make light work, and because precinct walkers need to know they're not alone out there.

     "I think I should have done two of the four hours on my route, taken a break, had a coffee, met my co-campaigners for support and gone on for another two hours," said Thompson. "There were lots of steps up to houses in my area, and that was tiring. I am in good physical shape. I was not discouraged, just tired and surprised at how tired I was."

     "An analysis of the precincts and their historical voting patterns allows the creation of walking routes for doorbelling," said Dunning. "We can even get to the point where we design routes to avoid wasting time on people who won't vote in that race." O

Positioning and taking the initiative
     By Lew Randall

     The voting public already has certain opinions and pre-dispositions. Some of these are inconsistent, yet some are distinctively libertarian in flavor!

     To build a libertarian polity, we must start with what we have, namely: those aspects of public opinion already consistent with libertarian philosophy. Call them the "Prior Agreements." Already a lot can be done with Prior Agreements, even without changing anybody's mind about anything. I-695 is a good example.

     Beyond the Prior Agreements lies a marketing challenge. We need to change people's minds, to get them to question their unexamined opinions, to notice the inconsistencies lurking in their own heads. We need to "sell them new ideas." Then the Prior Agreements become a crucial fulcrum for us, and the past successes of things like I-695 will be essential to our credibility. Persuasion always moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar: liberty worked with I-695, why won't it also work here, and here, and here?

     The idea of the "big tent" reflects the power of the Prior Agreements. Make Prior Agreements your issues, and you will gain a lot of votes from persons who are only partial libertarians (at present). Later, you can pickle them more and more with Liberty's brine. Once they start voting with you, they have strong motives to find you correct in new ways they never considered before, and this will grant you a bully pulpit. But don't throw away their votes today, just because they aren't 100% ideologically "pure" yet!

     Being "moderate" means not betraying your principles (we must never do that) but rather refusing to be put off by vulgar disagreements outside the scope of your Prior Agreement tent poles. Not using polls the way Dick Morris does, but rather using them to find Prior Agreements.

     Tom Bronkema is right when he observes, ""In our politics today the 'center' of the political reality composed of all voters is not the same thing as the political 'center' the media or most politicians see...and we can see that most clearly expressed through initiatives." In other words, there is political opportunity galore, which the R's & D's are ignoring at their peril.

     Bronkema continues, "In Washington [State], education and transportation seem to me to be two major issues that we can easily use to target the center, because the politicians and media are so far off the mark here, and the public is frustrated and ready to do something about it. We need to define popular positions that move the electorate our way, while avoiding or deflecting the strengths of our opponents. We need to find ways to act... without fear of change... but without creating opportunities for our opponents to fear-monger. We need to craft our own initiatives, planning them well in advance, and de-conflicting them with the strengths of the opposition position before putting them forward...so that the opponents' own response further isolates them from the majority." This is pure gold.

     While we're at it, we should look for opportunities to establish our "brand," which is LIBERTY. The big issues, where we pour in our time and treasure, should be ones in which we clearly oppose TYRANNY with LIBERTY. Even if issues like proportional representation were obvious winners, where's the beef? For technical reasons, voting scheme A gets more parties into the legislature than voting scheme B. Does this make B automatically "undemocratic", or obviously tyrannical? Hardly. This is my only qualm about term limits as a big issue for us. Crucial as they may be to our cause, will the public perceive term limits as LIBERTY's answer to the TYRANNY of incumbent- bureaucrat- special-interest- tax-and-spend politics? Or just as more special-interest pleading? O

Top