1997 LPWS Candidates

Campton, Gearhart & Tyson on November ballot

Grassroots campaigns are the theme this year, with LPWS members vying for school board, city council and fire district seats.

For campaign watchers, the three races are a study in contrasts. John Gearhart is a seasoned campaigner, facing no opposition this time. Jim Campton is running the most professional race, by a Libertarian, in recent years. John Tyson is running his first race—serious, but on a shoestring.

Gearhart has polled over 20% in three previous races for the state legislature. This year, he decided to try the nonpartisan strategy and filed for city council in Palouse (Whitman County, at the Idaho border). At the filing deadline, he was unopposed.

John's stature in that part of the state, established in those legislative races, should be enough to discourage a surprise write-in opponent—but he's keeping his ear to the ground. WL scores this a win, but suggests supporters be ready to mobilize if a write-in emerges.

We knew Campton was serious when he stepped down as state chair to pursue a seat on the Federal Way School Board #1. Ever the tactician, Campton also wants his campaign to set an example of parlaying civic involvement and grassroots coalitions into victory.

He began by assembling a tripartisan staff of battle-tested Libertarians, Republicans and Democrats. He got a break when his opponent's husband accepted a job in California, fueling local speculation that she would not actually serve if elected. Jim has picked up major and minor endorsements, and maintains an active speaking schedule to local groups. WL scores this race as highly probable. If you can support only one campaign, this is it.

Tyson filed late for Thurston County Fire District #3 (Lacey), Position #1—saying that two recent columns in Washington Libertarian motivated him to "finally do what I've only thought about." When first interviewed, he said he already felt like a winner, just by filing. John survived a three-way primary, and will face the incumbent in November. He notes, though, that the incumbent easily beat both challengers combined.

Tyson's strategy is to spend little money on a race few people care about, but seek speaking engagements and submit letters to the editor, with a few ads at the end. Tyson, a volunteer firefighter himself, knows the issues. As facilities manager for a major department in state government he's both professional and an insider to the trappings of government finance.

WL rates this one as uphill, but a possible breakthrough. It's difficult to defeat a well-known incumbent for a lesser-known office. But talk to the man, and John Tyson is not someone to ever bet against.

John Gearhart, PO Box 8, Palouse, WA 99161-0008, 509-878-1371

Committee to elect Jim Campton, 3001 S. 288th St. #182, Federal Way, WA 98003-7935, 206-941-4547, http://schoolsense.org

John M. Tyson, 235 Planer Court SE, Olympia, WA 98513, 360-456-5874

Statewide Ballot Issues '97

Official LPWS positions

This year Washingtonians will vote on eight statewide ballot issues: five initiatives, one referendum, and two constitutional amendments.

The State Executive Committee discussed each issue and determined its recommendations and endorsements. All votes were unanimous.

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Stand and deliver

The excitement nears. I am writing this on primary election day. I look forward, as we all do, to the day when we have more than one Libertarian vying for any given office, and at least one for every position. Although not nearly enough, we have a number of great candidates running in this off-election year. Your support is needed more than they can tell you.

We need all the Libertarians in office we can get to build our foundation. There will be many more running in 1998, but we already have five in office, with the opportunity to add two or three more. Please help them by walking their precinct for them for just an hour or two. They would also or alternatively appreciate a check from you, and would certainly put it to good use. Please don't leave yourself in the position of saying "if I had only ..." Take the step now.

The other issue we need to press hard is the Washington State Civil Rights Initiative (I-200). Not only will we have the satisfaction of having moved the government a little closer toward treating all Americans equally, we can also earn up to $3,000 for building our party.

A petition is enclosed with this newsletter. If each person receiving the newsletter fills out just that one petition with signatures from family, friends, sympathetic neighbors, and colleagues at work or in other organizations we support, we will double our goal!

Even the Wall Street Journal has reported our efforts...the Libertarian Party has already endorsed and is actively working this initiative while the state Republican Party hasn't even taken a stand.

We can come through with a vengeance, if we just each fill out this one petition and mail it. Please feel free to request more petitions as added insurance we do our part. After all, Libertarians not only take principled stances; we deliver.

Libertarians in office are making a difference!

LPWS members are changing public policy across Washington state. Current officeholders include:

• Bruce Coe, Planning Commission, Kittitas County
• Frank Jenkins, Pierce County Aging and Long Term Care Advisory Board
• Lori Loranger, Freeholder, Skamania County
• Jack Loranger, Freeholder, Skamania County
• David Swann, City Council, White Salmon

Coe and Swann are profiled here. You'll learn about the others in coming months. But when Home Rule comes to Skamania County, the Lorangers will have played a leadership role. Frank Jenkins was earlier elected to the Pierce County Planning Commission, his opponent being another Libertarian, Don Blachly.

Bruce Coe (Cle Elum) was appointed this spring to the Kittitas County Planning Commission. He'd already developed a reputation in central Washington as a studious opponent of the Growth Management Act, and as a property rights advocate.

Coe credits his appointment to being known in the community, qualified on the issues, and to being a "general government pest" who kept showing up and asking questions. He says "there are great people on the commission." Great attitude, and it has paid off: Coe got an ordinance passed which compensates for regulatory "takings"—similar to the statewide measure defeated last year.

Citizens of Kittitas County enjoy a higher degree of freedom, because a Libertarian is in office.

Coe is a realist. "We may not be able to stop or repeal land use regulations. But where zoning exists, it should be Performance Zoning." Performance Zoning does not ban development by default. You could develop wetlands, for example, if you did something else.

In that, Coe shares a common trait of successful Libertarian officeholders: a keen sense of Libertarian principles, combined with realizing that voters do the hiring and firing. For that reason, and based on his expertise in rural property rights, Coe has been invited to propose a "White Paper" for the state Party Program. Ideally, these White Papers would be written or co-authored by actual Libertarian officeholders.

David Swann has served six years on city council in White Salmon, in southwestern Klickitat County. He confirms that nonpartisan races are rarely contested in small towns and rural areas. The lesson may be: file early.

Swann joined the Libertarian Party this year. Like thousands of others, he watched our 1996 national convention on C-SPAN and found a political home.

Swann originally sought office on a single issue—in his case, the volunteer fire department. "I still look out for volunteer firefighters," he says. "But I eventually grew into the entire job, just by researching the issues I had to vote on." Like Bruce Coe, Swann has the patience to study existing legislation, and become informed before acting.

Consider Swann's approach to an ordinance proposing Civil Asset Forfeiture. He was not yet a Libertarian, so he began researching forfeitures and seizures on his own, including state law and a county ordinance. He could have given a lengthy speech on property rights or presumption of innocence Instead, he did something direct, and simple.

He filed an amendment to require criminal conviction.

That's savvy legislating. It worked. The seizure ordinance was withdrawn, which confirmed Swann's deepest concern. It wasn't about crime. It was about seizing assets. In the process, Swann may have developed a principled solution for Libertarians statewide. Has your city or county adopted forfeiture? Could you run on that as an issue?

In the July, we allowed that a lone Libertarian on a board or commission would have few opportunities to change government. Starting this edition, we'll show how even one opportunity can significantly restore liberty.

If you served an entire term, and all you did was eliminate abusive asset forfeitures, would that be worth your time and effort?

Party history

LPWS founder reminisces

It was the very last phone call. State chair Mary Maas was the featured guest on Doug Glant's talk radio show, KVI in Seattle. "In 1972, I founded the Libertarian Party in Washington state. In the 1980s I dropped out to raise a family, and because it was turning into a debating society. It sounds like you're serious about being a political party again, and I may just get involved."

The caller was "Skip" Barron, who indeed founded the LPWS. He also published the first newsletter, hammered out on a manual typewriter. A copy of that newsletter, Volume 1, Number 1, has been scanned and posted to the party's web site. Barron asks readers to ignore his spelling.

WL has interviewed Barron several times. The LPWS turned 25 on September 13th, so we squeezed half the story into last month's Projects Letter. Tonie Nathan, VP candidate and the first woman to receive an electoral vote, came from Oregon for the organizing meeting. She was the drawing card, and the motivation, for petitioners to achieve ballot status so quickly.

Barron's favorite line recalls a more lasting achievement of the yet tiny party. "Thank the Libertarian Party, every time you buy food without paying the sales tax." Our own LPWS had launched a ballot initiative to exempt food and other "necessities" from the state sales tax—then the legislature reversed itself and exempted food.

There may be a lesson here. In this state, a few people with the right ballot initiative can have influence far beyond their numbers. We've done it before, at a small fraction of our current membership. Under today's campaign disclosure laws, and our party bylaws, a ballot initiative likely requires a separate PAC.

Imagine a separate Liberty PAC running a popular ballot initiative, which Libertarian candidates can endorse and run on. Yes, we can frame the issues our way.

Perhaps Skip Barron has more to offer today's party than nostalgia. Can we restore the "can-do" spirit and vision of our earlier days?

Town committees: Just do it!

By Mike Hihn

We Libertarians like to describe ourselves as independent and self-reliant. But all too often we're Reluctant Revolutionaries, waiting for somebody else to take the initiative—somebody else to tell us what to do.

Don't read that wrong. I'm not one who whines that ''nobody gets involved.'' Most folks never do get personally involved in the organizations they support, political or otherwise. But the Libertarian Party can move mountains, if we engage only the 10-15% typical of most membership organizations.

Case in point: Mark Tuniewicz' column in the September LP News, ''How to Organize an effective LP Town Committee.'' (Town Committee is a New England term; he means cities.) Mark's column seems to have generated a lot of interest, by myself and among Libertarians across the state. Interested? What next?

LPWS membership is at record levels. The database shows 16 cities with 15 or more members. In this state, we don't yet charter anything below the county level. That will no doubt change, as the Council of Regional Chairs starts operating later this year. And local organizing will certainly be a high priority for the special Task Force on Constitution and Bylaws, now being formed.

But we're talking a morass of committee work, just to propose bylaws and amendments acceptable to convention delegates. What's to debate? Well ... Should city parties be chartered by the state party or by regional parties? Should they be chartered at all? I can see twenty minutes of floor ''discussion'' on those two alone.

Regardless of where you live, would you like to see Bellevue Libertarians? Might Federal Way Libertarians start planning a slate for city council? Would Yakima Libertarians be more inclined to develop visibility in their community?

What about fun? (Nothing scares voters more than a bunch of grim radicals.) Imagine the crosstown rivalry, when Bellevue Libertarians meet Seattle Libertarians in a softball game, at the King County LP picnic. Golly, we might even look like the real people we actually are.

I just read this from Pennsylvania, which has 55 LP candidates on local ballots this year:

''I have a theory about this, the theory of handfuls. Good Libertarian groups spring up everywhere, always where a handful of interested people get together. They are generally bootstrapped by one person (hopefully to the point where the loss of that person is not catastrophic to the handful).

''A handful can only expect to do so much. The handful is limited by the amount of work it can do, the amount of time it has, and organizational behavior. ... If the handfuls are at the local level—ward, district, municipality—then they can actually win local elections.''

Could you be one of those bootstrappers? Don't wait for our creaky bureaucracy to move. Seize the initiative. Just do it. Or encourage someone who will.

Get the addresses and phone numbers from your regional database. Go to your regional meeting, stand up, and ask for help. To get you started, the Tuniewicz column is posted on the LPWS web site (Member Services). I'll also obtain and post the sample LP town bylaws mentioned by Tuniewicz. Or mail me a self-addressed envelope.

Don't call your group a party yet; use Committee or just Ourtown Libertarians. If you need something to do at first, get some imprinted shirts made up, attend city council meetings as a group, and let them know you're watching. That alone could drive them nuts!

You'll also be creating something real. Before city parties are enshrined (or entombed) in bylaws, let's see how they develop spontaneously. That's the Libertarian way. Just do it!

Civil Rights Initiative enters the final stretch

Convention delegates passed a Resolution asking every member to consider obtaining at least ten signatures for the Washington State Civil Rights Initiative (I-200). The first step is getting that petition into your hands, which we've done in the center of this issue.

The measure deserves Libertarian support on its own, by repealing state-mandated preferences in public employment, public education and public contracting. Libertarians are the only Equal Rights political party.

The campaign is also a party fundraiser. Instead of using paid petitioners, the I-200 campaign works through a selected group of volunteer political and civic organizations. Each organization can thus enrich its treasury by gathering signatures for something they support anyhow.

The LPWS will receive a contribution varying from $800 to $3000, for collecting 3,333 to 10,000 signatures. Convention delegates mandated that all proceeds be dedicated to Advertising and Membership Recruiting—where we already maintain dedicated funds. The deadline is Thanksgiving.

From the beginning, our strategy has included a two-prong attack, group efforts and individual efforts. For group efforts, one of our smallest regions (Spokane) has planned the most events and gathered the most signatures. Island County, the smallest, is in second place. The larger regions have yet to get off the mark.

At the individual level, several dozen members have requested petitions, mostly for family, friends and co-workers. A few have returned more than one petition. The enclosed petition is your own opportunity to contribute. Remove it carefully, to avoid tearing. The campaign is in its stretch run, so return your petitions every two weeks—even if they aren't filled in yet. Then get another one from the Executive Director or your Regional Chair. A few talking points:

1) The measure repeals only government preferences. It does not touch Affirmative Action programs by employers. (Libertarians would go further on mandates, but that's another issue for another day.)

2) Why does the measure specify preferences for ''race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin''? That's exact wording from the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

3) Always show the complete text on the back, and comment how short it is, versus the convoluted verbiage that typically appears on ballot issues. The key clause is only 37 words.

Activism

Consider ... Appointed Office

By Kelly Haughton

As an LPWS member, you have thought about how you might contribute to the reduction in the size of government, but haven't been able to figure out how. Running for President is a bit more commitment than you had in mind. Handing out leaflets at the Post Office as part of a tax protest is not quite your style.

One alternative is to volunteer for an appointed government office. There are appointed boards, commissions and committees at the state, county and municipal levels. Some of these bodies have perpetual openings. (Perhaps because their time has passed and they should be closed down.) Others are quite competitive.

Why should you apply to be appointed to one of these bodies?

1. When you apply for these positions, you are generally not asked about your political party. You are asked about your credentials and why you are interested in serving in the position. As a result, in some cases, you have an opportunity to be selected without compromising your libertarian beliefs and membership. And all of this happens without subjecting you to facing the voters. It is low risk with relatively high potential for gaining the position.
   
   
2. Once on the board, commission or committee obviously you will have an opportunity to influence the decisions made as well as be able to articulate an alternative point of view at some times. If you participate in a considerate, constructive way, you will gain a positive reputation for contributing to the community.
   
   
3. This positive reputation can be leveraged in several ways. The next time you apply for a position you will be a known commodity and more likely to be appointed to the new position. When you endorse a candidate for office, it will carry more weight with the voters. If you decide to run for office (partisan or non-partisan), you will be viewed as a more viable candidate.

Of course, one of the more motivating reasons to apply to appointed office is that if you are appointed someone who believes in bigger government will. So what are you waiting for?!

Haughton is an LPWS activist in Gig Harbor.

McCally-led group opposes Burien fireworks ban

Matt McCally, former state chair, heads the Committee for a Traditional 4th of July. The group opposes a November referendum to ban the use and sale of fireworks in the City of Burien, a south Seattle suburb. "Fireworks are the 4th of July: loud, colorful, and a little bit dangerous," says McCally. "Like our fundamental rights, they should be beyond political control."

The committee will author a statement for the Voter's Guide, put out lawn signs, and participate in public debates. 206-439-1862.

Principled Solutions

Jury Nullification

By Pat Michl

"Jury nullification is an idea that libertarians instantly love, authoritarians instantly hate, and that liberals and conservatives walk around warily ..."

On a libertarian scale of one to ten, jury nullification ranks near the top as the most important party plank. For without independent, conscience-driven juries, government will exceed its rightful limits, with or without Libertarians in office. Man's natural tendency is to be corrupted by power.

The jury serves as a check to keep the government within its constitutional limits and to keep the citizens in control, or sovereign. Every time the citizen is on trial, the government's laws and the application of its laws, should be on trial also.

Jury nullification arose in not-so-merry old England in Bushell's Case. The year was 1670 and William Penn and William Mead, both Quakers, were on trial for preaching an unlawful religion (Quakerism) in violation of the Conventicle Act.

The jury acquitted Penn and Mead against the judge's instruction, and were fined and imprisoned until such times as their fines should be paid. Edward Bushell and three other jurors refused to pay the fines and were imprisoned for nine weeks. They filed a writ of habeas corpus and prevailed in the Court of Common Pleas. Thus was re-established the right of jury nullification, an ancient right expressed in Magna Carta and dating from Greek and Roman times.

The jury's nullification verdict in this case, the trial of William Penn and William Mead, established freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to peacefully assemble. These rights became part of the English Bill of Rights and later, part of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Over the last three centuries court practices have eroded the ability of jurors to judge the law. Judicial instructions admonish jurors they must accept the law as dictated to them by the court and serve as "fact finders" only. Attorneys who attempt to argue that the law is wrong, or being wrongly applied, will be silenced by the court.

Libertarians, recognizing the dangers inherent in such unbridled government power, endorse independent, fully informed juries as the key to keeping the bridle on government tight.

This law-judging function of the jury is as critical as the veto power of the other branches of government. If the governor has a veto, and the senate has a veto, and the judges have the veto of judicial review, then the citizens who are asked to live under the laws and apply them must also have a veto when serving as trial jurors.

As the late Justice William Goodloe stated:

"Jury nullification is an idea that libertarians instantly love, authoritarians instantly hate, and that liberals and conservatives walk around warily because they know that it will help them on some issues but that it may also dismantle the coercive parts of their political agendas. Regardless of our particular political views, no one can deny that our freedom has been won for us with the power of jury nullification, and that it may be lost without it. A right concealed is a right denied."

LPWS members may obtain a free copy of Justice Goodloe's essay entitled Jury Nullification: Empowering the Jury as the Fourth Branch of Government by writing to: Pat Michl, 18024 17th St East, Sumner WA 98390. If you are not an LPWS member, then be sure to join so you can get a free copy!

Michl is an LPWS activist in Sumner. Goodloe's essay will also be available when she addresses the East King County LP this month.

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The ''short'' session

"...those who profit from big government worked the system. The folks who pay the bills didn't."

The Washington state legislature will convene early next January for what is commonly called the "short session." The state constitution specifies that the legislative session in odd numbered years will be 105 days to pass the 2 year budget. The "short session" is 60 days to consider non-budget legislation and, perhaps, tweak the budget.

The big legislative changes were last year—welfare reform, juvenile justice reform, tax cuts, etc. The short session is an opportunity to resolve left-over issues and correct some of the legislative mis-steps that occurred last session.

That's all very nice, but what's the point?

There are several:

1. If you are seeking any substantial changes in the state budget you're out of luck. The budget was passed last session and it's very unlikely that there will be any substantial changes.
2. Anyone who wants the legislature to act on their issue had better be working with their legislator now. Most of the bills that will be seriously considered are being drafted during the summer and early autumn. The short session moves at a frantic pace. No legislator will have time to work through an issue if the spade work is not done now.
3. Next year is an election year. Although many state legislators will not be able to run again because of term limits, many will be thinking of election year posturing. It's a good time to hold their feet to the fire. If you have an issue that you want resolved enlist your legislator now. You will see how responsive they are. Don't wait until after the legislative session.
4. Committee chairmen have clout. If your representative or senator is a committee chair you can move mountains—or, at least, small hills. Note that committee chairs can cause things to happen. They can prevent things from happening, and that gives them bargaining power.

The underlying lesson is that every libertarian should understand the political process and work it.

Government is too big and too intrusive. It has become so because those who profit from big government worked the system. The folks who pay the bills didn't. Precious few people come to Olympia asking for less government. The pressure is always for more, more, more. The "more" is your tax money for someone else's cause.

Take some time to understand the system. Do you know who your representatives and senator are? Have you talked to them? What are their thoughts on the role of government?

How responsive are they to your concerns? Do they return your phone calls? What legislation will they propose next year? If you don't know the answers to all of those questions you aren't doing your job.

"Constant vigilance is the price of liberty."

Rep. Thomas, WL's statehouse editor, is an LPWS member. He chairs the House Finance Committee as a Republican.

Charter schools still alive, need your help

By Jim Spady

Fawn and I were extremely disappointed when I-177 (the Charter School Initiative) was defeated last November. We then learned that the prospect of a strong charter school law caused the Washington Education Association (WEA) to illegally divert at least $500,000 to the anti-charter campaign. The union will finally be held accountable for conduct that was both illegal and a violation of its own teachers' rights.

The WEA is being prosecuted by the State Attorney General (a Democrat who previously received thousands of dollars in WEA contributions). A recent editorial in the Seattle Times blasted the WEA for its massive violation of state election laws during last year's campaign for Initiative 177. Here is an excerpt:

"In February 1997, after investigations by both the PDC and the Olympia-based Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank, concluded that the WEA had engaged in massive campaign violations, Attorney General Gregoire filed suit against the union. Gregoire stated that the WEA "clearly failed to provide important campaign-finance information that the public had a right to know." In addition to characterizing the loan scheme as illegal, the suit also stated that another $170,000 in administrative expenses to cover overhead for political lobbying had gone unreported. Moreover, Gregoire charged, approximately $233,000 in contributions to the campaigns to defeat the charter-school and voucher initiatives last fall also went undisclosed in violation of state law.

"Most important, the suit corroborated the initial suspicions of Leer and other teachers that the so-called 'Community Outreach Program' had more to do with covert and illegal political fund-raising than feel-good community out-reaching. WEA officials insist the program did not make direct contributions to political causes. But between September 1994 and August 1996, COP made contributions to the union's registered PAC totaling $252,000 without teachers' permission."

A moderately strong charter school law passed the state House in March with support from the Democratic governor, and majority support from both Democratic and Republican representatives, but the bill died in the Senate. Why? Republican support was strong, but not unanimous, and the WEA used its political muscle to persuade every Democratic Senator to oppose the bill.

We have another chance, when the legislature convenes in January. An expected judgment against the WEA should help us find the 2-3 Democratic votes we need in the state Senate to pass a moderately strong charter school law in 1998. But that judgment, originally anticipated this fall, has been stalled. It may now come after the "short" session adjourns. And the WEA just filed a "shoot the messengers" suit against Evergeen and Teachers for a Responsible Union (the abused teachers).

The union won't give up; neither should we. Libertarians individually favor different types of school choice. Charter schools may not be your own favorite, but charter schools are on the table now, and you can help enhance freedom in education.

Contact your legislators now, especially Democratic Senators. Tell them to pass charter schools in the next session. Then tell them again. Then have your friends and neighbors tell them.

Spady, an LPWS member, authored last year's Charter School Initiative, and developed a national reputation on the issue in the Wall Street Journal.

Reader Feedbacl

Homeschooling

I appreciated seeing "A Primer on Homeschooling" in the August 1997 issue of Washington Libertarian. We are a homeschooling family in Seattle.

One thing not mentioned in your article is that, in Washington, compulsory education laws do not take effect until a child is 8 years old. That means that children of kindergarten age (5) through second grade (7) do not legally have to go to school anyway and we are sending them voluntarily, as a favor to the government.

Therefore, a family need not "homeschool" OR send their children to school until the child is 8. Many parents opt to keep their children "home another year" by enrolling their children in kindergarten when they are 6 instead of 5. VERY few parents realize they could either keep the child out until age 8, or bail out if school is not working out. I think Washington Libertarian would be doing a service by publicizing this information.

Sarah Kalagian
West Seattle

Visible involvement

I hadn't really thought about engaging in non-political public service work as an identifiable libertarian group, but can think of one opportunity. I've become a Seattle Tree Steward, basically took a short class in planting and maintenance of street-trees (those in the planter strips), so I can lead crews in the neighborhood plantings and follow-ups that go on all over Seattle in the fall.

We might want to discuss the philosophy of the program—basically the TS's are "lay" volunteers for the Dept. of Engineering. The trees planted, while on private property, are themselves the property of the City, though homeowners/businesses are encouraged to maintain them.

Anyway, crews of 3-5 people are the usual and we rove over a neighborhood, quite visible to residents and other crews. The big plantings always attract at least one City Council member and a bit of speechifying. Maybe this is just the sort of thing other Libertarians might be up for.

Scott Semans
Vice-Chair, W. King County LP

You convinced me

Having read articles by "MJH" and Kelly Haughton in your July issue, and having held my head in my hands while the commission of the Lacey Fire District gives the district to the firefighters union, I filed for an upcoming commission seat.

It is to your credit that I finally decided to run. What I learned from Washington Libertarian is that I don't have to do it all. If elected, all I have to accomplish is one significant change to be more successful than had I not run at all.

John M. Tyson
Lacey

Regional News

PIERCE. A second unofficial discussion group is forming—in the Puyallup/Sumner area, close to south King County. Contact Don Bingham, 253-862-6768

SPOKANE. Signature-gathering efforts for the Washington State Civil Rights Initiative progress, with over 600 signatures now collected. The Spokane County LP has a goal of 1,000 signatures—will any other region match this performance?

Days spent at Costco, "KGA Listener Appreciation Day," and "Pig Out in the Park" will be followed by efforts at locations such as Eagle Hardware and the Interstate Fairgrounds (a gun show). The SCLP is also considering actions to support "Habitat for Humanity" as a means of community outreach.

EAST KING COUNTY reorganized in convention on August 20th. A skeletal set of initial bylaws was adopted. Newly-elected officers are Jim Gordon (chair), Douglas Witt (vice-chair) and Michael Justice (secretary). Brian Brewer, who provided initial impetus for the reorganizing, was re-elected treasurer. John Evans, regional organizer for the event, was appointed database manager and membership coordinator. No other formal actions were taken. Getting off the mark quickly, their first regular meeting was promoted with a 150-member mailing and 100 phone calls.

WEST KING COUNTY: Public Access Cable (Seattle) This just in, from the Liberty Supper Club: ''Our 2nd Sunday 6:00pm air time on Channel 29 will now be reruns of past 'hit' speakers. Our regular Thursday meeting speakers will now air in prime time: 4th Monday of the following month 8:00 PM.''

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Premiums for new members, slogan contest for all members

Brett Wilhelm, membership chair, has negotiated quantity discount prices on four popular audio tapes by Michael Emerling Cloud. Titles include the 3-tape instructional set, "The Essence of Political Persuasion" from the Advocates for Self-Government, and "The Missing Factor In The Libertarian Equation: Self-Responsibility."

An initial purchase of 100 "Self Responsibility" tapes will be given as welcoming gifts to new members.

New members may also request borrowing the "Political Persuasion" set from a lending library maintained by Wilhelm. If new members wish to then buy their own set, the Advocates will allow a 20% discount for orders entered through this program. Twenty five 3-tape "Persuasion" sets will be purchased for the lending library.

State chair Mary Maas announced, with regret, the resignation of Doug Langworthy as Finance Chair. Langworthy is a full-time student, also works full time, and could not devote sufficient time to board responsibilities. Langworthy will continue his personal projects for the party, by completing the regional organizing for Northwest Washington (Whatcom and Skagit counties), and developing a statewide campus organizing effort.

Mike Hihn, executive director, is collecting prices for monogrammed LPWS apparel. In checking around the country, state and local apparel seems far more popular than items sold by the national party — and also works better for visible civic involvement. LPWS apparel would be available for purchase, or used as premiums to contributors. Pricing and ordering information will be shared with interested regional parties.

Jim Gordon, regional chair for East King County, proposed a member contest to create an LPWS t-shirt or sweatshirt design. (See "Help Wanted" on page 6 for details.)

Wilhelm proposed adding a new layer of nine party organizations, between the current state and regional parties, based on congressional districts. Each district would have a Membership Director reporting to Wilhelm. District Membership Directors would in turn chair committees of Membership Coordinators from regions within their district. Hihn proposed organizing from the grassroots up, instead of the top down—as in Town Committees. Town Committees will be one consideration for the Council of Regional Chairs to be formed later this year.

The Cato Institute's Social Security Privatization Project was endorsed, as one alternative to the doomed government pension scheme. Maas hopes to make make privatization a centerpiece issue for the national party. For state parties, PR chair Doug Thornton spoke in favor of the Cascade Policy Institute, an Oregon-based libertarian think tank. Oregon's legislature passed a Cascade-promoted resolution urging their federal representatives to request a state waiver from the Social Security system.

Treasurer Ken Houghton was elected chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee. A special Task Force on Constitution and Bylaws, announced at the 1997 convention and being formed by Hihn, is charged with proposing organizational changes—appropriate for a party three times our current size. Thornton chairs the Activism Workshop Committee for the 1998 state convention.

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Worth mentioning ...

Diana's tragic and untimely death leads to a public outcry demanding a boycott of the tabloids—but who are the tabloids? Most think their newspaper is not and that only publications like The Enquirer or The Star are. But I would argue that most newspapers are tabloids in the sense of their focus on tragedy, scandal, and crime. Many TV programs would fit this category as well, including but not limited to: "Inside Edition," "Extra," and your evening news report. Despite a plummeting national murder rate, the Center for Media and Public Affairs reports that coverage of homicides on network newscasts has risen dramatically in the past several years. Robert Lichter, president of the center, has stated that "The networks are trying to get in touch with the public by taking on a more tabloid definition of news. They're zeroing in on celebrity murder, sensational murders—the things that make the hair on your neck stand up."

Scandinavian shame. Hitler wasn't the only one enamored of eugenics—using human engineering to create a superior race. It has come to light that Sweden (that "enlightened" socialist nation) conducted a sterilization program from 1934 to 1974 (beginning before Nazi Germany, Denmark and Norway). Politicians believed the practice would help control the costs of their expanding welfare state . . . One might wonder if government-subsidized abortions bear some resemblance to such a program.

What's happened to Hong Kong? Recently, their new government introduced a bill to sharply curb voter participation in elections. If the measure is not passed quickly, officials say, elections scheduled for May will be delayed. Candidates are now barred from holding a foreign passport. Unhappily, Hong Kong may eventually lose all its freedoms.

EPA "protecting" drivers. The Environmental Protection Agency now requires 40% of 1998 models to have ORVR (onboard refueling-vapor recovery system) canisters and will require that all new autos and trucks have the canisters by 2006. Though preliminary testing in California has found that diverting concentrations of gasoline vapors from the car's fuel-filler neck into the ORVR storage canister could leave behind an explosive mixture of gas and air, 40% of new '98 models will have ORVR.

Waffling—again. Though President Clinton pledged that the government would permit mechanics to disable air bags, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now says no. Instead, they will permit the installation of on-off switches. This change follows heavy lobbying by automakers, air bag suppliers, and consumer activists who, apparently , don't want any consumer to own a car without an airbag. What ever happened to the concept of choice?

Prohibition still here? One would think that a consumer could purchase a bottle of wine from anywhere in the country and ship it to another state—right? Wrong. Though the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, the federal government still prohibits the shipment of alcohol via U.S. mail and most states have laws prohibiting some or all direct shipments. Why? Well, it looks as though it comes down to states' fears of losing tax revenues . . . what else?

Ruby Ridge tragedy, Part II. Boundary County (ID) prosecutor Denise Woodbury has charged Kevin Harris (already acquitted of first degree murder charges at the federal level) with first degree murder. Some legal experts don't consider this to be a case of double jeopardy! Prosecutor Woodbury also charged FBI sharpshooter Long Horiuchi with involuntary manslaughter—despite the belief of many that he knew just who he was shooting at when he struck Vicki Weaver in the head, killing her—that he should be charged with murder. Sensing that the people of Bonners Ferry, Idaho know too much, FBI supervisor Gene Glenn expressed a desire to move the trial out of Boundary County—so Horiuchi might get a "fair" trial.

Moerschel chairs the Spokane County LP.

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Save The Redwoods
(but don't ask me to chip in)

Perusing a book belonging to a biologist friend the other day, I came across the following passage: "As a champion of trees, I wholeheartedly support environmental concerns; but as a lover of people I am acutely aware of the effects of negativity and polarization created by extremism. Eco-terrorism has threatened timber workers and alienated many well-intentioned people. Equally extreme is the viewpoint that trees are simply raw materials to feed America's insatiable consumerism. Should an absentee owner of a large tract of virgin redwoods be allowed to decimate those ancient trees for quick profit with total disregard for society as a whole?"

The subject of the book was the possibility of chemical interaction among plants; the author had no ideological ax to grind. The quote above was merely an aside, perhaps an attempt to position himself as a moderate in the ecology/economy dialogue. But the quote reveals a most immoderate assumption, one accepted and seldom questioned by many who like to think of themselves as moderate and well-intentioned: "Should an absentee owner of a large tract of virgin redwoods be allowed to decimate those ancient trees for a quick profit with total disregard for society as a whole?"

Well, of course he ought.

He is the owner of the trees, absentee or otherwise. The trees are private property. And since they are private property, their owner is fully entitled to any benefits they may afford, just as are the owners of any other private property. If we buy or build a house we expect to enjoy the shelter it provides exclusively; we do not believe we must invite society as a whole to share it with us. We do not leave our new car parked at the curb with the keys in the ignition in order to make transportation more convenient for "society as a whole."

The key characteristic of private property is that it is private—we may use and enjoy it in total disregard of the needs of society as a whole. Of course, we may not use our private property in disregard of others rights.

We may not build our house or park our new car on someone else's land without permission, or use them in ways that threaten others' health or safety. That is, we may not, under the banner of private property, take from others what is rightfully theirs. But we have no duty whatsoever to assure that society as a whole realizes benefits from our property—or to continue indefinitely conferring benefits the public may have fortuitously enjoyed in the past.

But the contrary assumption is widespread these days. Witness efforts to restrict the demolition of "historic" buildings, or assure that land developments preserve "view corridors," or require land owners to reserve portions of their land for wildlife habitat or open space. In all of these cases, and many others, there is an assumption that there are benefits to the public from certain uses of land, and that the private owners of that land have a duty to bestow those benefits on the public—for free.

Why do many now think that the owner of an old building to which some segment of the public has grown attached must yield to their sentiments, regardless of whether the building has become an economic burden to her? Why does our author above assume that because few redwoods remain, and that the public will be better off if they are preserved, their owner must in effect place them in the public domain?

Hordes of urban dwellers contemplate fondly the prospect of one day hiking or driving through a redwood forest. If they can preserve their chances of doing so without reaching into their wallets, so much the better. Restrictive and even confiscatory land use laws primarily affect larger landowners; the suburban homeowner does not feel threatened. And after all, they reason, are we not taxed to provide benefits for other interest groups? Isn't it about our turn for a free lunch?

But the free lunches can't continue forever. We may eat the redwood owner's lunch today, but in due course it will come our turn to be eaten.

Morton is a freelance journalist in Spokane, who also manages the Spokane County LP database.

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Events Calendar
(alphabetical)

Sep. 13, Executive Committee: 1:00pm, location to be announced.

Notify editor of announcements and updates. Non-party functions will be listed, if of interest to Libertarians. Check the Updates Calendar for updates and changes (listed in red) after newsletter publication.

Web Site/Intranet

Original LPWS Newsletter. Volume 1, Number 1. See Index of prior issues (Table of Contents above).

"How to form a Town Committee" Reprint from LP News, see Members Services page.

Help Wanted
email: director@LPWS.org

Regional Organizers. Thurston County, SW Washington.

CONTEST! Send us your design - text or graphics - suitable for an LPWS imprinted t-shirt, sweatshirt or, both. No restrictions (other than good taste!), but the design should also allow imprinting the state or local party name. Winner receives special version of design, plus complete set of LPWS apparel (yet to be determined). Deadline: Received by Oct. 31 at LPWS, POB 69223, Seattle, WA 98168-9233.

LPWS Executive Committee

WL Info

Publisher
Libertarian Party of Washington State
PO Box 69223, Seattle, WA 98168
Seattle: 206-329-5669 | Toll-free: 800-353-1776| Web: http://LPWS.org

Editor
Mike Hihn, editor@LPWS.org
Voice: 206-241-6058 | Faxmodem: 206-241-6128

Contributing Editors
Janice Moerschel, G.E. Morton, Rep. Brian Thomas

Regional Correspondents
Robert J. Hill (Pierce), Janice Moerschel (Spokane)

Washington Libertarian is published bimonthly, in even-numbered months. Editorial closes on the 18th of the previous month. Advertising closes on the 15th for space, the 19th for copy. Editorial submissions are encouraged, preferably in any PC format. Please query the editor before submitting