My Email to the Libertarian Party

[Mempho]

***Mike, remove this if you must but I thought it might be appropriate to put this here because this forum has more traffic and I think there are many here that are for less government altogether in the wake of this atrocious legislation. I just would like to help the non-liberals here find a home that jives with their personal beliefs. By know means do I want to assualt the Zoo.***

Without further ado, here is the full text of my email that went to the regional directors and the top brass in the Libertarian Party:

Michael C. Colley
Mark Bodenhausen
Stewart Flood

***I have no idea if this email will ever get anything but a "form" reply, but I wanted to send it anyway. I do ask, however, that you save me the injustice of the previously-mentioned "form" reply. After reading the platform, various blogs, and responses to my post (which will be mentioned below), I will be joining your party anyway.***

The title pretty much says it all, but I'll tell all of you a little bit about myself. I'm an accountant that has is very close to becoming a CPA. I'm an evagelical Christian who doesn't (surprise, surprise!!!) believe in legislating morality. Rather, I believe that God originally gave us free will and if that's what God gave us, it should be good enough for the government. I was born and graduated from high school in Mississippi (although I lived in 4 other states in between). I'm also a former professional poker player who, by virtue of the fallout from the Enron scandal, couldn't get a job out of graduate school despite a 3.71 grad school GPA (Arthur Anderson had folded flooding the market with over 100,000 accountants). I have zero qualms about being a professional poker player as it is not specifically addressed in the Bible (Even Pat Robertson, when questioned, conceded that). Like I said before, however, I have been against legislating morality except to the extent that morality is needed to have a functioning society. However, I have identified myself as a conservative since my senior year in high school/first year in college. I was for fiscal and personal responsibility and for smaller government. I had learned in school that conservatives were for smaller government. Thus, I thought that if only the Republicans controlled Congress and the presidency, things would be different. I thought conservatives were for small government and personal government. After nearly six years, I figured out that I was DEAD wrong.

At first, I cut Bush some slack because I knew he would need time to build bipartisan coalitions on various topics and get his ideas implemented. During Bush's first eight or so months before 9/11, nothing got implemented that successfully reduced the size of government nor limitations on personal freedoms. As you already know the sad ending to this story, it got much worse. I cut Bush more slack in the wake of 9/11, fully supporting the invasion of Afghanistan (which I still support as a defense measure). The introduction of the "preemptive action" doctrine started to make me a little nervous, but like a good "soldier," I fell in line thinking that the government knew more than I did about the situation. I was still nervous enough, however, to watch the entire presentation by Colin Powell to the UN and, while the aerial photographs presented were sketchy at best, I realized that I knew nothing about interpreting aerial photographs. As such, I trusted them. I was DEAD wrong. Things have not changed at all. The Republican-controlled government has increased the national debt to a degree the likes have not yet been seen. They have also limited personal freedoms with things like the Patriot Act to a degree where I now distrust the government entirely. Yet, the Democrats provide no answers. Sure, many are against the Patriot Act, but voting for them would be at the expense of my small-government philosophy.

You might have already guessed it, but the final straw was when my own senator, the Senate majority leader Bill Frist, backdoored a rider on the Port Security Act that outlawed internet gambling. Doesn't the Republican party have bigger fish to fry? If they really want to legislate morality, why don't they stop taking money from Big Tobacco, which has hurt countless families much more than internet gambling? HYPOCRITES!!!!

Here is the text of my post to the preeminent online poker community's (2+2) politics forum in which I found out that I have been a blind sheep for many years (read it, for I, like many others, have been a lifelong libertarian without even knowing it...also you will find many extremely bright libertarians here):

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showth...e=1#Post7525164


In closing, I would be willing to serve in the Libertarian Party to the best of my abilities and would be willing to run on the Libertarian Party Ticket in the future.

[Zele]

Nice letter.

I really liked this:
[ QUOTE ]
Rather, I believe that God originally gave us free will and if that's what God gave us, it should be good enough for the government.

[/ QUOTE ]

The "morality police" agenda has always seemed not just inconsistent with, but diametrically opposed to the importance of free will in most Christian denominations.

[Mempho]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice letter.

I really liked this:
[ QUOTE ]
Rather, I believe that God originally gave us free will and if that's what God gave us, it should be good enough for the government.

[/ QUOTE ]

The "morality police" agenda has always seemed not just inconsistent with, but diametrically opposed to the importance of free will in most Christian denominations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I agree. One can only conclude that the government thinks that it is larger (more important) than God himself. Take that beyond internet gambling and think of that Will Smith movie and you have a very scary situation...not a far stretch from where we are headed.

[poker-penguin]

Nice email.

Most of my comments are too political for the zoo, so I'll just say that when you campaign against Bill Frist (whatever that [censored] runs for next), I'll gladly transfer VoteMempho some money on Pokerstars [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Mempho]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice email.

Most of my comments are too political for the zoo, so I'll just say that when you campaign against Bill Frist (whatever that [censored] runs for next), I'll gladly transfer VoteMempho some money on Pokerstars [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Believe it or not, I just got a lengnthy reply from the Vice Chair of the national Libertarian Party. I will post some of it with his permission.

[Jim Kuhn]

[ QUOTE ]
Oct. 4, 2006
FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY:

Dear Libertarian,



You'll have to excuse my tone in this message, but I'm not in a good mood at all at the moment. As a matter of fact, I'm damned angry.



This past weekend, the U.S. Senate, led by Republican politician Bill Frist, slipped last-minute legislation into a port security bill that essentially bans Internet gambling.



I'm not much a gambler myself and am only brave enough to hit the slots when in Vegas or Atlantic City . I've never gambled on the Internet NOT because I find it morally objectionable, but because I'm smart enough to know that I'll probably lose my shirt.



So if this doesn't affect my life, why am I so upset?



. . . Because Congress is, without question, restricting my freedom by telling me that I cannot spend my money a certain way or engage in a simple hobby within the privacy of my own home!



I am sick of Republicans and Democrats trying to set MY moral compass based upon THEIR interests.



Allow me to elaborate.



I am sick of corrupt politicians . . .



who take bribes from corrupt lobbyists for votes on Indian casinos;



who have a colleague behind bars for getting rich off of defense contractors;



who have another colleague who liberally sends sexually explicit messages to young boys who are, sadly, working to observe proper leadership;



who share leaders that actively cover up the activities of a sexual predator roaming the halls of Congress;



who vote to send our young men to fight and kill other young men over non-existent weapons of mass destruction;



who continue to place our young men in harm's way without even having defined what it would take to succeed in Iraq ;



who spend our tax dollars at an alarming rate while, at the same time, take away our freedoms in bunches with Orwellian named programs such as the PATRIOT Act, Real ID Act, and (here's a new one) the Public _Expression of Religion Act.



To publicize our stance on this new gambling law, we just put out a press release and here are a few key points:



Supporters of the legislation accuse online gaming companies of being involved in money laundering operations and, according to the Washington Post, even fronts for terrorist groups.



"This goes beyond the absurd," exclaimed Shane Cory, executive director of the Libertarian National Committee. "Using the supposed War on Terror in defense of this legislation designed to legislate morality is sickening. Using this same reasoning, Congress should close Vegas as 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta made a least two trips to the ' Sin City ' before setting out to murder thousands of Americans."



In addition to citing money laundering and terrorism as excuses for the new Internet restrictions championed by Republican politicians, proponents also state that online gambling targets children and gambling addicts.



"Once again, we see politicians in Washington attempting to protect us from what they see as wrong in this world. I have news for them: Americans are smart people who can take care of themselves AND their children," continued Cory. "In restricting Internet activities, I think it would make much more sense to ban instant messaging within Congressional offices rather than ban the online hobbies of millions of tax-paying citizens."



Since I can be more candid with you, I didn't "exclaim" the quote above. It was more like a hands-shaking, red-faced, no-children-within-earshot, verbal rant.



As a Libertarian, I am furious and you should be as well.



But being furious without resolution will not help any of us. In the press release above, we closed with this:



The Libertarian Party is working to stop poor legislation such as the ban on Internet gambling by electing principled and reasoned Libertarian leaders to public office at the local, state and federal levels of government.



Electing Libertarian leaders is our job. We don't do any good screaming into the darkness, and we must work our hearts out for every vote that our candidates gain.



So what should we do?



We could call up Frist's office and yell at his staffers but that won't do any good (I did that this morning myself and, instead of satisfaction, I just feel guilty for berating the poor guy who took the call).



We could call the White House general number and demand that the president not sign the bill, but we all know that won't change a thing. Bush would sign someone else's TPS Report if it were placed in front of him.



Here's what we can do and, as members of the nation's third largest political party, what we should do:



* First, if you want us to succeed, take a queue from our candidate for U.S. Senate in Washington, Bruce Guthrie. Bruce recently loaned his own campaign $1.2 million! I'm not asking you to mortgage your home as Bruce did but I am going to ask you to dig deep. . . and I'm willing to set the example.

This morning I contributed nearly half of my own paycheck, $1,000, to the LP.

If you can match my donation, your contribution will be greatly appreciated (and if you're not already a life member, you will become one).

If you can match up to 10% of my donation, $100, your contribution will be greatly appreciated.

If you can't do that, please match at least 1% with a $10 donation.

Help us move forward with our mission of electing Libertarians by clicking here to donate.

Now, I know that there are at least 20 of you on this list capable of making the maximum annual donation of $26,700. If you're one of those donors, click here or call me directly at 1-800-Elect-Us.

With an extra influx of donations before Election Day, we will be able to hire additional temporary staff to assist with campaign support. I've also recently deployed our communications director, Stephen Gordon, to help with the top campaign in our Candidate Tracker. With your help, we can do more.

* I also want you to do something else. Our new GOTV (get-out-the-vote) tool is ready to take registrations. Go to www.BallotBase.org today and register and then set aside time for our 100 Hour Push before Election Day. If you can schedule a few vacation days or plan ahead to make the time, we need your help. Click the link above for more information.

* Finally, your state Libertarian Party and Libertarian candidates around the nation need your help. Contact your state party and ask them how you can assist (I know of one specific need for Nevada residents). After that, hit the Candidate Tracker to learn about out great candidates who need your help.

I know that I am asking you for a great deal. I wish this was not the case but we are the underdogs and we have to fight twice as hard and give twice as much in order to see just a hint of progress.



I cannot even promise anything in exchange for your efforts. I can't guarantee a victory or a change for the better. I can't offer you any assurances. All that I can say is that your efforts provide all of us with hope. Hope that, within our lifetimes, we will see progress towards greater liberty.



I appreciate all that you do.



Best Regards,



Shane Cory

Executive Director

Libertarian National Committee



[/ QUOTE ]

This is the email I received from the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian views on many of todays issues can be found HERE! Stances like the one in this email makes me proud to be a Libertarian!

Thank you,

Jim Kuhn
Catfish4u
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[Anders]

I have voted Libertarian whenever I have had the chance, and I just officially joined the party yesterday. I volunteered for anything that I can do to help, including running for office. I have been thinking about it, and I would very much like to run for a major office as an LP candidate. Now, to make it happen...

[Mempho]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Oct. 4, 2006
FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY:

Dear Libertarian,



You'll have to excuse my tone in this message, but I'm not in a good mood at all at the moment. As a matter of fact, I'm damned angry.



This past weekend, the U.S. Senate, led by Republican politician Bill Frist, slipped last-minute legislation into a port security bill that essentially bans Internet gambling.



I'm not much a gambler myself and am only brave enough to hit the slots when in Vegas or Atlantic City . I've never gambled on the Internet NOT because I find it morally objectionable, but because I'm smart enough to know that I'll probably lose my shirt.



So if this doesn't affect my life, why am I so upset?



. . . Because Congress is, without question, restricting my freedom by telling me that I cannot spend my money a certain way or engage in a simple hobby within the privacy of my own home!



I am sick of Republicans and Democrats trying to set MY moral compass based upon THEIR interests.



Allow me to elaborate.



I am sick of corrupt politicians . . .



who take bribes from corrupt lobbyists for votes on Indian casinos;



who have a colleague behind bars for getting rich off of defense contractors;



who have another colleague who liberally sends sexually explicit messages to young boys who are, sadly, working to observe proper leadership;



who share leaders that actively cover up the activities of a sexual predator roaming the halls of Congress;



who vote to send our young men to fight and kill other young men over non-existent weapons of mass destruction;



who continue to place our young men in harm's way without even having defined what it would take to succeed in Iraq ;



who spend our tax dollars at an alarming rate while, at the same time, take away our freedoms in bunches with Orwellian named programs such as the PATRIOT Act, Real ID Act, and (here's a new one) the Public _Expression of Religion Act.



To publicize our stance on this new gambling law, we just put out a press release and here are a few key points:



Supporters of the legislation accuse online gaming companies of being involved in money laundering operations and, according to the Washington Post, even fronts for terrorist groups.



"This goes beyond the absurd," exclaimed Shane Cory, executive director of the Libertarian National Committee. "Using the supposed War on Terror in defense of this legislation designed to legislate morality is sickening. Using this same reasoning, Congress should close Vegas as 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta made a least two trips to the ' Sin City ' before setting out to murder thousands of Americans."



In addition to citing money laundering and terrorism as excuses for the new Internet restrictions championed by Republican politicians, proponents also state that online gambling targets children and gambling addicts.



"Once again, we see politicians in Washington attempting to protect us from what they see as wrong in this world. I have news for them: Americans are smart people who can take care of themselves AND their children," continued Cory. "In restricting Internet activities, I think it would make much more sense to ban instant messaging within Congressional offices rather than ban the online hobbies of millions of tax-paying citizens."



Since I can be more candid with you, I didn't "exclaim" the quote above. It was more like a hands-shaking, red-faced, no-children-within-earshot, verbal rant.



As a Libertarian, I am furious and you should be as well.



But being furious without resolution will not help any of us. In the press release above, we closed with this:



The Libertarian Party is working to stop poor legislation such as the ban on Internet gambling by electing principled and reasoned Libertarian leaders to public office at the local, state and federal levels of government.



Electing Libertarian leaders is our job. We don't do any good screaming into the darkness, and we must work our hearts out for every vote that our candidates gain.



So what should we do?



We could call up Frist's office and yell at his staffers but that won't do any good (I did that this morning myself and, instead of satisfaction, I just feel guilty for berating the poor guy who took the call).



We could call the White House general number and demand that the president not sign the bill, but we all know that won't change a thing. Bush would sign someone else's TPS Report if it were placed in front of him.



Here's what we can do and, as members of the nation's third largest political party, what we should do:



* First, if you want us to succeed, take a queue from our candidate for U.S. Senate in Washington, Bruce Guthrie. Bruce recently loaned his own campaign $1.2 million! I'm not asking you to mortgage your home as Bruce did but I am going to ask you to dig deep. . . and I'm willing to set the example.

This morning I contributed nearly half of my own paycheck, $1,000, to the LP.

If you can match my donation, your contribution will be greatly appreciated (and if you're not already a life member, you will become one).

If you can match up to 10% of my donation, $100, your contribution will be greatly appreciated.

If you can't do that, please match at least 1% with a $10 donation.

Help us move forward with our mission of electing Libertarians by clicking here to donate.

Now, I know that there are at least 20 of you on this list capable of making the maximum annual donation of $26,700. If you're one of those donors, click here or call me directly at 1-800-Elect-Us.

With an extra influx of donations before Election Day, we will be able to hire additional temporary staff to assist with campaign support. I've also recently deployed our communications director, Stephen Gordon, to help with the top campaign in our Candidate Tracker. With your help, we can do more.

* I also want you to do something else. Our new GOTV (get-out-the-vote) tool is ready to take registrations. Go to www.BallotBase.org today and register and then set aside time for our 100 Hour Push before Election Day. If you can schedule a few vacation days or plan ahead to make the time, we need your help. Click the link above for more information.

* Finally, your state Libertarian Party and Libertarian candidates around the nation need your help. Contact your state party and ask them how you can assist (I know of one specific need for Nevada residents). After that, hit the Candidate Tracker to learn about out great candidates who need your help.

I know that I am asking you for a great deal. I wish this was not the case but we are the underdogs and we have to fight twice as hard and give twice as much in order to see just a hint of progress.



I cannot even promise anything in exchange for your efforts. I can't guarantee a victory or a change for the better. I can't offer you any assurances. All that I can say is that your efforts provide all of us with hope. Hope that, within our lifetimes, we will see progress towards greater liberty.



I appreciate all that you do.



Best Regards,



Shane Cory

Executive Director

Libertarian National Committee



[/ QUOTE ]

This is the email I received from the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian views on many of todays issues can be found HERE! Stances like the one in this email makes me proud to be a Libertarian!

Thank you,

Jim Kuhn
Catfish4u
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Great post, Jim. After being a lifelong Republican, thinking that if Congress and the executive branch were to be all Republican that we would get smaller government and less regulation, I have joined the Libertarian Party and I hereby renounce my affiliation with the Republican Party. They've had their shot and it is clear that they do not represent my views. I assume that their are a lot of small government types here on the forums that feel completely alienated by the Republican Party not just for the SAFE Act but for years of broken promises.

[Mempho]

[ QUOTE ]
I have voted Libertarian whenever I have had the chance, and I just officially joined the party yesterday. I volunteered for anything that I can do to help, including running for office. I have been thinking about it, and I would very much like to run for a major office as an LP candidate. Now, to make it happen...

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this could be a breakthrough period for the Libertarian Party for multiple reasons.

[poker-penguin]

I hope so - any moderately intelligent small-government types who aren't down with the religious nutters should really be looking for a new home.

Of course, I'm still a socialist at heart, well sort of, I believe in the rights of the little man (higher minimum wage, flat tax scheme with many less loopholes, companies should pay for all the cleanup costs of their polluting activities, etc) and just don't see the Libertarians (in NZ at least and I assume their principles are similar elsewhere) being particularly strong in that area.

But yes, I would rather see Greens and Libertarians in control of the US for a while than the current load of slime.