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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
New Jersey resident Chris Busche is being drugged against his will at the Essex County Hospital Center. This forced drugging is in violation of the advanced medical directive that Mr. Busche created before going to the hospital. Mr. Busche designated Al Galves to be his advocate, but his doctor and social worker refuse to communicate with Mr. Galves. Public pressure on behalf of Mr. Busche would be greatly appreciated. Please contact the Essex County Administrator, Mary Wilson Harley, to complain about the way the hospital is mistreating Mr. Busche. Contact information is on the Mind Freedom website.
Update, March 23, 2011: I just spoke with Al Galves. The hospital is cooperating with him now. Thank you to all who advocated for Chris Busche.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
Democratic politician Rev Al Sharpton joined left-wing groups in opposing a billboard in New York City. The group that sponsored the billboard took it down in response to their pressure. Sharpton said, "We have a right to our personal views, but we don't have the right to offend people." Sharpton's comment shows his contempt for freedom of the press. The very purpose of freedom of the press and freedom of speech is to allow offensive content. Content that does not offend anyone does not need legal protections. Offended people have every right to protest content that they don't like, but when a politician declares that we have no right to offend, it has a chilling effect on our civil liberties.
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- Written by: Webmaster
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An article covering one of our convention speakers, Brian Aitken, has been published on The Daily Caller.
Some men find religion in prison. Brian Aitken found liberty.
Convicted last year in New Jersey of illegally transporting firearms, Aitken spent four months in state prisons before Republican Gov. Chris Christie commuted his seven-year sentence to “time served” and let him go free. Now that he’s out, Aitken, once an aspiring entrepreneur, is a professional libertarian activist.
Read the full article here.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
Libertarians are often portrayed as Republicans who want to legalize pot. This is a gross simplification. We also want to legalize prostitution. We understand that a person has the right to do what he wants with his body and to manage his own economic transactions. Legalized prostitution is a natural ramification of these rights. Currently, Nevada is the sole beacon of liberty when it comes to prostitution. Each Nevada county can decide on prostitution's legal status within that county. It is legal in 10 Nevada counties and illegal in the other 7 counties. On Tuesday, Democrat Senator Harry Reid said that Nevada should ban prostitution to stimulate its economy, proving that the Left's fetish for centralized economic planning extends all the way to our bedrooms. Reid's suggestion is an assault on our liberties, and the available data suggests that his premise is wrong.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
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After hearing so much on the protests in Wisconsin, I have taken a look at the text of the law. The proposed law ends the ability of most public workers to collectively bargain. While I recognize that public sector unions have become way too powerful, this is not a law I could support.
Every individual should have the right to associate with whatever group they decide and to choose to allow others to negotiate for them. This law coercively strips away the rights of individuals.
The bigger problems with public sector unions is existing state coercion. As a Voluntarist, I find that more coercion is not the answer, rather less coercion is needed. Instead states should:
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- Written by: Wes Benedict
- Category: Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2011
Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
E-mail:
Phone: 202-333-0008 ext. 222
Libertarians at CPAC present Republican Wall of Shame
WASHINGTON - At their booth at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Libertarian Party is displaying a "Republican Wall of Shame." (View low-res JPG or high-res PDF.)
These are the prominent Republicans featured on the Wall of Shame:
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- Written by: Webmaster
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The NJLP has several methods of party communication. Of course there is this website that has articles of interest to NJ state residents and a calendar of our upcoming events. We have our official Facebook page and our twitter feed.
Members receive our newsletter. Consider joining as a member, this also gives you a vote at our general meetings.
We run a number of email lists (to discourage spambot email harvesting @ and been replaced with ' at ')
- activists at njlp.org - this is a bylaws defined email list that is by invitation only. Preference is for members who we know. If interested just ask.
- member-talk at njlp.org - this is a (mostly) unmoderated email list for NJLP members. You must opt-in to this list if you want to join.
- announce at njlp.org - this is also a bylaws defined email list, however it really isn't used very often anymore.
- members at njlp.org - this is an email list where all members get subscribed to. It is intended for announcements and infrequent updates for our members. It is highly moderated, only posts from the chair or posts that have been discussed by the board are typically approved.
- press at njlp.org - this is a private listing used for sending press releases to. It is highly moderated, only posts from the chair are typically approved.
- prospects at njlp.org - this is an email list where all prospects get subscribed to. It is intended for announcements and infrequent updates. It is highly moderated, only posts from the chair or posts that have been discussed by the board are typically approved.
- northlpannounce at njlp.org - this is a highly moderated announce only list. All members and prospects in the Northern Region get added to this list. Only emails from the Northern NJ Libertarian's Chair are typically approved.
- northnjtalk at njlp.org - this is a discussion list for those in the Northern NJ region. You must opt in to this list. It is not moderated.
- southnjannounce at njlp.org - this is a highly moderated announce only list. All members and prospects in the Southern Region get added to this list. Only emails from the Southern NJ Libertarian's Chair are typically approved.
- southnjtalk at njlp.org - this is a discussion list for those in the Southern NJ region. You must opt in to this list. It is not moderated.
- centralannounce at njlp.org - this is a highly moderated announce only list. All members and prospects in the Central Region get added to this list. Only emails from the Central NJ Libertarian's Chair are typically approved.
- centralnjtalk at njlp.org - this is a discussion list for those in the Central NJ region. You must opt in to this list. It is not moderated.
- board-monitor at njlp.org - this is a receive only list if you wish to monitor communications among the State Board. A daily digest is sent out.
- platform-monitor at njlp.org - this is a receive only list if you wish to monitor communications among the Platform Committee. A daily digest is sent out.. when there is activity.
- bylaws-monitor at njlp.org - this is a receive only list if you wish to monitor communications among the Bylaws Committee. A daily digest is sent out.. when there is activity.
- chat.njlp.org - this is a members chat application. with various topics disbursed in several rooms.
We also have a few ad-hoc lists. These include candidates at njlp.org, bylaws at njlp.org, and platform at njlp.org. These are used for candidates and committees to communicate.
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- Written by: Webmaster
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We are extremely pleased to announce the details for this year's Convention. We are holding the Convention at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ.
The Convention will be held on March 12th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Party's Business Meeting will be held on morning of March 12th and will be open to all. Registration will be required for the afternoon events, which include a luncheon and speakers. Our full convention package includes lunch on Saturday and afternoon speakers with coffee and refreshments available all day.
Speakers include NJ gun law victim Brian Aitken; producer John Papola; Frank Fiamingo, President of the NJ Second Amendment Society; and award wining author F. Paul Wilson.
Read more about our speakers and register on our convention page...
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- Written by: Webmaster
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On January 6th, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker introduced assembly bill A3657 that would require all bicycles to be registered with the DMV and display a license plate. If the owner is less than 15 years old the bill permits the parents to register the bicycle instead. Applicants would be required to divulge the year, make, color, weight, serial number, date of purchase, name and address of owner (or the parent if the owner is under 15), and the amount of sales tax paid on the bike.
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- Written by: Joseph Dunsay
- Category: Latest News
The name of Newark International Airport was changed to Newark Liberty International Airport shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In true Orwellian fashion this change was accompanied with authoritarian changes. The managers closed off sections that used to be large open indoor spaces. Passenger screenings became more invasive. Everyone was told to keep their eyes out and report any “suspicious activity”. A new federal department took over security at the airport. This year, the TSA took a large step towards authoritarianism by forcing passengers to choose between X rated X-ray screening or groping by security agents.
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- Written by: John Paff
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NJLP life member and former NJLP chairman Michael Pierone of White Township (Warren County) was appointed, as a Libertarian, to the Board of Education of the Warren County Vocational School District. His term began January 1, 2011 and expires on December 31, 2014. Following is a media article on Mike's appointment:
Freeholders to consider appointing open government advocate to Warren County Technical School Board
Wednesday, December 22, 2010By BILL WICHERTThe Express-TimesWHITE TWP. | More than two years after suing Warren County over an open records request, township resident Michael Pierone is being tapped by county officials to join the newly revamped Warren County Technical School Board.
County freeholders are scheduled to vote at 7 tonight Pierone's appointment to the school board. Over the last two months, the school board has shrunk from seven to five members, and four previous representatives have left the board.
After working on the outside as an open government advocate, the 54-year-old Pierone said he was looking for an inside look at how government operates
"I'm interested in representing the taxpayer," Pierone said Tuesday. "I want to have a better understanding of how everything works and what they're doing."
A former chair of New Jersey's Libertarian Party -- he ran for Congress more than 20 years ago -- Pierone runs a company called Micro Design Systems, which provides web design, web hosting and information technology services.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
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In the Huffington Post, Christine Walsh of the Institute for Justice tells the story of home owners in Mount Laurel who have been harassed and threatened by their town council. 200 homes have been torn down, leaving the Gardens neighborhood in rubble. Bulldozers are parked in front of those who have refused to leave as a stark reminder of the threat to these homes. The town intends to give the remaining homes to Keating Urban Developers, a Philadelphia company.This story was covered by Free Talk Live on Monday.
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- Written by: Webmaster
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The New York Post has published a poorly written story on activist and NJLP member, Julian Heiklen. The story was also discussed by the Libertarian News Examiner.
What was he smoking when he wrote this?
A pro-pot libertarian activist who’s been repeatedly busted in front of the Manhattan federal courthouse has defied a judge’s order to stop sending him letters.
Julian Heicklen, 78, told Manhattan federal Judge Richard Holwell that he’ll cease only when Holwell recuses himself from Heicklen’s civil-rights case, "as I have requested previously."
"In the event that you are considering a contempt of court charge against me, you have misjudged the situation," Heicklen wrote in a letter filed today.
"My feeling toward this court is not contempt. It is hatred, intense hatred."
Heicklen, 78, is suing the Department of Homeland Security and numerous other defendants over his arrests, which took place while he was distributing pamphlets urging jurors to acquit defendants if they don’t agree with the law.
Holwell told Heicklen to "direct all correspondence regarding non-dispositive matters" to Magistrate Judge James Cott.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
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I keep getting anti-immigration emails from right wing groups claiming all sorts of things about The Dream Act. As someone who supports a free market and free people, I think this is a good bill. It still has too much bureaucracy and doesn't apply to enough immigrants however.
Most of the right wing groups emails that I am getting claim that this is a give away of student aid and provides free college tuition. The bill has none of that in it. In fact it limits financial aid to loans only, work study, and Title IV aid. This is all subject to the same rules as any other student and does not provide for any special aid for illegal immigrants.
Immigrants who take advantage of the Dream Act are given a 10 year conditional non-immigrant status. They are no longer eligible if they "become a public charge" (i.e. become dependent on the state). Eligibility is removed for a list of other reasons.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Examples of individuals using guns to defend themselves abound. A simple Google search has turned up the following:
- This past Thursday in Houston, a store owner shot three robbers who had tied up his wife.
- On Saturday a business owner shot and killed a robber at her Fresno, CA video game store.
- Also on Saturday in Georgia, a man shot a knife wielding robber in a parking lot.
- On Monday, a man in Kansas shot a would be robber in his apartment.
- Earlier this month in Georgia, a liquor store clerk shot and killed one of the two men attempting to rob him.
- In Tennessee a pizza delivery driver used a handgun to defend himself against three robbers, killing one of them.
- Just after Thanksgiving, a homeowner defended his family against a home intruder in Arkansas.
- This past summer an 11 year old girl defended herself with her mother's rifle in her Albuquerque home.
Meanwhile here in New Jersey Brian Aitken sits in jail merely for having weapons and ammunition locked in the trunk of his car. Law abiding New Jersey residents are left with little options for self defense.
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- Written by: Chris Wuestefeld
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There's been a lot going on for the past week or two surrounding the WikiLeaks release of a number of secret diplomatic cables. The release of the leaked cables must be considered separately from what's been going on in its wake.
We've got the right to know what our government is doing. In fact, since our society is "government of the people, by the people, for the people", I'd argue that we have an obligation to keep an eye on the government. But that is in tension with the government's own responsibility to defend us: some things, like military strategy or, yes, diplomatic proceedings, need to be held close to the vest to be effective at all. This leads to a sort of Catch-22. We need to police the government, but we can't know what it's doing.
I think the only way to resolve the paradox is on a case-by-case basis. Given our current environment, it seems to me that we must come out in favor of disclosure. There is just too much evidence of the government lying to us, with politicians doing what's in their own interest rather than the nation's.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Included in the Obamacare bill was a provision titled: Section 2711, "No Lifetime or Annual Limits". Insurance providers will need to drastically increase rates in order achieve a no limits policy. Health and Human services have provided a method for opting out of this provision. As of December 3rd, 222 providers have had their applications approved. This has allowed for over 1.5 million people to opt out of the one of the more expensive aspects of Obamacare.
I do not yet know how many applications have been submitted or rejected. Today I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the federal Health and Human Services agency requesting the list of rejected applications and the reasons for each rejection. I'll update this article when I hear back.
UPDATE: On December 23rd, I got a letter back saying that my request was denied based on 41 U.S.C 253b(m) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 1997, Public Law No. 104-201b. (FOIA exemption (b)(3) permits denials based on statutes other than FOIA.)
Furthermore they are denying my request because of FOIA exemption (b)(4) which permits the withholding of trade secrets and commercial or financial information. They claim the release of the info would cause harm to the organizations.
I have 30 days to appeal. I may either appeal or I may somehow reword my request.
One thing the letter does say is that the data I requested consists of approximately 50 pages of records.
So how does publishing the list of the 222 companies who were approved not cause them harm?
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- Written by: Wes Benedict
- Category: Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2010
Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
E-mail:
Phone: 202-333-0008 ext. 222
Wes for Wesley Snipes
Why men can't jump on Wesley Snipes
WASHINGTON - Wes Benedict, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, issued the following statement today:
"The federal government's recent demand for tax protester Wesley Snipes to report to prison brings attention to how horrible the federal income tax system is.
"The three-year federal prison sentence for Snipes's failure to file tax returns is absurd. Snipes is not a threat to anyone, and the judge who sentenced him clearly just wanted to scare others who might think about resisting federal taxes.
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- Written by: Webmaster
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The NJ Libertarian Party is joining We Won't Fly by organizing the National Opt Out Day demonstration at Newark Airport. On Wednesday, November 24th we urge all travelers who are "selected" to undergo the intrusive full body scanning to Opt Out. Instead they will be forced to participate in the more time consuming and humiliating enhanced "pat downs". The pat downs include moving hands up legs until contact pressure is made with genitals.
We are meeting on November 24th at 6:00 PM at the bar of Chile's Too in terminal B. Demonstrations will start at 6:30.
Our goal is to raise awareness among travelers over this new TSA procedure.
For more info see our meetup page or the We Won't Fly website.