News
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
Today a jury in Burlington Country has found Ed Forchion - aka NJ Weedman not guilty of distribution of marijuana. A full story can be found at Philly Burbs.
Last night Ed Forchion was interviewed on Free Talk Live.
“I don’t use it the way the state says. To me, it’s medicine, it’s food,” Forchion said, noting for the jury that he had been eating pot-laced cookies throughout the trial. “I feel I’m the victim of a flawed law.”
His first trial ended in a hung jury. Mr. Forchion, suffers from cancer and uses marijuana to ease his suffering.
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Dear Editor:
Government spending and government meddling in our economic and personal lives is now and continues to be at an all-time high. If you wish to support a pro-freedom agenda (as I do), I would suggest voting as follows.
For president, I support former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party candidate. For U.S. senator from New Jersey I support my fellow Libertarian Party member Ken Kaplan. For Congress I'm voting to re-elect Scott Garrett. Although he is a Republican candidate, he comes the closest to have a constitutionalist pro-freedom voting record.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Candidates and Elections
On Wednesday October 17th at 4:00 PM, Ken Kaplan, our U.S. senate candidate will be participating in a debate at Mercer Community College in Trenton.
Watch the debate here or on the debate website.
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- Written by: Fred Stein
- Category: Latest News
The birth place of the NJLP was at my house on one hot summer night location 26 Essex Street Irvington, N.J. I believe I was the first organizer/founder of the NJLP. The story goes.....
Once upon a time in 1969 I met Kathy Greene at a YAF meeting at Monmouth college.She was in a group called New Jersey Libertarian Alliance. Her boyyfriend at the time and future husband was Ralph Fucetola. Through both of them I met a lot of Libertarians. Some of them called themselves Radical Libertarian Alliance. The word radical was hip back then.
One day I was at the home of Don Meinhausen and he had two big boxes of political literature. One was right wing the other left wing. For those who know Don he loved to travel in both groups seeking converts.He told me of a group trying to form a Libertarian Party. I contacted the Nolans. They sent me a list of Reason subscribers. I mailed out using my stamps and envelopes about the meeting of the first Libertarian Party in New Jersey. I also got the name of Bob Steiner. I called him and he with others helped me organize the meeting.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
On October 6th, 1972 - forty years ago today - the NJ Libertarian Party was started. A party constitution was adapted and Bob Steiner was elected the first state Chairperson. Peter Cooper was elected Vice-Chairperson, Joe Salerno was elected Treasurer, Denise Cooper was elected as Recording Secretary, and Lydia Longinotti was elected as Executive Secretary.
Dues were set at $7.50 per year which included a subscription to the PREMISE Newsletter. The first newsletter was produced in November of 1972. The party adopted the Libersign (arrow angling upward) and TANSTAAFL slogan (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) over an outline of the state of NJ as the party's emblem.
Our first convention was held in February of 1973, during which John Goodson was nominated as our first candidate for NJ Governor.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
Today, October 4, 2012, the Appellate Division ruled that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is not subject to the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). In its ten-page opinion, available here, the court found that since the Authority was created jointly by both New York and New Jersey, it is not subject to the statutory law of only one state. This decision, of course, is not good for open government.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Candidates and Elections
Sponsors of the upcoming snoozefests have been under pressure not to support the debates unless Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are invited to participate. As a result Phillips Electronics, Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) New York, and YWCA have decided to drop their sponsorships of the debates.
As a nonpartisan organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, we have decided to withdraw our sponsorship effective immediately.
- Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., CEO YWCA
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
The Asbury Park Press has recently released a report showing that "New Jersey has paid millions in sexual harassment cases, but little has been done to change the culture in some agencies." In the report the project was mentioned and John Paff was quoted.
John Paff, chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party’s Open Government Advocacy Project, lamented what he sees as a lack of transparency in government sexual harassment cases.
“My main problem is there doesn’t appear to be any ramifications in many cases,” with employees being disciplined, he said.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
Did the Township Committees in Lawrence and Commercial designate their attorney as "Property Administrator" for the sole purpose of circumventing the State Legislature's attempt to "limit abuse" of the pension system?
You decide.
By way of an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, I received an Aug. 23, 2010, letter from Division of Pensions and Benefits to the attorney who then served (and still serves) as solicitor for both Lawrence and Commercial townships.
I've placed the letter online here.
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Dear Editor:
Originally it was my intent to write or call Jason Okin of and ask him why he is so upset with my letter regarding the history of Camp Midvale Weis Ecology Center. The local phonebook showed no listing for a Jason Okin in Ringwood so I will respond via your letters to the editor section.
He doesn’t like the "tone" of my letter. Why is it that whenever a person takes a principled stand on behalf of individual liberty they are attacked with the smear word of "hate?"
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Yesterday the national debt has exceeded $16 Trillion! The debt is now at 104% of GDP - the highest it has ever been in fifty years. 65% of the debt has been accumulated during the Bush-Obama presidency.
There are few solutions at this point that the public would be willing to swallow. Politicians must consider the following:
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
'Memory holes' in Warren County Community College lawsuit, expert says.
Paff, chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project, said he understood some records need to be suppressed but was "very uncomfortable" that a lawsuit involving a public entity was seemingly erased.
Read the full story at Lehigh Valley Live
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- Category: Latest News
The NJ Libertarian Party annual picnic will be held on August 25th at the chair's house, 8 Arneytown-Hornerstown Road in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.
The Party's Business Meeting will start at from 2:00 PM and the picnic will follow.
Come hang out with fellow freedom lovers and meet our 2012 Candidates for Office. We are looking at broadcasting speeches from Paulfest at our picnic. RSVP (optional) here.
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- Written by: Mark Richards
- Category: Letters to Editor
Published in the Suburban Trends, July 30th, 2012
DEAR EDITOR:
In the Suburban Trends of July 12, under the "Our View" portion of the editorial page, mention was made of "moderates" in political races across the country.
Terms like "moderate" or "extremist" really tell us nothing about what a candidate's views really are. They are simply media "buzz words" that the uninformed public accepts because they are too mentally lazy to do any serious research.
If a person running for office says they believe that the proper role of government is what is defined in the Constitution and no more, you can be sure they'll be called an "extremist" by the media pundits.
Congressman Ron Paul in seeking the Republican nomination for president is a case in point; he was smeared or ignored.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Police Accountability Project
I received a telephone call on Monday, August 6, 2012, from Deputy Attorney General
At issue were some files I placed on-line regarding a July 27, 2012 Press of Atlantic City article that reported on Jason Dare, a New Jersey State Trooper, being acquitted of drunk driving and refusal to take an Alcotest after an early morning, single car crash in Hamilton Township, Atlantic County.
The files consisted of the "crash report" of Trooper Dare's car accident, the summonses that were issued to him and the incident reports prepared by the Hamilton police officers who investigated the accident and arrested Trooper Dare.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
NOTE: The date has been moved by the organizers! Date has been corrected below.
Join Occupy the Hood on September 14th-17th in a March for Justice. The New Jersey Libertarian Party fully supports the efforts of this march and will proudly march along side the organizers.
The 2010 census found that the United States leads the world with 7.1 million adults under the supervision of various correctional authorities. 4.89 million of them are under some sort of probation and 2.27 million are being held behind bars.
As of January 2012, New Jersey holds nearly 24,000 adults in correctional facilities including prisons and half-way houses. Of those 61% of them are black.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On July 25, 2012, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled on an Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) case that may have significant, long-term implications and may identify aspects of the OPMA that may need to be clarified by the New Jersey Legislature.
In McGovern v. Rutgers, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed to reverse the Appellate Division's February 18, 2011 ruling on the case. Both the Supreme Court and Appellate Division decisions are on-line here.
The highlights of the Supreme Court's ruling are:
Sequencing
The Appellate Division found that it violates the OPMA for a public body to open a public meeting, then immediately go into closed session for an indeterminate period, and then return to public session. The Appellate Division found that members of the public who arrive at the meeting when they believe the closed session might end "run of the risk of important business being conducted" prior to their arrival. This, according to the Appellate Division, "deter[s] the very public participation that Act is designed to promote."
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On March 12, 2012, I filed an Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) lawsuit against the Englewood Cliffs (Bergen County) Board of Education. The lawsuit is on-line here. After I filed a motion for summary judgment (my brief is on-line here), the Board indicated that it wanted to settle the case.
On June 22, 2012, I entered into a settlement agreement under which the school board agreed to improve its Open Public Meetings Act compliance and reimburse me $250 for my filing fees and miscellaneous costs. The Consent Judgment, which specifies the terms of compliance, is on-line here.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Candidates and Elections
We still have petitioning to do to get Gary Johnson on the ballot!
Petitions are posted at http://njlp.org/uploads/petitions
A guide to petitioning is posted here.
Gary has downladable flyers available at his website.
Once your petition is complete contact me at