News
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Student Rights
Government education bureaucracy has been turning our schools into a police state. This past year several New Jersey schools have implemented random drug testing of students, even in middle schools. Students and their lockers are searched without reasonable cause. Zero tolerance polices are being enforced across the state. Instead of handling minor infractions internally, the police are called and criminal charges are being filed.
A seven year old brought a Nerf style toy gun into the Hammonton Early Education Center in Atlantic County. This menacing youth is now charged with a misdemeanor criminal charge for brandishing an imitation firearm on school property.
We have one additional speaker joining the already exciting lineup at our State Convention on March 12th. Chris Goldstein of the NJ Coalition for Medical Marijuana will now be speaking. In addition we have three vendors who are planning on being there:
- Julian Heicklen will be selling his book The Non Trials.
- DelValley Silver will have a table. I first met representatives from DelValley at the National LP convention in Atltanta. Based in Pennsylvania, DelValley Silver sells silver rounds that are an alternative to the rapidly declining U.S. dollar.
- F. Paul Wilson will have books for sale. Mr. Wilson is also speaking.
Additional information, including convention registration information is available here.
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
In 2003, President George W. Bush stated the following: “When somebody hurts, government has got to move.” It was President Bush that believed that every solution required government intervention. He was not alone. This has been the belief of a majority of Americans since the 1900s. Americans since that time have believed that government was the instrument that could provide for all, that could make people moral and virtuous and can right any wrong in human activity and human life. After examining the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, after looking at our national debt, our unfunded liabilities and the intrusions by government in all aspects of human life, the report card is in: this belief and philosophy is bankrupt.
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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
- Category: Latest News
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: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
Whenever I hear critics of a non-interventionist foreign policy speak, they always attack those who hold this view as “isolationists.” They claim that non-interventionists want to isolate themselves from the globe, that they want to create a bubble between them and the outside world, not engaging in any interaction with the foreign world. That characterization is false and very-very-dishonest.
A non-interventionist foreign policy is the belief in “peace, commerce, honest friendship will all nations,” and “entangling alliances with none,” to use the bold words of Thomas Jefferson. It is the belief that all nations have the right to engage of freedom of trade and freedom of exchange, that all nations should be friendly to one another, but that no nation should involve itself in the quarrels of other nations or in another nation’s political and social disputes. This was the foreign policy position of the U.S. for 100 years. It was rejected in 1898 when President William McKinley and Congress decided to go to war with the nation of Spain over Cuba. Since then, the U.S. has been following an interventionist path and has caused the U.S. to become the world’s busybody, not to mention the world’s policeman. This interventionist policy has also caused the U.S to get entangled in alliances with dictators and despots not only in places like the Middle East but elsewhere. It has caused populations in other nations to hate the U.S. because of these alliances.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
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
- Category: Latest News
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: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
The assassination attempt on Democratic Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and the death of six other people, including a federal district court judge, was a heinous act. What was even more despicable was the fact that there were members of the mainstream press that wanted to assign blame not to a mentally ill gunman, but to others.
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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
- Category: Latest News
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
- Category: Latest News
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
- Category: Latest News
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: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On November 2, 2010, the Borough of Seaside Heights (Ocean County) agreed to pay $50,000 to a Bloomingdale man who sued members of the Seaside Heights Police Department for falsely arresting him after he photographed the officers arresting another man.
In his suit, George W. Kramer said that on July 29, 2007 he was returning to his friend's car after a night on the town when he observed police "in the process of assaulting and/or arresting a number of individuals, including one individual who was on the ground, handcuffed, and being 'Maced.'" Since he had a camera on him, he snapped a couple photos of the encounter from across the street.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
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.