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FreeNYThe official newsletter of the Libertarian Party of New York
In this Issue:
FreeNY issue delayed |
SUNY Brockport Students Run OPH Booth, Ready to Start Chapter
by Adam Chamberlain
On February 12th, the SUNY at Brockport campus was for the first time exposed to an Operation Politically Homeless booth run by sophomores Adam Chamberlain and Jim Parry, both members of the LP of Monroe County. We took advantage of a two-hour information fair for student organizations to make our pitch. While the frigid weather outside might have kept some people away, the booth was fairly active. Several people landed in the libertarian quadrant and five signed up to receive more information.
Together with senior Paul Hendricks, we are currently putting the finishing touches on a constitution which, when ratified, will create a recognized student libertarian group on campus for perhaps the first time ever.
Monroe County Annual Convention a success in Rochester
by Paul Hendricks
The Monroe County Libertarian Party convention was held on Saturday, February 8, 2003. Thirty people gathered at the Radisson Hotel for a wonderful lunch of chicken French and roast beef beginning at 11:30 AM. After lunch, Steve Healey, the Chair of the LPMC, approached the podium and addressed the convention attendees. He thanked everyone for coming and introduced the first speaker, Dr. John Klofas.
Dr. Klofas is Chairman of the Department of Criminal Justice at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and has published extensively in the field. His academic work is complemented by a long record of community activism as a print columnist, volunteer, and consultant, working with groups as diverse as the ACLU and the federal Prosecutors. Dr. Klofas spoke about patterns and trends regarding murder in Rochester and what research into the underlying social situations, demographics, and pathologies can reveal. He offered some praise for the Libertarian Party’s stance on the drug war but raised questions about the capacity of other libertarian policy prescriptions to deal with the deep-rooted social pathologies of New York’s most dysfunctional urban areas. After his speech, there was a friendly and too-short question and answer session touching on education, poverty, race, drugs, and other matters.
The second speaker of the afternoon was Scott Jeffrey, who served as the 2002 Gubernatorial candidate for the Libertarian Party of New York.
Mr. Jeffrey’s speech explained how he became a political activist, even pointing to a member of the audience who was “the one” who recruited him into the party. He described the ups and downs of his three campaigns and what he had learned from the experience. He also spoke about his growing activity in support of marriage rights for homosexuals, for which he had several meetings scheduled in Rochester that very weekend. Mr. Jeffrey traveled from Manhattan to join the LPMC this year, repeating the journey he took one year prior when he was seeking support for his nomination.
The final speaker was Dr. James Lark, who is the former National Chair of the Libertarian Party and a Professor at the University of Virginia. Dr. Lark spoke for about an hour on topics including the history of the Libertarian Party, some of the battles he had faced as the National Chair, and the future of the LP and the world. The guest’s eyes were glued to Dr. Lark as he praised freedom and liberty (with the occasional one-liner) and upon completion of his speech, he received a standing ovation. He concluded his speech with a long question and answer session. Several individuals who had never attended a libertarian function before vigorously praised Dr. Lark for his presentation. The convention concluded with elections for new officers of the LPMC. Rodney Boyd was elected as the new Chair, and Joe Kirchner was elected as Treasurer. Steve Healey will continue as representative to the State Committee. After the convention had officially concluded, many of the attendees joined Dr. Lark and Scott Jeffrey at a local pub for an afternoon of conversation and fun.
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Our apologies for the delay.
Unfortunately, this issue of Free New York was not produced according to the normal schedule. Because of this tardiness, you have been missing all the important news, particularly State Convention details. Free New York needs an editor. Please consider volunteering for this critical position. This organization is only as effective as our volunteers. Please contact us. 1-516-SOS-GOVT Those with email can stay informed via our free, low-volume announcement service. See the website for details of LPNY_Announce at YahooGroups.com. State Convention Details SIGN UP NOW |
State Chair Resigns
Albert Dedicke steps down after seven months
Citing the need to concentrate on full-time schooling beginning in January, State Chair and Free New York Editor Albert Dedicke abruptly resigned both positions December 1, 2002. Dedicke, of Mt. Morris, Livingston County, became the volunteer newsletter editor in January 2002, and was elected State Chair at the convention in Rochester April 13, 2002.
Dedicke served as founder and chair of the Libertarian Party of Livingston County until it was merged with the LP of Monroe County 2002. He had not held a position on the State Committee before being elected State Chair.
In Manhattan, “Guns For Tots” Creates Media Frenzy, Political Firestorm
by Jim Lesczynski
It started out simply enough: a whimsical protest against an ill-advised amendment to New York City’s administrative code. Before it was over, it would spawn local, national and international media coverage, the condemnations of elected officials, and controversy within the Libertarian Party itself.
In response to a bill under consideration in the New York City Council that would make all toy guns illegal – even brightly colored water pistols – the Manhattan Libertarian Party announced “Guns for Tots,” a new “philanthropic” program that would put toy guns in the hands of the city’s youth while it was still legal. Current law already makes “realistic” toy guns illegal in NYC, but provides exceptions for those that are brightly colored or otherwise obviously not actual firearms.
The Manhattan LP issued a press release in January stating that it would collect toy guns from its members and other interested citizens. The press release stated that members of the local party would testify at a Consumer Affairs Committee hearing about the proposed legislation on February 6th. After the hearing, the Libertarians would head uptown to distribute the toy guns outside P.S. 72 in Harlem.
This bit of political street theater proved to be unprecedented in capturing the
attention of the media, not to mention the wrath of some politicians and
parents. A partial list of press coverage includes:
► CNN (a taped segment on “Wolf Blitzer Reports”, an in-studio
interview on “News Night With Aaron Brown”, mentions on
“Crossfire” and Headline News)
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“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” on Comedy Central, interviews on national and local talk radio, including “Rambling With Gambling”, the #1 morning show in the NYC market, and the nationally
syndicated Ken Hamblin Show
► Bylined op-eds by Manhattan LP members in The New York Sun and The Daily
News
► A debate between Manhattan LP spokesman Jim Lesczynski and City
Councilmember Phil Reed on “Inside City Hall” on NY1 cable news
► Reports on all 7 local television stations, all 5 local newspapers, and
an AP report in papers around the world.
To be sure, not all of the coverage was favorable. In particular, the local news dwelled on criticism from elected officials, the angry reaction of some parents at the school, and accusations of racism for holding the event in Harlem. Interestingly, the national media was much more favorable toward the Libertarian position. For example, the day after “Gun For Tots,” Walter Williams – guest-hosting the Rush Limbaugh Show – thanked the Manhattan Libertarian Party for giving away toy guns in Harlem.
The reviews were also mixed within the Libertarian Party itself. Queens Libertarian and former Senate candidate John Clifton said, “I just reviewed the coverage of the heroic Toy Gun Face-Off, and overall must give out MONSTER kudos... It was a prime, if imperfect, example of employing a ‘Don't Make Peace with, but Confront the State’ strategy.” Prominent Libertarians such as author L. Neil Smith sent their congratulations as well. On the other hand, former LPNY candidate for governor Scott Jeffrey condemned the Manhattan LP for the stunt and resigned his membership in protest.
Love it or hate it, the Guns For Tots protest clearly put the Manhattan Libertarian Party on the map in NYC politics and beyond.
New State Chair Elected
Do you know Jak?
LPNY Bylaws state that in the event of a vacancy in the position of state chair, the State Committee shall choose among the two Vice Chairs to elect a State Chair to serve until the next regular election.
Please congratulate Jak Karako of Manhattan who was elected as temporary State Chair on December 9, 2002. Mr. Karako not only found time in his busy career in the financial industry to help found the Manhattan LP, serve as its recurring chair, and run for public office several times, but he is also an experienced dance instructor with his own tango school. Only 36 years old, and originally from Turkey, he brings great energy and a unique viewpoint to the office.
Manhattan LP Elects New Leadership at Convention
by Jim Lesczynski
On January 11th, the Manhattan Libertarian Party held its annual convention. A crowd of over 50 Libertarians from Manhattan and even upstate New York dined, socialized, and listened to a slate of inspiring guest speakers, culminating with a keynote address by nationally syndicated columnist Vin Suprynowicz.
During the business portion of the convention, the members of the Manhattan chapter elected a new county committee to serve as the leadership team for 2003. For the first time since the chapter’s founding in 2000, Jak Karako is no longer chairman. Karako announced that he would not seek re-election so that he could focus on a serious campaign for City Council this year.
The following Libertarians were elected to the county committee:
In addition, Thomas Ruks was elected to serve as the chapter's representative to the LPNY state committee.
Former LPNY gubernatorial candidate Gary Greenberg kicked off the guest speakers’ portion of the agenda. Greenberg discussed his latest book, The Sins of King David. Next, former candidate for Lt. Governor Donald Silberger of the Huson Valley region presented a provocative analysis of the Libertarian Party of New York and its prospects for electoral and activist success. Gary Snyder capped off the afternoon session with a speech on behalf of the Free State Project, a plan for 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people to move to a single state of the U.S., where they would work within the political system to reduce the size and scope of government.
After a brief break and a sit-down dinner, Vin Suprynowicz gave the keynote speech. Suprynowicz is the assistant editorial page editor of the Las Vegas Review Journal, a nationally syndicated columnist, and the author of Send in the Waco Killers and The Ballad of Carl Drega. His specialty is telling terrible but true stories of the victims of big government, and he did not disappoint. By all accounts, the convention attendees were moved and inspired by Suprynowicz’s speech.
The evening concluded with a silent auction benefiting the Manhattan LP.
