 | Youth Rights |
| Youth Rights |
Youth Rights
Libertarians believe that everyone has inalienable rights, including people under the age of majority. Parents have a responsibility to care for and protect their children, but children are not chattel (property).
September, 2005 We're updating our list of college contacts for the new school year, and updating our site with the latest news from each school. If you're in school and not in touch with us yet, please let us know what you're doing! We can help you find speakers for a class or another event, and get materials to do an 'Operation Politically Homeless' on your campus.
July, 2005 The National Youth Rights Association is starting to form NY chapers in Albany, Rochester, New York City and Long Island. The Albany chapter is having their first meeting July 7, to talk about the Crossgates Mall Curfew going into effect on July 15. This NYRA forum thread is where you can find more information on the Albany activities.
June, 2005 Lowering the voting age in NYC?
At sweet 16, they want to get in a voting machine. City Councilwoman
Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) agrees, and intends to launch an uphill
crusade to lower the voting age in New York City. "Sixteen-year-olds are
mentally and emotionally capable of voting and are eager to do so,
unlike many of their elders," Brewer said in a letter to her Council
colleagues advising them that she would introduce a bill today to lower
the voting age from 18 to 16 for municipal elections. Brewer's bill is
being spurred by a group called Future Voters of America, which has
chapters in about a dozen high schools throughout the city. "They don't
feel they have any control over their lives ... in their schools or in
their communities," their adult adviser, Francine Baras, said.
Story from the from the NY Daily News.
If you have any questions, or want to help,
please email votingage@youthrights.org
Lower the drinking age back to 18! The former president of Middlebury College, in Vermont, speaks out in the New York Times (Sept 13, 2004), now that he can. (free registration is required to view NY Times articles) Fall 2005 update: The Libertarian Party of NY is starting a 'Lower the Drinking Age' campaign for 2005-2006. See that page for 'talking points' and printable postcards to sign to send off to our legislators.
How is PIRG funded? -- a fascinating report on the automatic additions to your tuition bill to benefit Ralph Nader's groups.
Late Summer, 2004 Another curfew proposal defeated! Wisconsin's Mequon Common Council rejected a youth curfew proposal recently.
Campaign Season, 2004 Beginning in January, a group known as "Declare Yourself" will begin a nationwide voter registration effort targeting people between the ages of 18 and 29. It has launched a Web site, http://www.declareyourself.org/, designed to be a one-stop destination for any information and forms needed to register to vote anywhere in the country. In the last 50 days before the November general election, the group will begin a media blitz in a major get-out-the-vote effort. Remember that you can now enroll as a Libertarian in NY State! Story from the Daily Pennsylvanian
Older News...
3/28/00: Peacefire.org, a "people for young people's freedom of speech" organization, has researched and written extensively about CyberPatrol, free speech, and why kids shouldn't be subjected to censorware. Today, Mattel claimed a victory in 'owning' the cphack licenses, but the cphack software had already been released under GPL, the gnu public license that guarantees unlimited distribution. See Declan McCullagh's article, Mattel Ruling Confuses Hackers.
2/4/00: Mandatory drug tests One Texas student and his family are resisting this invasion into their privacy. See the CNN story about Brady Tannahill, who faces 21-day suspension from Lockney Independent School District if he continues to refuse the drug test.
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