Free Republic

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr says that when it comes to gay marriage, what happens in California is California’s own business. He’s a states’ rights man. Here’s the statement Barr’s issued, which — one week before the Libertarian national convention in Denver — is likely to generate some talk: “Regardless of whether one supports or opposes same sex marriage, the decision to recognize such unions or not ought to be a power each state exercises on its own, rather than imposition of a one-size-fits-all mandate by the federal government (as would be required by a Federal Marriage Amendment which has...

Could Bob Barr become this year's Ralph Nader, helping to "spoil" the White House ambitions of John McCain. The former Georgia Republican congressman announced he was seeking the Libertarian nomination for president this week, and immediately disputed that he is spoiling things for anyone. "The American voters deserve better than simply the lesser of two evils," he said as he outlined his platform to freeze discretionary spending and withdraw from Iraq. [Snip] Still, Republicans claim they aren't concerned by Mr. Barr's possible appearance on all those state ballots. But they should be. You can bet cable TV producers who are...

http://stream.streamaudio.com/wsb_am/051408_boortz_barr_1.asf http://stream.streamaudio.com/wsb_am/051408_boortz_barr_2.asf

A former University of Wisconsin-Madison lecturer who taught that the U.S. government was behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is running for Congress. Kevin Barrett says he will officially announce his challenge to Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind on Monday. Barrett says he will make the announcement before a Kind town hall meeting and then ask the congressman "some pointed questions." Barrett says he is running as a Libertarian and will be calling for an investigation into the terrorist attacks. He calls the official version of what happened a "load of hooey."Barrett is also urging voters to throw all Democrats...

After entering the House of Representatives in 1995, Georgia Republican Bob Barr acquired a reputation as one of the most conservative members of Congress. It was Barr who in 1996 wrote the Defense of Marriage Act, which said states didn't have to recognize gay marriages performed in other states; it was Barr who protested when he learned the military allowed soldiers to practice Wicca. A former federal prosecutor, a firm social conservative, and a strong supporter of the War on Drugs, Barr doesn't fit most people's image of a civil libertarian. But in his eight years in Congress (he failed...

Americans' civil liberties as established in the Bill of Rights are seriously in danger, says Bob Barr. So much so, he says, that it prompted the Smyrna resident and former member of Congress to consider a bid for president as a Libertarian. "There is one set of issues that ought to be discussed during a presidential campaign - the Bill of Rights, what are our liberties, what are our freedoms and how can we protect these liberties," Barr said in an interview Monday at his office for his consulting firm, Liberty Strategies, near the Cobb Galleria. "I'm interested in working...

Media Credit: Chris GiffordBob Barr, former congressman, was invited to speak at the College (of New Jersey) on the Second and Fourth Amendments. Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr spoke at the College last week regarding the Second Amendment and the importance of the Bill of Rights to the freedom of American citizens. Barr, who is currently seeking the Libertarian nomination for president, was brought by the College Republicans. "Any organization that believes in free debate ought to be commended and participated in by everyone," Barr said. "The point is not if you agree or disagree with the topic or the...

The link to the video is reproduced in post #2.

Compact and Feisty Bob Barr, 59, probably will seek and get the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, which convenes in Denver on Memorial Day weekend. Given the recent fund-raising prowess of a kindred spirit—Ron Paul's campaign for the Republican nomination siphoned up $35 million, mostly off the Internet—libertarians are feeling their oats. Come November, Barr conceivably could be to John McCain what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000—ruinous. Nader was a weak third-party candidate but was the most consequential in American history. He won only 2,882,955 popular votes nationwide (2.7 percent), but 97,488 of them were in...

Former Sen. Mike Gravel is leaving the Democratic Party – and his quixotic bid for its presidential nomination – for the Libertarian Party. “It is a party that combines a commitment to freedom and peace that can't be found in the two major parties that control the government and politics of America," Gravel said in a statement released late Tuesday by America’s largest third party. "My libertarian views, as well as my strong stance against war, the military industrial complex and American imperialism, seem not to be tolerated by Democratic Party elites who are out of touch with the average...

HARTFORD, Conn.—A federal judge has dismissed part of a challenge of Connecticut's new public financing law, but agreed to hear claims that the law is unfair to minor party and petitioning candidates. U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill said the plaintiffs did not prove that a part of the law concerning matching funds was unconstitutional. The plaintiffs include the state's Green and Libertarian parties and the Connecticut ACLU.

Third Party Watch reports that the Libertarian Party National Committee just unanimously passed a resolution, which reads, in part, "In the event that Republican primary voters select a candidate other than Congressman Paul in February of 2008, the Libertarian National Committee invites Congressman Paul to seek the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, to be decided in Denver, Colorado, during the Memorial Day weekend of 2008." Third Party Watch has an eyewitness reporter at this meeting, which has been going on this weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. The Paul resolution was authored by former Congressman Bob Barr.

It sometimes seems as if someone is playing a cruel practical joke on Ron Paul. He goes to a college and delivers the same speech he's given for the past 30 years of his political career, the one espousing the Austrian school of economics. Only now the audience is packed with hundreds of kids in RON PAUL REVOLUTION T shirts who go nuts — giving standing ovations when he drones on about getting rid of the Federal Reserve and returning to the gold standard. After a speech at Iowa State last month, when nearly half the crowd had to stand...

I saw Norman Podhoretz plumping his new book, “World War IV,” on CSPAN-2. ...Podhoretz contends World War III to be the Cold War and World War IV to be against what he calls “Islamofascism” — every contention of which is an absurdity. ... “Islamofascism” is a term I have attacked for years. Fascism was a political system located mainly in Europe in the 1920s-1940s. It is secular in nature; both Mussolini and Hitler, the primary fascists, were anti-religious and secular. So it’s silly to attach a religion to it, as in “Islamofascism.” Fascism also requires a first-class, large industrial base,...

When Americans evaluate today's political landscape, most feel something between impotence and disapproval. So, while citizens shake their heads or shrug at the mainstream media's “top tier” presidential candidates, it is extraordinary how many are becoming overjoyed about one lesser covered candidate. Tens-of-thousands have joined the appropriately named Ron Paul Revolution, joining Meetup.com groups, putting up signs, and crossing states to attend rallies. Congressman Ron Paul's genuine message and untarnished record of promoting individual liberty for everyone, a free-market economy of wealth and abundance, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free trade, has attracted vast support from diverse...

Libertarian suspected of felony menacing Paul Tiger accused of threatening road worker By Vanessa Miller Saturday, August 18, 2007 A Boulder County political activist and longtime Second Amendment advocate was in court Friday after being arrested on suspicion of threatening a road worker with a gun. Paul Tiger, 51, of Longmont, is accused of felony menacing with a deadly weapon. Police said he confronted a traffic-control flagger about 2:40 p.m. Aug. 11 near the intersection of South Sunset Street and Nelson Road because of road closures and detours near his business. He left the scene and returned with a handgun,...

GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul has been excluded from an upcoming political forum in Iowa on the grounds that he is not a "credible” candidate. The event, sponsored by Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance, is set for June 30 in Des Moines. GOP candidates who will speak at the forum include Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Tommy Thompson and Tom Tancredo. But Paul, a Texas congressman, was left out because the invitation went only to those candidates who are "credible,” said Ed Failor Jr., vice president of Iowans for Tax Relief. "To plan...

During the recent Republican debate, Congressman Ron Paul spoke the truth about U.S. Middle East policies and faced down attacks by hostile fellow presidential candidates. Ron Paul, a Republican congressman running for president, is saying what needs to be said about the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq war. Clearly, his rivals and the news media can't handle the truth. At the most recent Republican debate, Paul not only repeated his opposition to the illegal and unconstitutional war, but he also identified 50 years of U.S. intervention in the Middle East as "a major contributing factor" in al-Qaeda's attacks in 2001....

Libertarian, Constitution Party Leaders endorse Ron paul for President (2 Articles) Former LP Presidential Candidate Endorses Ron Paul For President Michael Badnarik, the 2004 Libertarian Party candidate for President of the United States, has endorsed Republican Congressman Ron Paul (Texas) for President.“My short term goal for the next two years is to make sure that Ron Paul is elected president in 2008,” Badnarik said Friday night at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, a pro-liberty conference hosted by the Free State Project.(…) In his Friday night keynote address, Badnarik, who is also a member of the Free State Project and plans...

A woman was charged with malicious castration for allegedly attacking a man during a Christmas party, police said. Rebecca Arnold Dawson, 34, is accused of grabbing the genitals of a 38-year-old man during a fight that erupted early Tuesday morning at a party hosted by the man's girlfriend. All three were heavily intoxicated, Lillington Police Chief Frank Powers said. "I believe he needed more than 50 stitches to repair the damage, but he is back home at this point," police Cpl. Brad Stevens said Friday. "All we can tell you is that the injury was done with her hands. There...

In a recent column, I discussed the disaffection of libertarians within the conservative coalition, suggesting that many might be more at home on the political left. A number of readers wrote to say that they agreed with my analysis and had left the Republican Party for the Libertarian Party. Among these is former Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, who officially joined the Libertarians last week. Of course, people are free to do what they want to do, and if they want to join the Libertarians, that's their business. But if their goal is to actually change policy in a...

A former Georgia congressman who helped spark President Clinton's impeachment has quit the Republican Party to become a Libertarian, saying he is disillusioned with the GOP on issues such as spending and privacy. Bob Barr, who served eight years as a Republican congressman before losing his seat in 2002, announced Friday that he is now a "proud, card-carrying Libertarian." And he encouraged others to join him. "It's something that's been bothering me for quite some time, the direction in which the party has been going more and more toward big government and disregard toward privacy and civil liberties," said Barr,...

The “Hardfire” community access television show presents Libertarian Party of New York State Chair Richard Cooper on the topic of eminent domain abuse in New York. “Hardfire” is a libertarian cable-TV political discussion program, produced in Brooklyn, NY, by Gary Popkin.

Phil Maymin, the Libertarian candidate in the Fourth Congressional District, doesn’t want voters to flush away their ballots this November, calling a vote for a Democrat or a Republican a “waste.” “If you’re unhappy with the course the country has been taking for the past 10 years, you have to realize that the Democrats and Republicans have made this mess,” he said at a meeting with reporters and editors from Hersam Acorn Newspapers Thursday, September 7. Mr. Maymin, a Greenwich hedge fund manager, is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Christopher Shays, and Diane Farrell, the Democratic challenger. Just added to...

Libertarian Party officials say the problems facing Republicans in former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's Texas district have created "the perfect storm" that could give their party its first victory in a congressional race. Libertarian candidate Bob Smither got a boost yesterday when he was endorsed by former Rep. Bob Barr, a conservative Georgia Republican. "In light of the less-than-conservative agenda that the Republicans in Congress have pursued, I'm delighted to support a Libertarian candidate, Bob Smither, who I think will most definitely stick to his small-government philosophy," Mr. Barr said yesterday in a telephone interview from his Atlanta law...

Reason Foundation    free minds and free markets July 7, 2006 The Portland Plank Massacre of 2006 What really happened at the Libertarian Party convention? Brian Doherty The view from the convention floor at the 2006 Libertarian Party National Convention this past weekend was calm, like the quiet downtown Portland, Oregon neighborhood where the convention was held. With only 303 voting delegates, it was also notably uncrowded; by most people's memories this was the smallest LP convention since the mid-1970s. Yet this off-year (i.e., non-presidential nominating) convention packed a dramatic surprise—a change characterized by some as an evisceration, by others as...

ALBANY -- The state's small Libertarian Party, abandoned by first choice Bill Weld, has backed a U.S. Navy submarine veteran for governor. The party chose John Clifton for its governor candidate and Donald Silberger, a professor, for lieutenant governor, said party spokesman Richard Cooper. Weld, a Republican candidate for governor, dropped the Libertarian line after he ended his Republican campaign earlier this month. Weld had lost a nominating vote at the state Republican convention to John Faso, now the party's designee for governor. Clifton is a Navy veteran and the party bills him as "a social worker against the welfare...

Desperate Dems are trying to change their stripes and get your vote. Don't believe them "Could you give me some reasons why libertarians might want to vote for you?" I could tell my question startled Connecticut Democrat Ned Lamont, who's running against Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), the war hawk and culture nanny par excellence. We were standing in Lamont's room at the Washington Hilton, the site of the Campaign for America's Future 2006 Take Back America conference. (Someone missed an opportunity for synergy by not booking the American Values suite.) As long as I was a hurdle for the candidate...

MIGRATORY retirees have lent more than a touch of gray to Florida, Arizona and Southern California. Next stop on the aging boomer bandwagon: Panama. AT HOME Honey Dodge, front right, and her husband, Larry, back left, who moved to Panama, welcome guests to their bed-and-breakfast. With low housing and living costs, a stable political environment, relatively safe streets and that tropical climate, people in their 50's and early 60's are flocking to the Central American nation, rather than working for a few more years to scrape together enough money for a condo on the Florida coast. SNIP "This is a...

It came as a jolt to learn that Harry Browne -- scholar, gentleman, apostle of freedom, and two-time Libertarian Party candidate for president -- had died on March 1 of Lou Gehrig’s disease. It came as an even greater jolt to discover that his last published words were apparently a criticism of . . . me. The final post on “Harry Browne’s Journal,” his online blog at HarryBrowne.org, was dated Dec. 19, 2005, and titled, wearily, “To this we’ve come.” It was about a column of mine arguing that Supreme Court nominees should be compelled to give substantive answers to...

CRIMINAL charges for accidentally shooting deer. Denied counsel & jury trial. Any help appreciated! www.criminalhunter.com scott ps- i reported the mistake myself. they took the deer and my hunting tag... what more do they want? i could have a criminal record for life! www.freestateproject.org

LISTEN, Libertarian! By Tim Condon October 9, 2005 Libertarians are such losers. I know, this is not a way to endear myself to them, even when my best friends are all libertarian or near-libertarian. But success is staring them in the face, and a significant proportion of them deploy massive brainpower and argument to make sure that nothing ever gets better. It's incredible. LISTEN, libertarian! It's over 30 years later, and we're still hearing endless platitudes that keep us from gaining political power in the service of individual freedom. "All we need to do is a better job at selling...

Schism in Orange County Libertarian Party over Anti-War Resolution Proposed Anti-War Resolution for adoption by California Libertarian Party Be it Further Resolved, that the Libertarian Party of California Executive Committee formally petitions that the National Libertarian Party remain constant and adamant in demanding that the United States government cease and desist in the most safely expedient manner possible from all foreign economic and military interventions, Iraq in particular, and correct its international policies so that it may at last begin to facilitate world peace through the naturally benevolent function of the Free Market. And be it resolved that upon passing...

It was reported in the Washington Post on Monday that the civil liberties board, whose main goal is to make sure individual rights are not trampled upon during our so-called "War on Terror," has yet to meet and is under-funded by the Bush administration. Created by Congress last year, the board consists of five members nominated by the president to act as an independent watchdog against potential abuses of the Patriot Act. President Bush took six months to appoint five members to the panel as reported in the Washington Post. In his proposed budget for fiscal year 2006, he allocated...

(Washington, D.C.) This morning, the world learned of multiple terrorist attacks that have killed dozens of men and women in London and wounded hundreds more. National Libertarian Party Executive Director Joe Seehusen issued the following statement: "Today is not a day for politics or posturing. Instead we should focus our thoughts and prayers on the victims and their families. As the people of the United Kingdom mourned our losses on September 11th, we do the same for them today. Our hearts go out both to those who have lost loved ones today and to all of the victims who remain."...

Playing to the demands of their Christian-right base, Republicans chose to abandon even the slightest notion that they support states' rights in the case of Terri Schiavo.

Capitalism is not economic anarchy. When properly defined, it recognizes several necessary conditions for the kinds of voluntary relationships it supports. One of these is the existence of inherent human rights, such as the right to make decisions, the right to be free, the right to hold property, and the right to exchange peacefully what one owns for something else. Capitalism also presupposes a system of morality. Under capitalism, there are definite limits, moral and otherwise, to the ways in which people can exchange. Capitalism should be viewed as a system of voluntary relationships within a framework of laws that...

With your help, we are standing up for the right to vote, and the right for votes to be counted. David Cobb of the Green Party and Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party have filed for a recount of the presidential ballots cast in Ohio, New Mexico, and Nevada, and have filed a lawsuit in Ohio to make sure there is sufficient time to recount every ballot. The initial Ohio recount filing fees and expenses were paid with the help of thousands of small donations from all over the country. We appreciate your support of the recount, and of a...

A federal judge on Tuesday denied a request by third-party presidential candidates who wanted to force a recount of Ohio ballots even before the official count was finished. U.S. District Judge James G. Carr in Toledo ruled that the candidates have a right under Ohio law to a recount, but they have not shown "that they will be harmed irreparably if the recount is not completed by the time Ohio's electors to the Electoral College must be certified." The judge said Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik could not credibly claim that they did...

PAT LaMARCHE, 2004 GREEN V.P. CANDIDATE, TO SPEAK ON THE OHIO RECOUNT AT RALLY NEAR WHITE HOUSE Rally organized by ReDefeatBush at LaFayette Park in Washington, D.C., Friday, November 19 at noon WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Pat LaMarche, the Green Party's 2004 vice presidential candidate, will speak at a rally in Washington, D.C. on November 19 about the Ohio recount effort launched by the Cobb/LaMarche and Badnarik campaigns. Ms. LaMarche will join Libertarian presidential candidate, Michael Badnarik, at a rally in front of the White House at LaFayette Park on Friday November 19 at noon. The rally has been organized by...

A statewide recount of the presidential vote appears inevitable after a pair of third-party candidates said they have collected enough money to pay for it. The recount would be conducted after the election results are certified in early December. Libertarian Michael Badnarik and the Green Party's David Cobb said on Monday they raised more than $150,000 in four days, mostly in small contributions. Ohio law requires payment of $10 per precinct for a recount, or $113,600 statewide. Badnarik and Cobb said they aren't trying to overturn President Bush's 136,000-vote victory in Ohio, but just want to ensure that all votes...

Presidential Candidates To Demand Ohio Recount Press Release David Cobb and Michael Badnarik, the 2004 Green and Libertarian presidential candidates, today announced their joint intent to secure a recount of presidential ballots cast in Ohio. "Due to widespread reports of irregularities in Ohio's voting process, we are compelled to demand a recount of the Ohio presidential vote," the two candidates said in a joint statement. "Voting is at the heart of the American political process and its integrity must be preserved. When Americans stand in line for hours to exercise their right to vote, they need to know that their...

Dear third-party voter, A tragedy is about to occur. I am not talking about the tragedy, the unthinkable calamity that will befall America should John Kerry be elected president of the United States. That a person with a history of actual treason should become commander in chief of America's armed forces during wartime is more bizarre and terrifying than any "Manchurian Candidate" scenario Hollywood could concoct. No, I'm referring to a different tragedy. The tragedy that idealistic, patriotic, constitutionally minded Christian Americans very possibly will be the ones that actually turn over this nation to Kerry – a man who...

http://badnarik.org/newsfromthetrail.php?p=1478 STRAYING FROM THE HERD: BARR THE CONTRARIAN SAYS HE’S GOING LIBERTARIAN October 22 by Tom Baxter and Jim Galloway Defeat alters a politician. Some become permanent reservoirs of anger. Others simply crumple in the face of wholesale rejection. Barr BadnarikBob Barr adapted. He became more interesting. Perhaps you saw last night’s airing of the Atlanta Press Club/WPBA-TV debate on the proposed amendment to ban same-sex unions. Barr was one of six panelists — and the only one to upset audience expectations. The man who nearly chased Bill Clinton out of the White House declared Georgia’s gay-marriage amendment to be...

http://badnarik.org/plans_civilliberties.php Civil Liberties The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends. As president, my goal will be to to reverse those trends and to restore, respect and enforce the Bill of Rights. In crafting the Bill of Rights, the framers were careful to acknowledge implicitly and explicitly two key truths: The first is that government does not grant rights it acknowledges them. They exist independently of government. They're part of who and what we are. And, as Jefferson noted in the Declaration of Independence, the only legitimate...

Will Wisconsin Be Red or Blue in 2004? Many conservatives are unhappy with Bush's massive spending and his attacks on civil liberties. While these unhappy conservatives are probably not prepared to switch their vote to Kerry, many, if asked properly, would seriously consider switching their vote to Libertarian Michael Badnarik. So by helping Badnarik get more visibility, you can hurt Bush chances of winning battleground states like Wisconsin! We will use 100% of your donations to run television and radio commercials (listed below) that specifically target conservative voters who might otherwise vote for Bush. We don't want Bush to win...

There are three candidates running for Congress in the 8th District in Tennessee. John Tanner (D), incumbent James L. Hart (R) Dennis Bertrand (R, write-in) I know that Hart and Tanner are not pro-life, but I do not know anything else about Bertrand.Questions Is Bertrand pro-life?Are there any other pro-life candidates running for this office?

Just as in 2000, a third-party candidate could tip the balance in this year's presidential contest. This time, however, the spoiler may not be Ralph Nader, but a man whose name most voters have never heard. The presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party, Michael Badnarik, is on the ballot in 48 states. Mr. Nader, by contrast, is certain to be on the ballot in only 35 states, though he may pick up a few more by Election Day. Democratic activists, many still fuming over Mr. Nader's perceived role in Vice President Gore's loss to President Bush four years ago, have...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers traumatised by battle with the Palestinians have a new, unconventional weapon to exorcise their nightmares -- marijuana. Under an experimental programme, Delta-9 tetrohydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant, will be administered to 15 soldiers over the next several months in an effort to fight post-traumatic stress disorder. Raphael Mechoulam of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, the chief researcher behind a project he described as a world-first, said the chemical could trick the brain into suppressing unwanted memories. For soldiers haunted by flashbacks of traumatic battle experiences, he said, the drug, administered in liquid...

Badnarik accepts award for third parties September 27, 2004 For Immediate Release Contact: Stephen P. Gordon Office: (512) 637-6867 communications@badnarik.org Orlando, FL - Hurricane Jeanne lashed Florida on Saturday, but the fourth major storm of the season didn’t keep the American Muslim Alliance from holding its ninth national convention – or Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik from addressing that convention. Badnarik accepted the AMA’s Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Malcolm X Award “on behalf of the Libertarian, Green and Independent parties.” Named for the civil rights activist and Muslim convert, assassinated in 1965, the award is inscribed: “For showing courage of conviction...