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Petition Challenge Could Leave Libertarians Without Candidate For Ohio Governor

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By Jim Heath Friday February 28, 2014 5:13 PM UPDATED: Friday February 28, 2014 5:54 PM COLUMBUS, Ohio -

The petitions of Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Charlie Earl and his running mate Sherry Clark are being challenged in two separate protests. The results of a pending hearing Tuesday could have a big impact on the race for governor between Republican governor John Kasich and his likely Democratic opponent Ed FitzGerald.

One lawsuit by Gregory A. Felsoci, from Rocky River, contends that Earl's petitions were "filed on part-petitions that are invalid as a matter of law."

The lawsuit states that once Husted excludes the petitions, Earl will lack the required 500 valid signatures from members of the Libertarian Party to qualify for the ballot.

The lawsuit also contends that some of the petition circulators did not disclose they were paid, and that one circulator generated nearly 45 percent of Earl's total signatures but their "credibility is open to question.

A second lawsuit filed by Tyler King of Columbus accuses the Ohio Democratic Party of organizing efforts to obtain the signatures necessary to assure that the Libertarian candidates were certified to the ballot.

King charges that Libertarian petition circulators were supervised, managed or otherwise organized by James Winnett, the LGBT Outreach Director of the Ohio Democratic Party, and Ian James, a long-time and well-respected leader of the Democratic Party in Ohio.

"The two key, serious legal allegations are whether Ian James and the Democratic Party were involved with a registered sex offender to get these signatures to put Charlie on the ballot," said Republican strategist Terry Casey. "The other is if the laws of Ohio were fully and faithfully followed by the Libertarian Party."

Ohio Democratic strategists have told 10TV that they believe Earl could capture up to 5 percent of the statewide vote this November, much of it coming from Kasich.

Kasich opponents dismiss the lawsuits, claiming it is just an effort to eliminate challengers on the ballot.

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Petition Challenge Could Leave Libertarians Without Candidate For Ohio Governor

Libertarian Peter Schiff Is Literally Too Stupid to Understand What Demand Is – Video

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Libertarian Peter Schiff Is Literally Too Stupid to Understand What Demand Is
The definition of "demand": http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/demand?s=t path=/ http://www.economist.com/economics-a-to-z/d#node-21529654 The various th...

By: Debunkosaurus Rex

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Libertarian Peter Schiff Is Literally Too Stupid to Understand What Demand Is - Video

Ken Krawchuk (K’14 #012) accepting the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party’s Gubernatorial Nomination – Video

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Ken Krawchuk (K #39;14 #012) accepting the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party #39;s Gubernatorial Nomination
http://www.KenK.org - Ken Krawchuk accepting the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party #39;s Gubernatorial Nomination in 2014.

By: Ken Krawchuk

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Ken Krawchuk (K'14 #012) accepting the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party's Gubernatorial Nomination - Video

JIM RYAN: If you're a Libertarian, skip the primaries

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SAN ANGELO, Texas I have voted in every election since I was old enough. I have served as precinct election judge for 20 some years. Now what I am suggesting may seem contrary, but do not vote in this primary! I wont.

It is not I dont care. Bear with me here. I finally became sufficiently disgusted with the Republican Party I took off to the Libertarians. When you register to vote in Texas, you do not register by party. You only affiliate by the act of selecting the ballot of a party.

If one votes in the primary, one effectively has affiliated for the next two years. I will not be voting so that I can be part of the Libertarian Convention process.

Unlike the major parties, Libertarians nominate by convention. Were I to vote in the primary, I would be ineligible to participate in that convention. In that I am treasurer/secretary of the local Libertarian Party and a member of its state rules committee, that would be embarrassing.

If you find todays fighting over the scraps politics distasteful, and polling shows many of us do, consider the Libertarian alternative.

Many people I talk with tell me, Yes I like the ideas, but you cant win. I am realist enough to know this. We Libertarians are not going to sweep into Congress this election, or the next, but it has to start somewhere.

I remember when the Texas primary was effectively the election, and whoever won the Democratic Primary was assured election. That ended with Queen Ann, the Democrats last gasp; Lord a mercy she was a speaker Id put her up against William Jennings Bryan, but I digress. Not a bad governor, by the way.

Republicans? Who cared, they didnt matter.

I did not leave the Republican Party lightly. I had some clout there, enough that major players spoke to me with respect. It was not an easy decision, and I knew I was starting a long trail on untested ground. I will tell you this, I sleep better. I am supporting something I actually believe.

The Libertarian precinct conventions will be at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 at Hildalgos Cafe on Sherwood Way. I can pretty much promise that anyone attending will become a delegate to our county convention, also at Hildalgos, at 7:30 p.m. on March 15. Pretty short step from there to the state convention in Temple, where the fun starts.

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JIM RYAN: If you're a Libertarian, skip the primaries

Fall of Bitcoin Exposes Techno-Libertarian Folly

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Bitcoin is a digital currency, or "crypto-currency," that exists solely on the Internet. There's a cap on the total number of Bitcoins that can be made, and its value is determined by a series of very complex algorithms.

Bitcoins origins are murky. Some speculate it was created in response to the 2008 recession, promising anonymity and escape from regulation, monetary policy and central banking authorities. These promises made it particularly alluring to Silicon Valley libertarians - as well as drug dealers, Ponzi schemers, and other unscrupulous types.

The virtual currency is stored on individual users computers and devices or on online repositories, in digital wallets, and like cash, can be transferred directly to other users, bypassing banks, brokers and - most importantly to the libertarian crowd - regulators. Users can trade regular currency, like US dollars, for bitcoins on digital exchanges. Each transaction is checked against a public ledger of all bitcoins ever made - or mined - to ensure users arent trading bitcoins they dont actually have.

If this sounds complicated, it is. Bitcoins machinations are incredibly complex and arcane, even to those in tech and finance circles. And critics have long pointed out critical vulnerabilities: astronomically high volatility, the ability of big holders to game the currency, and a complete lack of recourse for those whose bitcoins are compromised.

Still, Bitcoin evangelists touted it as a revolutionary concept that promised to change ("disrupt") the way we approach money. And until recently, it appeared likely, gaining support from prominent investors and technorati, including Facebooks famous Winklevoss Twins, despite skeptics concerns. Its peak value was once $1,200 per Bitcoin.

Things Fall Apart But then, over the past several months, cracks started appearing. In October 2013, the FBI seized Silk Road, an online marketplace for drugs, weapons and other contraband that conducted all its transactions with bitcoins, and indicted its owner, Ross Ulbricht, on narcotics trafficking and money laundering charges. They also seized 29,655 bitcoins, worth over $28 million, from Silk Roads servers. Bitcoins promise of anonymity turned out to be an illusion.

Then, in December, the Chinese government banned third parties and financial institutions from dealing in bitcoin. The following month, the Justice Department indicted Charlie Shrem, who founded Bitcoin startup BitInstant, on money laundering charges. After a surge in popularity and increasing mainstream acceptance, these setbacks indicated that Bitcoins promise of escaping regulators was little more than a pipe dream.

Finally, on February 25th, 2014, the most high-profile and devastating setback occurred, threatening to possibly sink the digital currency. Mt. Gox, the worlds largest bitcoin exchange, suddenly went offline. There were already indications that something was afoot at Mt. Gox, which earlier this month froze all bitcoin withdrawals. While there are several bitcoin exchanges still operating, Mt. Gox was the largest, holding bitcoin deposits worth over $300 million, money that is - for all intents and purposes - as good as gone.

Adding insult to injury, a prominent bitcoin blogger posted a document, allegedly from Mt. Gox, which posited that the online exchange was insolvent, and suggested strategies to contain the fallout, one of which was blacking out the website.

While the document is unverified, its implications - of gross mismanagement at best, and a flat-out Ponzi scheme at worst - were severe enough for the blogger to sell all his bitcoin holdings and publicly admit that the party may very well be over. Sure enough, Bitcoin was trading at less than $500 as of the time of writing, an almost 60 percent drop from its peak value.

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Fall of Bitcoin Exposes Techno-Libertarian Folly

Why 'Ghostbusters' is the most libertarian Hollywood blockbuster of all time

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Shown in this scene from the 1984 movie "Ghostbusters" are Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, center, and...

After learning the sad news that comedy actor and filmmaker Harold Ramis had died, I remarked on Twitter that the 1984 classic "Ghostbusters" (which he co-wrote and co-starred in) was the most libertarian Hollywood blockbuster ever made. I assumed that this was perfectly clear to everybody and that I was making a non-controversial claim -- even asserting the banal conventional wisdom -- but a number of people evidently didn't see where I was coming from.

To me, it's quite obvious. In "Ghostbusters," paranormal activity is becoming a growing problem in New York City. Government doesn't do anything to stop the problem, so private entrepreneurs set up a small business that successfully captures and stores ghosts for a fee.

But then, the villain -- a regulator from the Environmental Protection Agency -- decides to interfere with the private business by cutting off their power, thereby releasing all of the captured ghosts. Here is the clip. The EPA agent orders the shut down of the ghost containment unit over the protests of Ramis' character, Dr. Egon Spengler, who says: "Excuse me, this is private property!"

The movie's heroes are taken into police custody after the release of the ghosts. Once the assault by the ghosts causes apocalyptic chaos in New York City and the government is completely helpless in solving the problem, the mayor releases the small-business owners who once again save the day.

How many Hollywood blockbusters involve private businesses as the heroes and government regulators as the villains?

Not to mention the fact that the film is also peppered with lines like this: "I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities. We didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college. You don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector. They expect results."

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Why 'Ghostbusters' is the most libertarian Hollywood blockbuster of all time

Hawaii Political Reporter 02/25/14 Unite and Conquer NWO Libertarian State of the Union – Video

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Hawaii Political Reporter 02/25/14 Unite and Conquer NWO Libertarian State of the Union
Unite and Conquer - Ways to throw the New World Order off, Libertarian State of the Unioin 2014: Obamacare, United We Stand Festival, Ron Paul on U.S. Congre...

By: KHPRdotNet

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Hawaii Political Reporter 02/25/14 Unite and Conquer NWO Libertarian State of the Union - Video

Seven candidates qualify for District 19 special election

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UPDATE:

The ballot is set, now comes the race to June 24.

Seven candidates four Republicans, one Democrat, a member of the Libertarian Party of Florida and one write-in candidate have qualified for the congressional District 19 special election. The qualifying period ended at noon Wednesday.

Gov. Rick Scott set the dates for the special election in January, just days after former Rep. Trey Radel resigned from office. The 37-year-old Fort Myers Republicans resignation came two months after he pleaded guilty to a possession of cocaine charge.

The special primary election is April 22; the general election is June 24.

State records show these candidates qualified to be on the ballot:

Lizbeth Benacquisto, a Fort Myers Republican

Curt Clawson, a Bonita Springs Republican

April Freeman, a Cape Coral Democrat

Ray Netherwood, a Libertarian Party of Florida candidate from Marco Island

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Seven candidates qualify for District 19 special election

Qld's bikie laws take aim at paedophiles

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The Queensland government is trying to win public support for its controversial anti-bikies legislation by using it to target paedophiles, a civil libertarian says.

Queensland Council for Civil Liberties vice-president Terry O'Gorman has accused Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie of targeting pedophiles to make the unpopular Vicious Lawless Disestablishment Act (VLAD) laws seem more favourable.

His comments come after Mr Bleijie said he had received 'frightening' information from Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) boss Ken Levy about paedophile rings.

Mr O'Gorman said the decision to target paedophiles with the legislation, which targets criminal groups in general, was timely given the ruling Liberal National Party (LNP) suffered a 16 per cent swing against it during the weekend's Redcliffe by-election.

'If the bogey man of the bikie won't sell the laws for the state government, apply the sure-fire strategy of a new PR spin that the laws will apply to paedophiles,' Mr O'Gorman said.

'This is the government's new PR line in the anti-bikie law controversy.'

Mr O'Gorman said Mr Bleijie needed to publicly reveal what information he had about paedophile rings so Queenslanders could determine whether VLAD laws were relevant.

Why are we now hearing for the first time in the four months the anti-bikie laws have been in operation that they are aimed at paedophiles as well? Mr O'Gorman said.

Comment from Mr Bleijie has been sought.

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Qld's bikie laws take aim at paedophiles

'Libertarian paranoia' is the newest fad in politics

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Recently, politicians and others have expressed concern over so-called "paranoid libertarians"...

Look out: The libertarians are coming! The libertarians are coming! Never before have so many been so intimidated by so few, with so little political power.

Salon.com offers near-daily warnings about the libertarian threat:

It's corrupting progressivism: Don't ally with libertarians: Ideologues co-opt an anti-NSA rally.

It's even infecting your iPhone apps: The Secret Libertarianism of Uber and Airbnb.

Beware of Libertarians Bearing Gifts, the Center for American Progress admonishes: a bipartisan move against the NSA could kill the New Deal.

Anti-libertarian paranoia plagues our elected officials too: the anarchists have taken over, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., wails. This strain of libertarianism ... is a very dangerous thought," New Jersey Governor Chris Christie warned last summer in the wake of Edward Snowden's exposure of National Security Agency spying: I want [these critics] to come to New Jersey and sit across from the widows and the orphans (Pro tip: don't take the George Washington Bridge).

Im very nervous about the direction this is moving in, the governor added.

Recently, three prestigious academics have argued that you should be especially nervous about Paranoid Libertarians. Distinguished historian Sean Wilentz coined the term last month in a New Republic hit piece on Snowden and journalist Glenn Greenwald. These NSA critics despise the liberal state and want to wound it, he charged.

Picking up Wilentz's term, Harvard law professor and former Obama administration regulatory czar Cass Sunstein offered tips on How to Spot a Paranoid Libertarian. And, writing at Slate, the University of Chicago's Eric Posner warned that libertarian paranoia kills: in fact, the fear of government is far more serious than the fear of flying.

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'Libertarian paranoia' is the newest fad in politics

Political filing season opens; Elvis is in the building

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Election filing begins at noon today, with state office candidates filing at the Capitol, and local candidates going to county courthouses.

The secretary of state's office will be posting candidates on-line at this link.

Filing runs through noon March 3. Politicking is well underway, with a sum exceeding $1 million already spent in the U.S. Senate and governor's races.

Green and Libertarian Parties have qualified for the state ballot and are choosing candidates by convention. The Libertarian Party announced a slate, down to Pulaski County JP, over the weekend. It follows. It includes a famous name, Elvis Presley, for Arkansas land commissioner, which guarantees an opponent for incumbent Republican John Thurman. No Democrat has yet indicated an interest in running.

LIBERTARIAN NEWS RELEASE

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas nominated 26 candidates, the largest number in its history, for the 2014 election ballot at its state convention, held this weekend in Little Rock.

Heading the state Libertarian ticket is Frank Gilbert, running for Governor of Arkansas. Gilbert currently serves as constable of Dekalb Township in Grant County, attending to the rural areas of northwest Grant County. Gilbert also served as mayor of Tull, Arkansas, for eight years, coroner of Grant County for two years, and is a former president of the Bauxite Education Association.

"I am excited by the opportunity, as the Libertarian Party's nominee for Governor, to carry the message that free men and women have an absolute right to conduct their lives in any way they choose, so long as they don't infringe on the equal rights of others," Gilbert said, "as well as our absolute responsibility to bear the result of our actions. The Libertarian Party is the only political entity that has that message for the voters of Arkansas. I believe it will be a refreshing change from the politics-as-usual of the old parties. I intend to campaign vigorously throughout the state."

If the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor receives at least 3% of the vote, the party will be automatically certified to run candidates in the next election cycle, without having to petition for a spot on the ballot.

Libertarian candidates nominated for other statewide races are Nathan LaFrance, U.S. Senate; Christopher Olson, Lt. Governor; Jacob Holloway, Secretary of State; Brian Leach, Auditor; Chris Hayes, Treasurer; and Elvis D. Presley, Land Commissioner.

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Political filing season opens; Elvis is in the building


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