News
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- Written by: Mark Hinkle
- Category: Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2011
Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
E-mail:
Phone: 202-333-0008 ext. 222
Libertarians to Bernanke: You're wrong
WASHINGTON - Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:
"Associated Press reports today that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is telling Congress they must not cut federal spending sharply. Chairman Bernanke, you're wrong.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Police Accountability Project
As a result of a request from the NJ Libertarian Party Police Accountability Project, the following has been published in the New Jersey Register:
NEW JERSEY REGISTER
Copyright © 2011 by the New Jersey Office of Administrative LawVOLUME 43, ISSUE 18
ISSUE DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
PUBLIC NOTICES
LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
43 N.J.R. 2535(a)Notice of Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
At the May 10, 2011 Runnemede (Camden County) Board of Education executive session, Board Attorney Philip E. Stern, Esq. said that he would contact me and another citizen "requesting that [we] cease and desist [filing OPRA requests] under possible charges of harassment." The minutes of the closed meeting, which I learned about just today, were available on the Board's site as well as here.
According to the minutes, I and two other citizens were filing Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests "in an effort to find some information to support [a] suspicion . . . that some fraud or unethical events occurred." Board attorney Phillip Stern opined that "the volume and nature [of the OPRA requests] has been expanding and interferes with the ability to administer the district."
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
In October 2010, Freehold Borough contracted with Jersey Professional Management to prepare a report on the operation of the Freehold Police Department. The report was released to the Borough in June.
Many Open Public Records Requests have been submitted for this report by several organizations. All have been denied with the excuse that the document constitutes "a management and personnel document, which contains strategies and policies regarding public safety and crime prevention. Thus, Freehold Borough is not obligated to release it to the public.”
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- Written by: Wes Benedict
- Category: Press Releases
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Friday, September 16, 2011
WASHINGTON - In honor of Constitution Day, Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict released the following statement today:
"Tomorrow, September 17, is Constitution Day: the anniversary of the agreement on the U.S. Constitution by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.
"When I think about that anniversary, I am saddened by how far we have strayed from our original respect for the Constitution. But I am hopeful for the future.
"The value of a constitution is that it binds government and prevents pure majority rule. Without it, government tends to grow without bounds as political majorities find ways to constrain and take money from political minorities.
"Fortunately, the American Founders were well aware of this problem. They created a Constitution to limit the federal government's powers to just a few narrow functions.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Open Government Advocacy Project
On September 13, 2011, Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton sent a memorandum to every municipality in the county "strongly urging" them to "adopt an e-mail policy" for local government officials "in order to uphold the high levels of transparency contemplated by the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA)." The memorandum and the involvement of the New Jersey Libertarian Party Open Advocacy Project has been covered by nj.com.
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- Written by: Julian Heicklen
- Category: Latest News
Free! Free! Free at last! I am free at last!
I was arrested on August 22, 2011, for violating 2 court orders by passing out pamphlets at the Orange County (Orlando, FL) Courthouse. I was brought before Chief Judge Belvin Perry where I was charged with indirect criminal contempt. I exercised my 5th Amendment right to remain silent. Judge Perry plead not guilty on my behalf, appointed me counsel to represent myself, but set no bond amount. I spent the next 3 weeks in the Orange County jail.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
News from Mark Schmidter:
Adam Sudbury (Julian and My lawyer) : Julian is to be released today on $12,000. Bond! Perry almost did not let him out?? No big news media, Perry may not like it??? I will pick up Julian jail tonight. It took me 12 hours to get out? Sudbury will call Julians wife she will credit card the money, I will secure with my house. Yours in freedom. Mark Schmidter
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
A Beijing court has sentenced an activist to 9 months in jail for protesting at a court house. Wang Lihong was protesting the arrest and trials of bloggers who were arrested for libel. Her arrest and sentencing has been widely criticized as an crackdown on dissent by human rights activists.
Miss Lihong's treatment mirrors the treatment of activists in the Orlando area. A crackdown on dissent by Judge Belvin Perry has resulted in the arrest and sentencing of two juror rights and free speech activists. Julian Heicklen and Mark Schmidter have both been sentenced by Judge Perry to approximately five months in jail.
Hopefully the cases against Julian Heicklen and Mark Schmidter will be thrown out on appeal, however it is unlikely that either the Beijing injustice system or Judge Perry will ever be held accountable for their crimes.
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- Written by: William F. (Bill) Sihr IV
- Category: Letters to Editor
Dear NJLP Friends,
I have reached out many times asking for assistance and help, and until now I believed that the only rewards available were glorification and knowledge that you aided in an important cause, liberty. Well today I address you all with some information I came across. It appears that besides the chance to help the liberty movement and your fellow NJLP members, it appears you can obtain tangible rewards. That’s right, you can win prizes.
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- Written by: Carl Person
- Category: Candidates and Elections
By Carl Person, Candidate for Presidential Nomination of Libertarian Party
New York, NY, September 8, 2011. Carl Person, who is seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination for President, viewed the Republican Presidential Debate held on September 7th at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and states that “the candidates offered no new insight or specifics into creating new jobs for the nation’s unemployed.”
Person went on to say that “Three main candidates (Governors Romney, Perry and Huntsman) gave statistics on new job creation during their period as Governor as claimed proof of their ability to create jobs, without explaining what actions they took as Governor which resulted in the alleged new jobs.”
“Many of the 8 candidates,” according to Person, “wanted a reduction in regulation without stating what specific regulations they would terminate. Also, many of the candidates wanted a reduction in taxes. Some of the candidates recognized that small business was over-regulated, without stating in what specific respects.
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- Written by: Alex Pugliese
- Category: Selected Blogs
While Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states that “…no religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States,” throughout history, there have been those elements in society that have attempted, and sometimes succeeded, in applying that which the Constitution strictly forbids.
In the presidential election of 1800, those elements applied the religious test to Thomas Jefferson in his contest with Aaron Burr solely because Jefferson was a Deist. In 1928, the test was applied to Al Smith because he was a Catholic. In 1960, the test was applied to John Fitzgerald Kennedy because he was also a Catholic. In 2011, these elements, in which a majority of them can be found in the mainstream press, are applying the test to Republican candidates Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Latest News
UPDATE: Julian has been sentenced to 145 days. He wishes to hire a lawyer to appeal his conviction. See Julian's webpage for more information. Other places that are covering Julian's saga include George Donnelly's site and the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund page. A fundraising effort has been started. If this money is not used for his defense all donations will be returned to the donors.
NJ Libertarian Candidate for NJ Assembly (district 37) and longtime freedom activist Julian Heicklen has been arrested in Florida for defying Judge Perry's Administrative Order banning pamphleting in or around the Orange or Osceola court houses. The below video has been provided by Orlando Cop Watch.
Judge Perry's unlawful order has been written about previously on this website.
Recently Libertarian activist Mark Schmidter was sentenced to 151 days for the same offense.
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- Written by: Webmaster
- Category: Police Accountability Project
I was contacted about this incident by one of the brothers and I passed the information on to CopBlock.org. Ademo made this video. The NJ Libertarian Party Police Accountability Project is investigating this further.
Previously Seaside Heights settled a suit for a similar arrest.
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- Written by: John Paff
- Category: Latest News
I did a half-hour program regarding the NJLP projects on a program called "Mike and the Coach" that appeared on Bayonne's public access channel.
Part 1
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Latest News
Youth volunteers are being sought to sit on a panel that meets with and judges youth offenders. Youth libertarians need to consider volunteering for this. As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to dismiss victimless crimes and help society. See article about it here.
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- Written by: Jay Edgar
- Category: Policy News
At our summer General Meeting the members present the NJLP voted to officially support Assembly Bill A4252. This bill decriminalizes the possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana. This bi-partisan bill was sponsored by Reed Gusciora (D) and Michael Carroll (R). As of this date 15 co-sponsors have signed onto the bill.
This bill is not perfect. The limit of 15 grams (approximately 1/2 ounce) is too low and "offenders" will still face $150 fine. It is a huge improvement to the current law. Offenders today face a criminal conviction with up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.