Document:LP News 1973 May-June Issue 14
MacBride, Nathan and Rothbard scheduled to speak in Cleveland.
An all-star lineup of libertarians, headed by Roger MacBride, Tonie Nathan, and Murray Rothbard, is scheduled to address the 200+ people who will be attending the 1973 LP Convention in Cleveland, June 8-10. MacBride, Nathan and Rothbard will be the featured speakers at a buffet dinner on the evening of Friday the 8th, according to present plans; other speakers who will address the convention include most of the best-known names in the libertarian movement. The convention will officially get under way at 1:00 pm on Friday, but early arrivals will be able to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) at an informal party Thursday night.
The Friday afternoon session will be the first of four political action training sessions; it will deal with Use of Issues To Gain Public Support for Libertarianism. Scheduled panelists for this session include Ed Clark, Willis Stone and Andrea Millen.
Following this session, there will be a Press Reception for "VIPs" -- at which members of the press will get a chance to talk to Roger MacBride, Tonie Nathan, Murray Rothbard, and National LP Chairman Susan Nolan.
The Reception will be followed by the afore mentioned Buffet Dinner, at which MacBride, Nathan and Rothbard will each speak briefly.
Saturday will start off with a Buffet Break fast from 7:30 to 9:00 am. Then, at 9:00, the second political action training session will convene. This session will deal with Effective Use of Media, and scheduled panelists include Tonie Nathan, Karl Bray, Don Ernsberger and Bill Westmiller.
After a break for lunch, the convention will resume Saturday afternoon with a ·session on Fund-Raising, running from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Scheduled panelists include Wain Dawson, [[Ed Crane, David Walter and Bob Meier.
At 3:00, the fourth and final political action training session will commence. This will be an "open exchange" session on the topic of building a state or local LP organization, with those who want to start an LP group but don't know how asking questions of those who have done so successfully.
And to wrap things up, on Saturday night there will be a poolside luau, where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves. Sunday will be taken up with a National LP ExecComm meeting, which anyone who wishes may attend as an observer.
All the above-described events will take place at the Holiday Inn of Strongsville, which is about 15 minutes from the Cleyeland Airport.
Room rates at the Holiday Inn are $16 for a single, $20 for a double, and $3 per head extra for occupancy by more than two persons.
Convention Registration Fee, as reported in the last LP NEWS is $10 for party members and $12 for others. This Fee includes all convention paraphernalia, and use of the convention facilities, but does not include any of the social events.
Anyone who wishes to attend the Buffet Breakfast, Buffet Dinner and speeches, and Poolside Luau must purchase a $25 11 Party Ticket II from the Ohio LP. These tickets, which will be sold on an all-or-nothing basis, must·be ordered by June 3rd.
For this reason, and to assure accommodations at the Holiday Inn, we strongly urge all LP members to send in their Convention Registration to LP National immediately. If you wish to purchase a "Party Ticket" as well, let us know when you send in your registration, or order directly from Ohio LP (204 Solon Road #6, Bedford OH 44146).
This need not be paid for until you arrive in Cleveland, and may be charged on a Master Charge card, if you wish. Convention Registration Fees may not be charged.
The 1973 LPCon is shaping up to be the big libertarian event of the year. Don't miss it!
LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES SCORE WELL IN LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ILLINOIS, COLO, & OKLA
Libertarian candidates in Illinois, Colorado and Oklahoma pulled percentages ranging from 10% to over 40% in city elections in March and April.
In Illinois, Ralph Hoekstra garnered over '800 votes out of about 5,000 cast in a race for 10th ward alderman in Rockford.
In Colorado Springs, four LP members ran for city council. Of the four, Reba Cross came the closest to winning, with better· than 40% of the vote in a two-way race; the other three candidates, Eric Westling, Ann Wiley and Bob Wason all got between 10% and 15% of the vote in their races. Wason finished 3rd in a four-way race, Westling third out of three, and Wiley 4th out of a field of ten who were going for two at large seats.
In Norman, Oklahoma, LP member Steven Brown got 1,444 votes (compared to the victor's 4,185) in a try for a City Council seat; he did better than any other "student" candidate.
SPOTLIGHT ON STATE PARTIES
ALASKA LP Chairman Grant C. LaPoint ran a "token" write-in campaign for the Congressional seat left vacant by the death of Nick Begich. Despite having only a few dollars to spend, and entering the race only two weeks before the election date, Grant received almost 100 votes. More important, he received fairly extensive media coverage, and generated a number of inquiries from people interested in joining the Alaska LP. The party has had over 20 radio/TV appearances to date, as well as substantial newspaper coverage.
HAWAII LP took an active role in the April 14 Tax Protest activities that were jointly conducted by libertarian organizations all over the country; their demonstration in front of the Governor's Mansion received substantial media coverage, and the HLP-ers distributed over 1,000 leaflets containing key facts about taxation. Petitions urging adoption of the Liberty Amendment were also circulated. HAWAII LP Chairman Don Smith regularly delivers libertarian editorials on radio station KPOI. State LP membership is approaching 50.
ILLINOIS LP sponsored a Gold Investment Seminar on April 1. Over 200 people turned out (paying $10 apiece) to hear Donald Hoppe and Walter Perschke tell how to benefit from investment in precious metals. The Seminar netted the Illinois Party both a good financial profit and a number of valuable new contacts in the business community.
KENTUCKY LP, now ten hardy souls, held its first convention on April 28. Virtually every Kentucky member plans to attend the national convention in Cleveland.
LOUISIANA LP now has groups functioning in Baton Rouge and Lafayette; membership is nov 20-plus, and growing steadily, making Louisiana the most developed state in the Deep South. The party is working closely with the National Committee to Legalize Gold, and has located a valuable ally in State Rep. Woody Jenkins.
MASSACHUSETTS LP, with 65 members, has elected Richard Kenney as its new Chairman. Steven Trinward replied to an editorial urging public housing on TV; his reply was broadcast four times. The LP's presentation of a paper urging legalization of marijuana at a legislative hearing was well received, former Bay State Chairman Paul Siegler reports.
MINNESOTA LP sponsored a lecture by tax rebel Jerome Daly on March 29th, and conducted a letter-writing campaign on behalf of a bill to allow people to be represented legally by anyone of their choice, instead of having to use a state-licensed attorney. State membership is nearing the 50 mark.
MISSOURI LP is growing at about 25% per month; State Chairman Doug Jonsson has appeared on several radio stations, and spoke to a class on Libertarian Thought at the University of Missouri, March 6. MLP was also active in the April 14 anti-tax activities, and recently gave a filmstrip presentation on the Liberty Amendment. In the immediate future, the Missouri party plans to concentrate on working for permanent abolition of the draft. Vic Wasicki has already announced his candidacy for State Representative in 1974.
NEW JERSY LP has managed to collect well more than the required 800 signatures to get their gubernatorial candidate on the ballot -- no mean feat for a party of just under 50 members. Barring foul play from the Election Commission, this means that New Jerseyites will have a chance to vote for John Goodson this fall(NJ elections are in odd-numbered years).
Before learning of Goodson's candidacy, Atlantic City Mayor Joseph Bradway had stated that he would raise $200,000 in campaign contributions for the gubernatorial candidate who would come out for legalized gambling in NJ; naturally, Our Guys have let Bradway know that they're eligible. So far, Bradway hasn't delivered, but NJLP figures to get a lot of mileage out of the situation. Goodson is already getting fair press coverage, especially in college and underground papers. Campaign contributions are welcome; should be made out to "Goodson for Governor," and sent to Box 333, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 . Let's everybody pitch in a buck or two; it isn't often we can get someone on the ballot, with six months to take advantage of it.
NEW MEXICO LP is busy sponsoring workshops on topics ranging from Gold Investment to the Liberty Amendment to the United Nations, all of which are drawing in new recruits.
NEW YORK LP (which is number two, but they try harder) held its convention March 30 thru April 1; attendees heard Harry Browne, Murray Rothbard and Paul Lepanto speak on various aspects of the quest for freedom. New Free Libertarian Party Chairperson is Andrea Millen, with Howard Rich and Ray Strong as Vice-Chairpersons (people?); former Chairperson Jerry Klasman is now Treasurer. The FLP-ers voted not to have a state platform, but did vote to urge all members to send letters to their legislators urging repeal of all laws on contraception, and supporting the Liberty Amendment. The big event at the FLP convention was the nomination of candidates for city office in NYC 1s upcoming election, however. FLP nominated no less than eight candidates, with Ms. Fran Youngstein heading the ticket as the mayoral candidate. Now comes a long, hard petition drive to get the candidates on the ballot; lessons learned last year will make sure that if they do get on, they'll stay on.
Because the New York Mayor's race is one that usually receives widespread national publicity (remember what it did for Buckley in '65 and Mailer in 1 69), there may well be a motion at the June ExecComm meeting to have LP National actively assist FLP in this campaign. A full story on any developments along this line will appear in the July/August LP NEWS.
OREGON LP has resumed activity again, after a period of leadership crises, and now has 50 to 60 members. At the moment, emphasis is on learning how to increase personal· effectiveness in political-action techniques.
PENNSYLVANIA LP, with approximately 65 members, co-operated closely with SIL on the National Tax Protest; the Philadelphia anti-tax activities received brief TV coverage. A note of thanks here to Bill Cohen, retiring as Penna LP Cha1rman, because he is moving to Massachusetts; the Party's solid growth to date is largely Bill's doing. New Penna Chairman is William Chauncey.
TEXAS LP is within hailing of the 200-member mark (watch out, New York; you may soon be number three). TLP was the motivating force behind the Institute for Libertarian Studies Conference held in Dallas April 21; about 130 people turned out to hear featured speakers John Hospers and W.H. Hutt; other speakers included Mike Holmes, D. Frank Robinson, Jerry Millett, Dave Nolan, and Evan Soule. TLP's 1973 State Convention is set for June 2, with National LP Chairman Susan Nolan tentatively slated as the keynote speaker. TLP has also expressed interest in hosting the '74 National LP Convention.
WASHINGTON LP has its convention scheduled for May 25-27, Membership is edging toward the 100 mark, and the 100th member will receive a bottle of champagne (as will the current member who brings in Number 100). Convention attendance is expected to be well above 100; speakers will include Dr. Hospers, Tonie Nathan, and (via tape) Steve Symms and Roger MacBride. Among proposals slated for discussion at the convention is a ballot initiative to phase out the public school system one grade at a time, starting at the bottom; other proposals include support for a state lottery and the Liberty Amendment (gets around, doesn't it).
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Due to our ever-expanding membership (now over 2,500, National and State), we have had to institute new procedures for handling material orders. As a result, we ask that you now allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery when placing an order. If you wish faster service, please include 10% extra if you desire first-class shipment, and 20% extra if you want your order sent airmail.
We apologize for delays in filling orders for "Declare Your Independence" buttons; but our printer has messed them up twice; we hope the third batch is correct. Be patient, please.
PLEASE NOTE: National LP HQ will be closed June 3-14, because of the Convention; take this into account in placing orders and registering for the Convention.
EDITORIAL
In the past few months, there have been increasing rumbles about the emergence of a "Libertarian Establishment" -- an unholy troika made up of LP, SIL, and Reason, which is supposedly conspiring to dominate "the Movement," "imposing a "party line" and driving dissenting organizations and publications into ruin.
Since it appears that this notion is not about to wither away spontaneously, we think it is time to set the record straight.
First, it must be admitted that LP, SIL and Reason are indeed the most "established" libertarian outfits -- in all senses of the word. Further, it must be admitted that there is an increasingly close degree of co-operation between the three outfits, as each specializes in the areas where it is most successful.
But is there any kind of conspiracy? Is there even any real truth to the charge that the "terrible trio" constitute a "libertarian establishment" in the sense that National Review, YAF and the Conservative Party make up the "Conservative Establishment"?
Certainly, one could do worse than draw this parallel. But there are several crucial differences. Most importantly, the three libertarian outfits in question were founded independently, remain autonomous, and even disagree publicly on occasion. Of course, there is co-operation between the three--perhaps closer co-operation than between most groups. But what of it? Survival of the fittest, consolidation, specialization and co-operation are the traditional hallmarks of a free market. The developments we are now witnessing are nothing more than the market at work.
Let us be brutally frank; most of the outfits which have gone under deserved to do so. They failed because of poor planning, poor manage ment, and, often, an inability to break free from narrow orthodoxy and provincial outlooks.
No, Virginia, there is no conspiracy, and no plot afoot to crush dissent. And those who maintain that there is are motivated mostly by sour-grapery, outraged purism, or an inability to adapt to the idea of success; too many libertarians are so used to losing that they've come to enjoy it.
But whatever the reasons for these dark utterances, we respectfully suggest that they be treated as the fantasies they are, and that the shooters-from-the-sidelines grow up and ally themselves with one or another of the organizations and publications which have attained some measure of success in the battle to achieve Freedom In Our Time. -/- DFN
CYNICAL DEFINITIONS by Jean Dewees
Money: That which loses value every second; it is, therefore, much in demand.
Open Mind: A vacuum, ripe for any old prejudices--preferably yours.
Foresight: What you should have had; but if you had, nobody would have listened to you.
BITS & PIECES
HOSPERS #1 IN TWO MOVEMENT SURVEYS
Dr. John Hospers, the LP's 1972 Presidential candidate, came out on top in two recent surveys of libertarian opinion. Most recently, Hospers was selected by the members of the Society for Individual Liberty to receive SIL 1 s "Phoenix Award" for 1973, narrowly edging out psychologist Nathaniel Branden. This award is presented annually to an individual who has mad a significant contribution to libertarianism; in past years, SIL's members have voted to give the Phoenix Award to Ludwig Von Mises, Ayn Rand, and Murray Rothbard.
Hospers also came in first in a survey of libertarians conducted last winter by Polifax Press, a research publisher. In the Polifax survey, respondents were asked to name the individuals, organizations and publications that are contributing the most to the libertarian movement. Hospers was named most often as "doing the most to build the libertarian movement into a major force," with Tonie Nathan named second most often, and your editor third.
The Polifax survey also asked respondents to name those individuals who had influenced their own thinking; the top three in this category were Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Branden and Ludwig Von Mises. In response to a question asking for opinions of various libertarian organizations, the respondents rated LP, SIL and the Liberty Amendment Committee as the three leaders; among publications, Reason, A is A News and LP News got the best ratings.
LIBERTARIAN-ORIENTED PARTY MAKES ASTOUNDING GAINS IN DENMARK
The Progress Party, a new party whose main platform planks are a call for gradual repeal of income taxes and a 90% cutback in the size of government, has grown from zero to the point of being favored by one sixth of the population. This development, which has occurred within the last year, is driving the old-line politicians crazy in Denmark, where the Progress Party has arisen. The party was founded by a fed-up tax lawyer named Mogens Glistrup, and apparently has tremendous appeal to many Danes, who are among the most over-taxed and bureaucratized people in the world. A recent survey showed the Progress Party likely to capture enough seats in the Danish parliament next election to make it the second-largest party in the multi-party system, thus forcing the other parties to form coalitions with or against the Progress Party. Today, Denmark; tomorrow, the world!
THE MAN WHO DENIED REALITY
Predictably, the vast majority of the world's opinion-makers went through the effusive gasbaggery that they reserve for the passing of irrationalist culture-heroes, when Pablo Picasso finally bit the dust last month at the age of 91. Almost to a man, they hailed him as a "creative giant" and an "innovator."
Even the normally staid Middle-American Rocky Mountain News was unable to restrain itself from a gushing editorial in which it stated that "his greatest achievement was to free artists from the tyranny of reality."
The fact remains, however, that reality exists. And Picasso could not alter this fact. He did his best to distort and deny reality, and he was remarkably successful in suckering many people into acclaiming his anti-rational "creations."
But reality continues to exist. Perhaps most ironic is the fact that Picasso, the great denier of reality, was a self-proclaimed supporter of a political ideology that claims to be the ultimate in realism -- namely, Communism. Perhaps Picasso knew better than the Communist theorists; perhaps he was attracted to Communism precisely because it is a reality-denying philosophy. In any case, Picasso is now dead, and hopefully the type of "art" he helped foster will be buried with him.
ED CLARK IS LATEST LIFE MEMBER
Ed Clark, National Vice-Chairman of the Libertarian Party, and Chairman of the California LP, has become the tenth Life Member of National LP. Many thanks, Ed -- not only for this latest contribution, but also for the tremendous job you have done, as New York Chairman, as National Vice-Chairman, and now as California Chairman.
CQ LISTS 39 MINORITY PARTIES
Congressional Quarterly, the highly respected political information service publisher, lists no less than thirty-nine "third" or "minority" parties in the United States. Most of these are one-state or local parties, but the fact that 39 minority parties exist fairly well destroys the Democrats' and Republicans' claims to represent everyone.
NEW GREENSHEETS AVAILABLE
An updated dirctory of LP officers, ExecComm members, and State Chairmen is now available; if you'd like one, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to National HQ.
LIBERTARIAN PUBLICATIONS RISE AND FALL
From all indications, The Individualist and The New Banner have now gone under, but new publications continue to appear. Some of the more interesting developments: Libertarian Option, a Canadian publication of Objectivist orientation (PO Box 603, Station "F," Toronto 5, Ontario) discusses the prospects for a Canadian Libertarian Party in its March issue; The Fire Bringer (Box 4749, Colorado Springs CO 80909) resumes publication with a special 11th St ar Trek" issue; Zeitgeist (Box 1518, Chicago IL 60690) does an excellent job of covering the Illinois libertarian scene; New Libertarian Notes (635 E. 11th St. #24, NY NY10009) goes semi-professional, is now the radical libertarian publication; Washington & Lee University's Commerce Review (Box 215, Lexington VA 24450) debuts with an issue containing pieces by Murray Rothbard & Tony Sutton. All of the above are worth writing for info about.
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
XI. THE "NEW CONSERVATISM"
There is a great deal of ballyhoo these days about "The Renaissance of Conservatism" or "The Squaring of America" -- a growing public rejection of "liberalism" and an accompanying return to "traditional values."
Indeed, it is becoming almost "in" to be a conservative. Intellectuals from Herman Kahn to Daniel Moynihan, Irving Kristal to Norman Podhoretz, are suddenly proclaiming their disillusionment with the Left, and their new-found admiration (or at least respect) for the Middle/Right.
In the past few months, there have been major newspaper articles in the L.A. Times and Denver Post (and in other papers which pick up material from the Post-Times syndicate) on the new intellectual respect ability of conservatism. U.S. News and Intellectual Digest have carried interviews with Herman Kahn on this subject. And the National Observer devoted the front page of its March 10 issue to this topic.
So, apparently, the counter-revolution is here. Americans are finally reacting to the excesses of the New Deal Liberal philosophy which reached (we hope) its logical conclusion in the McGovern campaign.
The question is -- how does this affect us? Is this a development to be hailed, or damned? What should we be doing as a result of the emergence of "the new conservatism?" In order to answer these questions, we must first determine precisely what this "new conservatism" is -- how does it differ from the "old" conservatism?
The answer to this latter question depends largely on how one defines "old" and "new." For our purposes, h wever, it seems to this writer that we can define the "old" conservatism as the isolationist-abolitionist ideology espoused by people like Albert Jay Nock and Frank Chodorov -- the people who opposed Roosevelt's domestic statism and foreign adventurism with equal vigor.
This "old" conservatism gradually fell from favor during WW II and the ColdWar era that followed. By 1960, it had been almost entirely superceded by Buckley-style conservatism -- a potpourri of anti-Communist interventionist bromides in the foreign policy area and pro-economic-freedom stands mixed with anti-civil-liberties stands on domestic issues.
This "new" conservatism carried within it a terrible contradiction; namely, the conflict between the theoretical devotion to freedom (at least in the economic sphere) and the "gut" anti-Communism. Unfortunately, the latter almost always triumphed, and thus the "new" Conservative of ten to 15 years ago almost always wound up on the side of the big-budget, anti-free-speech forces in any debate.
Not all Conservatives succumbed to this new orthodoxy; a fair number resisted the notion that in order to defeat "them" we needed to become like "them." Among those who stuck fairly close to the "old" line are Willis Stone, Vivien Kellems, and (to a somewhat lesser extent) Robert Welch; large remnants of the "old" Right philosophy can still be found (in diluted and impure form) in the Birch Society sector of the American Right. Some leaders in this sector have gone so far as to state that Communism is largely a hoax, set up to scare Americans into accepting socialistic or fascistic rule at home.
Despite the efforts of the "old" conservatives, however, the "new" conservatism gradually became the dominant force on the Right in America. And thus, when young people of libertarian inclinations were seeking a political "home" in the early 1960's, it was to the "new conservatives" that they were first attracted -- most notably YAF and its allied organizations.
This alliance was tenable at that time; there was a common enemy (Kennedy) at home, and domestic issues were dominant; libertarians and Buckley conservatives could work together in harmony, opposing MediCare, AID and so forth.
Since then, libertarianism and conservatism have been diverging, ever more widely and ever more rapidly. The Vietnam war brought out the rabid interventionist streak in the Buckleyites (and helped drive wedges between them and both libertarians and "old" conservatives). And the shift in domestic issues from economic to social (e.g. drugs, the "hip" lifestyle, and sex-related questions like censorship and abortion) has put libertarians . inc reasingly on the opposite side of public debates from conservatives of all stripes.
Today, the "new" conservatives have finally begun to win public acceptance for themselves but for precisely the wrong reasons; from our viewpoint. They are winning support, not for their economic views (with which we largely agree), but tor their social stands. What's even worse, they seem to be willing to abandon or largely soft-pedal their economic views in order to get support for their social stands.
In sum, the "new" conservatism that is gaining acceptance seems to be a sort of crew-cut New Deal Liberalism; "welfare is okay, as long as everyone dresses neatly, goes to church, eschews marijuana, and respects their elders." The "new conservatives" are effectively "selling out" on economics -- accepting the Welfare State as a given -- in the hopes of salvaging their social prejudices.
Needless to say, this is not a good development, from our viewpoint. It means that things are not likely to get better under a conservtive administration (if we ever get one), and that it will now be harder to recruit conservatives to our ranks, since they may now get what they want without our co-operation.
Looking on the bright side, however, this development will make it easier for us to achieve recognition as a force distinct from conservatism. It will also make it easier for us to reach disgruntled liberals -- those who recognize the failure of liberalism, but can't stomach the "new conservatism."
What should our strategy and tactics be? In this writer's opinion, the rise of the "new conservatism" dictates that we change our strategy from one that is essentially "Right-oriented" to one of concentrating on the middle, the Left, and the uncommitted. We aren't going to be able to out-Buckley Buckley, or out-Agnew Agnew, so we might as well not try.
As far as tactics are concerned, it would seem that our best approach is to emphasize our consistency -- our advocacy of freedom in all spheres. Let 1 s face it; this is what makes us unique, and is basically the only thing we have to offer. If someone is interested only in some kinds of freedom, and is even opposed to other kinds of freedom, he (or she) isn't much of a prospect for us.
For years, liberals and conservatives have been getting elected by saying to people "Vote for me; if I'm elected, I'll screw all those other guys for your benefit. I'll outlaw the things you don't like, and take other peoples' money and spend it on things you want."
And for years, people have been buying this line. At last, however, they've begun to catch on that a lot of the time they are the ones getting shafted. That Left Minus Right does indeed equal Zero.
Our only hope is to appeal to people on a completely different basis. To say "Look. if you elect us, we won't screw anybody for your benefit ... but we won't screw you ror anyone else's benefit, either."
All we have to offer is freedom. All we can hope is that people have reached the point where they would rather gain freedom for themselves than take more freedom away from others -- in all areas, civil and economic.
If we have reached that point, then libertarianism is indeed an idea whose time has come -- an idea which cannot be stopped. If, on the other hand, the bulk of humanity would rather oppress others than free itself, then there is nothing we can do. -/- DFN
Utah LP Chairman persecuted by IRS
On April 14, Utah LP Chairman and Life Member Karl Bray led a group of approximately 100 people in a protest against the IRS. Five days later, two FBI agents and an IRS agent entered Karl's place of business and arrested him, carting him off to jail in handcuffs and leg irons (yes, dear reader, leg irons), where they held him illegally without informing him of the charges against him for fourteen hours.
When they finally released him, after informing him of their charge ("illegal possession of an IRS symboln), Karl returned to his office -- and found that $30,000 in cash had disappeared.
This is just the latest and most grotesque example of IRS tyranny. If you'd like to help publicize it, and stir up public outrage, there are several things you can do. First, send a contribution to the Taxpayers Legal Defense Fund (1644 Laird Avenue, SLC Utah 84105), which will be helping Karl in his battle with the IRS... both in defending Karl
TWO HOT PROJECTS
As most of you no doubt know, the United States Senate voted last month to repeal the 1934 law making it illegal for U.S. citizens to own gold. The victory in the Senate was 68-23, but it is expected that the going will be a lot tougher in the House.
We urge each and every LP member to write (or preferably, send a telegram; it's more impressive, and doesn't cost much) to his or her Congressman, indicating a strong desire to see said Congressman vote for Rep. Philip Crane's gold-legalization bill (now a rider on the bill approving devaluation of the dollar).
The other major item before Congress at the present time is the renewal of the Selective Service act. Few occurrences would be as great a boon to the cause of liberty as would the defeat of this loathsome instrument of despotism, and it appears to be touch-and-go which way the vote will turn out.
We therefore very strongly urge each LP member to write or wire both of his or her Senators, and his/her Congressman, urging non-renewal of Selective Service.
In addition, we urge all of you to write the "letters to the editor" section of your paper, urging others to fight SS renewal too.
If you really care about this issue, we hope you'll organize anti-draft demonstrations in your city, as well. Now that the draft is temporarily not being used, demonstrations against it are few and far between (how soon people forget; no doubt Big Brother had this in mind when he turned off the Meat Grinder for a few months before renewal time).
Don't let people forget. And don't pass up an opportunity to put the LP in the vanguard of those who are fighting slavery principle, and not just when it's a fad to do so. California LP will be staging demonstrations against Selective Service on May 26; let's make it a nationwide protest against the IRS' trumped-up charges, and in Karl's planned civil and criminal suits against the goons who harrassed him. TLDF will also supply you with full details on what happened to Karl; of necessity, we've had to summarize here.
Second, write letters to Senators Sam Ervin and Joseph Montoya, who are currently conducting a Congressional investigation into IRS arrogance. Let them know that the public is watching the Karl Bray case.
And third, write your local paper's "letters" section, describing Karl's battle with the IRS, and urging others to write Ervin and Montoya, protesting IRS high-handedness (most people have gripes of their own with IRS, and would like to know who to write about these gripes).
Renew your membership!!
SURVEY
At the National ExecComm meeting in June, we will be deciding how we should allocate our advertising budget for the second half of 1973, For this reason, we would greatly appreciate your listing below all publications you read regularly and thoroughly, excluding "movement" publications and those of a strictly local nature (e.g. newspapers).
Please include all publications other than these two categories -- even "special interest" magazines; and don't be embarrassed to admit what you really read; you're not required to sign the form.
Because we need this information in time to tabulate the results and make calculations before the June ExecComm meeting, we would apprecaite your sending in your questionnaire as possible.
I regularly read most of the contents of most issues of the following publications:
I am [] more likely [] less likely to respond to a direct-mail solicitation for an organization than I am to respond to an advertisement in a publication.