Document:Libertarian Party of New York News (2004)

The following news appeared on the Libertarian Party of New York's website in 2004.

for Elliott
Our friend Elliott Werner suffered a stroke November 13 and passed away on December 7, 2004. A web page has been set up for friends to  -- offer condolences.

Services are planned for Thursday, December 9, 2004, at 11:15 A.M. They will be at Parkside Memorial Chapel in Rego Park, Queens. The address is 9860 Queens Boulevard, Rego Park, NY 11374 Tel: (718) 588-7970.  -- more information
12/08/04 NY State lawmakers voted yesterday for a partial reform of the state's harsh drug laws. Quoted by AP News, Rockefeller Drug Law Reformer Robert Gangi called the changes "modest" and noted that they didn't return discretion to judges, one of the key calls of the "Drop the Rock" coalition. Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, the most influential proponent of serious changes, was quoted by the Journal News as saying "While I firmly believe that full judicial discretion and treatment as an alternative to prison would be the best options, for right now, this is substantial progress." Other proponents of reform, such as Russell Simmons of the Hip-Hop Action Netowrk, agree that they wanted more, but they view the new legislation as progress.

NY*Full text of: S.7802/A.11895
Please join our Legislative Watch mailing list to receive occasional announcements about legislation of interest to Libertarians.

2005 LPNY Convention The statewide convention will be held April 23, 2005 at the Holiday Inn at Carrier Circle in East Syracuse. Print out Convention Information and flyers for the political folks you run into, and send in your check today! (Online registration available soon.) Join as an LP Member before December 31 to be eligible to vote at the convention, although there will be delicious meals and speakers and a great track of workshops for everyone, voting or not.

Election Results In NYC, Libertarian candidate for State Assembly Nic Leobold garnered 1,017 votes, or 2.27% against Dem incumbant Deborah Glick in a two-way race. In Rockland County, Libertarian candidate for State Senate Jeff Bennett received 987 votes, or 1.3% against Repub incumbant Morahan, who appeared on four different ballot lines. In a race that Rockefeller Drug Law reformers were watching, Albany DA challenger David Soares won on the Dem line on a platform of reforming the stringent laws.

The LP didn't win any this year in New York, but there are some Elected and Appointed Libertarians in Office (EALOs).

NY's U.S. Senate results by county, from CNN. NY's Presidential results by county, from CNN. The first page shows Albany through Lewis counties. Use the 'Search / Pick Counties' drop-down box to scroll to the next set of counties. These results probably include most emergency ballots (for when the machine is broken), but probably not most of the provisional or absentee ballots. Military ballots are another category that can still trickle in. NYS results will be certified December 6, 2004. There are really no plausible reasons why we would lose votes on the statewide races after certification--although it happened in 2002.

For a far more intelligent take on the red/blue outcome map, please see http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/. Fascinating!

Jeff Bennett endorsed by C.L.A.S.H. for Senate District 38
Libertarians have been fighting for the property rights of bar owners, and one of our own is recognized for his participation. Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment says: "The only candidate challenging the incumbent has been a staunch opponent of the smoking ban and has been active in protest activities... Our Pick: Jeff Bennett." Jeff collected 750 signatures to present to legislators last year opposing the statewide smoking ban. If you can get to Rockland Election Day, Jeff could use your help! See his web site, Bennett4Senate.org.

Our other candidates also need your help. Donald Silberger needs your vote for U.S. Senate this year. The election isn't close, so there's no excuse not to.

If you're in New York City, please help out our caniddates there. In the 66th Assembly District, our candidate is Nic Leobold. Sam Sloan is a write-in candidate in the 10th Congressional District, in Queens, but the interesting story here has been his legal battle to get on the ballot. Join the mailing list lpny_legal to discuss what "rights" a political Party has in New York, what Sam's cases mean for the established Parties--including the Libertarian Party when it gains that status.

The Myth of "Equal Time" Libertarian and Green presidential candidates were arrested while committing civil disobedience to protest their exclusion from the presidential debate held Friday night, October 8, at Washington University in St. Louis. Ithaca LP news release. The candidates were trying to serve papers to the Commission on Public Debates regarding the third televised debate, which used public funds to benefit only two of the three recognized parties in Arizona, which the LP's lawyer David Euchner claims is in violation of the Arizona Constitution. The judge did not stop the debate, which was held Wednesday night (10/13), nor would he order that Badnarik be included, but he did leave open the possibility for the Arizona LP to recover damages. Slashdot has a lively exchange about the lawsuit going on.
Presidential Candidates Appearances in NY Tuesday 10/5 and Wednesday 10/6

The first event in Badnarik's visit was in New York City, at Mammalinda's restaurant in Manhattan. When Badnarik arrived about 7:30, supporters burst into spontaneous applause, same for Silberger a few moments later. Both left together to travel to Ithaca. Libertarian VP candidate Richard Campagna much appreciated the joint appearance, which is only the fifth time they've been together all year.

Badnarik at Ithaca Debate Wednesday night, Badnarik appeared with three other presidential candidates in Cornell University's Schwartz Auditorium, in Ithaca, NY. The debate was taped by C-SPAN and recorded by NPR, as well as other media outlets. C-SPAN has several selections featuring Badnarik, including the alternative debates (RealMedia file). C-SPAN is selling a tape of the alternative debate for $45.

NPR has a report on the Alternate Debate in Ithaca from Robert Smith. The report is 3 minutes 41 seconds, and includes quotes from all the candidates.

The Cornell Chronicle, the Cornell Daily Sun and the Ithaca Times have their front-page articles about the debate online.
NYC Fundraiser 10/4/04 It's crunch time in the metro area for the Presidential election. Come out and show support for LPNY and the major LP campaigns---Badnarik, Campagna and Silberger---for probably their last swing through New York City during their joint appearance Monday evening, October 4th. Please RSVP before September 27th to help make this event a grand send-off for our candidates!"

Download the NYC Fundraiser flyer/Reservation form (doc format). Print a few copies today, and have your friends and family come out to meet the Libertarian candidates!

Ithaca Fundraiser 10/5/04 Four presidential candidates visit Ithaca! Many local media interviews have been arranged by the energetic "Ithaca Libertarians for Badnarik." Way to go! Read all about it in the Ithaca Debate press release. NPR has just confirmed that they will be covering the debate on October 6th at Cornell.

As soon as we have time to sue... Various county Boards of Elections are ignoring a court order and aren't recording "Libertarian" on all Libertarian enrollments. If you've try to enroll Libertarian and received back a form that said "Other" or "Liberal," please let us know, for our upcoming legal action. This is especially prevalent in NYC and Tioga Counties: we haven't had problems elsewhere upstate.

Lights of Liberty The annual awards presented by The Advocates for Self-Gevernment have announced this year's deadline of December 31, 2004. Let them know if you or a fellow Libertarian has written three letters to the editor mentioning "libertarian," worked three OPH booths, or given three speeches to non-libertarian groups using the words "libertarian" or "libertarianism."  -- more information about the prize.

Michael Badnarik, Libertarian presidential candidate, visits NY
When: August 29, 2004 at noon 
Where: in Central Park, NYC, on the Great Lawn (around 80th Street) 
What: Freely exercising his right to speak
When: August 31, 2004 at 7:30 to 10:30pm 
Where: Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church (formerly known as St. Raphael's) Church on 10th Av (502 W 41st) 
What: "Third-Party" Presidential Debate with Green candidate Da vid Cobb, with a a joint press conference and fundraiser immediately preceding the debate, at 5:30 P.M. Badnarik release

When: October 3, 2004 
Where: Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 
What: Open Debate

When: October 4, 2004 
Where: Mammalinda's Restaurant, 344 West 52nd St., Manhattan 
What: LPNY Fundraiser for Badnarik and Campagna

When: October 5, 2004 
Where: 528 Warren Road, Ithaca (a green farmhouse on the corner of Winthr op, just a few blocks south of BOCES; overflow parking on Winthrop) 
What: Ithaca LP Fundraiser for Badnarik. RSVP: alistocker@yahoo.com

When: October 6, 2004, 8PM 
Where: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 
What: Presidential debate with four candidates: Libertarian Party candida te Michael Badnarik. Green Party candidate David Cobb, Socialist Party candidate Walt Brown and Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka. Limited tickets w ill be made available to students first, and then to the general public. C-Span may record the event for later broadcast.

August 24 The Libertarian Party of New York turned in nearly 25,000 signatures on August 17, and as of August 24, no challenges had been received at the State Board of Elections. What do 24,708 signatures look like? Thanks to Jeff Russell, who collected the petitions together, checked, bound and delivered them to the Board of Elections. And thanks to all the people who helped us gather signatures this year.
The National LP and George Phillies' Freedom Ballot Access PAC helped us overcome New York State's tedious ballot-access requirements: please send them your thanks (in donation form, if possible). Jeff Bennett deserves a special mention for the over 4000 signatures he collected for his own candidacy. As a "Cross-County Candidate," his signatures counted three times: to get the Libertarian Party on the ballot for the presidential race, to get Donald Silberger on the ballot for the U.S. Senate race, and to get himself on the ballot for State Senate. Jeff is trying to run a serious campaign in Rockland county, but needs your help. Visit his website at http://www.bennett4senate.org/ and ask him what you can do.

The good news we hear on the 'net is that a court has struck down residency requirements for petitioners for independent bodies...more to come on that when we hear more.

In Brooklyn, residents are STILL threatened with being evicted to build a stadium for the Nets. Area residents are mobilized against this latest incidence of eminent domain for a non-public use.

Talking about... the economy! Michael Badnarik has said that he would nominate Bernard von NotHaus as his Secretary of the Treasury. Read more about the money we use and alternatives.

July 6 through August 17: Petitioning season is here! Download the petitions and print them out: we have everything you need to help get Silberger, Badnarik and Campagna on the ballot in NY except the pens and clipboards!

The first day of petitioning, Jeff Bennett shines, as expected, collecting 160 signatures for his own candidacy. Donald Silberger has 83 to hand in from the first day. Way to go! Join our petitioning list online to let us know what you're doing, or if you need help getting started! Nic Leobold is now reporting a successful outing in his district, with the help of Theron Burrough and Tom Ruks. Way to go!

Memorial Day weekend: Michael Badnarik was selected as the Libertarian Party's nominee for president at the national convention held in Atlanta, Georgia. Manhattan LP Chair Jim Lesczynski writes about Badnarik's selection at the convention. Badnarik.org has more information about our pick. Richard Campagna was selected vice president, and Michael Dixon was chosen to lead the party as chair for the next two years. More details can be found at www.lp.org.
The Libertarian Party of New York held its annual convention in NYC on April 24, 2004. We nominated Donald Silberger as our U.S. Senate Candidate over a G.O.P. contender who made a late appearance in our campaign cycle, but put in a good effort at our convention. Information about all 2004 LPNY candidates and campaign info can be found at our 2004 campaigns page.

Some delegates to the national convention were appointed at this convention, with a committee of county chairs named to finish filling out the list and verify that potential delegates can attend. One bylaws amendment was passed, lowering the minimum age of State Committee members from 19 to 18, because state law changed in the same way some time ago. New officers were elected, with John Clifton easily winning re-election as LPNY Chair.

Convention Releases:
News release from the Silberger campaign (4/25/04) 
G.O.P. Senate Contender Seeks Libertarian Nomination (4/22/04) 
NY Libertarians will Shake the Big Apple at State Convention (4/19/04)

Release 03/05/04: Hudson Valley Libertarians say, Get Religion out of the NY Statutes! The Green mayor of New Paltz, Jason West, has cancelled his plans Saturday to perform same-sex marriages, but they may continue without him. Mayor West and Elliot Spitzer plan to meet next week. It's an unexpected side fire in the Catskills from a spark that whirled into the air from San Francisco. The protest has also ignited in Ithaca (according to the NY Times) and in Nyack.

Release 02/25/04: Rockland County Libertarian Jeff Bennett will address a rally opposing New York's smoking ban and demanding that Indian treaties be honored to be held Sunday, February 29th on the Seneca reservation in Salamanca, New York. Bennett charges "The Indian treaties, the smoking ban, excessive taxes, and poor education all have one thing in common--a government out of control. Now is time for New Yorkers to say 'enough is enough.'" Libertarian Candidate To Ignite Smoking Ban Opponents At Seneca Rally

Talking about... Gay marriage is in the forefront of politics this month, with the Valentine's Day decision by San Francisco allowing couples to get government recognition of their marriage. Libertarians don't want government involved in the religious institution of marriage, but with the laws passed that confer special benefits to married couples, nearly all Libertarians favor treating any couple equally who sincerely desire to form such a permanent relationship. If you agree, you know the Republicans aren't on your side...but did you think the Democrats were? Travis Pahl, now out-of-state, but still with us at heart, lets you in on the Democrats' dirty secret about gay marriage...

Oppose the Marriage Amendment (PDF to download, print and distribute)

According to the Associated Press, about 50 gay couples in New York's Long Island rode from city to city in search of a town clerk willing to issue them marriage licenses but met with no success. Despite protest in NYC, Mayor Bloomberg has said that he will not issue same-sex marriage licenses unless state law is changed.

The rally for the Can the Ban/Honor Indian Treaties movement has been set for February 29th in Salamanca, New York on the Seneca Nation of Indians Reservation. It will be right on Main Street, visible to anyone who gets off the expressways from either end. We need a lot of people to show up for this rally to make it a huge success and to let Albany know we are still out here fighting for not only our RIGHTS as Americans but to leave the Indian lands and their treaties alone. The Indians will be in full colors and we also have veterans lined up for the parade down Main Street. The veterans are tired of having to stand out in the inclement weather because they can't smoke in their own clubs or and we are tired of being treated like dogs. (Pataki signed a law to protect animals from inclement weather!!!)

The LP National Convention will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Marriott Atlanta Marquis Hotel on Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-31. Sign up here to be a delegate from NY or to give LPNY delegates feedback to take to the national convention. Visit the National LP's website to find out more information about the convention. Vote in the Cass County Straw Poll for your favorite contenders for the 2004 LP nominations.

Talking about... Healthcare is a big issue in the news lately, as states try to cope with dramatically-rising healthcare costs. Libertarians have a lot of ways to help the situation, allowing doctors and patients to make decisions instead of bureaucrats and politicians. A Manhattan LP member talks about treating chronic pain, on the Drug Policy Forum.

In Brooklyn, residents are threatened with being evicted this winter to build a stadium.

January 2004 Issue of FreeNY is out -- the PDF version of the newsletter can be found there. A signup is required to view the file at this point. We are experimenting with different methods of distribution. Please let us know if this is not convenient for you, and which format you'd prefer to see it in. A PDF allows you to easily print out the newsletter just as the editor designed it. Your joining the mailing list allows us to notify you when the latest issue is ready. To switch to only electronic delivery of your newsletter (to cancel your paper delivery of the newsletter), please let us know.

Let us know if you have other events you'd like to announce here.