I Grew into Being a “Radical”
When I first got into helping move our freedoms forward in a more determined fashion, I joined the LP. I found a lot of friends and people who truly believed in Liberty. A great number of them far better learned in the philosophy than I. They gave me an education. The LP made me a California Radical.
Among some of those people who truly believed in Liberty and inspired me was a man who had been a part of the Party from the beginning. Ted Brown is one of those stalwarts that has been working in one way or another for freedom, engaging the electoral process for 40 years. A genuinely nice guy that only a most pathological madman could criticize. The Golden State’s Libertarians are lucky to have him.
He recently replaced a more “pragmatic” chair, who had grand plans, and unfortunate tactics for trying to make the party a bit more mainstream. Our ballot statements were dry; our platform was going fallow, our ability to put people on the ballot in disrepair for the drag of party leadership in the face of “Top Two”. But all of that has changed in California.
Radical California
I wanted to share with you what it looks like when you have a polished radical leading a ballot qualified party in the most populous and electorally rich state in the US:
Libertarians stand for something: Freedom.
We believe that the most peaceful, most prosperous, most socially fair and tolerant and progressive society is one that solves its problems without government force. We believe that social woes like inaccessible healthcare, inadequate social justice, economic instability, and racial disparity are caused and perpetuated by officials who would rather increase their power instead of truly solving any problems.
We believe in all freedoms. For over four decades, the Libertarian Party has been the feet on the ground advancing once radical issues like marijuana legalization, gay marriage, gun rights, closing the Federal Reserve, school choice, transportation competition, ending mandatory minimum sentences, and ending eminent domain. We oppose foreign wars and want to bring our troops home from overseas.
We want to end graft that robs the poor, destroys honest businesses and corrupts education, police, courts and elections. We believe that Americans are being taxed to death to support a failed system full of waste and corruption.
We must stop giving money and power to the same people who have caused the problems we face today.
It’s time for a big change. If you are tired of throwing away your vote, send a message
– Vote Libertarian.
Ted Brown, Chair
Libertarian Party of California
That is a party that understands that politics follows the people. That to reach out and educate, to take radical stances and stand by them, to speak the truth and to not apologize for it, is what has made Libertarians win policy change even if the rules of the ballot are stacked against them. To win the hearts and minds of millions of people is a generational endeavor, and no matter what barriers are placed in front of you, there is always a way for a radical to punch through.
A Gathering of Radicals
The Libertarian Party of California has it’s Annual Convention starting April 1st, 2016 and it is a great opportunity to make friends. I guarantee an excellent time.
Yeah, April Fools Day was neither a mistake nor a joke. There is irony in it reflected against the farce of voting and the organizers have sweet sense of humor. It is a presidential election year and guys like John McAfee are going to be there. I am hoping for a presidential steel cage death match for Friday Night.
I’ve sent like 15 letters to the convention committee recommending it. I bought 6 rolls of hurricane fence, 16 steel posts and 8 cubic feet of gravel and QuickCrete just in case there is a last minute approval for my plan. I’ve also reached out to both John McAfee and Austin Petersen to see if they might contend in the Main Event. I figure they were a good match up. Gary Johnson would annihilate any of ’em if we let him in.
There has been no response from our hopeful contenders either, but they are probably waiting on a committee decision with me. No doubt they are secretly training so as not to be caught napping. If it happens, I have $50 to put on McAfee and another $20 says he wins with an eye gouge.
I hear Vermin Supreme wont make it out to this convention though he has declared himself a Libertarian candidate. Love that guy. He would have been an excellent referee.
A Great Program
As far as the already scheduled activities go, the party has a bunch of great speakers lined up. It’s a great list from across the spectrum. David Nott who is the President of the Reason Foundation will be there. Angela Keaton from AntiWar.com too. The one I want to hear most of all is Lily Tang Williams from Colorado. She is featured above with a very alluring pose if I may say so.
Mrs. Williams escaped communist China, came to America, and then was horrified when she found out that her daughter’s Common Core education was identical to the Maoist travesty she ran away from. California, espeically Los Angeles is pretty cosmopolitan and so is the State Party. The leaders of both The Libertarian Party of Canada and the Libertarian Party of Mexico will be speaking. The program has a bunch more. But speakers are only the cake. The icing comes at night.
A Great Opportunity to Make Friends
The California Libertarian Party is renown for it’s parties. The banquet is going to be great, and the night gets kewler with the hospitality suite rocking late into the night. I can tell you some epic stories… Do bring a check book. Make donations at the festivities. It is well directed money and someone bought all that free booze. It is only right to give back.
If you have misgivings about voting. That’s kewl. Come to just make a friend or six. If you are on the fence let me repeat this tidbit of stolen wisdom: If voting could change the system, it would be illegal and if not voting could change the system it would be illegal. Right? Well, electoral politics on its own wont do any good for moving society in the right directions. We all know it. Evil lives in those halls of power and taking a seat there is a dangerous proposition at the least and a corrupting one most likely.
But, the electoral system is a great place to get a handful of statist nutsack and wrench.
Check out the website.
The tickets are cheap. You are going to make a lot of great friends.
The banquets cost extra -totally worth the price – but the parties are free, in every sense of the word. You don’t want to miss it.
“the electoral system is a great place to get a handful of statist nutsack and wrench” – that, and an outreach program for people who sincerely believe in “majority rule,” without understanding that there are more just and orderly alternatives.
@voluntarylawguy absolutely. Outreach and education and using the electoral process as the we might use the kings muskets against him is exectly how the LP has moved the philosophy forward. The electoral process gives us a strong stump.