The following is the November 14, 2010 issue of Austin Liberator, the weekly email newsletter of the Travis County (Texas) Libertarian Party.
Austin Liberator
The newsletter of the Travis County Libertarian Party (TCLP)
1. Looking back at a remarkable decade for the Travis County LP
December 4, 2010 marks the tenth anniversary of the Austin Liberator (that
is,this newsletter) starting publication on Yahoo!Groups. Visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/ to see the message history (at
the bottom of that page).
The Travis County Libertarian Party (TCLP) actually had an email newsletter for
nearly two years before the first issue at the Yahoo!Groups site. That
newsletter was edited by Vincent May.
Editors of the Austin Liberator on Yahoo!Groups since December of 2000 have been
Nancy Neale, David Eagle, Wes Benedict, Dennis Lucey and Bob Ruliffson, with
help from pinch hitters Arthur DiBianca, Rock Howard, Rick McGinnis, and Pat
Dixon.
The Liberator had 255 subscribers back in December of 2000. Currently, the
number of subscribers is over 1,500. According to the Yahoo!Groups site, more
than 7,000 people have been exposed to local liberty-related news by subscribing
to the Liberator at some point in the past ten years.
The central Texas region of Travis and surrounding counties has emerged over the
last ten years as one of the most active areas in the nation for Libertarian
Party activity.
Here are some highlights from past Austin Liberators. The TCLP has had quite a
decade:
TCLP One of Most Successful! (2001)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/26
261 Quiz Takers (2002)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/62
Jimmie Vaughan to perform at Holiday Freedom Gala (2003)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/170
Petition drive ends with a celebration today (2004)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/202
Libertarian Party nominates Badnarik for president (2004)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/204
Dixon wins in Lago Vista (2005)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/262
Local Libertarians figure on national stage (2006)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/327
Terry Liberty Parker, 1944-2007 (2007)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/406
Libertarian Yvonne Schick in Senate candidates’ debate (2008)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/452
Go back to France, Lance (2009)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/468
Wes Benedict named national Libertarian Party Exec. Director (2009)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/495
Libertarians Fill Ballot in Travis County (2010)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AustinLiberator/message/521
From 2001-2010, Central Texas has produced:
* A state chair — Geoff Neale
* Another state chair — three terms — Pat Dixon
* A national chair — Geoff Neale
* The first Texas executive director — Wes Benedict
* A presidential nominee — Michael Badnarik
* A presidential candidate — Mary Ruwart
* A gubernatorial nominee — James Werner
* Other state-wide nominees — Jon Roland, Yvonne Schick, Mary Ruwart.
* A national executive director — Wes Benedict
* A twice-elected Lago Vista City Council member — Pat Dixon
* Prolific research and study of Central Texas transportation issues — Vincent
May, Arthur DiBianca, Steve Ravet
* A continuing run throughout the decade (for a total of 20+ years now) for the
TV / radio program "Live and Let Live" — Gary Johnson, producer
* TCLP-organized public forums for Austin City Council election candidates for
the past 3 cycles.
* The monthly TCLP Speakers Series which ran for 2 to 3 years, organized by Rick
McGinnis
* An "Operation Politically Homeless" table at First Thursday on South Congress
going on 3 years (?) running, and outreach at many other local events — Emily
Cowan
* A candidate receiving 35% of the vote in a Travis County race — Matt Finkel
in 2006
* A full ballot of Libertarian candidates in Travis County in 2010
* A state LP HQ office in Austin
* Various individuals filling state party roles: Convention planning (Nancy
Neale); Treasurer (Geoff Neale, Mike Burris); 2004 petition drive coordinator
(Wes Benedict)
* Various individuals filling national LP roles: Libertarian National Committee
(Pat Dixon , Wes Benedict, Mary Ruwart); Convention Credentials Committee (Gary
Johnson); Platform Committee (Mary Ruwart)
The work of the past decade represents the contributions of money and thousands
of hours of volunteer time by hundreds of people. Help the work continue from
2011 to 2020 by donating to the Libertarian Party of Texas at
http://lptexas.org/content/donate.
To contribute directly to the Travis County Libertarian Party, send a check to
PO Box 49054, Austin, TX 78765.
2. Local Libertarians speaking out
Libertarian Party of Texas Membership Coordinator and member of Texans for
Accountable Government (TAG) Heather Fazio spoke to the Austin Public Safety
Commission on November 1st against "No Refusal Weekends" (forced blood draws).
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M_zigQsepE (3 minutes 45 sec.)
Heather, again as a spokesperson for TAG, was interviewed on Fox 7 News in
Austin on the subject of San Francisco’s banning of Happy Meals. See
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SMmkjgdGCI. (5 minutes 48 sec.) Her last name
was misspelled in the report; it’s actually FAZIO.
Libertarian Pat Dixon continues to stimulate conversation in the latest of his
many columns at AustinPost: "Big Brother in your bedroom," concerning
Republican Sen. Jim Demint’s recent and rather curious statement, ""You can’t be
fiscally conservative and not be a social conservative." See
http://bit.ly/9MeGT7
3. The Return of the Movie Night
On Thursday, November 18th at 6:30 p.m., join the TCLP and other liberty-lovers
for a free showing of "The Phantom Menace" (i.e., Star Wars, Episode I). The
event will be at Brave New Books, 1904 Guadalupe, Austin. Free popcorn! Bring
other food and drink as you wish. Visitors welcome. http://on.fb.me/c6SikY
4. Libertarian Party events calendar
Thursday, November 18: "The Phantom Menance" (Star Wars Episode I). 6:30
p.m. Free. Brave New Books, 1904 Guadalupe, Austin. http://on.fb.me/c6SikY
Thursday, December 2: The Travis County Libertarian Party will have a table
during First Thursday on South Congress (http://www.firstthursday.info/).
Contact Emily Cowan at (512) 203-5820 or peacewish@hotmail.com if you can assist
with this outreach effort.
Tuesday, December 7: Travis County Libertarian Party monthly business meeting.
6:45 – 8:30 p.m. Old Quarry Branch Library, 7051 Village Center Drive, Austin.
(http://tinyurl.com/yhnfrvz) Social hour at 8:30 p.m. at the nearby El Arroyo
Restaurant, 7032 Wood Hollow Drive. (http://tinyurl.com/ylrsj4w) Visitors
welcome at both events.
5. Other local events of interest
Monday, November 15: Texans for Accountable Government strategy meeting. 7:00
p.m. Bagpipes Pub and Eatery, 9070 Research Blvd #101, Austin.
http://tagtexas.org.
Monday, November 29: Texans for Accountable Government regular monthly
meeting. 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Bagpipes Pub and Eatery, 9070 Research Blvd #101,
Austin. http://tagtexas.org.
Wednesday, December 1: Texas NORML monthly meeting. 8:00 p.m. Flamingo
Cantina, 515 E. 6th St., Austin. http://www.texasnorml.org
Thursday, December 2: Williamson County Libertarian Meetup. 7:00 p.m.
Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe, 201 University Oaks Blvd Ste 1300, Round Rock.
http://www.meetup.com/Williamson-County-Libertarian-Meetup-Group/
Thursday, December 9: Competition, Green Energy, and the Texas Electricity
Market. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Free. Hilton Downtown, 500 E. 4th St.,
Austin. Sponsored by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Register at
https://secure.lexi.net/tppf/registration.php?id=417
Friday, December 10: Travis County Republican Liberty Caucus meetup. 7:00
p.m. http://rlc.meetup.com/2/
Monday, December 13: TAG Talks: informal discussions on history, philosophy,
methodology, strategy, ideology, etc. 7:00 p.m. Brave New Books, 1904
Guadalupe, Austin. Organized by Texans for Accountable Government.
http://tagtexas.org
1st, 3rd, 5th Tuesdays of each month: Speaking of Liberty Toastmasters. 6:30 –
8:00 p.m. Bagpipes Bar and Grill, 183 & Burnet, Austin. Visitors welcome.
Contact Andy Hogue at 940-736-5579 or andyhogue@ymail.com
http://speakingofliberty.org
6. Local media
Sunday, November 14, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Central time: "Live and Let Live,"
hosted by Gary Johnson. http://www.ruleoflawradio.com. Austin 90.1 FM.
(Live.)
Tuesdays – Fridays: "Antiwar Radio." 1:00 – 3:00 p.m Central time. Hosted by
Scott Horton. KAOS 92.7 and 95.9 FM. http://KAOS959.com
http://antiwar.com/radio/
Saturdays, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.: "Live Free Austin" featuring John Bush and Jason
Rink. 98.9FM in Austin. Podcasts of previous episodes posted at
http://livefreeaustinradio.com/
Websites:
Travis County Libertarian Party http://austinliberty.org/
Libertarian Party of Texas http://www.lptexas.org
Libertarian Party of Texas’ Libby http://reformatgov.org
Lone Star Liberty http://lptexas.org/content/newsletters
Libertarian Longhorns http://libertarianlonghorns.com/
Texas Libertarios http://texaslibertarios.org/
Blogs:
RAnt(hony)-ings by R. Anthony Steele. http://ranthonysteele.blogspot.com/
Libertarian Christians by Norman Horn. http://libertarianchristians.com/
Constitutionalism by Jon Roland. http://constitutionalism.blogspot.com/
Word4ce.com by Ben Easton. http://word4ce.com/freemarkets
Columns:
Pat Dixon in "Capital Politics" at AustinPost
http://www.austinpost.org/users/patjdixon
*** NEW COLUMN: "Big Brother in your bedroom" ***
Facebook:
Travis County Libertarian Party
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52480429429
Williamson County Libertarian Party
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13166867388
Libertarian Party of Texas
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204336031
Libby
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ReformatGov/101614559901163
Texas Libertarios
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Libertarios/140023946040424
Twitter:
Libertarian Party of Texas
http://twitter.com/lptexas
Libby
http://twitter.com/txlibby
Texas Libertarios
http://twitter.com/TXLibertarios
7. What is a libertarian?
A libertarian is someone who believes in "No Force, No Fraud."
Watch this entertaining 10-minute animation on "The Philosophy of Liberty" from
the International Society for Individual Liberty:
http://www.isil.org/resources/philosophy-of-liberty-index.html
Take this short (10 question) online quiz to see if you might be a libertarian:
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html
More information can be found at
http://reformatgov.org
https://www.lp.org/article_85.shtml
http://www.libertarianism.com
http://www.theadvocates.org
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Austin Liberator editor: Bob Ruliffson austinliberator@austinliberty.org
"All the measures of the law should protect property and punish plunder."
Claude Frederic Bastiat
1850
The content of this newsletter is selected by the editor, and may not
reflect the official position of the Travis
County Libertarian Party.
Also, the inclusion of any particular item in this newsletter does not
necessarily mean my endorsement, but I’m trying to maintain a
relatively big tent here.
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Become a monthly pledger to the Libertarian Party of
Texas!http://lptexas.org/content/donate
Donate to the TCLP by mailing a check to PO Box 49054, Austin, TX 78765.
For more information:
Travis County Libertarian Party: 512-445-7965 http://austinliberty.org
Libertarian Party of Texas: 1-800-422-1776 http://www.lptexas.org
National Libertarian Party: 1-800-ELECT US https://www.lp.org
Invite liberty-minded people in central Texas to subscribe to the Austin
Liberator. Forward this issue of the newsletter to them and then tell them to go
to http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/AustinLiberator
