LP Illinois News - August 2008 #2
Registration Open for LP Illinois Convention
The LP Illinois Convention will be here soon and you do not want to miss out on this jam-packed weekend! Need more details? Check out the convention web page at LPIllinois.org for up-to-date information on events, speakers, and registration info.
This year's LP Illinois Convention will be hosted on October 3-5 at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Brook. This date is coming up quickly, so now is the time to register. Early bird prices are only good through September 5th. Also, the Doubletree is providing a special Libertarian Party of Illinois $82 discounted room rate. So visit their website to reserve your room, but hurry! This rate is only good through September 13.
AND A REMINDER: if you are attending the annual business meeting and plan to vote, you must be a LP Illinois member
by September 5th in order to be eligible.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Bob Barr Event Recap
An enthusiastic crowd enjoyed Bob Barr's surprise visit to Illinois on August 15th. Bob addressed the attendees, emphasizing how he needs all of our support to continue climbing in the polls and get into the fall debates. He generously fielded a wide variety of questions and engaged people in small group and one-on-one conversations.
Many of the attendees were not Libertarians (yet) and some drove up to 5 hours for the opportunity to meet Bob in person. Jeff Fortney, new to Libertarian politics, told us, "Talking to Bob was inspiring. I completely agree with his ideas on keeping the federal government out of local issues. I like what he's for." Voters like Jeff are exactly who we need to grow our Party.
The event was generously hosted by Dave and Francine Brady. Kudos to both for a great job organizing on such short notice!
To get involved in the Barr campaign at the regional, county, or local level, please contact Alex Talcott, Illinois Coordinator, at 312-218-1539 or alex.talcott@gmail.com. Visit the Greater Chicago Meetup Group for local campaign events and efforts and consider starting a Meetup Group in your area!
Photos from the event are available on the Greater Chicago Bob Barr Meetup Group
. More info about the Bob's campaign can be found on BobBarr2008.com
. Please continue to spread the word about the McBama alternative: Bob Barr.
Don't Just Throw Your Vote Away…Vote Libertarian Instead!
One of the biggest challenges Libertarians face is overcoming the two-party mentality in America. When we tell people to vote Libertarian, frequent responses include: "I don't want to waste my vote," "they have no chance to win," or "a Libertarian vote only takes votes away from another candidate."
An article "The Wasted Vote Syndrome" by David Bergland on Lew Rockwell.com offers a winning way to address this issue. While the article is a little dated, the technique of asking questions to have people talk themselves into the correct way of thinking is one we can adapt to every Libertarian campaign.
Chicago Federalist Society to Host Institute for Justice Author
William "Chip" Mellor, president and general counsel of the Institute for Justice, will discuss how 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases radically expanded government and eroded freedom at a Legal Forum Lunch on Wednesday, September 10th at Petterino's restaurant, 150 North Dearborn, Chicago.
Seating is limited. RSVP directly to the Chicago Federalist Society at chicagofederalistsociety@yahoo.com
For more information, visit heartland.org
.
Save October 2, 2008 for the Heartland Institute's Anniversary Dinner
Heartland's Fifth Annual Emerging Issues Forum and 24th Anniversary Benefit Dinner will take place in Chicago on Thursday, October 2, 2008. So mark your calendars!
For more details, visit heartland.org
.
Also, anyone interested in attending should contact Val at (800) 735-1776 so we can get a table together, if possible.
Justice Department Plan Would Loosen Restrictions on F.B.I.
In a New York Times article entitled "New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers," Eric Lichtblau addresses a Justice Department plan that would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The plan has drawn sharp speculation from four Democrat Senators. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island claim – in a letter to Attorney General, Michael B. Mukasey – that the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American and conduct surveillance "without any basis for suspicion." In the letter, the senators state that the plan "might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities."
Read the entire article on nytimes .com.
Overwhelming Success at the McHenry County Fair
The Libertarian Outreach Booth at the McHenry County Fair was an overwhelming success this year. The McHenry County Fair is the biggest event of the year in the county. It features music, food, entertainment, children's rides, vendors and various for-profit and non-profits from the local community.
Thank you to the Fox Valley Libertarian Party for sponsoring the booth and allowing the McHenry County Libertarian Party to advertise itself there. During the five day event, we passed out 200 "Bob Barr for President" and "Larry Stafford for Senate" fliers along with various other libertarian fliers. Approximately 83 people took the "World's Smallest Political Quiz ," provided by theadvocates.org . Here were the results: 43 Libertarian, 6 Liberal, 20 Centrist, 10 Conservative and 4 Authoritarian. In addition, 410 people voted on whether the government does a good job: 2 Always, 26 Usually, 101 Half The Time, 167 Seldom and 114 Never. Also, seven people joined our newly formed McHenry County Libertarian Party. For more info on the MCLP, check out lpmchenry.org.
Special thanks to Julie Fox, Kathleen Polizzi, Jim Young, Bill Baruth, Walter Simons, Dave Brady and Francine Brady for working and supporting this event.
Support Your Candidate in Style
Readers can go to the BobBarr2008.com
website and order hats, t-shirts, yard signs and brochures through the online store.
Join the Party
Don't forget. Though you may already be a member of the national Libertarian Party or your local chapter, this does not automatically make you a member of the state party. If you are not a member of the LP Illinois, join today. It's easy to do and it's free. Simply follow the link to the Join page on our website, LPIllinois.org .
Already a member of LP Illinois? Well, there's no better way to show your support of the state party than to volunteer your time. Why not help promote our candidate for U.S. Senate, Larry Stafford? Volunteers are needed to assist with marketing, fundraising, and event coordination. Contact Chris Bennett at (217) 529-6753 to get on board.
For more ideas on how you can help, check out the Volunteer
page on our website.
Words of Wisdom
"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly."
~ Henry David Thoreau