ACTION ITEM: Send a message to LP leaders not to violate the party's platform!

Discussion
1

Maybe you oppose U.S. intervention in Iraq, or maybe like myself you have principled reasons for supporting it. But if you agree that Libertarian Party leaders should not be promoting policies which violate the Libertarian Party platform adopted by the grassroots members of the party, your support is urgently needed.

  The national leadership's flawed "Iraq Exit Strategy" is being heavily -- one might almost say desperately -- promoted in the current issue of LP News. It is touted in the lead cover story, a two-page spread inside the paper, and a personal column by the editor. Meanwhile, the story of another effort which enjoys far greater support among Libertarians, and is in accord with the party's platform, the party's successful collection and submission to Congress of thousands of petitions against the PATRIOT Act, is given short shrift in a story buried on Page 12.

  The "IES" plan proposes, among other things, stationing U.S. troops departing from Iraq in other countries in the Middle East, and a "direct-aid program" to send U.S. taxpayer money to the Iraqi government. This is in direct violation of the party's platform, which unambiguously calls for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from overseas and for the elimination of foreign aid.

  Agree or disagree with these planks, but they were adopted and reaffirmed many times by vote of the delegates at Libertarian Party national conventions. If the leaders want to advocate something different, they need to convince the membership to revise the platform, not simply ignore the document.

  Only we can ensure that Libertarian Party leaders, unlike their Republican and Democrat counterparts, remain accountable to the party's grassroots base. Help guarantee that the LP will continue to be known as "the party of principle" and not just another party doing whatever seems expedient at the moment.

  Sign the petition opposing this abuse of power here: http://www.petitiononline.com/NIXIES/petition.html . Then please forward this appeal to all the libertarian lists you belong to, and encourage as many other people to sign as possible.

Yours in liberty,
        <<< Starchild >>>
  Outreach Director, Libertarian Party of San Francisco

2

In addition to taking action as Starchild suggests, you my want to
look into the work of the LPCalPeace group, recently formed. They
have a website. They were able to get the subject of anti-
intervention onto the August 20 LP CA Ex-Com meeting. They are now
encouraging anti-intervention people to participate in the upcoming
LPCA convention Feb 2006, and to run for congressional seats in 2006.

Marcy

  Maybe you oppose U.S. intervention in Iraq, or maybe like

myself you

have principled reasons for supporting it. But if you agree that
Libertarian Party leaders should not be promoting policies which
violate the Libertarian Party platform adopted by the grassroots
members of the party, your support is urgently needed.

  The national leadership's flawed "Iraq Exit Strategy" is

being heavily

-- one might almost say desperately -- promoted in the current

issue of

LP News. It is touted in the lead cover story, a two-page spread

inside

the paper, and a personal column by the editor. Meanwhile, the

story of

another effort which enjoys far greater support among Libertarians,

and

is in accord with the party's platform, the party's successful
collection and submission to Congress of thousands of petitions

against

the PATRIOT Act, is given short shrift in a story buried on Page 12.

  The "IES" plan proposes, among other things, stationing U.S.

troops

departing from Iraq in other countries in the Middle East, and a
"direct-aid program" to send U.S. taxpayer money to the Iraqi
government. This is in direct violation of the party's platform,

which

unambiguously calls for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from

overseas

and for the elimination of foreign aid.

  Agree or disagree with these planks, but they were adopted

and

reaffirmed many times by vote of the delegates at Libertarian Party
national conventions. If the leaders want to advocate something
different, they need to convince the membership to revise the

platform,

not simply ignore the document.

  Only we can ensure that Libertarian Party leaders, unlike

their

Republican and Democrat counterparts, remain accountable to the

party's

grassroots base. Help guarantee that the LP will continue to be

known

as "the party of principle" and not just another party doing

whatever