Chris,
On November 16, you posted (in part) the following to this list:
I put a lot of effort into putting on a marketing campaign this year. I can no longer work with Starchild. He is a marketing liability. He’s weird, awkward, overly verbose and his focus on sex work turns every normie person away. I wanted to have an ad hoc meeting at Mission Bowling Club (locally woman owned) to vote on having a local LPSF meet & greet where we could sponsor some food, drink & bowling to encourage the 3,000+ registered Libertarians to come out. Starchild turned it into a simp event for Democrat John Hamasaki.
So. I will be happy to run again when Starchild is an unregistered Libertarian and a registered Democrat which is what he is.
Chris Mendes
Rather than simply responding immediately to this online, I called you multiple times in the hopes of speaking with you directly and talking things out in the interests of maintaining a good working relationship and not getting into what I fear will be an unproductive online argument. But when I finally reached you, and made an effort to have a cordial conversation about your public attack on me, you declined to talk about it, saying (and I believe these were your exact words), “I don’t have to explain myself to you”.
I’ve made every effort to get along with you Chris, and am frankly not sure what I’ve said or done to warrant this sudden and virulent criticism from you via email. I have noticed that you have a tendency to be erratic and sometimes lash out at people (as you did toward Marty at our October meeting, although admittedly he provoked you and seems to have his own issues getting along with others), but you have apologized for such outbursts on multiple previous occasions, and I wanted to give you some time to do so this time.
However since it’s now been several weeks and you have not posted any retraction or said anything, I will address what you wrote here.
I’ll start with some of the adjectives you used. “Weird” and “awkward” are pretty vague, but also pretty innocuous. I think lots of Libertarians can tend to come across as weird or awkward. As Flannery O’Connor said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.”
In support of your allegation that I’m “weird", when we spoke briefly by phone you cited the way I dress at Libertarian conventions (often in drag or similar). You don’t seem to actually pay very much attention to local politics, so you may or may not be aware that one of the candidates on the November ballot in SF (who made a serious run for supervisor in District 6, is an elected member of the Democratic County Central Committee, and was chief of staff to former D6 supervisor and now State Assembly member Matt Haney) is a well-known drag performer – Honey Mahogany - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_Mahogany. If she can do this and succeed in local politics, then apparently it is not the “marketing liability” you seem to believe it is.
"Overly verbose”? That’s a strange criticism; not really sure what to make of that. Sometimes communicating ideas or making/documenting points effectively requires more than just a soundbite. That is the case with this email, so I hope its length will not be held against me.
“Focus on sex work”? I am a sex worker, and make no apologies for that. Nevertheless I am not and never have been a “single issue” voter. I regularly post and speak (via CrossingPartyLines.com http://crossingpartylines.com/ meetups among other opportunities as they come up) on a wide range of freedom issues, including things like the right to keep and bear arms, government spending, government police abuse, immigration, secession, hypocrisy and statism in the media and political elite, support for people like Edward Snowden, Ross Ulbricht, the Crypto6, etc. If you doubt this, feel free to check my social media history (comments on Disqus Profile - starchild http://disqus.com/by/Starchild and New Hampshire freedom forums FreeKeene.com http://freekeene.com/ and ShireSociety.com http://shiresociety.com/ along with @StarchildSF and @SanFrancisco LP on Twitter.com http://twitter.com/, being among the most frequent), as well as my history of emails on the LPSF forum, going back many years when we were using Yahoogroups.
As for calling me a Democrat, that’s almost funny. I’ve never been a Democrat in my life, and don’t intend to start now. Again you don’t provide any specifics, but the allegation would come as a big surprise to many who have accused me of being right-wing (most recently indirectly in response to one of my tweets on behalf of the LPSF):
That is just one of many times over the years where something I’ve said or done has provoked allegations (usually from folks on the left) of being right-wing, conservative, Republican, etc. Of course I’ve also gotten plenty of accusations of being a Democrat, liberal, even communist, etc., usually from those on the right. Taking flack from both sides (each of them getting it wrong!) is to be expected from left- and right-wing partisans and ideologues when one consistently advocates libertarianism, and I think most of my fellow Libertarians recognize that is generally what I’ve been doing.
You also write in the message above that you “wanted to have an ad hoc meeting at Mission Bowling Club (locally woman owned) to vote on having a local LPSF meet & greet where we could sponsor some food, drink & bowling to encourage the 3,000+ registered Libertarians to come out. Starchild turned it into a simp event for Democrat John Hamasaki.”
That’s misleading in several particulars.
First off, I was the one who suggested we hold an ad hoc meeting to vote on ballot recommendations at the Mission Bowling Club. I did so because I realized the election was happening before our next regular meeting, and we didn’t take any time to discuss the stuff on the ballot at our October meeting where we hosted guest speaker Mike ter Maat. (Incidentally, I’m also the one who spoke with Mike before that meeting and gave him the correct time and location info so that he actually showed up, as I noticed he had the info wrong in the email he sent out.) I suggested MBC as an ad hoc meeting location in support of your idea to use the venue for a fundraiser event. We didn’t have a room booked at the library for a special meeting, and I figured meeting at the bowling alley would be a good opportunity for us to check out the venue and talk to your contact, as a step toward making a fundraiser happen.
Second, I didn’t turn that meeting into any kind of “event”, because only you and I showed up, and you left early! I did invite John Hamasaki or his campaign manager Kaylah May to come speak to us, as I had earlier done for community college candidate Jill Yee, who at my invitation came and spoke at our September meeting. The only grounds for saying I made it a “simp event” for John are that I had some of his yard signs with me and put one of them up on the table where I was sitting and waiting for others to show up, as a way to help anyone who did come for the meeting to recognize us. When you came over, you said nothing about it at the time, and voted with me to recommend a vote for him. Yes, he (like Jill, who you apparently had no issues with supporting) is a Democrat. So were his rival candidates for district attorney. (If anything is a “marketing liability” for the LPSF, I’d say being unwilling to engage with Democrats, who are the overwhelming majority in this town, is much more of one than me supposedly being “weird”.)
Third, we didn’t vote on having an event at the Mission Bowling Club, and having such a vote was never the purpose of the meeting, which again I proposed specifically and solely to address the ballot issues (and announced beforehand on the LPSF forum). I did think at the time that we were trying to move forward with holding a social there, but a week later you sent an email saying (without further elaboration) that "Mission Bowling Club backed out of the event since they have other offers,” and adding that “We didn’t get any support for a social so I suppose it’s back to the drawing board.”
I supported the idea of having a social, as I told you. I don’t recall any of the small handful of people who’ve been attending our meetings this year (aside from the dozens who showed up in January and then went away and haven’t been heard from since) saying anything against it. I’m not sure what “support” you were expecting, prior to doing a mailing to registered Libertarians inviting them to the event, as we had discussed. Did you make some solicitation in the meantime and get negative feedback?
You write that “The LPSF has to differentiate itself from the Democrats.” Differentiating ourselves from the Democrats here in SF is not a problem! Most of the ballot arguments we’ve filed – probably our primary means of local visibility – have addressed economic issues, because most of the bad measures that appear on local ballots are tax increases, bond measures, or other expansions in the size/cost of government. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have made those arguments – indeed, I’ve probably written more of them myself than any other LPSF member – but on such issues we naturally tend to sound more like Republicans than like Democrats. Differentiating ourselves from the GOP is much more of a problem locally, and I would argue even nationally. Recommending – not endorsing – progressives like Chesa Boudin and John Hamasaki who are more libertarian than their rivals on criminal justice issues, is one small way we can undercut the public perception that Libertarians are right-wingers, which is particularly true in a left-wing environment like SF’s. If you seriously doubt that this is the public perception, let me know and I can easily supply more evidence.
You also write (prior to saying that you “can’t work with” me) that you “put a lot of effort into putting on a marketing campaign this year.” Aside from proposing Mission Bowling Club, and before that a restaurant whose name I forget, as possible venues for a social, and obtaining a current list of registered Libertarians, I am frankly unaware of anything else you’ve been doing on that. Certainly I have not been impeding you from any such campaign. I wrote a draft letter to registered Libertarians encouraging them to get involved, which you were effusive in saying that you liked and wanted to use.
We had also discussed and agreed at our September meeting to do outreach at the Folsom Street Fair (Sept. 25), at my suggestion. I subsequently researched purchasing some literature from the National LP to distribute there. You responded that we should order the materials – but then added that you yourself would not be taking part after all, writing, "I don’t want to go to the Folsom Street Fair. I’ve been once and don’t want to attend. I understand it’s a big public engagement but I really don’t feel comfortable there.” After you posted that, Jay, the other person besides you and I who’d said at the meeting that he would participate, bowed out too, writing, “I was going to go too, but I’d rather it be more than two people with all the materials.”
Consequently we didn’t do that outreach. I am still down to do local libertarian outreach with you or anyone else who wants to do it. I do a certain amount informally on my own, and Richard Fast (who said he’ll be back in town on December 15) has said he’ll go out and do some with me. Marty keeps bugging us about doing more outreach, but hasn’t volunteered to organize it, and it’s not clear he’s interested in doing any general LP outreach that isn’t focused on the body freedom issue he holds dear (not that there’s anything wrong with nudism, but you seem to be averse to such activism).
Unfortunately the upshot of all this, and current reality, is that the LPSF has done very little this year. We missed filing any ballot arguments this year – and I blame myself for not paying enough attention and missing the deadline – but on the other hand, I’m not even a current LPSF officer. Two of our four officers have been completely AWOL. We wouldn’t even have had any ballot recommendations for either the June or November elections, had I not taken the initiative to make it happen, and then write them up and post them on our website.
Someone observing all this from the outside might think that our current chair would be a bit more grateful for my efforts, and my willingness to work with him despite having been deposed along with our other previous officers in what amounted to an ambush organized by Adrian Malagon of the Mises Caucus, but instead I find myself insulted as being a liability and a Democrat.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
···
On Nov 16, 2022, at 9:02 AM, CDMendes via LPSF Forum noreply@forum.lpsf.org wrote:
CDMendes https://forum.lpsf.org/u/cdmendes
November 16
Hi Marty,
I’m glad that after actually speaking with me, you see that I actually care about changing the Democrat monopoly in San Francisco. The LPSF has to differentiate itself from the Democrats. Here’s a guide that very succinctly outlines SF politics.
SFGATE – 8 Nov 22 https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/san-francisco-politics-democratic-factions-17565137.php
The ultimate guide to the factions of San Francisco politics https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/san-francisco-politics-democratic-factions-17565137.php
Democrats in San Francisco have balkanized into feuding factions, each competing for…
I put a lot of effort into putting on a marketing campaign this year. I can no longer work with Starchild. He is a marketing liability. He’s weird, awkward, overly verbose and his focus on sex work turns every normie person away. I wanted to have an ad hoc meeting at Mission Bowling Club (locally woman owned) to vote on having a local LPSF meet & greet where we could sponsor some food, drink & bowling to encourage the 3,000+ registered Libertarians to come out. Starchild turned it into a simp event for Democrat John Hamasaki.
So. I will be happy to run again when Starchild is an unregistered Libertarian and a registered Democrat which is what he is.
Chris Mendes
Visit Topic https://forum.lpsf.org/t/mike-ter-maat-for-president/21735/43 or reply to this email to respond.
In Reply To
FRNP https://forum.lpsf.org/u/frnp
November 13
Dear Chris, You suggested this afternoon that You might not run for re-election at the end of Your first term & I think that would be a shame now that You have such experience under Your belt & because [[ starchild ]] deserves some Stiff competition. Bravo on the @terMaatMike meeting; I found it ve…
Previous Replies
FRNP https://forum.lpsf.org/u/frnp
November 13
Dear Chris,
You suggested this afternoon that You might not run for re-election at the end of Your first term & I think that would be a shame now that You have such experience under Your belt & because [[ starchild ]] deserves some Stiff competition. Bravo on the @terMaatMike meeting; I found it very informative & a fine achievement & a great opportunity to ask the hard Questions ignored by msmNews & to politely test a candidate’s metal face-to-face — which should be a priority for all Libertarian Voters. I rescind My previous posts* about Your not having good ideas & instincts; this meeting proved Me wrong ( even though I was simply Quoting Your Words ). Encore.
This UI will not permit Me to upload all ( 4 ) My clips from Mike’s illuminating discussion, but they are linked below to My twit feed ( I have one more longer video to upload, but it will reQuire more editing & time I will not have until after Monday ) :
Anti-#USgovt warmongering https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591718395841753089?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
Pro–#CivilRights #1stA & #2ndA https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591702578500599808?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
Us v #USgovt https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591688560960208897?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
Our #CommonGround Principles Win #USVoters https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591682278463541249?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
https://forum.lpsf.org/uploads/default/original/2X/5/538960ff703595c6862bd1690e5b5bb754b698c1.jpeg
https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591718395841753089?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591702578500599808?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591688560960208897?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
https://twitter.com/YeshayahuXX2/status/1591682278463541249?s=20&t=cTc06SpFhLTI8Wrp8M-QfA
Thank You. Have a great week!
— mARTy
CDMendes https://forum.lpsf.org/u/cdmendes
November 12
I say that about you. Show up Marty.
FRNP https://forum.lpsf.org/u/frnp
November 12
Let’s tell that to Angie McCardle if/when she shows up for an LPSF online or in person meeting.
dennz https://forum.lpsf.org/u/dennz
November 12
Beautiful. It should be on the LP platform.
··· (click for more details) https://forum.lpsf.org/t/mike-ter-maat-for-president/21735/39
FRNP https://forum.lpsf.org/u/frnp
November 12
I will try to make it with my camera.
3rd Floor Martin Paley Conference Room
@SFPublicLibrary
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
— Martin
https://forum.lpsf.org/uploads/default/original/2X/e/e8f561e020db1f2964c7a726af569ad5f7a3a4b8.jpeg
Visit Topic https://forum.lpsf.org/t/mike-ter-maat-for-president/21735/43 or reply to this email to respond.
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