Zoosexuals Adopt Slogan In Support Of Carl Person For President In 2012

In the wake of Carl Person's position in support of decriminalizing bestiality, many zoosexuals have come out in support of Carl Person for President of the United States in 2012.

A number of prominent zoosexuals, who wish to remain anonymous, have adopted a slogan in support of Carl Person's campaign.

That slogan is the following:

What can you do
If you're a Zoo?
Support Carl Person
He'll fight for you!

Carl Person is currently seeking the Presidential Nomination of the Libertarian Party.

Applause! Applause! Review of Jane A. Johnston & Paul Horner by Andrew Martin

This review of Jane A. Johnston & Paul Horner at Danny's Skylight Room was written by Andrew Martin and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

California Shakes It Up
Danny's Skylight Room (346 West 46th Street, NYC)

The shores of New York begin to teem in October with the sudden arrival of out-of-town talent arriving for the Cabaret Convention. It's a time when those who've already begun achieving local legend in the clubs of Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and London can show the New York cabaret contingent how it's done out of town. And two performers who arrived direct from Hollywood proved stellar examples of same this time around.

The first was Jane A. Johnston, who kicked off her five-week engagement of "Hollywood Party" at the Restaurant Row eatery-kum-cabaret on the fortieth anniversary of her opening night in "Happy Hunting" on Broadway, starring Ethel Merman. For a lady who took quite a long hiatus since performing in New York, it was easy to see that Johnston was and is above all else a pro who knows her effortless way about the boards. Absolute standout: Rodgers & Hart's little known ballad "My Friend The Night", at once hushed, haunting, and just lovely. Kudos to Jane A. Johnston, and let's hope her next return to NYC need not center solely on the Convention.

Playing for Johnston, in addition to the always-flawless John Loehrke on upright bass, was composer/pianist/entertainer Paul Horner, perhaps best known for his collaboration with Miss Peggy Lee on the ill-fated Broadway show "Peg". Horner brought his own talents and splendiferous sense of raconteurism to a show which was nothing short of the very best cabaret had to offer in October. Best numbers included "Windows" (made most famous in cabaret circles by KT Sullivan) and "The Last Noel", a Yuletide tribute to Sir Noel Coward which firmly places Horner among America's greatest special material penners now or ever. In a nutshell, Paul Horner is a must-see.

Applause! Applause! Review of Minimum Wage & Baby Boomerang by Andrew Martin

This review of "Minimum Wage" and "Baby Boomerang" at 55 Grove Street Cabaret at Rose's Turn was written by Andrew Martin and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Wage" Wins and "Boomerang" Ricochets
55 Grove Street Cabaret at Rose's Turn (NYC)

Rose's Turn, at 55 Grove Street in the West Village, has scored with several bonafide cabaret and comedy hits in the seven years since it opened. To their impressive list may now be added two new shows which will continue to play at the club throughout the winter of 1997-98, namely vocal/comedy group Minimum Wage, and the stand-up comedians comprising the group Baby Boomerang.

Minimum Wage (which features Brian Chenoweth, Sean Harris, Jeff LaGreca and Charlie LaGreca) may well be the freshest, the most glorious, the most unique group of its type in the history of the rising a cappella idiom. Harmonies both solid and heavenly are balanced by a sense of genius comedy, and all woven together with a theme that only a quartet as brilliant as these four could pull off. And pull it off they do. To find out, reserve your own seats for Friday nights at 8 p.m. by calling (212) 366-5438.

And "Baby Boomerang" has really become The Little Comedy Show That Could. Comedians Debi Kops, John Kowie, Ken Scudder, Brian McManus and Pete Florax (in addition to troupe members Rodney Craig and Linda San Lucas) have continued bringing their always-humorous take on the joys of belonging to the Baby Boomer generation to the club, and momentum for the show is deservedly picking up. Cabaretgoers who don't usually do "the stand-up comedy thing" will absolutely want to attend the next performance of "Baby Boomerang" for it's sheer entertainment and sense of endless fun, and that's a promise.

Applause! Applause! Review of Vickie Phillips & Barry Phillips by Andrew Martin

This review of Vickie Phillips' show "To Grandmother's House We Go" at Don't Tell Mama and Barry Phillips' show "A Gentleman Sings -- Volume 4" at Danny's was written by Andrew Martin and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

Phillips Scores In Cabaret...And So Does Phillips
Don't Tell Mama & Danny's Skylight Room (NYC)

Strictly by coincidence, Restaurant Row played host to two equally impressive cabaret performers in October, both with the surname Phillips. And whether it was Vickie Phillips' show, "To Grandmother's House We Go", at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street; 212-757-0788), or Barry Phillips' "A Gentleman Sings -- Volume 4" at Danny's (346 West 46th Street; 212-265-8133), a splendid time was had by all.

The aforementioned Ms. Phillips, who debuted the show at the club in June, gets high marks for her inventive choices in material: such novelty numbers as the pithy "Monopoly" are balanced by a striking reading of Jacques Brel's "Marieke" and the chanteuse's ever-excellent delivery of Maltby & Shire's "Life Story." Overall, the show provides a marvelous showcase for Vickie Phillips, a gifted cabaret entertainer who shows why she's deserved Bistro awards and MAC nominations. It should return to Don't Tell Mama in the near future...in a just world.

This critic had never seen Barry Phillips in a full-length show, but had heard positive accolades for the last several seasons, and the hearsay is wholeheartedly justified. Phillips combines a fine ear for vocal arranging (as evidenced on such numbers as "Misty") and nearly-heartwrenching ability on bluesy pop ballads by Stevie Wonder and Edgar Winter. In addition, a key element that sets Barry Phillips' "A Gentleman Sings -- Volume 4" apart from most other cabaret acts this season is its sense of innate intelligence, the very fabric of which this show is woven. Whether the show, or Barry Phillips in his next program of songs, return to a club near you in the near future, get thee there.

Applause! Applause! Review of the CD "Christmas Cocktails" by Marle Becker

This review of the CD "Christmas Cocktails" was written by Marle Becker and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Christmas Cocktails" - Various Artists
(Capitol Records, CDP-52559)

Following in the footsteps of the fifteen or more CD's in Capitol's enormously successful and satisfying Ultra-Lounge series - and just in time for Christmas - comes, what else but "Christmas Cocktails". A little bit of be-bop, a little bit of sentiment; from Billy May's "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo" (originally released as a single in 1953) to Ray Anthony's previously un-released cover of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", here's the CD to put you in the mood for the holidays whether you like it or not.

Produced by Wayne Watkins and compiled by Bruce Benedict, "Cocktails" also features such treats as Julie London, the Hollyridge Strings, and Lou Rawls, nicely showcased in one CD. For those who love the season, here's the perfect companion to enhance the festivities; for the grumps and grouches who can't wait for the holidays to be over, its just campy enough to help you bide your time. But camp or not, "Christmas Cocktails" is by far the best and most fun of all the compilations in the Christmas bins at your local record store. Besides, where else can you hear Kay Starr's "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag"?

Don't pass this one up; it's pure heaven; the perfect stocking stuffer. Happy Holidays!

Applause! Applause! Review of Michael Callen's CD "Legacy" by Marle Becker

This review of Michael Callen's CD "Legacy" was written by Marle Becker and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Legacy" - Michael Callen
(Significant Other Records, S0951)

A treasure trove of Michael Callen's music. No need to go into detail - just buy it!

Applause! Applause! Review of Joni James' CD "Merry Christmas From Joni" & "Give Us This Day - Songs Of Inspiration" by Marle Becker

This review of Joni James' reissue of 2 classic holiday LP's on 1 CD, which includes "Merry Christmas From Joni" and "Give Us This Day - Songs Of Inspiration" was written by Marle Becker and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Two Classic Holiday Albums from Joni James" - Joni James
(Taragon Records, TARCD-3004)

To Joni James fans, her here's-my-heart-on-my-sleeve delivery has always been, and continues to be, one of the singer's major trademarks. Nowhere is that distinction more evident than on the reissue of 2 classic holiday LP's on 1 admirably fine CD: "Merry Christmas from Joni" and "Give Us This Day - Songs of Inspiration".

The Christmas portion covers carols and such heirlooms as "The Christmas Song" and Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", while the inspirational half - though never preachy or didactic - features such gems as "Count Your Blessings" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".

The benchmark here, however, is her recording of "Christmas and You", a big hit for the winsome singer in the early 50's. Though other singers have covered this treasure, Joni's remains the original and the ultimate; worth the price of the CD alone.

Ms. James, whose recent return to the concert stage has critics searching for new adjectives and audiences on their feet begging for more, has personally guided and supervised the transition from vinyl to state-of-the-art CD and the result is another superb performance from the legendary songbird.

The perfect gift for every music lover on your shopping list. And while you're at it, don't forget to check out the other treasures in the "Joni Collection". If your record store doesn't have it, contact Taragon directly at 516-242-8760.

Applause! Applause! Review of Blossom Dearie's CD "Christmas Spice, So Very Nice" by Marle Becker

This review of Blossom Dearie's CD "Christmas Spice, So Very Nice" was written by Marle Becker and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Christmas Spice, So Very Nice" - Blossom Dearie
(Daffodil Records, BMD Vol. XVI)

Blossom Dearie's holiday CD, "Christmas Spice, So Very Nice", is everything you'd expect it to be and a bag of chips. Assisted by Mike Renzi, Jay Leonhart, Jay Berliner, and Grady Tate - all splendid musicians in their own right - Dearie and her fellas are, once again, in tip-top form and they all chip in to make this a superb CD.

"Spice" is notable and different from the normal holiday fare in that there's probably not one song you're likely to have heard before. While there are songs, by Renzi, Leonhart, and even Dearie herself, the majority are by a wonderful contemporary composer by the name of Duncan Lamont. Dearie's interpretations are warm and unadorned, full of heart, and quite simply delicious.

This CD is another stunning reminder of just how special she really is. So treat yourself well, relax, put "Christmas Spice" in the CD player and enjoy the holidays in the company of greatness like you might never have done before.

Scott Morgan, LPQC Member, Speculates Regarding The Real Motives Behind Ron Paul's Stand On Evolution & Carl Person's Stand On Bestiality

On November 27, 2011, Scott Morgan, a member of the Libertarian Party of Queens County who also has been active in the Independence Party of New York State, posted a response to Ron Paul's recent comments on evolution and to Carl Person's classification of bestiality as a victimless crime. Ron Paul is seeking the Republican Party's Presidential Nomination and Carl Person is seeking the Libertarian Party's Presidential Nomination.

Scott Morgan's comments were as follows:

As hard as it might be for True Believers and Ideologues to imagine, politicians sometimes utter ritual incantations to placate their "base". Ron Paul, though a legitimate libertarian, quite simply needs a fair share of the dung-ignorant yahoo vote to be electorally viable, and he is being pressed hard by the Bachmann-Cain-Perry-Santorum wingnuts for even that. Obviously, as a physician, Paul had to take-- and pass-- any number of biology courses, and since Evolution can no more be "put up for a vote" than Gravity or String Theory, he feels it's pretty much okay to spew nonsense regarding a non-essential issue. And if you're advocating removing U.S. troops from imperialist wars abroad, repealing the Patriot Act and overhauling the Fed, who needs the distraction of some illiterates demanding you hold to a "literal" interpretation of one or another translation of the Christian Bible, anyway?

Besides which, there aren't any religious tests for "libertarianism", nor should there be. True, while an ignorant misunderstanding of-- or petulant opposition to-- Evolution or String Theory might well cause one to doubt the intellectual candlepower of a friend or acquaintance, remember: politicians are just politicians. Not intellectuals, not "truth seekers", not academic researchers, not visionaries-- just damn politicians, and as such must be held to a fairly low standard.

I'm reminded of some anarchists refusing to recognize Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker movement as a "true anarchist" because she was, well, a Catholic. N.Y. City Councilman Dan Halloran describes himself as a pagan, and is a defender of civil liberties. I know an absolutely flaming libertarian who takes great interest in the work of Zecharia Sitchin, who postulated that the ancient Hebrews' Elohim and Nefilim (like the western Chinese "giants") were extraterrestrials who mated with proto-Earthwomen to create the Human Race. (Parenthetically, Anunnaki theory can be said to support both Evolution and Natural Selection.) An odd fascination many would say, but hardly one which would prompt the dude to advocate government censorship of libraries or to enable jack-booted thugs as they stop and frisk folks who walk and talk funny, demanding their "documents".

As for bestiality? It would seem to depend upon whether one views animals as sentient beings or as "property". Also the presumption is that the animal him/herself doesn't initiate the sexual conduct. Higher primates possess language skills, even rudimentary grammar. Some can even "read" after a fashion, but few beyond the level of a State College MBA candidate. (This may be apocryphal, but the ASL "signing ape" Koko was reportedly fond of Hayek and Szasz, though found Ayn Rand insulting to her intelligence. "Bad write" Koko purportedly signed.)

The Non-Coercion Principle (apparently based on a one-liner spoken by Murrays Rothbard and Bookchin) is a tenet of "flashcard libertarianism" almost up there with "Cut Taxes!". But what constitutes "coercion"? I put landlordism, taxation and usury into pretty much the same category. To some, drivers' licenses seem little more than taxation by another name, plus a data-mining "gateway" device. I heard an antiabortion libertarian (and, no, not one of the clownish "cultural conservatives") describe abortion as "just about as coercive as it gets". So there are, reasonably, various interpretations of the term.

I believe many animals are sentient, although, of course, lack "Consciousness" in the accepted Jaynes/Hampden-Turner sense. (Oh, and Consciousness exists separate from Language, and vice versa.) In bestiality (or Zoophilia, if you prefer), "consent" is hard to determine or define. Bestiality figures prominently in American (especially Southern American) literature. Entire academic careers have been established in re the "Ike in the barn" chapter of Faulkner's The Hamlet, after all. Plus current research holds that 10-20% of all farm boys have had "animal contacts". Ah, a voting bloc! Perhaps this is why Carl would raise bestiality as a campaign issue in the first place. 

Applause! Applause! Review of Spring Awakening at Cultural Arts Playhouse by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of the musical Spring Awakening performed at the Cultural Arts Playhouse was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 1 (2011) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

Spring Awakening
Cultural Arts Playhouse (625 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY)
Reviewed 11/26/11

Spring Awakening is a musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same name written by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. It is set in late-19th century Germany and involves teenage characters with names like Melchior, Moritz, Wendla, Ilse, Georg, Martha, Hanschen, Anna, Ernst, Thea and Otto. These teenagers, while struggling to find their way in an ordered, religious, puritanical society, face many challenges. Along the way, they deal with issues such as sexually explicit dreams, masturbation, bullying, teenage sex, pregnancy, abortion, incest, suicide, child abuse, domination, homosexuality and ultimately, death.

The good news about this production is the talent of the performers. Jesse Pimpinella was very charismatic as Melchior Gabor and Ashley Nicastro was excellent as the unbelievably naive Wendla Bergman. Mike Visconti was surprisingly powerful as Moritz Stiefel. The actor who caught my eye was Steven Matykiewicz, who played Ernst. His stage presence, acting talent and singing voice indicate to me that Mr. Matykiewicz is destined to play the lead in future productions. Also worthy of mention is Kevin Sweeney, who played the homosexual Hanschen. He was very believable in the part.

As for the musical itself, I was not impressed. The songs were not memorable and the only one that caught my attention, for a minute or two, was "Totally Fucked". The story line was extremely thin and there was little character development, which resulted in my inability to connect with any of the characters on more than a superficial level. Because of the many difficult topics addressed, there exists the potential to re-write the book to enable us to feel more deeply about each of the characters' dilemmas but as the book exists now that is all but impossible.

The Cultural Arts Playhouse is a small, comfortable theater with a friendly staff. Patrons are seated on a priority basis depending upon who purchases their tickets first. The set was far from elaborate but I understand this is typical for productions of this musical. I don't know if the theater has a Sound Engineer but on this particular evening, there were problems with the sound system that were very distracting and not corrected during intermission. Nevertheless, I will return to see future productions at the Cultural Arts Playhouse (http://www.culturalartsplayhouse.com/).

Applause! Applause! Review of "Quentin Crisp: Eighty-Eight at Eighty Eight's" by Rita Sola

This review of Quentin Crisp in the show entitled "Quentin Crisp: Eighty-Eight at Eighty-Eights" was written by Rita Sola and appeared in Volume I, Issue 1 (November, 1997) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens. The show took place at Eighty-Eights located at 228 West 10th Street in Manhattan.

"Quentin Crisp: Eighty-Eight at Eighty-Eight's" - Quentin Crisp
Eighty-Eight's (228 West 10th Street, NYC)

Some years ago, I was given a bumper sticker that reads, "Housework Rots the Mind." Since I don't have a bumper to stick it on, I've hung it on the wall near the door of my apartment where visitors will see it at once...and understand. Quentin Crisp understands. He claims to have never cleaned his apartment. "What's the point?" he says, After four years, it doesn't get any dirtier." He's right. But then, he will explain, "One's flat is merely one's dressing room. Outside is the stage."

In the event you've been living on a moon of Jupiter for the last several decades, I should explain who Quentin Crisp is. I should, but I can't. He is an original, a peculiarly British phenomenon, the sort they send us once a century. The last was Oscar Wilde, but he didn't stay. Quentin did -- he explains why in his book Resident Alien -- and he's been here for seventeen years.

Quentin Crisp is a writer, actor, film critic, and, in recent months, cabaret performer, completing a successful run that was extended for an extra four weeks at Eighty-Eight's, a serendipitous choice since he will turn eighty-nine on Christmas Day. In the thirties, when he was in his twenties, he was a nude model in the employ of the government of His Majesty the King. Hence the title of his autobiography and the film, starring John Hurt, which was based on it: The Naked Civil Servant. No, he did not pose for tired parliamentarians relaxing after a hard day of law-making (at one of his performances, Quentin defined politics as "the art of making the inevitable appear to be a matter of wise human choice") but in state-owned art schools.

Since then, he has been a leading proponent of what he calls the "profession of being" as opposed to the "profession of making." To illustrate the profession of making where the thing you make becomes more important than you, he refers to the acclaim that would be accorded a work by the sculptor Henry Moore, typically a huge piece of marble with a hole in it that would instantaneously be recognized as a work by Henry Moore. However, if you were to drag out Henry Moore himself, "with or without a hole in him," no one would recognize him. The "profession of being" he says, is exemplified by someone like Mohammed Ali whose opponents were invariably identified in terms of the former heavyweight champion: "the man who was beaten by Ali" or "that boxer who won the title from Ali."

As a distinguished author and personality, Quentin would seem to define both these principles. A frequent guest on television talk shows, he refers to the medium as an example of "the survival of the glibbest." Quentin Crisp's cabaret show is an amalgam of such bon mots as well as reminiscences. He recalls that as a child, he saw a silent film starring stage legend Sarah Bernhardt, who, although she must have been told that she was performing in a silent film, nevertheless moved her lips "faster than a policeman giving corrupt evidence."

Corrupt police and sidewalk thugs are well known to Quentin, who has been openly gay all his life. When asked why he was never in the closet, he explains that he couldn't get into one. Every time he opened a closet door, the people inside would wave him away shouting, "Not in here! Not in here!"

But after listening to him awhile, you become aware that Quentin does not seem to consider himself a homosexual male but rather a heterosexual female whom God deposited in the wrong receptacle. He mentions that he was born too soon to take advantage of The Operation. Of course, Quentin, himself, may not blame God for the mishap as he claims to be an atheist. On one sojourn to Northern Ireland, he was asked by a woman in the audience whether he was a Protestant or a Catholic. Quentin responded that he was an atheist. The woman responded "That's all very well, Mr. Crisp, but is it the God of the Protestants or the God of the Catholics in whom you don't believe."

Quentin tells his audience to "Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper." But despite such advice, he puts a strong premium on style. To illustrate a supreme stylist, he conjures up the image of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron standing before thousands in high ankle strap shoes and raising her arms, causing two cascades of diamond bracelets to fall down her arms like railroad cars in a siding, and as she does so, beginning her speech, "We are the shirtless ones."

As another example of this nebulous quality, he tells the story of a London bag-lady, known as the Countess ("and not without cause") who rummages through trash bins for discarded treasures -- a single lace glove, for instance -- most of which she gives away, telling the recipient, "You're bound to find another one some day." One day, she found a black, beaded, backless evening dress. Thrilled by her discovery, too excited to wait until nightfall, she slipped into a small graveyard to try it on. A crowd gathered and she was hauled before a powdery-wigged magistrate who asked, "What do you mean by disrobing amongst the dead?" Her reply: "I was doing what any respectable lady would be doing at that hour. Dressing for dinner." Now that's style!!

Lexxi Stray Endorses Carl Person For President

On November 17, 2011, Lexxi Stray, a proud Zoosexual, endorsed Carl Person for President of the United States and encouraged others to do so as well. On her blog, she wrote:

There’s a political candidate running in the coming elections who has definitely got my favor - one Carl Person. He is in favor of focusing our national resources on REAL issues - and not squandering them chasing ‘criminals’ who aren’t hurting anyone else or interfering with other people. He plans to do this by focusing funds on creating jobs as well as by having the police force working to keep people safe, which they cannot do when they are spread thin chasing after people involved in victimless crimes.

And what does he classify as victimless crimes?

"The victimless crimes are prostitution, bestiality, sodomy, drugs, abortion, and the principles are that we shouldn’t be regulating what people do to themselves, and the cost of the regulation should be saved and returned to taxpayers, to reduce taxes, and enable the economy to grow with commerce instead of with prisoners, private jails and private jail guards."

He is completely right. We spend millions of dollars trying to stop people from bending over for their dog or taking a puff of weed while men beating their wives or people drinking themselves into comas hardly get a second glance. It’s time to focus on making change that helps people, not waste more tax money trying to stop people from engaging in actions that don’t harm anyone else.

To clarify his stance on bestiality:

"When I mentioned 'bestiality' I was referring to animals, not humans (Note: some statutes prohibiting bestiality include children within the definition.) Bestiality as a victimless crime would center on two elements: 1. “property rights” – limiting the practice to one’s own animals or with wild animals (not owned by anyone) and 2. “consent” and/or “non-injury” – if the animal is willing and is not injured in the process. If the animal is already dead, the victimless crime would become a variant of necromancy, and have to be analyzed in a similar fashion. I’m not a practitioner or advocate of bestiality and am only trying to apply Libertarian principles to a seldom discussed victimless crime."

Finally, for the first time in far too long politics are openly discussing the reality of bestiality - that if the animal is ready and willing there is no harm done by allowing them to satisfy their urges. While the Libertarian Party may be much smaller than either Democrats or Republicans, you can bet those groups keep their eyes on the support levels of different candidates so they know what policies to implement in order to get more support for themselves.

One thing you can do to support bestiality and bring the positive views to light is simply support Carl Person and his fellows either online or in person and, if you plan on voting, vote for some of them come election time. Every vote they get is another sign that bestiality is slowly coming into the minds of the mainstream in a more realistic way - the illogical prejudices of the past are slowly being stripped away so that things may be looked at objectively, and this is one change I am proud to say I will be a part of.

Remember, exercise your right to vote!

You can read Lexxi Stray's full article on Carl Person at: http://www.lexxistray.com/2011/11/17/political-candidate-carl-person-for-the-win/ and can learn more about Lexxi Stray at: http://www.lexxistray.com/

Lexxi Stray (a/k/a Dog Park Princess) is a proud Zoosexual who describes herself as a Bi-Sexual who likes canines and humans with a strong preference for male canines.

LPPA Board of Directors Recognizes The Libertarian Party Of Northampton County As A County Committee & Seats Its Representative

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) took place on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 12 noon at BJ's Steak & Ribs located at 17 North Market Street in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. At that meeting, the LPPA Board of Directors unanimously confirmed the status of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County (LPNC) as a recognized "County Committee" and seated its Representative as a voting member.

Article III, Section 1 of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Bylaws reads in part as follows:

Any group of two or more members in good standing residing in the same county, shall, upon their request to the Party be recognized by the Board of Directors as a "County Committee". 

On September 13, 2011, Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy and Shane Wolfe, three (3) LPPA members in good standing residing in Northampton County, made the request that the Libertarian Party of Northampton County be recognized as a "County Committee" of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. On September 21, 2011, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County made the same request by motion on behalf of Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy, Aaron Rosengarten & Shane Wolfe, all four (4) who were LPPA members in good standing residing in Northampton County.

After an on-line vote, Vernon Etzel, LPPA Secretary, reported on October 3, 2011, the following:

It appears that a quorum was met and, lacking any dissenting votes, the motion is passed. Northampton County will be seated at the next board meeting...the intentions of the board are clear, and the recognition of the Northampton County chapter is settled.

The status of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County as a recognized "County Committee" of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania was confirmed by motion at the LPPA Board of Directors Meeting held on November 12, 2011.

Article III, Section 3 of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Bylaws reads in part as follows:

Any member of a county or regional committee who presents a petition to the Board of Directors from at least twelve members in good standing from the committee shall become the County or Regional Committee Representative with voting privileges on the Board of Directors.

On November 1, 2011, Dr. Tom Stevens, LPNC Chair, sent the following petition to Vernon Etzel, LPPA Secretary:

The following 12 LPPA members in good standing hereby petition the LPPA Board of Directors to permit the State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County (selected pursuant to its bylaws) to have a vote on the LPPA Board of Directors: Stuart Boreen, Katie Brennan, Matthew Brennan, Ryan Brennan, Dylan Duraes, Matthew Guagenti, Mary Killy, Melissa Killy, Patrick R. Killy, Jesse Markowitz, Aaron Rosengarten & Shane Wolfe.

After confirming the membership status of the individuals who signed the petition, the LPPA Board of Directors voted unanimously to seat the Representative of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County as a voting member. On November 12, 2011, Patrick R. Killy, First Vice-Chair of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County, was the designated LPNC State Representative who attended the LPPA Board of Directors Meeting in Selinsgrove, PA (which is located in Snyder County).

The Organizational Meeting of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County was held on September 21, 2011. Its Founding Members are Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy & Dr. Tom Stevens. The current officers of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County are Dr. Tom Stevens, County Chair; Patrick R. Killy, First Vice-Chair; Shane Wolfe, Second Vice-Chair; Aaron Rosengarten, Secretary; and Dylan Duraes, Treasurer.

Carl Person, Candidate For The Libertarian Party's Presidential Nomination, Supports Legalizing Bestiality As A Victimless Crime

Carl Person has written about his desire "to end the war on drugs and legalize victimless crimes". When asked by a poster to Liberty Lion, "What kind of victimless crimes are you thinking of? What is the driving principle behind this?", Mr. Person responded:

The victimless crimes are prostitution, bestiality, sodomy, drugs, abortion, and the principles are that we shouldn't be regulating what people do to themselves, and the cost of the regulation should be saved and returned to taxpayers, to reduce taxes, and enable the economy to grow with commerce instead of with prisoners, private jails and private jail guards.

Liberty Lion followed up with Carl Person to get a clarification with respect his position in support of legalizing bestiality. Carl Person provided the following statement regarding the issue:

When I mentioned "bestiality" I was referring to animals, not humans (Note: some statutes prohibiting bestiality include children within the definition.)  Bestiality as a victimless crime would center on two elements: 1. "property rights" - limiting the practice to one's own animals or with wild animals (not owned by anyone) and 2. "consent" and/or "non-injury" - if the animal is willing and is not injured in the process. If the animal is already dead, the victimless crime would become a variant of necromancy, and have to be analyzed in a similar fashion.  I'm not a practitioner or advocate of bestiality and am only trying to apply Libertarian principles to a seldom discussed victimless crime.

Dallwyn Merck, Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, responded to this news with the following comment:

I applaud Carl Person for speaking up on this controversial issue and for setting forth a philosophical framework to enable us to analyze when and under what circumstances bestiality should be made legal.

Engaging in bestiality is currently considered a very serious crime in almost all states. In fact, the first person executed in what is now the geographic area known as the United States was Thomas Granger, a 16-year old boy living in Plymouth Colony, who was hung on September 8, 1642 after confessing to “buggery with a mare, a cowe, two goats, divers sheepe, two calves, and a turkey”.

Bestiality is far more common than most people realize. After conducting 6000 interviews with participants on their sexual histories, Alfred Kinsey published his findings in 1953, which included the result that 8% of men and 4% of women reported having a sexual experience with an animal at some point in their lives, and 8% of men brought themselves to organism with an animal. In Morton Hunt’s study (1974), it was reported that 4.9% of men brought themselves to orgasm with animal contact. Male sexual contact was more common among rural farm dwellers than urban men. Intercourse was the most common sexual activity, usually with animals such as calves, sheep, and burros.

Since taboos against human-animal contact have been the norm for centuries, the criminal law has resulted in the arrest and stigmatization of those who have found pleasure while in contact with certain farm animals. Whether it be the shepherd with his sheep or the farm boy with a toothless baby calf, human–animal contact has been going on for thousands of years.

Carl Person has brought this issue out into the open and has started a discussion on the topic. He has done a great service to this nation by addressing this issue head on.

Ronald S. Ramo, Treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, commented on Facebook in response to Carl Person's position as follows:

Guys, it's (bestiality) a close question upon which right minded people can disagree about its regulation.

With respect to whether libertarians would support the decriminalization of bestiality, Thomas L. Knapp, Founder of the Boston Tea Party & Publisher of Rational Review ("The Premier Libertarian Web Journal"), wrote:

It seems to me that the default libertarian position — absent a persuasive argument for “animal rights,” which I do try to keep an open mind for — is that it’s a property issue and therefore a victimless crime (unless of course the animal is someone else’s property)...If non-human animals do not have rights and are “just property", then the answer the Zero Aggression Principle returns is that bestiality (with one’s own property or with permission of the owner of said property) is not aggression, and that prohibiting/punishing bestiality (with one’s own property or with permission of the owner of said property) is aggression.

The issue of bestiality in politics recently came up in the 2010 New York State Gubernatorial Election Campaign when it was revealed that Carl Paladino, the Republican Party's candidate for governor, had sent dozens of e-mails to friends and business associates, many which included photographs and videos of animals having sex with humans. One e-mail entitled "Easy Steady Big Fella...XXXX" included a photograph that graphically depicted a horse having sex with a woman. When pressed by Alan Colmes in an interview regarding why he forwarded these e-mails containing bestiality videos, Carl Paladino declared "I'm human!" implying it is only human to find such videos intriguing and humorous, which might be why you can view human-animal sex videos on the streets of the Red Light District in Amsterdam and why human-animal sex videos are for sale on the internet.

Aqueduct Buffet at Resorts World New York City

Trying to get information about the new Aqueduct Buffet at Resorts World New York City located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd. in Jamaica, NY was extremely difficult on the opening weekend (October 28-30, 2011) since the website for the casino (http://www.rwnewyork.com/) did not list times or prices and the customer service line (1-888-888-8801) was not operational Saturday or Sunday. As a result, I went to lunch at the Aqueduct Buffet on Sunday, October 30, 2011 to check it out.

I learned the Aqueduct Buffet is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (with all food removed by 11:00 p.m.). For lunch, they charge $16.99 plus tax for adults (raised on February 1, 2012 to $19.99 plus tax). For dinner (which starts at 5:00 p.m.), they charge $19.99 plus tax for adults (raised on February 1, 2012 to $24.99 plus tax Sunday through Thursday and $29.99 plus tax on Fridays, Saturdays and Holidays). Additional food choices are added during the dinner hours.

The buffet is divided into a number of stations, which include, but are not limited to, the following: Asian Station (Chinese & Japanese), Spanish/Middle Eastern Station, Comfort Food Station, Italian Station, Upscale Station, Seafood Station, Salad Station, Soup/Bread Station and a Dessert Station.

An example of the food served for lunch at some of the stations follows:

Asian Station: LoMein w/Bean Sprouts & Scallions, Vegetable Fried Rice, Asian Sesame Chicken, Stir-Fried Shrimp w/Vegetable, Pan Fried Dumplings, Dim Sum, BBQ Pork, Soy Chicken Wings, Seaweed Salad & Spring Roll

Spanish/Middle Eastern Station: Lamb Gyro Wrap, Steak Fajitas, Black Lentils & Tandoori Chicken

Comfort Food Station: BBQ Ribs, Meatloaf, Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Chicken & Mashed Potatoes

Italian Station: Chicken Cacciatore, Sweet Italian Sausage w/Tri-Colored Peppers & Onions, Mussels, Penne in Marinara w/Meat Balls, Rosemary Chicken, Polenta, Flounder, Roasted Potatoes & Asparagus

Upscale Station: Salmon, Pork Chops, New York Sirloin Steak, Corn On The Cob & Kiebasa w/Sausage (with the option to purchase the following a la carte items for $9.99 an item: Sirloin, Tenderloin, Chops or Lobster)

Seafood Station: Shrimp w/Cocktail Sauce

Salad Station: Macaroni Salad, Four Bean Salad, Rice Noodle Salad

Soup/Bread Station: Potato Leek Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup & Tomato Basil Soup

Dessert Station: Fresh Fruit, Rice Pudding, Chocolate Pudding, Fruit Parfait, Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Cream, Bread Pudding, Blueberry Cobbler and many cakes.

Drinks such as soda, coffee, tea, cranberry & orange juice were included in the price of the buffet and are brought to you by a member of the wait staff.

Overall, the food was fresh and the staff friendly. Tours of the buffet were available and there were also roving entertainers. The view of the track from some of the seats in the buffet room (300 seats) was exceptional. I liked the fact there was a rest room you could access from the main buffet room. Parking was free but if they start to charge for parking, I recommended that future buffet customers be able to have their parking tickets validated so they won't need to pay both for parking and the buffet if they are just coming to Resorts World New York City to eat.

As for criticisms, I have a few. First, some of the food was not labeled. Second, a number of food items were left in place too long causing them to dry up. Examples included the New York Sirloin Steak, Lamb Gyro, Steak Fajita and the Corn On The Cob. Eventually these items were replaced and were fresh but it took longer than it should have. Third, the Tandoori Chicken had a curry rub on it and was not prepared in the traditional manner (with the fiery red hue you might be used to). Fourth, the Fruit Parfait had a nasty taste to it (but you might find it to your liking). Finally, the orange juice tasted like it was watered down.

Despite these minor negative observations, I would highly recommend you try the Aqueduct Buffet. I will certainly be returning myself.

If you are gambling in the casino and don't have time to sit down for a full buffet, the following restaurants are also available in the Food Court: Wolfgang Puck Express, Stage Deli, Cups n' Cones, Popeyes, Fiesta, Good Friends and Queens Burger.

Carl Person, Candidate For The Libertarian Party's Presidential Nomination, Unveils "Prosperity Plan" For Small Towns Throughout The United States

On October 24, 2011, Carl Person, candidate for the Libertarian Party’s Presidential Nomination, revealed his "Prosperity Plan" inviting small towns throughout the United States to implement his program, with or without his assistance, to create prosperity for its residents and small businesses.

Carl Person explained his Prosperity Plan in 21 Points, which are the following:

Preliminary Concepts To Help You Understand My Prosperity Plan

1. A town with a population between 7,500 and 12,500 is recommended. The Prosperity Plan for a town (the “Town”) within this population range can be implemented in about 2 months, with a team of 10 and a team manager.

2. My plan is 100% “viral” as to the Town, because we reach everyone in the Town through direct solicitation. Although it’s impossible to obtain anywhere near 100% viral on the Internet, you can obtain 100% viral in a small geographic area, by knocking on every door and bringing your message to each person in the area. This is being done successfully by religious groups (Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses) and by numerous door-to-door salesmen of various products (e.g., vacuum sweepers, cleaning supplies, magazine subscriptions and home improvement products). The Libertarian Party features door-to-door marketing with its Libertarian Door Hangers [http://www.lp.org/take-a-look].

3. The plan results in obtaining a list of the email addresses for all residents and small business owners/managers in the Town, which means that the plan results in ownership of an electronic newspaper with almost everyone in Town (of working age) as a subscriber. The newspaper (actually, a weekly newsletter sent by email at no cost) is able to provide information to the residents and voters about Libertarian values, candidates and projects that the Town’s existing single newspaper fails to publicize.

4. The marketing area for the Town is going to be, approximately, a 75-mile radius from the center of the Town [the reach of the 10,000 Watt local radio station(s)], which is almost 18,000 square miles, with perhaps 100 to 400 other towns within the area, or approximately 15 counties (averaging 1,207 square miles each).

5. A 1-minute commercial run on a local radio station should cost approximately $1, for the advertising of a catalog of all the offered goods and services of perhaps 5,000 residents and small businesses of the Town, at an annual cost of advertising per participant of less than $10.

6. A technical course to qualify residents to work for small businesses and self-employed persons will be the first part of a free college education for each resident; the rest of the college equivalency curriculum will be the more traditional college courses.

7. The education to be provided in the Town’s tuition-free equivalency college for residents only will be 1st class as to the vocational training and economic sustainability components and traditional courses (English, history, etc.) as to the rest of the program.

8. The Town’s Voters have rights under New York’s Municipal Home Rule Law (for example) to overturn actions by the Town’s legislative body through a referendum. The right to a local referendum gives state residents a formidable political power for exercise when needed.

9. The principles involved in my Prosperity Plan are Libertarian, involving self help of the Town’s residents and small businesses.

10. If the Prosperity Plan is successful, the Town Voters can be expected to vote Libertarian, and all of the offices up for election in the area should have Libertarian candidates with an excellent chance of winning.

11. The surrounding Towns will demand the same Libertarian reforms, because the Prosperity Plan is actually a grass roots plan for spreading Libertarian principles by showing they work and creating a demand for the same reforms as the implementation successes become known.

Here Is My Plan for Creating Libertarian-Based Prosperity In Any Town In The United States

12. A Team Of 10 Trained Representatives And A Team Manager Goes Door-To-Door (which is how 100% “viral” is created) to disseminate the Libertarian message and explain how prosperity can be created for the Town and its residents and small businesses through the implementation of four reforms. This would be a good way to put volunteers to use, and to bring in local members of Occupy Wall Street and its 99% to further their objectives.

13. A Town of 10,000 population will have about 3,750 housing units to visit and an estimated 200 retail businesses.

14. The Team will obtain the email addresses of every Town resident and small business owner/manager; and create email addresses for those not having an email address (and set up several retail locations where they can receive email. (This creates a local newspaper with a near 100% subscription rate, at a cost of about $6 per subscriber (or $20 per household). [Note: During the 1980’s, newspapers sold for about $1,000 per subscriber.]

15. The Town’s Mayor Will Be Encouraged To Have The Town’s Lawyer Function As The Town Attorney General to protect the rights of the Town, its residents and small businesses at public expense, and obtain refunds (or “clawbacks”) from entities that have breached their contracts with the Town. These amounts could lower real estate taxes and pay 100% of the costs of the Town’s tuition-free equivalency college for residents only.

16. Set Up A Tuition-Free Equivalency College For Residents Only; courses would be “live” and not internet-based. Students would live at home. The costs of running the college would be $2,000 per year per student (30 students in a class), or $2/hour for instruction. The college would provide a 1st class technical education as the first year of the curriculum, to train students how to earn a living working for local small businesses or to create their own small businesses. The 2nd through 4th years would be a more traditional curriculum, but including courses in manufacturing, business, farming, creating renewable energy and creating a sustainable economy. The students who complete their 1st year of the equivalency college will be in demand by the Town’s local businesses. [Note: the equivalency college will be area-wide, serving more than the Town, but residency in the area required, with students not residing in the Town having to pay the low-cost tuition.] The equivalency college has a low cost of operation because it would have no regulation, no student loans, no dispensary, no parking lots, no Chancellor’s home, no dormitory, no library, no trucks or grass to be cut.

17. Area-Wide Payroll Administrator (“AWPA”) As A Workaround For My Plan “The 1st 3 Are Free”. The AWPA will make it easier for local small businesses and households to hire employees. The AWPA will act similar to an office temporary service and handle the payroll withholding, reporting and insurance requirements. The business or household merely notifies the AWPA each week the number of hours worked by each employee. This does not have to be a cooperative, and it could and perhaps should be privately owned, with competitors. Each Town business and household pays for whatever use it has of the AWPA. The AWPA will make it easier for small businesses to manage payroll and induce small business to put on more employees of the classic type (involving payroll withholding) and enable local businesses to grow and add more employees.

18. Electronic, Searchable Catalog Of All Goods And Services Being Offered By All Of The Town’s Residents And Small Businesses. The Sears Catalog (a thick, printed paperback book) was a successful marketing tool for 100 years, but was discontinued in 1993. The catalog had almost everything anyone wanted to buy and was far less costly to advertise than trying to advertise separately each of the items in the catalog. Ebay is today’s electronic equivalent. My idea is to have a catalog for all goods and services being offered by a Town’s residents and small businesses because of the economies of scale in marketing the catalog. By using local radio advertising, the cost of advertising the offerings of 5,000 residents and small business is only $1 per minute, or less than $10 per year per catalog participant.

19. Keyword Advertising, Zip-Code Based, Making It An Improvement Upon Craigslist. When a member of the Team visits a household, he/she will provide consultation services to the resident(s) to identify the services and/or goods the resident should offer (as a way of increasing their income). For each identified, a keyword ad needs to be created, for inclusion in the “catalog”, which is in reality an online searchable database. Each resident and small business owner will be encouraged to prepare as many ads as needed to advertise each of the services or types of goods that the resident would like to offer and sell (or to buy). Here are 3 samples: “Tutor quantum mechanics, high school level, $25/hour”. “Have car truck with plow, shovel or remove snow from home driveways for $50 flat”. “Have car truck with plow, shovel or remove snow from parking lots for $125/hour, $75 minimum”. “Consultant on creating keyword ads for town database or catalog. $20/hour”. “Create website landing pages. $28/hour”.

20. Group Sessions Or Online Videos To Reduce Cost Of Instruction For Creating Keyword Ads. There are two critical things for every catalog participant: (i) keyword ads that use words and terms that will be used by prospective customers seeking the goods or services being offered by the participant; and (ii) the appearance and content of the landing page that a website user will see when jumping from the participant’s keyword ad to the participant’s landing page for such ad. The landing page needs to include pictures, prices, recommendations, descriptions of services, contact information, and anything else that will help to sell the offered products and services. Participants should learn how to create their own landing pages based on the first landing page created for them by a landing-page consultant. The use of good keywords ads and landing pages for the ads will bring in more income for the participant, and will result sooner or later in the hiring of employees by many of the catalog advertisers. Group sessions and online videos can provide the needed instruction after the team member, during his door-to-door visit, has provided the initial information and sample keyword ads.

21. Surrounding Towns Will Demand The Same Prosperity Reforms And Vote Libertarian. Because of the 1-minute radio advertisements of the Town’s catalog, residents and small businesses in the surrounding 2,000 square miles will be purchasing from the catalog and wondering why they can’t offer their services as well. This should result in demands for the same reforms to create prosperity in these other towns on a grass roots reform basis, similar to the growth of Craigslist. The reforms are Libertarian and most of the beneficiaries will know this and vote Libertarian as a result. It would be no major task to recruit residents of the Town or surrounding area to become candidates to compete for all or most of the elected positions in the counties involved.

Ronald S. Ramo, LPQC Treasurer, Rejects Social Contract & Declares Himself An Anarchist

Ronald S. Ramo, Treasurer of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, had already declared his Political Views on Facebook as being "Anarchist" but in a Note posted to his Facebook Page on October 7, 2011, he explained his anarchist beliefs further by declaring:

I personally fancy myself an anarchist, but I believe anarchism does not mean the non-existence of any authority or hierarchy, but that no authority or hierarchy can govern an individual without their express consent.

When asked for a follow-up explanation of his position, Mr. Ramo sent me the following:

I don't believe there is a social contract because the contemporary political, economic and social institutions have come into existence through violence and fraud. But I believe developments in the last several years have created opportunities to create political, economic and social institutions based on express consent; the only question is whether we are prepared to exploit them.

In addition to serving as LPQC Treasurer, Ronald S. Ramo also serves as Vice-Chair of Long Island Libertarians, a chartered chapter of Empire State Libertarians.

CQ Weekly Vantage Point Article Mentions Objectivist Party & Thomas Robert Stevens, The Party's 2012 Presidential Nominee

A CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Weekly Vantage Point article written by Shawn Zeller and published on October 3, 2011 (Page 2022) mentioned the Objectivist Party and Thomas Robert Stevens, the party's Presidential Nominee. The article, entitled "The Rule of Thirds: Fringe Candidates Settle for Spotlight", contained the following references:

The Prohibitionists and the Socialists aren't the first parties to nominate candidates for next year. That honor belongs to the Objectivist Party, which selected Thomas Robert Stevens as its presidential candidate more than a year ago in St. Louis.

A lawyer on Long Island and follower of writer Ayn Rand, who called her philosophy objectivism, Stevens founded the party in 2008 but remains an active Libertarian. "I have many irons in many fires," he says. "But in my opinion, all of my activities promote liberty."

Stevens says he founded the party to promote a purer devotion to Rand than offered by Libertarians, who have many social conservatives in their ranks.

The Objectivist Party held its National Convention from May 29-30, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The first session was held on Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. at Show-Me's on The Landing located at 724 North First Street. The second session was held on Sunday, May 30, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Kitchen Buffet & Bistro (inside Lumiere Place Casino) located at 999 North Second Street. The delegates unanimously selected Thomas Robert Stevens (New York) as its candidate for President in 2012 and unanimously selected Alden Link (New York & Florida) as its candidate for Vice-President in 2012.

Libertarian Party Of Northampton County, Pennsylvania Elects Officers

At the Organizational Meeting of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County (LPNC) held on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, the following individuals were elected to serve as officers:

County Chair - Dr. Tom Stevens
First Vice-Chair - Patrick R. Killy
Treasurer - Dylan Duraes

At an Executive Committee Meeting held immediately after the Organizational Meeting, the Executive Committee appointed the following individuals to officerships pursuant to Article 3, Section 6 of the LPNC Bylaws:

Second Vice-Chair - Shane Wolfe
Secretary - Aaron Rosengarten

The current officers will serve a term of office ending at the Annual Meeting of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County that will be held during the first quarter of 2012.

Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy & Thomas Robert Stevens Designated Founding Members Of The Libertarian Party Of Northampton County

The Organizational Meeting of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County was held on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 10:00 p.m.

During that meeting, Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy and Thomas Robert Stevens were designated as the Founding Members of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County.

Northampton County is located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. It has a population of approximately 300,000 and its county seat is Easton. Northampton County is located in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Its northern edge borders The Poconos. The eastern section of the county borders the Delaware River, which divides Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is bordered on the west by Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The county is industrially-oriented, producing anthracite coal, cement, and other industrial products. Bethlehem Steel, once one of the world's largest manufacturers of steel, was located there prior to its closing in 2003.

Libertarian Party Of Northampton County Executive Committee Requests LPPA Board Of Directors Recognize It As A County Committee

The Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County met on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 and passed the following resolution:

MOTION: Pursuant to Article III, Section 1 of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Bylaws, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County (which has at least four (4) members of the LPPA in good standing residing in Northampton County; i.e.Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy, Aaron Rosengarten & Shane Wolfe) hereby requests the Libertarian Party of Northampton County be recognized by the LPPA Board of Directors as a "County Committee" of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania.

The motion was made by Dylan Duraes and seconded by Patrick R, Killy. It passed unanimously.

Article III, Section 1 of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Bylaws reads, in part, as follows:

Any group of two or more members in good standing residing in the same county, shall, upon their request to the Party to be recognized by the Board of Directors as a "County Committee"...The county or regional committee must select an executive board consisting of two or more people and they must choose as their Parliamentary Source any version of Robert's Rules.

Dr. Tom Stevens, County Chair of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County, commented on the Executive Committee's request for recognition as follows:

On or about September 13, 2011, Patrick R. Killy, Dylan Duraes & Shane Wolfe (all LPPA members in good standing residing in Northampton County) asked the Board of Directors of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania for recognition as a "County Committee". Although Mik Robertson made a motion to grant recognition to the Libertarian Party of Northampton County, no further action was taken.

On September 21, 2011, an Organizational Meeting was held and the Libertarian Party of Northampton County was formed. An Executive Committee "consisting of two or more people" was elected and bylaws were adopted designating Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised as the group's Parliamentary Authority.

As noted above, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County has now unanimously passed a resolution asking the LPPA Board of Directors to grant "County Committee" status to this newly formed organization. Four (4) members of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County (i.e. Dylan Duraes, Patrick R. Killy, Aaron Rosengarten & Shane Wolfe), all who are members in good standing of the LPPA residing in Northampton County, now seek formal recognition of this new organization.

I hope the LPPA Board of Directors acts soon with respect to this request.

The Libertarian Party of Northampton County was formally organized on September 21, 2011.

Proposed LPUS Bylaw Amendment Takes Away Local Affiliate Authority & Could Significantly Reduce The Number Of State Affiliate Delegates

The Libertarian Party Bylaws Committee has proposed the following bylaw amendment to be voted on by the delegates in attendance at the Libertarian Party's National Convention scheduled to be held from May 3-6, 2012 at the Red Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada:

No individual enrolled as a registered voter affiliated with another political party, if he or she has the option of affiliating with the Libertarian Party, shall be eligible to serve as a Party employee, National Committee member, committee member, or delegate, or hold any other position of trust or responsibility within the Party.

Dr. Tom Stevens, Political Director of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, has objected to the impact this proposed bylaw amendment would have and commented as follows:

My objection to this bylaw amendment is that it trumps state affiliate bylaws and attempts to dictate which of their state affiliate members will be permitted to attend Libertarian Party National Conventions as delegates.

The New York State Libertarian Party bylaws, for example, permit its members and elected state and local officers to be enrolled members of other political parties. This has always been the case in New York but recently, because of a law suit the NYLP joined in on, the New York State Board of Elections must now keep track of who enrolls as "Libertarian". Despite this victory, many County Boards of Elections still list enrolled Libertarians as "Other". This is wholly a symbolic victory since the New York Libertarian Party cannot nominate candidates in Convention in accordance with New York State Election Law and for all purposes, the Libertarian Party is treated as if it does not exist. In each election, every candidate must still file an Independent Nominating Petition, just as an Independent Candidate with no party affiliation is required to do. This is why many New York Libertarian Party members remain enrolled as members of other political parties.

The national Libertarian Party bylaws may soon be amended to require Libertarian Party National Convention Delegates to be either Sustaining Members of the national Libertarian Party or members of the State Affiliate Party from which they have been designated as delegates. If the proposed bylaw amendment regarding "enrollment" passes, a large number of designated New York Libertarian Party Members, who are members of their local State Affiliate will be disqualified as Delegates to the Libertarian Party National Conventions unless they are enrolled as Libertarian even though their State Affiliate does not have such a requirement.

Under the proposed bylaw amendment, not only will the National LP try to dictate who the State Affiliates may designate as delegates but the amendment could also be interpreted to dictate who may be allowed to be State and Local Officers of that State Affiliate. The last part of the proposed bylaw amendment indicates a person not enrolled locally as "Libertarian" will not be eligible to "hold any other position of trust or responsibility within the Party". According to the National Libertarian Party Bylaws, "the Party" refers to the "Libertarian Party" and arguably to all its chartered affiliates. As a result, even officers serving in a County Libertarian Party Organization such as the Libertarian Party of Queens County may now be subject to this proposed national rule. Some might claim the bylaw amendment cannot be used in this manner but if it can be used to dictate who may be delegates from a State Affiliate, I see no reason why it cannot be used to claim that certain State or Local LP officers are ineligible to hold their positions.

Finally, many Libertarian Party members have enrolled as Republicans in order to vote for Ron Paul or Gary Johnson in the upcoming Republican Party primaries. Many consider themselves loyal Libertarian Party members and may be designated by their State Affiliates as delegates to upcoming Libertarian Party National Conventions. These delegates hope that Gary Johnson or Ron Paul seek or accept the Libertarian Party's Presidential Nomination in 2012 or 2016. With Libertarian Party membership on the decrease, the last thing we need to do is alienate these Libertarian Party members who may be technically enrolled in their home state as "Republicans". 

For these reasons, I urge you to oppose this proposed bylaw amendment and to post your objections on all Libertarian Party message boards, blogs and lists.

Dr. Tom Stevens is the elected State Representative, Political Director and Membership Director of the Libertarian Party of Queens County. He also serves as the Chair of Empire State Libertarians.

Libertarian Party Of Northampton County Seeks Charter From Libertarian Party of Pennyslvania

On September 13, 2011, Shane Wolfe, Patrick R. Killy and Dylan Duraes, three members of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) living in Northampton County, wrote an e-mail to Lou Jasikoff, LPPA Chair; Vernon Etzel, LPPA Secretary; and other LPPA Board of Directors members, formally seeking a charter for the newly organizing Libertarian Party of Northampton County. In that e-mail, they wrote the following:

Pursuant to Article III, Section 1 of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Bylaws, Patrick R. Killy, Dylan Duraes and Shane Wolfe, three members of the LPPA in good standing residing in Northampton County, PA, hereby request the Libertarian Party of Northampton County be recognized by the LPPA Board of Directors as a "County Committee" of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Tom Stevens, LPPA Liberty Action Student Network Chair, wrote to Shane Wolfe, Patrick R. Killy and Dylan Duraes to understand their motivations for getting involved in the formation of the new Libertarian Party of Northampton County.

Shane Wolfe responded:

I started getting involved with politics at a young age. I had a huge passion for freedom and liberty. I was a young idealist and believed that communism was the road to freedom. Boy, was I wrong. Now that I'm older and more mature, I've realized that my passion for freedom and liberty fits best with Laissez-faire Capitalism (something which I was a huge opponent of) and a Constitutional government. The Libertarian Party is what I've been looking for all along.

Patrick R. Killy responded:

My name is Patrick Killy and like many, I've witnessed the erosion of what were once staples of American greatness. Becoming heavily immersed in government and the political process at a young age, later being privileged to serve as Vice-President of Northampton Community College's Political Science Club and simultaneously Campaign Manager for State. Rep Candidate Cory Miller in 2010, I canvassed too many houses to count and took various trips to Harrisburg among other duties.

While I still believe we are blessed to live in a great country, much work is still necessary. The most disturbing erosion has taken place in the areas of personal and economic freedoms. From the overt (numerous bailouts, rampant spending under the guise of "Stimulus", The Patriot Act, Eminent Domain, etc.) to the more pernicious subtleties (Executive Branch power grabs, destabilization of our currency, the Fed's questionable actions and very existence, corporate welfare) we are certainly headed toward ruin and serfdom. Many blame "capitalism" or a certain party for these ills but the fact is both parties violate our Inalienable Rights where " the greater good" is used as justification. As for capitalism, truly we do not have a free market economy, but one that favors corporatism and hand picked winners and losers thus curtailing competition, innovation and entrepreneurship.

To briefly cap, we've lost our private property, 1st, 4th, 2nd Amendment and States' Rights. Again this has been mostly pernicious, gradually accustoming Americans to these "new norms". These mindsets are passed on to our children, essentially indoctrinating the next generation. Despite the advent of the instant 24/7 information flow, fewer and fewer Americans are seeing reality for what it truly is.

I have pledged to defend the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with their personal & economic liberties and justice for all. Countless numbers of people have shed blood & died to secure these liberties; the least I could do is participate in this amazing project in an effort to restore respect and adherence to our founding principles once again. Every year more people are giving these principles and actions more thought and coming to terms with all I previously mentioned, and this gives me immense hope. Let us all reignite the waning flame of true liberty and find commonality uniting under this banner.

Dylan Duraes responded:

I am a resident of Easton, Pennsylvania. I am an undergraduate studying economics at Lycoming College, PA. After reading the book "Economics in One Lesson" by Henry Hazlitt, I began to think critically about, and of, the government for the first time.

I'm convinced that libertarian philosophy is a blueprint for the fiscal solvency of this nation. I look forward to availing myself of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania's resources to make a difference in my community.

An organizational meeting for the Libertarian Party of Northampton County is scheduled to take place soon at which officers will be elected and bylaws will be adopted.

Liberty Activists Boycott Overpriced Liberty Fest II While Carl Person, Candidate For The LP Nomination For President, Makes His Case To Attendees

Empire State Libertarians, Downstate Libertarians, Long Island Libertarians, Stonewall Libertarians and the Objectivist Party of New York boycotted Liberty Fest II, which was held on September 10, 2011 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at Club Amnesia located at 609 West 29th Street in Manhattan. Organizers Gigi Bowman, Ian Cioffi, Danny Panzella and Amanda Trbovich charged each attendee $30.00 if they purchased their tickets at the door for an opportunity to hear 25 speakers talk for 5 minutes each. In addition, they charged $195.00 for people who wished to attend a luncheon with a few of the guest speakers and $500.00 for any organization wishing to have a booth to distribute liberty-oriented literature.

While Gigi Bowman, the Suffolk County Libertarian Party's State Representative, found room for 25 speakers, including convicted criminal Chris Cantwell (who failed to get on the ballot as the Suffolk County LP's candidate for Congress in 2010), she could not find five (5) minutes for Carl Person, a Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate who lives in Manhattan. Because of this slight, the Libertarian Party of Queens County also did not promote or attend Liberty Fest II.

Carl Person, a member of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, also did not attend the event. However, he and an entourage of campaign supporters owned the street in front of Club Amnesia handing a multi-colored campaign flyer to almost all Liberty Fest II attendees, which contained a 22-point critique of President Obama's American Jobs Act Speech before Congress on September 8, 2011. The flyer, entitled "Obama's Jobs Act Can't Create New Permanent Jobs", contained a comprehensive analysis of why President Obama's proposals won't work followed by Carl Person's alternative program for putting Americans back to work in long-term private sector jobs created by the small businesses of our country.

Dr. Tom Stevens, Campaign Manager for Carl Person, said:

This was a great opportunity for Carl to reach over 500 pro-liberty activists with his consistent message of how he will create over 10 million new jobs with his proposals to allow all small businesses to have their first three employees treated as independent contractors, by opening up educational opportunities so that new careers such as Assistant To Small Business Owner can be created, and by allowing small business owners to raise capital. Given that Carl founded the Paralegal Institute, which trained thousands of people to enter a promising new career, there is no doubt he knows what he is taking about when he speaks of the potential for the new job title of Assistant To Small Business Owner.

Carl received extremely favorable feedback from those he spoke to outside Liberty Fest II and I would venture to say they will remember his practical solutions to create jobs without intrusive governmental interference far longer than they will remember what was said by any of the 25 speakers inside Club Amnesia who spoke for 5 minutes each over a loud speaker projected throughout a large and crowded club.  

Carl Person described his activities outside Liberty Fest II as follows:

Nazarius (Noz) Cavan (my New York State Coordinator and one of the best petition gatherers in the country), my son Nick and I arrived at Club Amnesia 30 minutes before the doors opened. Already, a single line of about 250 people had showed up waiting to enter the club, with nothing to do until then. We handed out my flyer to all 250 people in line as well as to an additional 250 attendees who came during the next hour or so. I was able to speak with about 200 of them to explain how we can get the economy moving again through the creation of millions of new jobs.

I want to give a big thanks to Gigi Bowman, the co-organizer of Liberty Fest II, who was unable to find 5 minutes for me to speak at the event because as a result of her refusal to find me a speaking slot, I found a more effective way to reach the attendees.

I am taking my Presidential candidacy to the Libertarian Party convention delegates, going from meeting to meeting, city to city, state to state, and explaining how the Libertarian Party knows how to create jobs while the Republicans and Democrats are only good at creating snow jobs.

Carl Person did not speculate regarding why Gigi Bowman denied him a speaking slot. However, her previous moralistic positions on social issues and flirtation with the Constitution Party may have played a factor given Carl Person's open-minded "live and let live" attitude when it comes to other people's lifestyles.

Carl Person, Candidate For The Libertarian Party's Presidential Nomination, Says Republican Presidential Debate Offered No Specifics For Job Creation

Carl Person, who is seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination for President, viewed the Republican Presidential Debate held on September 7, 2011 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and states that “the candidates offered no new insight or specifics into creating new jobs for the nation’s unemployed.”

Person went on to say that “Three main candidates (Governors Romney, Perry and Huntsman) gave statistics on new job creation during their period as Governor as claimed proof of their ability to create jobs, without explaining what actions they took as Governor which resulted in the alleged new jobs.”

“Many of the 8 candidates,” according to Person, “wanted a reduction in regulation without stating what specific regulations they would terminate. Also, many of the candidates wanted a reduction in taxes. Some of the candidates recognized that small business was over-regulated, without stating in what specific respects.

“As a Presidential Candidate and somebody vitally interested in job creation, I learned nothing at all from the debate and heard no specific things the candidates would do, if elected. One exception could be the specific proposal which came from candidate Herman Cain, who “would do away with the existing tax code and replace it with a nine percent tax on corporate income, a nine percent tax on personal income and a nine percent national sales tax. This proposal is too far reaching to be enacted. Also, Ron Paul urged elimination of the minimum wage laws to promote job growth, which has been debated for years and unlikely to be adopted, even if millions of jobs would be created and become a useful bridge between apprenticeship and full-salaried employment.”

“The deregulation proposals are almost meaningless,” said Person, “because they do not identify which regulations are most destructive in creating jobs. Since the Republican Presidential Candidates do not seek the end to all regulation, they must identify which of the millions of regulations they would terminate.”

“I have identified IRS payroll withholding regulations as one of three types of regulation needing change”, according to Person. “My program “The 1st 3 Are Free” can and should be adopted by the IRS to allow 3 designated employees of any business to be treated as independent contractors, so that the business does not have to withhold taxes or file payroll reports, or maintain workmen’s compensation or disability insurance as to such 3 employees,” according to Person. “This would be the incentive for the nation’s 26,000,000 small businesses to create millions of new jobs.”

Person went on to say that “the Republican candidates’ plans to use tax incentives to encourage businesses to create new jobs are faulty because small business, the only net creator of new jobs, does not take advantage of tax incentives. Tax incentives are for major corporations, which have demonstrated they make more money by sending jobs overseas, in spite of tax considerations. GE, for example, did not pay any income taxes on $14.2 billion in net income last year.”

“What small business needs, and nobody addressed, is the termination of the federal and state laws that prohibit small businesses from raising capital through advertising or public solicitation. This has been illegal since 1933 (Securities Act of 1933). Because compliance with the Act costs more than the money that small business needs, small business does not raise capital from investors and remains small, and does not create as many jobs as they could be creating. Investors need this ‘protection’ far less than unemployed Americans need jobs,” according to Person, “and this restraint should be eliminated, to enable millions of new jobs to be created through the public financing of small businesses.”

Person went on to say, “the most damaging regulation of all was not mentioned. This regulation is the required state licensing of vocational training programs. Colleges and universities have not kept up with technological advances and are not training students to go to work for small businesses, especially the 20,000,000 persons who are self employed, and need a highly skilled person to become the first employee. The combined federal and state licensing laws, accrediting requirements, and student loan programs, have made it impossible for any training programs to be created by small businesses to train persons to go to work for small businesses as an ‘Assistant to the Owner of a Small Business’,” according to Person. “If these laws regulating vocational training programs are terminated (which the U.S. government could do by preemption under the Interstate Commerce Clause), private enterprise would create schools and training programs and more than 10,000,000 skilled, high-paying jobs would be available to students who receive the small-business training,” according to Person. “And perhaps 40% of these 10,000,000 would wind up owning their own small businesses, opening up another 8,000,000 jobs.”

“The Republican candidates either have no business experience, or have (like Romney) business experience at the level of destroying jobs in America, but not creating jobs through small businesses,” according to Person.

“Because of the foregoing, I can conclude that the Republican Presidential Debate on the most important topic of Job Creation was a snow job and meaningless.”

Person said, “President Obama has nothing important to add to his already failed policy of trying to create jobs through spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer money. Whatever jobs are supposedly created in this fashion are too focused and overly priced, and doomed to fail because government does not excel in creating jobs with other persons’ money. These decisions should be made by businesses and their owners and investors, and not by government.”

“Sadly, Obama is in a position to create millions of jobs prior to the election without spending any money, by adopting my plan ‘The 1st 3 Are Free’, but because his staff is not looking for new ideas, and because the main media also are not looking for new ideas, this no-brainer idea for creating millions of new jobs will not be implemented, and Obama’s second term will be in serious jeopardy,” said Person.

“The Libertarian Party is in a position to adopt my ideas for regulatory reform and job creation, and draw millions of votes away from the Republicans and Democrats, enough to swing the election,” according to Person.