Applause! Applause! Review of "A Man And His Dream: The Lyrics Of Johnny Burke" at Danny's Skylight Room by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of “A Man And His Dream: The Lyrics Of Johnny Burke” at Danny’s Skylight Room was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause!

"A Man And His Dream: The Lyrics Of Johnny Burke" - Berk, Durham & Murphy

Danny's Skylight Room (246 West 46th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 4/6/98 at 9:15 p.m.   

David Berk, Caroline Durham and Michael Murphy star in this show which is a tribute to the lyrics of Johnny Burke. "A Man And His Dream" is chock full of songs, the lyrics for which were written by Johnny Burke; 31 in all of which 17 were introduced by Bing Crosby who required lyrics that were not too sentimental or romantic. Michael Holmes was musical director, Jan Wallman directed and most of the arrangements were by David Berk, who conceived of this production.

For the first three years of Johnny Burke's songwriting career, he wrote only music. Then in 1933, when he teamed up with composer Harold Spina and veteran lyricist Joe Young, he began writing only lyrics. Their big hit "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was voted best song of 1933 by ASCAP. The subsequent popularity of Burke's songs landed him a contract at Paramount Studio in the mid-thirties, and unlike most of Hollywood's great songwriters who worked for several studios, Burke spent his entire career at Paramount. Of the forty-two films on which Johnny Burke worked, twenty-five starred Bing Crosby. Johnny Burke had three major collaborators at Paramount: Arthur Johnston with whom he wrote Academy Award nominee "Pennies From Heaven" (1936), Jimmy Monaco with whom he wrote the also nominated "Only Forever" (1940), and Jimmy Van Heusen with whom he won an Oscar for "Swinging On A Star" (1944). Burke also wrote three Broadway shows, two with Van Heusen: "Nelly Bly" (1946), "Carnival In Flanders" (1953), and "Donnybrook!", for which he provided both words and music. Of the three, "Donnybrook!" (1961), ran the longest which was for only sixty eight performances. Burke is the only writer to have had five of the top ten songs at the same time on the popular radio show, "Your Hit Parade" and he did achieve posthumous success on Broadway when in 1995, a highly entertaining revue of his songs, "Swinging On A Star", received a coveted Tony Award nomination for best musical. 

"A Man And His Dream" was well-directed, well-staged and well-performed. David Berk, Caroline Durham and Michael Murphy all have wonderful stage personalities and are talented performers. Dressed to the nines, they executed the entertaining arrangements with aplomb. My favorite solo numbers were "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (Music by Spina, Lyrics by Burke & Young) performed by Michael Murphy; "Personality" (Music by Van Heusen) and "Sentimental Side" (Music by Monaco) performed by Caroline Durham; and "When Stanislaus Got Married" (Music by Van Heusen) performed by David Berk. My favorite duo was "Put It There" with the numbers "Apalachicola Fla" and "Road To Morocco" (Music to both by Van Heusen) which was expertly acted and performed by Michael Murphy and David Berk.

Although you will come away from the show singing Johnny Burke lyrics, what you will remember are the beautiful medleys interwoven into the fabric of this show. "Moonbeam Medley" performed by Michael Murphy contains "Polka Dots & Moonbeams" and "Moonlight Becomes You" (Music to both by Van Heusen); "Beautiful Medley" performed by David Berk and Caroline Durham contains "Isn't That Just Like Love", "But Beautiful", "Devil May Care" and "Humpty Dumpty Heart" (Music to all by Van Heusen except "Devil May Care" by Harry Warren); and "Too Romantic Medley" performed by Michael Murphy and Caroline Durham contains "It Could Happen To You", "Moonlight Becomes You", "Like Someone In Love" (Music to all three by Van Heusen), "Too Romantic" (Music by Monaco), "Misty" (Music by Errol Garner) and "You're Not The Only Oyster In The Stew" (Music by Spina). 

I urge you not to miss this unique and enjoyable experience.  

Applause! Applause! Review of "Movin' On" at Don't Tell Mama by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of “Movin’ On” at Don’t Tell Mama was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause!

"Movin' On" - Almquist, Cosler, Lauterbach & Stark

Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 4/29/98 at 9:00 p.m.   

"Movin' On" is a new musical revue with music and lyrics by the very talented Tracy Stark, who also provided the musical direction and the arrangements for this revue. Also starring are Leasen Almquist, Christiann Cosler and Anne Lauterbach, three very pretty, sexy and energetic performers with good voices and good bodies which they used to please their audience following the expert direction and choreography provided by Morgan LaVere, for whom this revue is a showcase of his superb talent and abilities. Technical Direction and Lighting were provided by Shawn Moninger, a recent M.A.C. Award Winner.

I enjoyed this revue and feel that it has the potential to run for years. The performers were all very talented and did a great job with each of the songs, successfully selling each one to the audience. The choreography was the best I've seen in a cabaret show and the lighting and technical direction were delivered by a master. There was even one point when two of the girls turned the piano 360 degrees during a number and Tracy Stark didn't miss a note. Interesting props were used and a little shaking of the bodies here and there, all resulted in an enthusiastic response by the audience in attendance.  

Tracy Stark, looking prettier than I have ever seen her, was the creative genius behind this project. She has the potential to become a great composer. I loved her music, but I could have done without her superficial lyrics about love found, love lost and love yearned for, which are reflected in the titles of the following songs: "You Were There", "Come Back To Me", "The Only One Is You", "Stay With Me Tonight" -- well, you get the picture, or should I say, "Portrait". There wasn't a substantive, insightful or meaningful song in the bunch. The only ones that had possibilities were "Dreams" and "Child Of The Light", but even they fell short. Of course, there is no rule that lyrics must be meaningful, logical, moving or substantive and there is something to be said for the simple love song. It's only that I am not going to be the one to say it.

If you are looking for a lighthearted musical revue with pretty girls and some cute choreography (circa The Andrew Sisters), then you should not miss "Movin' On". 

Applause! Applause! Review of "Camouflage Cabaret" in the Xanadu Showroom at Trump's Taj Mahal by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of “Camouflage Cabaret” starring Richard Skipper, Holly Faris and Mr. Randy Roberts in the Xanadu Showroom at Trump’s Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause!

"Camouflage Cabaret" - Richard Skipper, Holly Faris & Mr. Randy Roberts

Xanadu Showroom at Trump's Taj Mahal (Atlantic City, NJ)

Reviewed 2/8/98 at 3:00 p.m.   

Richard Skipper, a Distinguished Artist of the Beaux Arts Society and a former Leonardo da Vinci Award Winner for Best Impersonator, opened in the Xanadu Showroom of Trump's Taj Mahal on January 4, 1998 in a fabulous show which ran through March 5, 1998. Co-starring with Mr. Skipper in "Camouflage Cabaret" were fellow impersonators Holly Faris and Mr. Randy Roberts. The show, from opening curtain to the grand finale, was entertaining, fast-moving and well-written. The performances, the lighting and the choreography were all top notch, as was the music played by The Mark Owens Quartet perched on stage and yet out of the way of the performers. I have seen many well-reviewed shows in Atlantic City that I thought were poorly produced and not well conceived. However, "Camouflage Cabaret" was a winner and should be revived.     

Holly Faris opened the show singing "I'm Every Woman", with snippets of Dr. Ruth, Liza & Marilyn Monroe. She then introduced Carol Channing, superbly and flatteringly portrayed by Richard Skipper, who proceeded to perform the crowd pleasing "Show Girl", "Elegance" and "Before The Parade Passes By". Mr. Skipper, who in my opinion was the star of the show, returned later as Judy Garland performing "Almost Like Being In Love", "This Can't Be Love", "You Made Me Love You", "For Me And My Gal" and "The Trolley Song". Ms. Faris also portrayed Joan Rivers, Fran Drescher, Bette Midler performing "Great Big Knockers", and Tina Turner performing "Simply The Best" and "Proud Mary". Mr. Randy Roberts portrayed Consuelo performing "At The Copa", Mae West performing "Champagne Taste" and Cher performing "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Shoop Shoop Song".

In his impersonations of Judy Garland and Carol Channing, Richard Skipper, unlike other impersonators, pays the highest possible tribute to these great ladies. He portrays them at their best and flatters them instead of exploiting them. Therefore, he doesn't portray Judy Garland as a pill popper and wears no smeared lipstick when portraying Carol Channing. Of the many Carol Channing impersonators I have seen, I must say that I think Richard Skipper is the best. I never get tired of visiting with Richard Skipper's Carol Channing, a friendly, lovely and talented lady. I only hope that if one day I meet the real Carol Channing, she is as I have come to know and love her through the multi-talented Richard Skipper.

Applause! Applause! Review of Katie Guillory's "Crushed" at Eighty Eight's by Andrew Martin

This review of Katie Guillory’s “Crushed” at Eighty Eight’s was written by Andrew Martin and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Crushed" - Katie Guillory

Eighty Eight's (228 West 10th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 3/11/98 at 10:30 p.m.   

Since 1990, the O'Neill Cabaret Fellowship has proven its gift for turning out a host of artists who blossom within the cabaret arena; these include Jessica Bass, Leslie Orofino, Brad Marston, Barbara Fasano, William Baldwin Young, Irina Maleeva and Anthony Santelmo, Jr., to name but a mere few. In many cases, however, a debut show presented by a recent graduate of the Symposium will invariably appear not simply theme-heavy but downright contrived -- in a word, raw. Though such is the case with the otherwise-delicious Katie Guillory, it can only be in the blink of cabaret's collective eye before the young chanteuse takes her place with the medium's top talents.

Guillory's rich vocals and intrinsic sense of musicality (she was the music director of the Radcliffe Pitches, Harvard's only female a cappella group, while finishing an A.B. in Linguistics and German four years ago) are THE reason to venture out to one of her shows, in particular "Crushed", in which her adolescent crushes on Boris Becker, Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz and the like are explored through a scrumptiously eclectic musical mix.

On the pop side, a coupling of "One Way Or Another" (Blondie) with "Every Breath You Take" (The Police) is arranged by musical director Ross Patterson with technique that can only be cited as exquisite. And composer Randy Newman is heard in abundance, both on a lovely rendering of "Gainesville" and perhaps the show's crowning highlight, Guillory's thoroughly felt delivery of "Emotional Girl". Similarly, Katie Guillory shows an eerily natural aptitude for taking numbers so often done to death by the average cabaret newcomer and adding twists that make the numbers fairly-and-squarely her own. The most obvious example of same is "You've Got Possibilities" from the Broadway flop "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman", in which Linda Lavin took the ditty and created a salvageable moment in musical theater history. So, it seems for the moment, has Katie Guillory, milking the song for every comic "possibility".

Though her next cabaret appearance will be in tandem with MAC/Bistro/Leonardo da Vinci award winner Gary Lyons, in his Judy Garland-themed event "By Gumm" at Eighty Eight's later this month, should Katie Guillory and "Crushed" return to the space, the result will be wholeheartedly worth catching. 

Applause! Applause! Review of The 1998 Back Stage Bistro Awards at The Supper Club by Andrew Martin

This review of The 1998 Back Stage Bistro Awards at The Supper Club was written by Andrew Martin and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

The 1998 Back Stage Bistro Awards

The Supper Club (240 West 47th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 3/9/98 at 7:00 p.m.   

If the MAC Awards are the Tony Awards of cabaret, the Bistro Awards are undeniably the Golden Globes. Ever since the late cabaret critic Bob Harrington launched the first list of Bistro Award winners in the theater trade publication thirteen years ago, the Bistros have continued to gain momentum as one of the cabaret medium's most eagerly-anticipated annual events.

For those of us who've been on the cabaret scene in New York since the 1980s, the list of Back Stage Bistro Award winners reads for us like a surreal trip down memory lane, just to realize the wide number of artists who've passed through cabaret's portals and gone on to greater glory. Winners from before 1990 include Kathy Najimy and Mo Gaffney, Linda Wallem, Emo Phillips, Rita Rudner, Judy Tenuta, Michael Feinstein, Jenifer Lewis, Faith Prince, Maxine Lapiduss, Vicki Lewis, Colin Quinn, Brett Butler, Rockapella, and Hazelle Goodman. In 1990, the Bistros were officially set forth as a live performance event at Eighty Eight's, with memorable performances by BETTY, Sara Zahn, Karen Saunders, Wiseguys, Rainie Cole, and Craig Carnelia and Maureen Silliman topping the bill, not to mention speeches by Sylvia Syms, Carol Lawrence, and Julius LaRosa among others.

Since that time, several changes have taken place. A committee of five now oversee the awards selection process (this includes Editor-In-Chief Sherry Eaker, cabaret critics Roy Sander and John Hoglund, and comedy columnists Donna Coe and Amelia David being called upon for consultation in the standup comedy categories), and the ceremony has shifted homes from the Ballroom (now the home of Catch A Rising Star on West 28th Street) to the Supper Club (at the old Edison Theater). However, the Bistros have retained Bob Harrington's tradition of never awarding an individual in the same category more than once. (Artists may receive awards in several different categories over the course of their career).

And as usual, not every spectator agreed with every choice on the part of the selection committee. There were, of course, those for whom all present could be ecstatically happy; Jeff Macauley was a shoe-in for his delectable "MWAH! The Dinah Shore Show" (Outstanding Theme Show) at Eighty Eight's last season. Jane A. Johnston (Outstanding Vocalist), who was nothing less than a total wow at Danny's last autumn, continued her history of outstanding performance on stage at the Supper Club. And, in turns too marvelous to mention in detail, Audrey Morris (Outstanding Singer/Instrumentalist), Christian Nova (Outstanding Recording), Elena Bennett (Outstanding Vocalist), Joyce Breach (Outstanding Recording), Jim David (Outstanding Comedy Performer), and a newly-slim (and AMAZING-looking) Jeanne MacDonald were nothing short of splendid. None of these, however, measured up to the genius that IS vocal group Minimum Wage (Outstanding Musical Comedy), featuring Jeff LaGreca, Charlie LaGreca, Sean Harris and the superb Brian Chenoweth, or the show's crowning highlight, an appearance by Georga Osborne (Outstanding Musical Comedy).

Then, of course, were those individuals whose selection for award receipt was simply baffling. At the indisputable top of this list is the cast (and all others involved) with "Heartbeat It's A Lovebeat", who presented the bubblegum anthems "Sugar, Sugar" and "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" along with choreography so unsyncopated that one more flub might have qualified it for performance art...barely. Rob Maitner did a fine performance job, and Mark Cannistraro provided visibly perfect direction, on "I Don't Want To Be The President", tho' Eric Lane Barnes' music and lyrics frequently missed the mark in the presentation from "Fairy Tales" at the Duplex. But one of the most miserable moments of the evening came in the unfortunate guise of Richard Skipper as Carol Channing (Dolly, won't you ever go away, again?). One might forgive Skipper, and then only might, if he didn't use his talents to make a name impersonating the singularly most imitatable personality the entertainment world has ever produced. The other was Mark Nadler's vomitously deliberate upstaging of the divine KT Sullivan while accompanying the lady. In addition, though a video portion showing the formidable talents of Tommy Femia (Outstanding Impersonation) went off without a hitch, clips of Judi Connelli and David Campbell weren't quite so lucky, and made all the more painful by a microphone through which we could barely hear Portia Nelson's lovely speech about both artists.

Comedian Jeff Ross MC'd in a style for which not enough superlatives can ever exist (and, in fact, the presenters of the Bistro Awards absolutely have the consummate permanent MC in Ross should they decide to keep him in a position for which he could have been born), and Marcia Lewis' receipt of the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award provided a perfect climax to the festivities (even if it meant having to gaze upon the regrettable countenance of Donald Smith, who brought the Broadway legend on stage with the dullest speech this side of a wake).

In any case, the Back Stage Bistro Awards continue to be one of THE reasons to venture out during a cabaret season, if simply to see some of the very best of today's popular artists in the medium. I know I'll be there for ceremony number fourteen, next spring. See you there! 

Applause! Applause! Review of Frans Bloem's "Jubilee" at Eighty Eight's by Maya T. Amis

This review of Frans Bloem’s “Jubilee” at Eighty Eight’s was written by Maya T. Amis and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"Jubilee" - Frans Bloem

Eighty Eight's (228 West 10th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 1/13/98 at 8:00 p.m.    

Coming on stage, winding his way through the tables, Frans Bloem makes instant contact with his audience, converting them into lifelong friends with his expressive, almost flirtatious eyes, wide smile and relaxed air. Like previous shows, this one brings his friends - old and new - up to date on his life and emotional state, using a conversational style and songs ranging from one of this year's MAC nominees for best song (Carol Hall and Steven Lutvak's wonderful "A Lover Of High Wire") to old French favorites (you can almost hear the accordion in the background when he sings his medley of "Pigalle", "Paris Skies" and "Windmills Of Your Mind" in French and English).

Not entirely the celebration its title indicates, this show often has a wistful quality as Bloem ponders human nature (and his own) and takes the opportunity to look at his life, both past and present. This is not to say that he can't be funny: he has a sly wit that glints through at unexpected moments, and he uses his job as a tour manager as inspiration for some irresistible and heartfelt humor in Noel Coward's "Why Do The Wrong People Travel". Bloem's unforced, and totally genuine, continental charm is engaging, and it is easy to see why he is a successful tour guide, frequently jaunting off to exotic places before returning home to the West Village -- and to Eighty Eight's -- to regale us with a new show, sharing the wisdom and humor he has acquired over his years of travel and adventure.

Bloem has a uniquely irrepressible hospitality; most of his shows are followed by a party at his house to which the audience is invited. Somehow, these informal get-togethers seem an utterly appropriate gesture from this convivial gentleman -- a concrete example of his expansive personality.

Applause! Applause! Review of Gary Lyons' "By Gumm: A Garland Event" at Eighty Eight's by Jan Wallman

This review of Gary Lyons’ “By Gumm: A Garland Event” at Eighty Eight’s was written by Jan Wallman and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"By Gumm: A Garland Event" - Gary Lyons with Paul Greenwood & Katie Guillory

Eighty Eight's (228 West 10th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 4/15/98 at 8:00 p.m.   

No other cabaret act in town can do what Gary Lyons is doing. In this heartfelt tribute to Judy Garland his performance is so daring that he goes out on a limb in almost every number and he gets home free every time. This show is so finely crafted and so emotionally compelling that I completely forgot where I was, so totally immersed was I in the artistry of his talent. The program is entirely made up of material done by Miss Garland but he made each song his own, capturing the audience early on with "If You Feel Like Singing, Sing", "Hello Bluebird" and a sensitive treatment of "I Want To Go Back To Michigan - Down On The Farm" convincing us that this very British Londoner was really a Michiganian.

While he is really the show, "By Gumm" is a team effort. Lyons shares the stage with his indomitable music director Paul Greenwood as pianist and back-up singer, plus charmer Katie Guillory who does back-up, sings a solo and sings a duet with Gary. Where Judy sang to Mr. Gable they sing to "Dear Mr. Raible" hilariously spoofing Erv Raible, owner of Eighty-Eights with a parody lyric written tongue-in-cheek, but affectionately by Gary.

Gary Lyons has been on the N.Y. cabaret scene only since he won the 1997 MAC Award for N.Y. Debut and the Back Stage Bistro Unique Entertainer Award the same season. This year he had MAC Nominations in two categories: Musical Comedy performer for his show "Flight" and song of the year for "Heaven Is Right Here On The Ground" from that show.

"Flight" was my first exposure to Lyons and was, to me, the most exciting show by a male performer that I saw in cabaret last year. The current show is even more electrifying. Gary Lyons is a quadruple threat: an accomplished singer, a dramatic actor, a true magician, a song and dance man who moves like Fred Astaire.

If you are a cabaret aficionado, you would be wrong to miss this spectacular show and the most dynamic original performance in N.Y..

Applause! Applause! Review of Diana Templeton's "The Best Of Templeton" at Judys' by Jan Wallman

This review of Diana Templeton's "The Best Of Templeton" at Judys' was written by Jan Wallman and appeared in Volume III, Issue 1 (April, 1998) of Applause! Applause! published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens.

"The Best Of Templeton" - Diana Templeton

Judys' (49 West 44th Street, NYC)

Reviewed 4/17/98 at 9:00 p.m.

Diana Templeton is celebrating her 20th year in cabaret. Viewing this show, it is easy to see why she has prevailed while so many singers have flashed on the club scene briefly and quietly faded into oblivion. Besides her obvious talent, this lady knows what her audience wants and she gives it to them with all the ingredients that make up a delightful show. Her ballads are her strongest point but she handles humor well too, especially in "Dancing With David", a sweetly underplayed song by Jim Morgan and Paul Trueblood. In this she sings of the rapture of finally meeting the man she has adored from afar and takes us thru the dance with the guy she thought was so perfect and the subsequent disappointment as she gradually discovers his feet of clay.

"I Wish It Were Me" is a darling ballad with a country-western flavor which Ms. Templeton wrote in 1958, hoping Patti Page would record it which didn't happen. Her own rendition of it is lovely and, brought to their attention, any of today's Pop/C&W Singers could be pleased with it. The audience was quite vocal in their response to the song and their feeling that she should write more.

Diana and her musical director Rod Derefinko with Frank Wagner on bass gave us a well balanced potpourri of standards, lesser known show tunes and some originals by a number of writers of special material, notably everyone's favorite, Francesca Blumenthal. She does Blumenthal's "Movie Palaces" written with Addy Fieger which sings the names of all those long gone movie theaters of our remembered youth. Another Blumenthal song is the rueful "All The Wrong Places" brilliantly tied in a medley with "You Keep Coming Back Like A Song" and "These Foolish Things". 

A personal favorite of mine and the most poignantly dramatic moment of the evening was the pairing of "After The Show", a song by John Anello, Jr. and the haunting standard "If I Love Again".

The closer, rightfully the strongest piece in the show, was an exciting medley of Johnny Mercer's "When The World Was Young", "One More Ride On The Merry-Go-Round" by Neil Sedaka, Brel's "Carousel" and "Colored Lights" from Kander and Ebb's "The Rink". Tech Director Michael Barbieri went all out to create the carnival atmosphere for this and the show ended with a happy well-satisfied audience.

Many of the songs in this show are reprised from performances Diana has done over her twenty year reign in cabaret during which time she appeared in several clubs which are now defunct. Sadly, Judys' supper club which has been her home base the past several seasons, has landlord problems and will be closing the end of June. But owner Richard Hendrickson assures us that he will re-open in a new location yet to be decided on and that Diana, a great favorite in the club will be prominently featured wherever he settles in. 

Alden Link Appointed To Objectivist Party Governing Board

On November 29, 2013, Alden Link, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Objectivist Party in 2008 and 2012, was appointed to the Governing Board of the Objectivist Party. He fills the vacancy created by the death of Dallwyn Hamnilton Merck, who served on the Governing Board from February 2, 2008 to November 10, 2013. Dallwyn Merck's assigned membership number in the Objectivist Party was #4. Alden Link, who joined the party on August 19, 2008, was assigned membership #63.

The Objectivist Party was founded on February 2, 2008 and seeks to promote Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism in the political realm. At the National Convention of the Objectivist Party held on May 25, 2008 at The Buckhorn Exchange in Denver, Colorado, Alden Link was selected as the party's Vice-Presidential candidate for 2008. At the State Convention of the New York Libertarian Party held on April 24, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany, New York, Alden Link received the nomination of the New York Libertarian Party for Lt. Governor. At the National Convention of the Objectivist Party held on May 29-30, 2010 at Show-Me's on The Landing and at The Kitchen Buffet & Bistro (inside Lumiere Place Casino) in St. Louis, Missouri, Alden Link was selected as the party's Vice-Presidential candidate for 2012.

In accepting appointment to the Governing Board of the Objectivist Party, Mr. Link said:

I am honored and pleased to have been selected to serve on the Governing Board of the Objectivist Party. There is no worthier a cause than to work to free people's minds from the shackles of superstition and mysticism. Living a purposeful life using logic and reason brings fulfillment and happiness now and not in some imaginary afterlife. 

For those who do not know me, I am an entrepreneur, real estate developer and aviator. As a businessman, I am aware how government regulation can stifle the entrepreneurial spirit. I want to free up the creative energies of entrepreneurs to enable them to develop new technologies. As a real estate developer, I understand how zoning regulation and eminent domain abuse have gotten out of hand. As an aviator, I feel the spirit of freedom swelling in my heart as I soar through the skies. This feeling inspires me to fight for freedom until the government learns to respect every man's natural right to life, liberty and property. 

I believe citizens have a right to keep the money they earn and that they know best how to spend that money. Government involvement interferes with the efficiency of the free market. I also believe people are sovereign over their own bodies and have the right to do with them as they see fit without the interference of a paternalistic government.   

The Objectivist Party has been the voice of reason in the political realm and its influence has been felt worldwide. It currently has members in 19 countries including Australia, Canada, China, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States of America, where it currently has 30 chartered State Chapters. I look forward to working with Dr. Tom Stevens, the Founder of the Objectivist Party, and with the other Governing Board members to take the party's political activism to the next level.

Alden Link graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics and obtained an Associates of Applied Science degree in Industrial Instrumentation from the Long Island Agricultural & Technical Institute (currently SUNY Farmingdale). He also served for two years in the United States Army. Mr. Link currently maintains residences in New York and Florida.

Scott Baier Appointed Executive Director Of 14 Now!

On November 10, 2013, Scott Christopher Baier was appointed Executive Director of 14 Now!, a Youth Rights Advocacy Organization committed to lowering the voting age to 14, eliminating restrictions on the right of individuals 14 years of age and older to work, ending compulsory education at 14, allowing individuals 14 years of age and older to join the military, and setting the age of consent at 14. Dallwyn Merck served as the group's first Executive Director, from its founding on December 20, 2010 until his recent death.

In accepting the appointment, Scott Baier said:

While serving in my capacity as State Chair of the Personal Freedom Party of New Jersey, I became very familiar with the effective and powerful Youth Rights Advocacy work being done by 14 Now!. I was always impressed by their activism and by the fact that whenever I spoke about the Youth Rights movement, the first group people mentioned to me was 14 Now! It is therefore my honor to accept the position of Executive Director. I will do my best to build on the solid foundation laid by the group's first Executive Director, Dallwyn Merck. I intend to take 14 Now! to the next level by building coalitions of groups in support of each of the five main goals we seek to achieve.

Scott Christopher Baier graduated Toms River High School in the year 2000. He currently lives in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.

Dr. Stephen Finger Calls For A Free Market In Human Organs For Transplantation

Dr. Stephen Finger, an Otolaryngologist practicing medicine in Brooklyn, says the buying and selling of human organs for transplantation should be made legal and would save lives. In a recent article published on November 19, 2013 entitled "Have A Heart or...Maybe A Kidney, Dr. Finger wrote the following:

"Each year, over six thousand Americans die waiting for a kidney transplant. Many more thousands die waiting for liver, lung or heart transplants.

There are now only two ways to get an organ for transplantation, i.e. either from a living donor (kidney, liver, lung) or cadaver (all). Living donors are usually, but not always, relatives or friends. To get a cadaver organ, you go on a list and wait. It's illegal to buy an organ. Has to be a donation and with nothing given in return.

Now, suppose the government allowed a free market in buying and selling human organs with regulation to prevent fraud and assure informed consent. Maybe sounds a little ghoulish (unless you happen to need a transplant) but, nevertheless, what would be the result?

Well, if you were rich enough and had been unable to find a willing donor before, you would probably offer a lot of money to buy an organ (it's possible to live a perfectly normal life with only one kidney, and with liver and lung, you would offer to buy only a piece of the organ). In the case of a heart, you would, of course, have to make an offer to the family of the deceased.

So, while you had been on a list, or on several lists, waiting for an organ, now that you've been transplanted, you're off the list(s) and everyone below you moves up a notch. What's wrong with that?

The rich get their transplants the fastest but most everyone else gets theirs faster now that there are fewer people on the list. Isn't that a good thing that everyone improves his or her lot in life even though not necessarily at the same rate?

And, of course, if organ-selling were to be legal, it's a pretty safe bet that many more organs would become available. And, like everything else that some people want to buy and others want to sell, as the supply goes up, the price would eventually start to come down.

And finally, isn't this exactly the kind of thing that insurance was designed for, i.e. a lot of people paying a small amount each year so that if they are someday one of the relatively few who need to purchase an organ for transplantation, it wouldn't bankrupt them?

Of course, there's no reason that any of this would ever have to become compulsory. If you're not interested in a transplant and would prefer dialysis, well, 'If you like your kidney, you can keep it...' No, really!"

Dr. Stephen Finger ran for Congress in 2006 on the Libertarian and Republican Party lines. You can visit his blog at: www.ThePointingFinger.blogspot.com

Matthew Kelly, Vice-President of Oath Keepers NYC, Says Assault Weapons Are Not For Killing Deer

Matthew Kelly, Vice-President of the New York City Chapter of Oath Keepers, wrote an article expressing the opinion that citizens should be allowed to have Assault Weapons under the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment, not because they need them for hunting but to protect them from tyrannical and despotic politicians. That article, which was posted to the Oath Keepers website on November 15, 2013, read as follows:

"No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer."

So said New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo in his 2013 State of the State speech.

"I love to hunt and I love to be able to share that joy with my kids. But for the life of me, I don't know why the hell people have to have an assault weapon."

So said former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, during a visit to troops in Italy.

Both of these quotes were in reference to discussions about "gun control", which is really a discussion about the Second Amendment. And anyone with an iota of knowledge about the Second Amendment knows it has nothing whatsoever to do with hunting.

Both Cuomo and Panetta are smart and well-educated men. They are far from being ignoramuses. Yet these quotes, linking the Second Amendment to hunting, are patently idiotic.

How to reconcile these two facts, then?

If smart men knowledgeable of the Constitution make such absurdly nonsensical statements about it, what could explain this outside of an intentional desire to deceive a too-often distracted, gullible, and, sadly, ignorant public?

And if they are intent on deceiving the public, then to what end? Clearly it's in service to further "gun control" measures.

And we should be clear that the goal of those who seek to deceive in the name of "public safety" have as their ultimate aim the complete disarmament of the population. One need only look to, say, England; or listen to a younger Eric Holder; or read the words of Senator Dianne Feinstein, to see the end result of this agenda. Framing the argument in terms of "hunting" allows for each incremental, slow turn of the screw until we find that the Second Amendment has been rendered moot.

The purpose of the Second Amendment is, of course, to enable the population at large to arm itself against the encroachment of tyranny from within. If disarmed, all citizens are prey to the whims of their government.

In the modern era - over the past century - we have witnessed hundreds of millions of disarmed civilians slaughtered at the hand of their governments.

Those victims were, of course, dissidents of the government, or otherwise, peronae non gratae.

But the gun-grabbers insist it can't happen here. (Perhaps this is the one area in which they see America as exceptional?) Surely the U.S. government would never demonstrate the kind of hostility towards its own citizens that China or Russia or Nazi Germany did, correct?

We may recall at this point that the ATF, with possible collusion with Eric Holder's Department of Justice, ran guns to Mexican drug cartels with the intent of using the resulting violence - which killed at least two Americans - as propaganda to promote further gun control legislation.

It is also worth remembering that the Internal Revenue Service was brought to account for using its significant power to harass conservative-leaning organizations (i.e. those named or appearing to be affiliated with the grassroots "T.E.A. Party") and deny them their tax exempt status - so much so that it may have swung the 2012 election.

And let's not forget that Eric Holder's Department of Justice was also working with the White House to draft a legal justification for allowing drone strikes on American citizens on American soil.

And then, of course, there's the story of the NSA brazenly ignoring the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and spying on every single American. And the man who blew the whistle on this flagrant abuse of federal power? Chased off to Russia under fear of imprisonment (or worse)...by the government of the United States.

In conclusion, it is the opinion of this author that those who do not believe the government is hostile towards its citizens are both ignorant of what our government is doing, and naive as to what our government is capable of doing.

Contrary to the cries of the politicians and the compliant mewing of the credulous, the point of gun control is not public safety. It is to protect the rulers from the ruled. We acquiesce to their agenda at our considerable peril.

Anthony J. Kraljic Appointed Queens LP Secretary

On November 12, 2013, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Queens County appointed Anthony J. Kraljic to serve as Secretary for the remainder of the unexpired term of office of Dallwyn Merck, who passed away on November 10th. Mr. Merck served as Secretary of the Queens LP continuously since May 13, 2006, when he was first elected to the position. Mr. Kraljic will continue to serve as Youth Outreach Coordinator, a position he was appointed to on October 12, 2013.

In accepting the appointment, Mr. Kraljic said:

I am honored to have been appointed Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, the largest and most active chapter in the New York Libertarian Party. Dallwyn Merck, the person who previously held this position, was a well-known pro-liberty activist and I join with my fellow chapter members in mourning his loss. I will do my best to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the position of Secretary and to make a contribution to spreading the message of liberty to all who are open to hearing it.

Anthony J. Kraljic of Whitestone is a graduate of St. Mary's High School and of St. John's University, from which he graduated in 2008 with a B.S. degree in Administrative Studies. Mr. Kraljic is also a member of the New York Libertarian Party.

John Procida Calls Obama & De Blasio Communists & Says He's Ashamed To Say He's A New Yorker

On November 5, 2013, Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, was elected Mayor of the City of New York beating his closest opponent Joe Lhota, the Republican, by a margin of almost 50 percentage points. On November 11, 2013, John Procida issued the following Veterans Day statement calling President Barack Obama and Bill de Blasio Communists and saying he is now ashamed to say he's a New Yorker:

I am sad and confused. I guess America has changed and I have not noticed it. Didn't we fight a 50 year cold war including The Korean War and The Vietnam War and many other smaller wars trying to defeat Communism? It is sad to think that while our young men and women were getting killed in those wars against Communism, we have now accepted Communism here at home.

Yes, while our kids were getting killed, the Communists were working their plan to communize America here at home and they did.

We the people have elected into high office three Communists: Obama (both his mother and father were Communists; he promoted to high positions self-avowed Communists such as Van Jones), Bernie Sanders, a Senator for Vermont (a self-identified Communist); and now the City of New York has elected Bill de Blasio as Mayor (and he is an admitted Communist).

The Communist movement has been working tirelessly for 60 years. They printed their plan for the entire world to see in books by Saul Alinsky and Cloward & Piven, and they never wavered from those plans. Politically ignorant Americans fell right into their hands by a number of moves; they indoctrinated school teachers and they, in turn, indoctrinated their students. They took advantage of poor uneducated groups and filled their heads with the right to entitlements. They are intentionally bankrupting our City, State and Federal governments as directed by Cloward & Piven (four cities that I know of have declared bankruptcy including three in California and Detroit). 

The Communists and Socialists hide behind labels like Liberals and Progressives. All of de Blasio's campaign signs said Progressive. He said in his victory speech that he would change our laws into Progressive movements. No, they are smart enough to not admit to be Communists or Socialists as those words would wake up the sleeping electorate as to what they really are.

I am now ashamed to say I am a New Yorker, and that brings to mind a meeting I had in Austria. I met a group of Americans and I said, Hi, I see that you are Americans. Where are you from? They told me they were from the Midwest. Then they asked me where I was from and I answered proudly, New York. Then they replied, "Oh, you're not an American!"

John Procida serves as Vice-Chair of the Libertarian Party of Queens County. He issued these comments in his individual, and not in his official, capacity.

John Procida Says Suspicion Of Black Customers Is Rational & Justified

There have been recent news stories regarding shopkeepers being suspicious of black customers who purchased expensive items questioning whether the credit card used was stolen and stopping them to inquire about their purchases. This has given rise to black outrage and calls for the boycotting of the merchants involved. On October 31, 2013, John Procida issued the following statement with respect to these events:

Why are average white sales people suspicious of blacks purchasing outlandishly expensive items? They are simply following the old adage, "when there is smoke, there is fire". What is being demanded by black leaders is that sales people act stupid and never question any customer who is black. Then if there is fraud, I am sure the employer will simply smile and not think bad of the employee. Also, I'm sure the employer will not be upset at the loss no matter how large the loss is, as they have done their civic duty.

Common sense must be abandoned in the New Order.

I feel sorry for the good blacks. Unfortunately, they are carrying a cross made by their own people. The Italians get accused of being in the Mafia all the time. 

I ran and attended Unity Day meetings that our Italian organization held that were 50% attended by Middle Class Blacks from good Middle Class neighborhoods. Those black people had the same aspirations, and fears, that all middle class people have but they were, and still will be, discriminated against because of the black crime rate.

This is a tough world we live in and I do mean world as discrimination for many reasons and for many groups of people exists everywhere.

John Procida serves as Vice-Chair of the Libertarian Party of Queens County. He issued these comments in his individual, and not in his official, capacity.

Oath Keepers Establishes New Mission & Goes Operational

Oath Keepers is an organization founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate. He has described the group as being made up largely of law enforcement officials and past and present members of the military who will stand up for the Constitution and American liberties by resisting orders to impose martial law or to create detention camps in the United States. Recently, Stewart Rhodes communicated a new Oath Keeper mission - that of forming small "field teams" of experts in various disciplines, such as communications, emergency response, first aid, etc. with the ultimate goal being to build up the "core competencies" among Oath Keeper members, and then have those members cross-train civilians so that our communities are more resilient in the face of any type of disaster.

According to an article posted to the Oath Keepers website, "Oath Keepers is instructing its 30,000 members nation-wide to form up special teams and sub-teams in each Oath Keepers chapter, at the town and county level, modeled loosely on the Special Forces "A Team" (Operational Detachment A)...which has a twelve man team of specially trained soldiers who are inserted into a community to train and lead that community in resistance to oppressive regimes (hence their motto: De Oppresso Liber)...Oath Keepers is using that successful model and adapting it to our mission, to form Oath Keepers "Civilization Preservation Teams" (we have already received critical input from some of our Special Forces members, and are actively seeking more input from others within the Special Forces community)...So far we plan to have the following in each Operational "Field" Team: Two Communication Experts, Two Medical Experts (with a special focus on grid-down emergency medical and wilderness medicine), Two Engineers (to assist with fuel, shelter, emergency power, clean water, sewage, etc. build bridges, clear roads, construction, facilitate field distribution of supply and logistics, etc.), Two Strategic Food Reserve (SFR) Specialists (who focus on the critical need for food reserves for the whole team, dependents, and especially for the community and who distribute food aid in the field), and Four to Six "Scouts" (all "Scouts" will train extensively in tracking, land navigation, search and rescue, reconnaissance and observation, precision rifle shooting, wilderness survival and other "bush skills", camouflage, small unit tactics, and patrolling...But within each Scout sub-team will be, ideally, a) Two Tracking Experts, b) Two Precision Shooting Experts, and c) Two Close Combat and Small Unit Tactics Experts. Each Operational "Field" Team will elect its own Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader and each Oath Keepers Chapter will also be a Support Team (Logistic Supply/Support Group (LSG)) and will act as an auxiliary to assist the Field team with supplies and transport. The people within that support team will also train extensively with the Field team."

The Oath Keepers website article went on to say that each chapter should also form the following sub-teams for use during "normal" times and also during emergencies: "Peace Officer Liaison and Sheriff/Posse Team (focused on making sure the local Sheriff is a "constitutional Sheriff" who understands the Constitution and the duty to defend it, and making sure there is a posse to back the sheriff up...); Military and National Guard Liaison; Neighborhood Watch Team; Local Government Team (this is the team that will draft and introduce militia bills, posse bills, and nullification bills, among other items to support liberty at the local level...); and Intelligence Team (to gather, analyze, and disseminate intelligence on who is doing what, where, when, and why)". Given this mission, where all Oath Keepers are expected to "Go Operational", the article reports that like with Special Forces, "all Oath Keepers will be expected to learn light infantry skills. They will all be encouraged to attend an Appleseed Rifle Program and shoot to "Rifleman" standards. Just as the Marines say that every Marine is a Rifleman (even the cooks) so will every Oath Keeper be a rifleman. After learning solid rifle marksmanship, they will learn individual movement and tactics, then buddy team, fire-team, and squad movement and tactics (shoot, move, communicate)."

As to why the Oath Keepers is doing this now, it was mentioned in the article that the Oath Keepers national Board of Directors feels "we are running out of time and we need to get prepared as fast as possible." It was reported the Board of Directors "war-gamed" and that they think "the most likely move by our enemies to scrap the Constitution" will be: a)intentionally trigger a catastrophic economic collapse as an economic "neutron bomb"; b) let the country descent into chaos; and then, c) ride in like the cavalry to "save" us by means of martial law and scrapping our constitution once-and-for-all." Oath Keepers urges its members "to presume the worst in the short term and to work in three or four month sprints - assume a collapse will be triggered this fall-winter and do all you can to get yourselves and your communities ready...If it doesn't happen in the next four months, then do another sprint, of three or four months of preparation. And keep going until it happens - which it will eventually, no matter what anyone does."

The New York City chapter of Oath Keepers held its "OK 2.0 Kickoff Meeting" on October 16, 2013 at the Soldiers' Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard & Airmens' Club at 283 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The meeting leaders were Bill Cooper, newly elected Oath Keepers New York State Chapter President, Joe Conte, newly elected Oath Keepers New York City Chapter President, and Matthew Kelly, Oath Keepers New York City Chapter Vice-President. Mr. Cooper reported on what has been happening "behind the scenes," most notably building networks with other patriot groups throughout the state such as the New York Second Amendment Grassroots Coalition and New York Revolution, as well as "establishing strategies, objectives, and overall direction for all chapters within New York State, including such items as base-line required competencies for all Oath Keeper members, a uniform code of conduct, strategic communications, etc.."

Joe Conte, Oath Keepers New York City Chapter President, discussed the importance of orienting Oath Keeper members for the mission at hand as well as how to present Oath Keepers to outsiders. Mr. Conte said, we need to "establish the proper frame of mine (i.e. we're to view ourselves as analogous to a military unit, therefore we should be competent, disciplined, and professional in carrying out the Oath Keeper mission)" and when discussing Oath Keepers with non-members, we should "be smart and strategic...focus on the areas no reasonable person could disagree with, such as looking to strengthen our communities via training people in first aid, emergency preparedness, etc.; emphasize that we're teaming with respectable organizations like the Red Cross, etc.; employ language that is familiar to the average person or to those in the corporate world - e.g. "community organizers", "business continuity", etc.". Mirroring that message, Matthew Kelly, Vice-President of the New York City Chapter of Oath Keepers, provided the following quotation, "By this point in time, every (responsible) business has a "disaster recovery/business continuity" plan in place. It only makes sense that local communities emulate this best practice and likewise prepare for the worst. This is the thrust of Oath Keepers' new priority #1: aid local communities in establishing their disaster recovery/"business" continuity - or, in the words of Mr. Rhodes, "civilization preservation" plans."

Mr. Conte went on to state that "thinking strategically is thinking defensively: What will the enemies of our Constitution do to try to prevent the Oath Keeper mission from succeeding? Most likely, they will try to discredit the organization by labeling us with such smears as being "radical", "paranoid", "fringe", "extremist", "domestic terrorists", etc. To combat or obviate these smears, it is imperative that all Oath Keepers maintain message discipline and not give our enemies any ammunition to use against us. Specifically, curb any discussion of conspiracy theories that are, by definition, "kooky" (whether you think they're "kooky" or not); polish your presentation as to what the Oath Keepers are and what they are not (i.e. we are most definitely not a militia) so that it appeals to those we want on our side and contradicts any claims that we're a bunch of foaming-at-the-mouths wing nuts; contain the emotion, use common sense and exercise discretion."

Matthew Kelly, Oath Keepers New York City Chapter Vice-President, laid out the five to-dos for all NYC Oath Keeper members "that are to be embarked upon immediately given the aggressive timeline Stewart has laid out for operational effectiveness of the new mission. The five to-dos include: a) joining your local Community Emergency Response Team; b) get Red Cross's 2-year certification for First Aid/CPR/AED; c) get your Technician Class license in ham radio operation; d) do some basic prepping (i.e. enough essentials for surviving one week without any outside supplies); and e) establish your bug-out plans (i.e. where will you go and how will you get there if STHF?)." Mr. Kelly noted "these action items are only the first step in a long journey to establish the "core competencies" of all Oath Keeper members, and that once these steps are completed there will still be much more work to be done."

Applause! Applause! Review of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Cultural Arts Playhouse by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Cultural Arts Playhouse was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 3 (2013) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Cultural Arts Playhouse (625 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY)
Reviewed 10/26/13

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The musical was based upon C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original improvisational non-musical play created by Rebecca Feldman, and performed by The Farm, a New York-based improvisational comedy troupe. It was work shopped and developed at the Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts in 2004 and moved Off-Broadway to the Second Stage Theatre, officially opening on February 7, 2005 and closing on March 20, 2005. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre on April 15, 2005 and closed on January 20, 2008 after 1,136 performances. The show won Tony Awards for Best Book (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor (Dan Fogler). 

In the show, six "students" compete in a fictitious spelling bee joined by four audience volunteers who are recruited to participate on stage as guest spellers. The six "student" contestants in this production were George Anagnostakos as William Morris Barfee (pronounced Bar-FAY; a Putnam County Spelling Bee finalist last year who was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts and uses the "Magic Foot" method of spelling out each word on the floor before visualizing it and answering), Michael Marmann as Leaf Coneybear (a home-schooled son of former Hippies who has severe Attention Deficit Disorder, makes his own clothes and said "My favorite birthday is Christmas. That's when Santa Claus was born"), Jojo Minasi as Chip Tolentino (an athletic Boy Scout and champion of the 24th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, who has an erection at an extremely inopportune moment and exclaims "my unfortunate protuberance seems to have its own exuberance"), Alyson Rogers as Olive Ostrovsky (a shy girl with a mother in an ashram in India and a father who often works late who has made friends with her dictionary but who eventually blossoms after developing a connection with fellow contestant William Morris Barfee), Alyssa Caracciolo as Marcy Park (an overachieving transfer student from Virginia who starts to question whether winning is everything), and Sarah Berger as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (the head of the Gay-Straight alliance at her Elementary School who has two dads, one of whom suggests she cheats to order to hurt the chances of one of her competitors). All of the contestants are introduced with humorous commentary. For example, one "student" was introduced as someone who "was thrown out of the Girl Scouts for letting the boys eat her cookies." Another was said to have thought "bi-polar" was "a big bear with no sexual preference." The three main "adults" in the production were Taneisha Corbin as Rona Lisa Peretti (the Moderator), Kyle Petty Lee as Mitch Mahoney (the Official Comfort Counselor, who gives all the losers a hug and a juice box), and Thomas J. McKenna (the Vice-Principal who reads the words to the students). 

This production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features a superb cast who excel in their respective roles. They are extraordinarily talented actors and singers who work well together creating an enjoyable experience for all.  This is a fun show - lighthearted, humorous and easygoing. Don't expect any deep psychological insights into the featured characters. The most you will get is the revelation that winning isn't everything and that it is better to lose on merit than to win by cheating. Nevertheless, you won't find a better community revival of this musical. I have seen this show many times before and I still thoroughly  enjoyed this production by the Cultural Arts Playhouse. I highly recommend it.

LPPA Descends Into Chaos; Steve Scheetz Pressures Judicial Committee To Allow The Board To Charter Multiple County Committees & To Let Them Fight It Out With Respect To Who Are Officially Nominated LP Candidates

On August 17, 2013, the Board of Directors of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania took the extraordinary step of chartering a second official County Committee in Northampton County without decertifying the existing group and then argued before the LPPA Judicial Committee that the Board has the power to recognize, and in fact, must charter a new County Committee whenever two State Party members living in any county request that another County Organization be formed. The result of this position is that multiple officially chartered County Committees will exist in one county, each with the right to nominate candidates for local office creating chaos as to whom is the official, legally recognized Libertarian Party candidate for any office and as to which group has the right to circulate "Minor Party" petitions on behalf of the Libertarian Party. It would also permit each County Committee existing within a county to send its own voting State Representative to the Board of Directors allowing one or two large counties to effectively take control of the State Organization.

At the request of Dr. Tom Stevens, former LPPA State Chair and Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County, Northampton LP County Chair Aaron Rosengarten appealed this action to the LPPA Judicial Committee arguing that Article IV, Section 1 of the LPPA Constitution specifically says that "the functional division of the Party shall be the County Committee" and that multiple County Committees would create chaos in the LPPA. Dr. Stevens testified on behalf of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County and against Steve Scheetz, the current LPPA State Chair, who represented the Board and argued in favor of allowing multiple County Organizations to be chartered in every county. Mr. Scheetz argued, "When the Constitution says 'the county committee', it is simply stating what to call a functioning sub-unit. It does not say there can be only one."

In unauthorized discussions with Steve Scheetz,  Ken Krawchuk, one of the Judicial Committee members who served with Scheetz as an officer in the Montgomery County LP, gave Scheetz a heads-up on how the Judicial Committee members were leaning with respect to this issue, which was not in his favor. As a result, Mr. Scheetz threatened to resign as State Chair if the Judicial Committee did not rule in favor of his position to allow the Board to charter multiple official County Committees in each county. Specifically, Mr. Scheetz wrote, "I may also decide that I should be doing other things instead of trying to save an organization that is bend on self-destruction... I may be overreacting, but Ken told me how the vote on this issue may come down, and while I am extremely concerned, I sincerely hope the JC acts in the interest of the LPPA."

On September 13, 2013, the Judicial Committee ruled on the issue as follows: "...a majority of the Judicial Committee holds that there is no express prohibition in the LPPA Bylaws to having more than one organization in a county."

Matthew Kelly, who served as Membership Committee Chair under State Chairs Thomas Robert Stevens and Lawrence James Fryman, responded to the ruling as follows:

What will happen now when an individual seeks the endorsement of the Libertarian Party to run for local office? Will that person need to obtain the endorsement of all the recognized County Organizations in that county or will the local Board of Elections recognize only the Libertarian Party nominees who come from the first group to file paperwork or the first candidate to submit petitions? Since all the recognized County Committees were officially chartered, won't all nominated candidates have the right to claim they have the nomination? What about State Party members living in a county? Which group should they join? If 5 chartered County Organizations each have 12 State Party members, will that county be entitled to 5 votes on the Board of Directors? 

However ridiculous this situation makes the LPPA appear, things are actually much worse in reality. The system I had in place for following up with inquiries has been completely dismantled under current State Chair Steve Scheetz. All people expressing an interest in the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania or in running for office, received a call, e-mail and letter from the Membership Committee. Dr. Stevens personally followed up with everyone interested in running for office and he called everyone who joined to encourage them to become active on a committee or in their local organization. None of this is happening anymore. In addition, when I was Membership Committee Chair, hundreds of party members observed party business on the official lists. Now, party business is primarily conducted in secret with backwater e-mails being sent only to "friendly" Board Members while other voting members are routinely excluded from the debate and discussion. Steve Scheetz, the current State Chair, has also actively encouraged Board Members to block the e-mails of other Board Members whose opinions he considers not worthy of consideration. I never saw anything like this take place during the administrations of Dr. Tom Stevens and Lawrence James Fryman, both who were completely committed to transparency and to conducting all business out in the open for everyone to see.

The only reason you don't read about the problems the LPPA is currently facing is because all of the voices committed to party growth and to transparency have been silenced and most, if not all, of the formerly active County Committees are now inactive or on life support. Half the candidates who were committed to running for office this year dropped out and many of the Standing and Working Committee Chairs have resigned their State Party membership. This is truly a Dark Age for the LPPA, especially when you consider that just one year ago, Libertarian Party State Chairs from around the country were asking how they could bring the "Pennsylvania Miracle" to their own state.

In protest over the decision of the Judicial Committee in favor of recognizing multiple County Organizations in each county, Dr. Tom Stevens resigned his position as Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County.

Applause! Applause! Review of 13 at Cultural Arts Playhouse by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of 13 performed at the Cultural Arts Playhouse was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 3 (2013) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

13
Cultural Arts Playhouse (625 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY)
Reviewed 10/10/13

13 is a musical with lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn. It premiered on January 7, 2007 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California and ran through February 18, 2007. It was next produced by Goodspeed Musicals at the Norma Terris Theater in Chester, Connecticut running from May 9, 2008 through June 8, 2008. 13 opened on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on October 5, 2008 and closed on January 4, 2009 after 105 performances. This production received one Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.

The story centers around Evan Goldman, a 12 year old who moved from Manhattan to Appleton, Indiana with his mother after his parents decided to divorce. Evan, played by Zach Housman on the night I saw the show, describes himself as a "geek" but his character is more what I would call a "putz" (i.e. dick). He tries to get the cool kids to like him and to attend his upcoming Bar Mitzvah by uninviting Patrice, who was his first new friend in town and then disrespects her a second time when he invites her to a movie on a group date only to ignore her the whole time. Patrice likes Evan and eventually forgives him. Brett, the star quarterback, likes Kendra, the beautiful head cheerleader, but her friend Lucy, who also likes Brett, is jealous. Lucy convinces Kendra not to go with Brett and then jumps in to snatch him for herself. Brett's friends, who miss their leader, consider themselves to have been "jock blocked". Brett eventually chooses Kendra over Lucy after which Lucy spreads a vicious rumor that Kendra and Evan have hooked up, an extremely unlikely scenario I am surprised anyone believes. Archie, a physically handicapped friend of Patrice, manipulates Evan into setting up a date for him with Kendra. In a hilarious moment, in the dark movie theater during the group date, Brett leans over to French kiss Kendra. Lucy pushes Kendra's face out of the way as Archie also attempts to kiss Kendra and the result was Brett and Archie kissing. In the end, the cool kids abandon Evan and only Archie and Patrice end up at his Bar Mitzvah, the remaining group described by Archie as being "the gimp, the geek, the Jew and his mother."

The runaway star of this show is Kristen Murphy, who plays Patrice. She is an excellent actor with a very powerful singing voice. Her renditions of "The Lamest Place In The World" and "What It Means To Be A Friend" were absolutely amazing! If all the actors in this show were as talented as she is, I would have nothing but praise to offer. Unfortunately that was not the case. I cringed many times when some performers sang off-key.  They were simply not in her league. Nevertheless, a good group effort made "Any Minute", "Bad Bad News" and "A Little More Homework" enjoyable and entertaining numbers. Jojo Minasi, a very talented actor, stepped in at the last minute to play Brett but he was more convincing as a geek than he was as a jock.

I like the songs in this musical and will be buying the Broadway cast album. If you have not seen 13, I recommend you take this opportunity to see it at the Cultural Arts Playhouse.

Personal Freedom Party Charters New Jersey Chapter; Scott Baier Appointed State Chair

On October 8, 2013, the Personal Freedom Party chartered a New Jersey Chapter, naming Scott Christopher Baier as State Chair. The Personal Freedom Party of New Jersey becomes the third formally chartered State Chapter, following the Personal Freedom Party of New York that was chartered on June 6, 2010 and the Personal Freedom Party of Pennsylvania that was chartered on July 20, 2013.

Scott Christopher Baier, who previously served as State Chair of the Objectivist Party of New Jersey, said:

I am honored to have been appointed State Chair of the Personal Freedom Party of New Jersey and will do all I can to promote liberty in the Garden State. Many New Jersey Libertarians have already contacted me looking for an opportunity to get involved with this new party. The presence of Toxic Libertarians in the Libertarian Party of New Jersey and its general dysfunctionality over many years has caused a number of dedicated volunteers to devote their time working elsewhere in the liberty movement. I hope to reclaim the energy and enthusiasm of these discouraged freedom activists and to have them work with others to build a strong, successful and viable libertarian political party in the State of New Jersey.

The Personal Freedom Party has a simple, but strong, platform in support of the legalization of marijuana, the decriminalization of prostitution, the legalization of gambling, the lowering of the voting age, the legalization of gay marriage, the elimination of excessive taxation and the elimination of excessive regulation. I believe these positions are supported by the majority of the citizens of New Jersey. Whatever someone's moral position might be on some of these activities, I am sure most people do not think state tax money should be used to arrest and incarcerate individuals engaged in "victimless" crimes.  

I am excited about the opportunity this new position will give me to speak out on important issues and I look forward to working with all party members to spread the message of liberty and personal freedom to all who are open to hearing it.

The Personal Freedom Party was founded by Thomas Robert Stevens in June 6, 2010.

LPPA Judicial Committee Hands Two More Victories To Former State Chair Dr. Tom Stevens

The two questions posed to the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania by or on behalf of Dr. Tom Stevens, former LPPA State Chair, were whether his resignation as a member of the party was effective July 20, 2013 and whether he needed to be a State Party member in order to be hired by the Libertarian Party of Northampton Party as its Executive Director. On both issues, Dr. Stevens obtained a favorable ruling against the positions held by Steve Scheetz, the current LPPA State Chair.

Dr. Stevens sent an e-mail to Ivan Glinski, LPPA Secretary, which read as follows:

Effective July 20, 2013, I resign as a member of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. 

I worked very hard to get Gary Johnson and our statewide candidates on the ballot in 2012, to obtain Minor Party status for the LPPA, to build membership, to charter chapters and as State Chair, I spent countless hours advancing the cause of liberty in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In light of the petty and destructive infighting that continues to take place and be fueled by the current leadership, my time would be better spent offering my services to other pro-liberty organizations. This saddens me as does the fact that by my resigning, I am giving up my Life Membership in the party, a status of which I am very proud.

I hope conditions in the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania change over the coming years so it can, once again, be a positive force for liberty, and not a source of embarrassment to its members.

Steve Scheetz, current LPPA State Chair, posted references to this resignation saying it was not effective and that the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens was "suspended" (i.e. terminated) by action of the Board of Directors on August 17, 2013 as part of a motion "condemning" him and saying the LPPA will not work with any group or person who "affiliates" with him. Although that motion did not obtain the number of votes required to suspend a membership, Mr. Scheetz claimed the Board of Directors had successfully kicked Dr. Stevens out of the party and terminated his membership. Dr. Stevens appealed to the Judicial Committee asking whether his "resignation as a member of the LPPA was effective on July 20, 2013?" and wrote, "if my membership was effective, the Board motion was obviously moot".

The Judicial Committee Decision, issued on August 21, 2013, read as follows:

Tom Stevens resigned his LPPA membership on 20 July 2013. There is no mechanism in the Bylaws for accepting or rejecting resignations, but his resignation was received and acknowledged by the Chair and the Secretary of the LPPA. Accordingly, Dr. Stevens was not an LPPA member at the time of the LPPA Board meeting on 17 August 2013, nor at the time of his Petition to the Judicial Committee on 19-21 August 2013.

The Libertarian Party of Northampton County (LPNC) hired Dr. Tom Stevens to be its Executive Director effective August 1, 2013. On July 18, 2013, the LPNC Executive Committee voted to enter into a 3-year contract to hire Dr. Tom Stevens, former LPPA State Chair and former Northampton LP County Chair, to the salaried position of Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County with the following duties and responsibilities, which are set forth in the contract:

...to recruit candidates to run for local office, to coordinate membership recruitment drives, to schedule and co-sponsor local events and meetings, to represent and speak on behalf of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County when dealing with outside organizations and the press, to propose motions to the Executive Committee, to run its Yahoo Groups, Meetup Groups, Facebook Groups and other social media outlets, to propose meeting times and locations to the County Chair, and to handle such additional responsibilities as he may deem appropriate or that are assigned to him by the County Chair and/or the Executive Committee.

Steve Scheetz, current LPPA State Chair, wrote to the Board of Directors on July 21, 2013 stating that Dr. Tom Stevens "appointed himself Executive Director of an affiliate" and that "an Executive Director must meet the same qualifications as a board member." As a result, Mr. Scheetz claimed Dr. Stevens could not serve as Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County. He and others publicly stated they would not recognize the appointment of Dr. Stevens as LPNC Executive Director and would not work with him.

Aaron Rosengarten, County Chair of the Libertarian Party of Northampton County, appealed to the LPPA Judicial Committee and asked, "Does a hired employee of a local LPPA chartered County Organization need to be an LPPA member and meet the same qualifications as a state board member?"

The Judicial Committee Decision, issued on September 15, 2013, read as follows:

We hold unanimously that a "hired employee of a local LPPA chartered County Organization need" not "be an LPPA member and meet the same qualifications as a state board member.

Thomas Robert Stevens served as State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania from April 22, 2012 to April 5, 2013.

Dr. Tom Stevens Appointed Queens County Coordinator For Governor Gary Johnson's Our America Initiative

On October 1, 2013, Dr. Tom Stevens, former State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania and current State Chair of Empire State Libertarians, was appointed to serve as Queens County Coordinator for Our America Initiative, an organization formed in 2009 by Governor Gary Johnson, who served as the 29th Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 and who was the Presidential Candidate of the Libertarian Party in 2012.

Our America Initiative is based on a belief that a majority of Americans are classical liberals and that fundamentally, they believe that government and its cost should be limited and that civil liberties and individual freedom must be protected -- not threatened -- by the government. Our America seeks to give voice to the ideas of liberty, smaller government, and financial responsibility. Our America Initiative has the goal to redefine the Liberty Movement in America, to restore liberty, personal responsibility and economic freedom as the true American values, and to foster an environment that allows each person to pursue his or her individual dreams and happiness without the burdens of unneeded government restrictions. The focus of Our America is to speak out on issues regarding topics such as government efficiency, lowering taxes, protecting civil liberties, revitalizing the economy and promoting entrepreneurship. Governor Gary Johnson currently serves as Honorary Chairman of Our America Initiative.

As State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, Dr. Tom Stevens was responsible for leading the charge to get a sufficient number of valid petition signatures to get Governor Gary Johnson on the ballot as the Libertarian Party's Presidential Candidate in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and then defending those petitions against a well-financed GOP challenge. Richard Winger of Ballot Access News said, Tom Stevens led the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party to the greatest ballot access victory in the state party's history. The Pennsylvania Libertarian Party's 2012 ballot access victory was the first time any statewide minor party or independent candidate for statewide office has ever defeated a challenge backed by one of the two major parties. As State Chair of Empire State Libertarians, Dr. Stevens has recruited hundreds of young people into the liberty movement. As Political Director of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, he has been primarily responsible for keeping that group as the largest and most active chapter in the New York Libertarian Party since 2006.

Dr. Tom Stevens will serve as Queens County Coordinator for Our America Initiative. He has already begun putting together a Coordinating Committee to discuss initiatives that can be pursued to advance the objectives of the organization.