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by R. Lee Wrights
 “Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual – or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”
- Samuel Adams, in the Boston Gazette, 1781
Every election Libertarians are invariably confronted with the charge that a vote for a Libertarian candidate is a wasted vote. The accuser claims that if you really wanted limited government you should vote for the candidate who has a chance of winning – the Republican. In some rare cases, the assertion may be that if you really wanted to protect civil liberties you’d vote for the candidate who has a chance of winning – the Democrat. And yet, our liberty goes unprotected as government grows unimpeded.
To my utter astonishment, this bogus argument invariably causes some genuine freedom-loving people to betray their stated beliefs. Why do they leap from the Ship of Principle into the stormy Sea of Compromise at the very moment their strength, courage and resolve are needed the most? Only one thing makes a person abandon everything they’ve ever believed in and fought for – desperation, the feeling that all is lost and the best one can do is choose the lesser of two evils. Even telling them that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil doesn’t seem to dissuade them from their decision.
Little do they realize that they have once again been duped by the Wasted Vote Lie. It is a deliberate, carefully crafted fable concocted and perpetrated by the Democratic and Republican duopoly to maintain their stranglehold on power. They cleverly employ the propaganda trick of tyrants throughout the ages; if you repeat a lie loud enough and often enough eventually people will believe it.
The worst thing about voting for the “lesser of two evils” is that it actually has the opposite effect of what it’s intended to do. Winning candidates don’t know, they don’t want to know – and frankly don’t care – why people vote for them. They certainly don’t know and don’t care how many of the votes they got were so-called protest votes. All they want is enough votes to win. They’ll consider all the Continue reading The Wasted Vote Lie
Rodger Paxton posted this in Arkansas, Ballot Access, Drug War, Election, Libertarianism, Liberty, LPAR, LPAR Convention, National News, Other LP Affiliates on April 30th, 2011
The video in four parts below is R. Lee Wrights, Libertarian Party Presidential hopeful, speaking at the Libertarian Party of Arkansas 2011 State Convention.
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George Phillies monthly newsletter, “Liberty for America, Journal of the Libertarian Political Movement,” mentions the LPAR in the March 2011 issue:
After an extremely long period of somewhat limited activity, the LP of Arkansas appears to be getting underway again. Current officers are Rodger Paxton-Chair, David Pangrac-Vice-Chair, Brian Leach-Secretary, and District Representatives Mark Young, Michael . . . → Read More: LPAR in “Liberty for America”
This is a continuation of the LPAR bringing you blog posts by our upcoming speakers at our State Convention on April 9th. This was originally posted at Liberty for All.
by R. Lee Wrights
“The only defensible war is a war of defense.”
- C.K. Chesterton
One of the most misunderstood principles of libertarianism is the non-aggression principle. The belief that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being for any reason whatsoever; nor advocate the initiation of force, or delegate it to anyone else including government is the very essence of the non-aggression principle. The misconception starts when we use the phrase “initiation of force.” People tend to focus on the last word and ignore or forget the first.
Most libertarians are not pacifists so our adherence to the non-aggression principle doesn’t mean we won’t defend ourselves. On the contrary, the right to self-defense is inherent in the concept of Continue reading Opposing war doesn’t make you a pacifist
This is a continuation of the LPAR bringing you blog posts by our upcoming speakers at our State Convention on April 9th. This was originally posted at Liberty for All.
from Wrights 2012 staff
“Some explanations of a crime are not explanations: they’re part of the crime.”
- Olavo de Carvalho
BURNET, Texas – Every American who has ever worn a uniform should be offended and outraged by the claim by former President George H.W. Bush that the 1991 Iraq war was morally justified, said R. Lee Wrights, a libertarian activist, writer and potential 2012 Libertarian presidential nominee.
“I am outraged by the cavalier attitude about war and death this remark implies, an attitude apparently shared by his son,” said Wrights, an Air Force veteran. “Acts of immorality are inevitable in any war, even a justified war of self-defense. Therefore, no war is moral, and certainly not a war to defend or prop up oppressive governments.”
Bush and other key members of his foreign policy team spoke at a gathering at Texas A&M University marking the 20th anniversary of the first invasion of Iraq which began on Jan. 17, 1991.
In response to a question about the view that economics and oil were the real reason for going to war, Bush said, “I think (economics) was vitally important, but I don’t think that was the whole Continue reading War is not moral
Stop stealing my stuff by John Jay Myers
Originally the message of the Tea Party seemed clear “Less taxes and spending”. Simple enough, Right? Somehow they have gotten distracted. Very, very distracted. I know that all the Tea Parties and their participants are different, so it is not fair for me to throw them all under the bus.
So for those who are distracted; let me attempt to recapture your attention.
You wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass, when you stumble out of your bed into the living room you find a man standing there with your TV in his arms. Of course your first reaction is to exclaim loudly and with all of your energy “Should gays be allowed to marry?” Wait, I am sorry, no you don’t, you scream, “Should they build a Mosque in New York City?” No wait, you say “What’s your stance on abortion?”
Of course not, you scream “Stop stealing my stuff!”
When your City Council says they are going Continue reading Stop stealing my stuff by John Jay Myers
This article was originally published on The Statesman website at this link. It was written by the Texas LP Chairman, Pat Dixon.
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I remember when the Iraq war protests began. Protesters would march up Congress Avenue and surround the Capitol announcing their opposition to this war.
As time went on, I noticed how the protests evolved. I would start to see people joining these protests carrying signs opposing capitalism, environmental policy, global trade and all manner of policies that had little to do with the war. I also noticed how angry these people were, and the display of signs that showed President George Continue reading Pat Dixon (LP Texas Chair): Libertarian take on the tea party movement
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