Libertarian Party of Arkansas

Candidate Positions Still Open!

Elections Committee — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:18:59 +0000

At our state convention on April 14^th, the Libertarian Party of Arkansas nominated several fine candidates for office — but many ballot positions remain open. At the close of the convention, the delegates voted to end the proceedings in recess, with another nominating session to be held at a later date if additional candidates had stepped forward – and some have.

The Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office has informed us that a filing deadline of noon on May 22 will be strictly enforced. So, the Executive Committee has decided to call for an extended session on May 20, 2012:

Extended Session of the LPAR State Convention
Sunday May 20, 2012 from Noon to 2:00 PM
at
American Pie Pizza
830 N Hills Blvd,
North Little Rock, AR 72116 (map).

New prospective candidates and the entire membership of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas are invited to attend to consider additional candidates for nomination.

Candidates seeking nomination are encouraged to contact the Elections Committee in advance (at candidates@lpar.org), to let us know of your interest, and to answer any questions you might have.

Libertarians Making a Difference in Arkansas – Casey Copeland, Attorney

Rodger Paxton — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:57:05 +0000

Photo courtesy of Andy Shupe with NWAOnline.com (Copeland on the left)

Casey Copeland, Treasurer for the Libertarian Party of Arkansas, attorney and Alderman in Prairie Grove, AR, brought a case to the Arkansas Supreme Court that led to the overturn of the law banning sexual contact between teachers and adult students. The Arkansas Supreme Court found that people over the age of 18 have a constitutional right to engage in a consensual sexual relationship.

The case was about Elkins High School history and psychology teacher David Paschal, who admitted to having a consensual sexual relationship with and 18 year old student.

“Regardless of how we feel about Paschal’s conduct, which could correctly be referred to as reprehensible, we cannot abandon our duty to uphold the rule of law when a case presents distasteful facts,” wrote Chief Justice Jim Hannah.

Paschal, who is serving a 30-year sentence, will have his convictions reversed and dismissed. His attorney, Casey Copeland, said his client was “vindicated by the Supreme Court.”

“I think that this case does not necessarily say a teacher can do that and keep their job,” said Copeland. “I think the loss of job and loss of teacher’s license might be appropriate for that, but it’s not appropriate to put someone in jail for 30 years.”

Several states have laws banning sexual content between teachers and students. Earlier this week, a Republican assemblywoman in California introduced a bill to create a law similar to what was just struck down in Arkansas. If the bill is successful, she said, California would be the 24th state to ban student-teacher sex. In some states, such affairs are a felony.

Release: AR Libertarian Party’s 2012 Candidates

Rodger Paxton — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:42:04 +0000

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 19 2012

AR Libertarian Party’s 2012 Candidates

(Little Rock, AR) On Saturday, the Libertarian Party of Arkansas (LPAR) nominated candidates for the 2012 election during their state convention. The LPAR nominated candidates to run in all four Congressional districts as well as candidates in several state-wide and local races.

This is the first time in history that the LPAR has met the ballot access requirements to run candidates for any office other than President. The LPAR was certified as a new political party by the Secretary of State in 2011 after submitting more than 16,000 signatures of registered voters. In Arkansas, new political parties choose their candidates at a nominating convention rather than in a primary.

“We are thrilled that every Arkansan will have at least two Libertarians on their ballot this year,” said Chairman Rodger Paxton of Marion. “We will not have to compromise and choose the lesser of two evils, but can finally vote on principals that include true freedom and liberty in every aspect of our lives.”

Libertarians advocate lower taxes, more personal freedom and less government intervention.

In order for the LPAR to retain ballot access for 2014, the Libertarian presidential nominee must have three percent of the vote in Arkansas. If the Libertarian presidential nominee earns less than three percent, the LPAR will be required to gather 10,000 valid signatures from registered voters in order to run candidates in 2014.

The National Libertarian Party will nominate their presidential candidate on May 5 during their national convention in Las Vegas. Libertarian presidential nominees include former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, R. Lee Wrights of Texas and others. The LPAR plans to send at least six delegates to the nominating convention next month.

Among the LPAR’s nominated candidates:

National Office:

1^st District House: Jessica Paxton, Marion

2^nd District House: Chris Hayes, Little Rock

3^rd District House: David Pangrac, Van Buren

4^th District House: Robert “Bobby” Tullis, Mineral Springs

State Office:

State Senate District 13: Frank Gilbert, Tull

State Senate District 25: David Dinwiddie, Pine Bluff

State Senate District 31: Glen Schwarz, Little Rock

State Representative District 51: Rodger Paxton, Marion

Local Office:

Saline County Judge: Gordon Hall, Bryant

Constable, Sebastian County Upper Township: Steve Jones, Fort Smith

Crawford County Justice of the Peace: Crystal Pangrac, Van Buren

Constable, Henderson Township: William “Bill” House, Bonnerdale

Justice of the Peace, Sebastian County: Brian Leach, Fort Smith

###

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas is a state affiliate of the National Libertarian Party. The LPAR has been active since the mid-1970′s and has consistently placed a Libertarian presidential candidate on the ballot since 1980. In 2011 the LPAR became an official political party after meeting the requirements set forth by the state.

For more information please visit www.lpar.org or find us on facebook.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessica Paxton
501.570.6542
media@lpar.org

2012 LPAR State Convention!

lpar — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:18:55 +0000

Saturday, April 14th, 2012 9:00AM

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas will be holding our 2012 State Convention in Little Rock on April 14th! Registration for this event can now be taken care of at our website! It will be held at the Comfort Inn and Suites Downtown at the Clinton Library at 707 Interstate 30 , Little Rock, AR, US, 72202 at 9am.

This year our agenda during the business session will focus on selection of delegates to the National Convention in Las Vegas and nominating our Libertarian Party of Arkansas candidates for office. After the completion of the business session, our afternoon session will include an open discussion on election season strategies as well as opportunities to hear from two of the Libertarian Party’s Presidential nominees, R. Lee Wrights and Jim Burns.

We have come a long ways, and many people have worked very hard to get the Libertarian Party of Arkansas certified as an official political party in the State of Arkansas. Now I hope you will join us in celebration and anticipation of the next step; election of Libertarians to office in Arkansas.

For more information, please contact David Pangrac at vicechair@lpar.org.

In Liberty,

David J. Pangrac

Vice Chairman

Arkansas Libertarian Party

479-561-5251

Arkansas LP Stuff – Get Great Products with the ARLP Logo! P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Arkansas Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

Looking for a Few Good Candidates (Actually, more than a few)

Elections Committee — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:31:16 +0000

Thanks to our successful petition drive last summer, candidates of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas will be on the ballot in this November’s general election. We can nominate candidates for any partisan office around the state — Justice of the Peace, General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives . . . they’re all up for election.

The LPAR welcomes applications from all prospective candidates
who offer to bring the Party’s message of
Maximum Freedom and Minimum Government
to the voters of Arkansas this November.

As a “new political party,” Arkansas election law specifies that the LPAR “shall nominate candidates by convention for the first general election after certification.” Therefore, we’ll be selecting all Libertarian candidates for the November election via State Convention—which will be held in Little Rock on April 14, 2012.

We ask all candidates seeking the Party’s nomination to fill out an Application Form as a way of introducing you and your candidacy to the Convention. If you’re interested in being considered for nomination, please complete and return the form to the LPAR Elections Committee* before the Convention date.

Application Fees: The Executive Committee of the LPAR has established the following application fees for candidates:

Local or County Office — $25;
State Office (Arkansas General Assembly) — $50;
Federal Office (U.S. House of Representatives) — $100.

Fees may be paid in advance or at the Convention, and will be designated to a special fund for the LPAR Promotions Committee to use during the campaign.

Download Application Form HERE

*Return completed form to: candidates@lpar.org, or by mail to: Elections Committee, Libertarian Party of Arkansas, P.O. Box 46730, Little Rock, AR 72214.

My thoughts 10 years later

Mark Young — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:41:04 +0000

I still vividly remember being at work on 9/11/01 and watching the news feeds from my computer in my office as they replayed the planes crashing into the World Trade Center towers and thinking of the horror that must be going on within those structures. I, like most people across America, sat and felt utterly helpless as those towers fell to the ground. I was nearly reduced to tears thinking of the possible staggering loss of life and of the family’s of those affected by this attack. Ten years later I still have a feeling of great sympathy for those family’s and all the family’s since that have suffered through this deep grief as the nation went to war. It was, truly, one of those moments in the history of this country that we can all look back on and say, precisely, “This was the day it all changed.”

I consider myself an “amateur” historian so I rarely, if ever, look at anything as a singular instance. So as we mark the tenth anniversary of that day, we all need to reflect upon those tragic events, some of the reasons for the attacks and all that has transpired from that day to this. For nothing exists in an historical vacuum and this is usually where I end up being the “odd man out” of any discussion in such matters.

Recently, I’ve read several opinion pieces and letters to the editor which called these attacks “unprovoked”. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was our meddling in the affairs of the nations of the Middle East, it was our propping up of despots and then “throwing them under the bus” when they no longer served our needs, it was the fact that we had military troops stationed within their borders, it was for all kinds of reasons, some real some imagined, that these attacks occurred. There is no such thing as something “just happening”, ever. There is always a reason, even though Americans in their glorious hipocracy, fail to admit to it or just blatantly ignore it. When Americans talk about “ancient history” we are usually talking about 30 or 40 years ago, whereas the Arabs are still fuming over The Crusades. This is the main difference between “us” and “them”, our “timeline of thought” is much more relative to our present, rather than our past. Oh, we like to talk about our past but most folks look upon the past as “push pins” rather than as a stream of history where one event leads to another. That’s also the reason that Americans like to “one off” history. We need simple, “one reason fits all” explanations. The “they hate us for our freedoms” mantra was taken up by the war hawks and peddled to the masses and we soaked it up like a sponge. Most Americans didn’t know why “they” attacked so this fit our need for singularity of historical point and became the “push pin” needed to ramp us into war.

That’s a very brief look back to the reasons for the attacks, but what about what has happened since?

Since that day we have become a nation which believes that we have the right, even the moral authority, to invade sovereign nations as a “preemptive” measure to stop perceived threats of terrorists attacks.

Since that day we have become a nation which believes we need to kill hundreds of thousands of civilians in order to stop these perceived threats of attack. This is quite possibly the most heinous results of 9/11. We have killed mothers, children, toddlers and infants and report them as “collateral damage” in news reports. It is this sanitation of information that is most insidious.

Since that day we have become a nation which believes that in order to stay safe, we need to have security personnel in our airports that make 92 year old great-grandmothers in wheel chairs suffer the humiliation of taking off their adult diapers so it can be searched.

Since that day we have become a nation which believes that “no-knock” warrants are necessary and allow our federal police agency’s the authority to write their own warrants “on the fly” so they can protect us from “the terrorists”.

Since that day we have become a nation which doesn’t even blink an eye when it is reported that the President has, and uses, the authority to have US citizens assassinated, without any form of trial or civilian oversight, because someone in an intelligence agency says he might be planning a terrorist attack.

I could go on, but I think you get my point. Since September 11th, 2001 the people of this nation have willingly surrendered some of their most precious rights just so we can believe we are being made safe from “the terrorists”. So in the end, I guess all of this had made us safer if you believe the premise of “they hate us for our freedoms”. Now that we have willingly surrendered a host of our freedoms and rights “they” no longer need to attack us. But doesn’t that mean the terrorists have won?

LPAR Promotions Committee

Rodger Paxton — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 18:04:39 +0000

A couple of months ago, the LPAR Executive Committee approved a motion to create a Promotions Committee that will be responsible for finding ways to promote the Libertarian Party of Arkansas through advertising, direct mail or other ways. As we move into the election season with Libertarian candidates on the ballot, it will be important for people to know who Libertarians are and what we stand for.

The Chairman of this committee was selected to be Dr. Thomas Carpenter of Hot Springs. If you are interested in joining this committee, you can email either Dr. Carpenter at fourth@lpar.org or Rodger Paxton at chair@lpar.org.

In discussing the possibility of this committee to various people, an LPAR member made an anonymous donation of $2000.00 to be used specifically by the Promotions Committee! This is an incredible start, but we certainly could use even more. Please consider giving to this special committee so we can spread the message of liberty to Arkansas! If you would like to give, go to the LPAR Donations Page. After you make a donation selection, please make sure you choose “LPAR Promotions Fund” under Fund Information so we know this money should be earmarked specifically for the promotions department.

Thank you all for your support of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas!

The Wasted Vote Lie

Rodger Paxton — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:30:39 +0000

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 votes they get as an endorsement of their campaign promises or past performance to claim a “mandate from the people.”

The news media aid and abet in this subterfuge when, with a Cheshire cat smile, they ask Libertarian candidates, “You know you can’t win, so why are you running?” They don’t want a meaningful response because their intent is to divert the conversation away from any discussion of substantive issues. Their purpose is to marginalize the Libertarian so they can justify treating the campaign as a sideshow to be covered only for the entertainment value.

The Wasted Vote Lie is often accompanied by another big lie, that your vote for a Libertarian “takes away” votes from the Republican or Democrat. Let’s call this allegation what it is – pure and unadulterated arrogance. The ruling elites believe your vote belongs to them and that you’re too ignorant, or too stupid, or too uninformed to use it wisely. The Wasted Vote Lie and all its variations is an obvious and clear symptom of the condition Republicans and Democrats fear the most – an independent thinking voter.

Let me be clear: there is no such thing as a wasted vote. Your vote belongs to you, and no one else. It doesn’t belong to the Republican or Democratic Party, or any party or candidate for that matter. Your vote is your voice; it is one of your unnamed, inalienable rights, the ultimate expression of your right to free speech and self-government. Your vote is the most precious and meaningful gift you can give to any candidate. Your vote is worth more than any amount of money or any number of volunteer hours you may give, which is why politicians lust after it so hungrily. Your vote cannot be wasted, or stolen, or lost – unless you make a decision to do so.

There is no such thing as a wasted vote; even a vote you refuse to cast is not wasted. Restrictive ballot access laws are another device created by the reigning political parties to stifle competition and maintain their grip on power. Your decision not to give the gift of your vote to either of the “two evils” you’re given to choose from is in effect casting a vote for free choice. Just as millions of people fled Communist tyranny in Eastern Europe following World War II, many people who choose to stay home on Election Day are “voting with their feet.”

Win or lose, voting isn’t about picking a winner. Voting is about exercising your conscience. Elections aren’t generally decided by one vote. Giving your vote to a candidate you don’t agree with in the hope that he will do something you like, just because you like his opponent even less, is like giving money to a drunk on the street who asks for money for something to eat. You know he’s just going to buy more booze; he can’t help himself.

While one vote usually won’t decide an election, if enough people vote for a principle the effect will be much greater and will be cumulative election after election. One person can’t clean up the environment, or even clean up a highway alone. But if a number of people each pick up one piece of trash along the road, they can make that highway, a small portion of the larger environment, significantly cleaner.

In the same way, if enough people vote for a candidate on principle they can make a difference even if their candidate doesn’t win. They can send a clear message to the establishment, to the ruling elite, that “Enough is enough.” In the 1984 presidential election, Libertarian presidential candidate David Bergland gave this response to the “wasted vote” question, “If everyone who is fed up with what the Democrats and Republicans have been doing to them for the past several decades were to vote for me, I would win in a landslide.” The same can be said about every Libertarian presidential candidate since.

The goal of this campaign is to offer people the opportunity to cast their vote for something, not against something; to vote for what they want, not against what they don’t want. We want to give people the chance to present the gift of their vote to a party and a candidate who represents their principles, their ideals, their aspirations and their hopes. We want to empower people to send a clear and simple message to Democrats and Republicans that they will no longer tolerate deception and deceit, arrogance and power-grabbing. This campaign is dedicated to the goal that in 2012 every person who sincerely believes in liberty and freedom, and who is outraged by the perpetual and infinite wars fabricated by Republicans and Democrats for the sole purpose of instilling fear and expanding their power, will reject the Wasted Vote Lie and send a loud, clear and unequivocal message to both parties to stop all war.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

- John Quincy Adams

R. Lee Wrights is a writer and political activist living in Texas. He is currently seeking the Libertarian Party presidential nomination. He is the co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. Contact Lee atrleewrights@gmail.com.

Do you want to help shape the State of Arkansas and the LPAR?

Rodger Paxton — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:37:59 +0000

The Executive Committee last night authorized the creation of an Elections Committee. This committee is much needed and will have many responsibilities that have the potential to make big changes in the LPAR and in the State of Arkansas.

The main responsibilities of this committee will be to help find, coordinate and train candidates for the LPAR. This is hugely important, especially over then next 16 months until the November 2012 elections. This will potentially be the most important committee the LPAR has ever had.

This is your chance to help! If you have ever wanted to help the LPAR and never knew how you could, this is a perfect opportunity! This committee will need lots of people to help with all of the tasks, no matter what your qualifications or experiences are. Please consider helping out.

If interested, please email info@lpar.org and we will contact you right away!

LPAR in the News

Rodger Paxton — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:03:25 +0000

The LPAR has been in the news a lot recently, and here are a couple of places.

NWAHomepage.com with a two-minute video that ran on the local Fox News station. Click the link to watch the video!

KUAF 91.3 Ozarks At Large public radio program. Once on the Ozarks at Large page, search for “libertarian” and it will bring the radio spot to the top. This interview was nearly 8 minutes long and ran several times on KUAF in it’s entirety.