More Hoplophobia and Victim Disarmament from Michelle Lujan Grisham

Lujan-Grisham's original text is in italics, my comments are in bold.

Say you believe that now is the time to act on reducing gun violence in America by adding your name to our petition today.

Show me a responsible gun owner who actually approves of "gun violence," OK?

Dear Mike,

During my time in Congress, I've participated in more moments of silence to honor the victims of gun violence than policy debates about how to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. It's unacceptable.

Never mind that the phrase "gun violence" is intended to provoke an anti-firearm emotional state. Notice how the hoplophobes never talk about "knife violence" or "baseball bat violence" or "beer bottle violence" ?

Just look at what our community in New Mexico is coping with right now: -- the tragic murder of an ADP police officer -- the fatal road rage shooting of a 4-year-old girl in Albuquerque -- and another incident just this week in Española where a brawl turned into something worse when a man pulled out a gun and shot an 8-year-old boy

With dangerous weapons killing an average of 36 people every day, it's only a matter of time until another community in New Mexico has to suffer.

These incidents bring to bare that many communities -- that every single community across the country -- are suffering from gun violence, and other public safety issues. In Washington, there is a growing sense that we are failing to act as policy makers, yet action continues to be stalled. And these recent shootings are a reminder of how unacceptable that has become.

Politicians are always the last people we should look to in order to solve any problem.

Duh.

Sign this petition to stand with me in tackling gun violence -- we can no longer afford to wait to act on gun violence. The time is now.

I'm already taking specific steps to address this crisis in Washington.

First, I'm co-sponsoring the bipartisan^[1] King-Thompson bill^[2], which expands existing background checks to cover all commercial firearm sales. On top of that, I'm aggressively supporting the Gun Violence Research Act^[3], which will repeal the ban on CDC gun violence research.

And how many 20-25 year-old criminals will be labeled as "teen-agers? How many instances of justifiable self-defense using firearms will be lumped in as "gun violence" ?

Neither of these Acts has a real chance of passing the Republican-led U.S. House, which has to at least pay lip service to respecting the right of private civilians to own and carry weapons, as gauranteed by the Second Amendment. Even most Democrats pay that lip service, in the same breath as they propose to rewrite the Second into oblivion.

I feel strongly that everyone has the right to safety in their community. It is fundamental to the American dream, and that's why it is imperative that we act on gun violence before it's too late. Will you stand with me today?

It's always "imperative," isn't it?

Add your name to our gun violence petition right here, right now

Best wishes,

Michelle Lujan Grisham

P.S. And just this past week, I was interviewed on KOB4 in Albuquerque to talk about the recent gun violence in New Mexico. You can watch it here.

http://kob.com/article/stories/S3950289.shtml

Never shy for the media, is she?

This email was sent to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. If you want to unsubscribe then you can here: http://go.michellelujangrisham.com/unsubscribe

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If you believe we need a Congresswoman who will fight to give everyone a chance to live the American Dream, then follow Michelle Lujan Grisham on Facebook / Twitter

Should you want to unsubscribe then you can click here.

Join Michelle Lujan Grisham in building a stronger community and country by making a contribution to our campaign here.

Of course she's all about enhancing the cash flow.

---

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE

1. The Republican sponsoring this bit of hoplophobic nonsense is none other than the cretinous Peter King from Long Island, New York.
   
   
2. HR 1217 – "Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015"
   
   
3. HR 3926 – "Gun Violence Research Act"

NOTES

1. Approximate reading level – 12.2

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Copyright © 2015 Libertarian Party of New Mexico, Libertarian Party of Bernalillo County, New Mexico and Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
This blog entry created with gedit Notepad++.

[Garrison Center] Arbitration Isn't The Problem

Arbitration Isn't The Problem

November 5, 2015 — Thomas L. Knapp

Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Robert Gebeloff of the New York Times claim to have discovered "a far-reaching power play orchestrated by American corporations" ("Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice," October 31^[1]). They're missing the forest for the trees. Arbitration is not the problem.

Corporate preference for private arbitration instead of litigation in government courts is nothing new. The twist in the Times expose is that arbitration clauses have evolved to make it more difficult for dissatisfied customers to band together and bring particular types of suits: "Class actions" in which numerous complaints are bundled together, reducing the plaintiffs' costs and resulting in huge potential aggregated damage awards.

In recent years, arbitration clauses have begun specifying individual arbitration. Corporate attorneys know that most customers won't spend hundreds or thousands of dollars arbitrating $10 complaints. If the complaints can't be aggregated, they're not worth pursuing from a financial standpoint. A win for the corporations, a loss for consumers whose complaints don't pass the financial test.

What Silver-Greenberg and Gebeloff leave out are two important consumer tools: Information and choice.

Their story opens with reference to "a clause that most customers probably miss" on "page 5 of a credit card contract."

The reason most customers probably miss that clause is that most customers don't bother to read contracts pertaining to small-money matters, or have them reviewed by attorneys, before signing them. That's a choice. So is the decision to sign something one hasn't read.

The Times piece quotes F. Paul Bland Jr. of Public Justice, a "national consumer advocate group." Bland claims that "[c]orporations are allowed to strip people of their constitutional right to go to court." No, people are allowed to voluntarily waive their right to go to court, in return for valuable considerations. If they do so from voluntary ignorance, that's their fault and no one else's.

It's not that complicated:

If you don't want to commit to arbitration in general, or to individual arbitration in particular, don't sign contracts committing yourself to those things.

If you consider reading and understanding a contract before you sign it to be too much work, don't complain when your decision to remain ignorant comes back to bite you.

If you really, really want something, but the only way to get it is to accept an arbitration clause, then make your choice. Do without that thing or to accept the clause. Nobody owes you a smart phone or a credit card or whatever. Take the deal or don’t take the deal. Don't blame arbitration itself, which is as good in some cases, and better in most, than resort to government courts. Remember, it was government that made the corporations so powerful in the first place.

Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.

---

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE

1. http://nytimes.com/2015/11/01/business/dealbook/arbitration-everywhere-stacking-the-deck-of-justice.html
   
   

NOTES

1. Approximate reading level – 12.3
   
   
2. Original article
   
   

---

Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises. Webmaster Mike Blessing.
This blog entry created with Notepad++ and KWrite.

[ABQ Journal] ABQ mayor's marijuana veto survives challenge

ABQ mayor's marijuana veto survives challenge

By Dan McKay / Journal Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, October 7th, 2015 at 7:26pm
Updated: Wednesday, October 7th, 2015 at 11:09pm

Mayor Richard Berry's veto of a marijuana decriminalization bill withstood a challenge from Albuquerque city councilors on Wednesday.

Democrats on the City Council failed to persuade one of their Republican colleagues to change positions and join them in favor of a veto override.

But no one changed positions. The override attempt failed on a 5-4 vote along party lines.

It takes six of nine councilors to override a mayoral veto.

About a half-dozen speakers urged councilors to override the veto and enact the legislation – which called for making it a civil offense, not a criminal violation, under city law to possess an ounce or less of marijuana.

A companion bill sought to make marijuana a low priority for law enforcement.

Berry, a Republican, vetoed both proposals. He said they conflicted with state and federal law.

Councilors Isaac Benton and Rey Garduño, who co-sponsored the legislation, said cities have authority to set their own penalties for marijuana possession. That gives police officers discretion to cite people under either a local ordinance or under state law, they said.

Furthermore, the two argued, local voters already support reducing marijuana penalties.

"We don't have to wait for the federal government or the state of New Mexico to tell us how to govern our own community, or respond to the voice of the community," Benton said as he read a joint statement.

About 60 percent of Bernalillo County voters last year expressed support for decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. That was in response to a nonbinding question on the general-election ballot.

None of the council's four Republicans spoke about the veto Wednesday. But they've previously said they don't view city government as the right venue for changing drug laws.

That didn't stop people from trying to change their minds.

Mike Blessing of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico told councilors they were supporting organized crime if they refuse to change the law. Support for an override, however, means "you're standing up for free markets," Blessing said.

Other supporters said that a marijuana conviction can make it hard to find a job and that enforcement draws resources away from more-serious crimes.

"The war on drugs has been a terrible failure," Garduño said. "We know this isn’t working."

In New Mexico, marijuana use is legal only for medical purposes.

Supporting the override were Benton, Garduño, Ken Sanchez, Diane Gibson and Klarissa Peña, all Democrats.

Republicans Brad Winter, Dan Lewis, Trudy Jones and Don Harris voted "no."

---

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE

1. City Council on 2015-10-07 5:00 PM – TWENTY-FIRST COUNCIL – FORTY-NINTH MEETING
   
   
2. DPA Statement: Albuquerque Mayor Berry's Veto of Marijuana Decriminalization Lags Behind History and the Public's Will

NOTES

1. Approximate reading level – 13.6
   
   
2. Original article — http://abqjournal.com/656288/news/abq-mayors-marijuana-veto-stands.html
   Archived here — https://archive.is/3NWiF

---

Copyright © 2015 Libertarian Party of New Mexico, Libertarian Party of Bernalillo County, New Mexico and Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
This blog entry created with KWrite.

Convention of States Resolution

Convention of States resolution:

Whereas the Libertarian Party of New Mexico is a political party with the goal of increasing liberty in New Mexico; and

Whereas the federal government of the United States in all its branches has been recently engaged in limiting the powers belonging to the several states and to the people in violation of the Constitution of the United States; and

Whereas, the Constitution provides a remedy to the states and the people for the purpose of addressing said violations in the form of an Article 5 Convention of the States to amend the Constitution:

Be it resolved that the Libertarian party of New Mexico endorses the political work necessary to pass a resolution in the New Mexico legislature to apply for a Convention of the States to amend the Constitution as an exercise in asserting the powers reserved to the states and to the people in order to preserve and increase liberty.

Resolution passed by the LPNM Central Committee on Sunday, 2 August 2015

---

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE

1. Convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution [Wikipedia page]
   
   
2. http://conventionofstates.com/ — the official site
   
   
3. Second Constitutional Convention of the United States [Wikipedia page]
   
   
4. List of state applications for an Article V Convention [Wikipedia page]

NOTES

1. Approximate reading level – 15.6
   
   

---

Copyright © 2015 Libertarian Party of New Mexico, Elisheva Levin and Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
This blog entry created with Notepad++ and KWrite.

bomb gun firearm steak knife Allah Aryan airline hijack

Immigration and the Minimum Wage

There are many in the U.S. now demanding a much higher minimum wage; some advocate a $15/hr minimum. They point out, correctly, that wages for entry-level jobs have stagnated.

Additionally, the (national) Libertarian Party essentially advocates for open borders, with exceptions for people who pose a security threat to U.S. residents. The LP does this despite recognizing the obvious conflict between a welfare state such as the U.S. and open immigration. In effect, the combination simply means that the U.S. permits more thieves into the country. Not that I am saying that all immigrants are thieves (aka welfare recipients), but a certain fraction are, just as a certain fraction of native-born Americans are.

I suggest that wages for entry-level positions have stagnated in the U.S. in large part because the supply of labor has been steadily growing as a result of greatly increased immigration. The chart below, from the Census Bureau, shows how immigration to the U.S. has increased substantially since 1970. Anyone not completely ignorant of economics knows that if the supply of labor is greatly increased without a concomitant expansion of the economy, wages will fall. In this case wages don't actually fall, but purchasing power does as a result of inflation.

So, rather than have the government dictate a higher minimum wage, why not restrict immigration, especially low-skilled immigration? This would help raise wages for entry-level positions without a government mandate, and additionally ease the welfare state burden on those who actually pay taxes.

Earth Day—or Watermelon Day?

Today, April 22, is Earth Day, a day for ecological nutcases and dedicated sandias to argue passionately for totalitarian methods to "Save the Planet". Appropriately enough, and possibly by design, Earth Day is celebrated on Vladimir Lenin's birthday. 

These sandias, nutcases and their useful idiots have been predicting dire events for the planet for years. Here is a brief sampling of their predictions, all of which turned out to be wrong.

1. Harvard biologist George Wald estimated that “civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.”

2. “We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation,” wrote Washington University biologist Barry Commoner in the Earth Day issue of the scholarly journal Environment.

3. The day after the first Earth Day, the New York Times editorial page warned, “Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from intolerable deterioration and possible extinction.”

4. “Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make,” Paul Ehrlich confidently declared in the April 1970 Mademoiselle. “The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.”

5. “Most of the people who are going to die in the greatest cataclysm in the history of man have already been born,” wrote Paul Ehrlich in a 1969 essay titled “Eco-Catastrophe! “By…[1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.”

6. Ehrlich sketched out his most alarmist scenario for the 1970 Earth Day issue of The Progressive, assuring readers that between 1980 and 1989, some 4 billion people, including 65 million Americans, would perish in the “Great Die-Off.”

7. “It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” declared Denis Hayes, the chief organizer for Earth Day, in the Spring 1970 issue of The Living Wilderness.

8. Peter Gunter, a North Texas State University professor, wrote in 1970, “Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions….By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.”

9. In January 1970, Life reported, “Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….”

10. Ecologist Kenneth Watt told Time that, “At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.”

11. Barry Commoner predicted that decaying organic pollutants would use up all of the oxygen in America’s rivers, causing freshwater fish to suffocate.

12. Paul Ehrlich chimed in, predicting in his 1970 that “air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.” Ehrlich sketched a scenario in which 200,000 Americans would die in 1973 during “smog disasters” in New York and Los Angeles.

13. Paul Ehrlich warned in the May 1970 issue of Audubon that DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbons “may have substantially reduced the life expectancy of people born since 1945.” Ehrlich warned that Americans born since 1946…now had a life expectancy of only 49 years, and he predicted that if current patterns continued this expectancy would reach 42 years by 1980, when it might level out.

14. Ecologist Kenneth Watt declared, “By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate…that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, `Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, `I am very sorry, there isn’t any.'”

15. Harrison Brown, a scientist at the National Academy of Sciences, published a chart in Scientific American that looked at metal reserves and estimated the humanity would totally run out of copper shortly after 2000. Lead, zinc, tin, gold, and silver would be gone before 1990.

16. Sen. Gaylord Nelson wrote in Look that, “Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, believes that in 25 years, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct.”

17. In 1975, Paul Ehrlich predicted that “since more than nine-tenths of the original tropical rainforests will be removed in most areas within the next 30 years or so, it is expected that half of the organisms in these areas will vanish with it.”

18. Kenneth Watt warned about a pending Ice Age in a speech. “The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years,” he declared. “If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.”

Folks who celebrate Earth Day are still predicting dire events for the planet. Their track record is abysmal, and their pleas for funds and control should be ignored by all sentient beings.

I don't celebrate Earth Day: to me, it is simply a plea for a totalitarian economy, and a day whose inception was almost certainly funded in part by the KGB. I think we should call it Watermelon Day.

Constitution and Bylaws v.2015

LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF NEW MEXICO

Constitution and Bylaws

Adopted in Convention, April 18, 2015, Albuquerque, New Mexico

ARTICLE I — NAME, PRINCIPLES, PURPOSE, AND EMBLEM

1.1 — NAME

1. The Libertarian Party organization in the State of New Mexico shall be The Libertarian Party of New Mexico and may be referred to in this constitution and other official documents as LPNM.
   
   
2. The name of LPNM organizations within each political subdivision or campus shall be The Libertarian Party of __________ with the appropriate designation of the county or other appropriate political subdivision, or __________ College Libertarian Club.

1.2 — PRINCIPLES

We, the members of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico advocate the American tradition of limited government and defend the rights of the individual.

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle that the state has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual, namely: the right to life – accordingly we support prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; the right to liberty of speech and action – accordingly we oppose all attempts by governments to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and the right to property – accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders, and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

1.3 — PURPOSE

The purpose of LPNM shall be to move society and public policy toward the ideals embodied in the Statement of Principles by nominating, supporting, and electing candidates for public office; by lobbying officials and governmental bodies; by engaging in educational and informational activities; by general advocacy, and by other means deemed appropriate by LPNM.

1.4 — EMBLEM

The emblem of LPNM and of constituent organizations political subdivisions shall be the Statue of Liberty.

1.5 — USE OF NAME AND EMBLEM

1. The names "Libertarian Party" and "College Libertarians" shall not be used by any person, group, or convention except in strict conformance with this constitution and the laws of the State of New Mexico.
   
   
2. The LPNM Central Committee is empowered to initiate legal action on behalf of LPNM upon determination that any individual, slate of candidates, group, or convention is using the name or emblem of LPNM in any manner not consistent with this constitution or the laws of the State of New Mexico.

ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP

2.1 — CATEGORIES AND DEFINITIONS OF MEMBERS

1. AFFILIATE MEMBER. An affiliate member is any registered voter within the State of New Mexico who has indicated "Libertarian" as his or her party affiliation on the affidavit of voter registration.
   
   
2. CAUCUS Member. A caucus member is any person who has indicated "Libertarian" as his or her party affiliation on the New Mexico affidavit of voter registration, has met at least one of the qualifications enumerated in 2.1(b)(1) below, and has signed the non-initiation of force statement, which reads "I certify that I do not advocate the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals."
   
   
   1. CAUCUS MEMBER QUALICATIONS. Only one qualification must be met. Qualifications are not cumulative and the qualification with the latest expiration date shall be recognized.
      
      
      1. Payment of a lump sum donation of $25 to LPNM.
         
         
      2. Collection and timely submission of at least 200 verified signatures on any petition for LPNM party certification, or at least 150 verified signatures on any petition for ballot qualification of a nominated LPNM candidate in a statewide or congressional race, or at least 100 verified signatures on any petition for ballot qualification of a nominated LPNM candidate in a county or legislative race. Qualification is enabled when the Secretary certifies verification of the signatures and expires one year from that date.
         
         
      3. Twenty-five hours of volunteer service within a one-year period. Service must be in activity (excluding business meetings and social events) sponsored by LPNM, a county affiliate of LPNM, or an LPNM-affiliated College Libertarian Club. Qualification is enabled when the Secretary receives certification from the State Chair, County Chair or College Libertarian Club President that the service has been completed and expires one year from that date.
         
         
      4. Submission of a proposal to the State Chair for a project, and with acceptance of the project by the Executive Committee, execution of the project. Qualification is enabled when the Secretary receives certification from the State Chair that the project has been completed and expires one year from that date.
         
         
      5. Publication in a newspaper(s) of general circulation within a 12-month period, a total of two editorials or five letters to the editor promoting the Libertarian Party, its philosophy, or its candidates. Qualification is enabled when the Secretary receives dated copies of the editorials or letters and expires one year from that date.
         
         
3. WAIVER OF VOTER REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT. The Central Committee is empowered to waive the voter registration requirement for any individual who is otherwise qualified as a caucus member but not legally qualified to vote, and who requests such a waiver in writing. However, under no circumstances shall any person who is registered in another party or who has indicated "no party" on the affidavit of voter registration be recognized as a caucus member.
   
   
4. SUBSCRIBING MEMBER. A subscribing member is any person who has paid dues to LPNM.
   
   
5. SUSTAINING MEMBER. Payment of a monthly pledge of $10 or more. Donors should indicate that contributions are for membership. Caucus members or subscribing members may be sustaining members. Qualification is enabled when the first monthly pledge is received and will continue until pledges are 90 or more days in arrears.

2.2 — MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS AND RESTRICTIONS

1. Only caucus members shall serve as delegates to state conventions of LPNM. Any caucus member in good standing is automatically a state convention delegate.
   
   
   1. Affiliate members shall have the right to vote on nominating candidates for public office at state conventions.
      
      
2. Caucus members shall receive the state newsletter and other such publications and benefits as determined by the Central Committee.
   
   
3. As all officers of LPNM and its affiliates, LPNM delegates to national conventions, and LPNM candidates for public office will automatically meet the 2-1-b-1 qualification for caucus membership, all such members must submit the certification that he or she opposes the initiation of force prior to being nominated.
   
   
4. As LPNM recognizes Life Memberships, members who became Life Members prior to 2006 are exempted from the provisions of 2.1-b-1.

2.3 — MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR CAUCUS MEMBERS

1. Annual membership dues for caucus members may be fixed at any state convention by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting. When a convention does not fix dues, the amount in effect during the previous year shall continue.
   
   
2. The membership period of caucus members shall be 12 consecutive months, and shall commence on the first day of the month during which dues are received by the Treasurer.

ARTICLE III — ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

3.1 — EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. COMPOSITION. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the executive officers of LPNM: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of a majority of the committee.
   
   
2. POWERS. The LPNM Executive Committee is empowered to:
   
   
   1. Call special conventions to nominate candidates for special elections or for other urgent purposes and to set the date, time, and place for such conventions;
      
      
   2. Authorize and call teleconference meetings of the Central Committee or poll by mail the members of the Central Committee when there exists business of an emergency or urgent nature that can not wait until the next regular meeting of the Central committee;
      
      
   3. Initiate disciplinary proceedings as provided for in this constitution; and
      
      
   4. Perform such other duties as may be delegated by the Central Committee or State Convention.
      
      
3. QUALIFICATION. To qualify for the Executive Committee, a member must have:
   
   
   1. been a member of the LPNM for at least 3 years prior to election to the Executive Committee and
      
      
   2. served at least one full term on the LPNM Central Committee prior to election to the Executive Committee.
      
      
4. VACANCIES. When the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall automatically become Chair. When other executive offices become vacant, such vacancy shall be filled by appointment of the Chair with the advice and consent of the Central Committee.

3.2 — CENTRAL COMMITTEE

1. COMPOSITION. The Central Committee shall be composed of the Executive Committee; three at-large representatives elected at state conventions in odd-numbered years; and one representative from each congressional district elected by the delegates from each respective congressional district in caucus at state conventions in odd-numbered years.
   
   
2. POWERS. The Central Committee shall manage the affairs of LPNM as provided for in this constitution, the New Mexico Election Code, and acts of the caucus membership assembled in convention.
   
   
3. MEETINGS. The Central Committee shall meet a minimum of four times each year. Meetings may he fixed by action of the Committee or call of the Chair. The Secretary shall notify each member of the Central Committee of the date, time and place of meetings, in writing, or by email, at least thirty days prior to the meeting except as otherwise provided in Section 3.1-b-2. Meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order except as otherwise provided in this constitution or in the LPNM bylaws.
   
   
4. QUORUMS. When thirty-days written notice has been properly executed, a quorum of the Central Committee shall consist of at least four Central Committee members, one or more of whom is an Executive Committee Officer. Otherwise, a quorum shall consist of at least six Central Committee members, one or more of whom is an Executive Officer. Any member who misses two consecutive meetings or any three meetings during his or her term of office is automatically removed from the Committee.
   
   
5. VACANCIES. Vacancies on the Central Committee shall be filled by appointment of the Chair with the advice and consent of the Central Committee. Members representing a congressional district must reside in the district they represent.
   
   
6. VOTES BY ELECTRONIC MAIL. From time to time, an issue of emergency nature may require vote by electronic mail and / or telephone by the Central Committee. Such a vote can be initiated by one-third of all current Central Committee members submitting a request to the State Chair, or the State Vice-Chair, and the vote shall be carried out by the State Chair after it is requested. All efforts should be made to assure maximum Central Committee member participation and debate on the issue being voted on. Additionally, the standard for passage of any proposal voted on by this method shall be a majority of all current Central Committee members voting in favor. If all current Central Committee members participate and the vote is tied, the State Chair may break the tie by voting.

3.3 — JUDICIAL COUNCIL

1. COMPOSITION. The Judicial Council shall be an ad hoc council and consist of three Caucus members, appointed by the State Chair, with the advice and consent of the Central Committee. It is strongly encouraged that former State Chairs, and other former executive officers, be appointed to these positions. No member may serve on the Judicial Council while also serving as a member of the Central Committee.
   
   
2. CHIEF JUSTICE. Chosen by the three members of the Judicial Council, the Chief Justice shall be the presiding member of the Judicial Council. The Chief Justice shall conduct hearings of the Council.
   
   
3. HEARINGS. The Judicial Council shall conduct hearings for the purposes enumerated in (d) below. Hearings may be called by:
   
   
   1. Request of the Chair, except for impeachment;
      
      
   2. Majority vote of the Executive Committee, except for impeachment;
      
      
   3. Two-thirds vote of the Central Committee, or any of the County Central Committees;
      
      
   4. Majority vote of the delegates voting at a state convention; or
      
      
   5. Submission of a Statement of Grievance by any caucus member in good standing and endorsed by six other caucus members, except for impeachment.
      
      
   Once a hearing is called, the Chief Justice shall set the date, time, and place of such hearing and shall cause all other Council members and litigants to receive at least two weeks written notice of the particulars of the hearing. No member of the Council shall vote on any matter in which he or she is a litigant. Hearings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order. A quorum of two members may render a decision. Either party participating in the hearing may appeal this decision to a second hearing before the next regular state convention. The decision rendered by a two thirds vote of the state convention shall be final.
   
   
4. POWERS. The Executive Committee, the Central Committee, and the County Central Committees may censure any caucus member or any affiliate member, but all other disciplinary actions are the purview of the Judicial Council. The Council is empowered to:
   
   
   1. Remove from office, for just cause, any officer or Central Committee member who has been impeached by a two-thirds vote of the Central Committee or majority vote of any state convention;
      
      
   2. Suspend, for just cause, the caucus membership of any caucus member until the next state convention. The state convention may, by majority vote, reinstate the caucus membership of any person so suspended. Such suspensions shall remain in effect if the state convention fails to reinstate the suspended member;
      
      
   3. Settle disputes arising from interpretation of this constitution or acts of the Central Committee; and
      
      
   4. Suspend, until the next state convention, any section of this constitution found to be in violation of state or federal law.

3.4 — COUNTY AFFILIATES OF LPNM

1. RECOGNITION. The Libertarian Party of any county shall be recognized when:
   
   
   1. A caucus member, who has been appointed by the State Chair, has assumed the office of County Chair;
      
      
   2. A County Central Committee of the County Chair and at least two additional members has been seated;
      
      
   3. A constitution, consistent with this constitution and the laws of New Mexico and the United States of America, has been filed with the County Clerk of the respective county; and
      
      
   4. The Chair of LPNM has been notified in writing that the above requirements have been met.
      
      
   In counties where there is no Libertarian Party organization, the Chair of LPNM is empowered to appoint, in writing, a caucus member as County Chair. The County Chair is then empowered to appoint two additional members to the County Central Committee, and the County Central Committee is then empowered to adopt a constitution. Within one year of the appointment of the County Chair, the County Libertarian Party shall hold a convention and the county convention shall properly elect officers and ratify the county constitution. If the County Libertarian Party fails to meet the requirements of recognition enumerated above, or fails to hold a county convention within one year of the appointment of the County Chair, the County Chair shall stand removed and the Chair of LPNM is empowered to appoint a new County Chair.
   
   
2. ADMINISTRATION. Once a County Libertarian Party is recognized, it shall be administered by the County Central Committee in a manner identical to the administration of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico except that the County Libertarian Party is empowered to determine: the size of its Central Committee, except that it will have a minimum of three members; the number and qualifications of executive officers, except that the County Chair must be a caucus member. County Libertarian Parties shall not have their own Judicial Council: the LPNM Judicial Council shall serve as the judiciary body of the County Libertarian Parties as well as the Libertarian Party of New Mexico.
   
   
3. CONSISTENCY OF COUNTY ACTIONS. No County Libertarian Party shall take any position or action which is inconsistent with the constitution, principles, or purposes of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico.

ARTICLE IV — OFFICERS

4.1 — ENUMERATION AND DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

1. ENUMERATION. The executive officers of LPNM shall be the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.
   
   
2. DUTIES. Any executive officer who fails to execute his or her duties may be impeached and removed as provided in this constitution. The duties of executive officers are:
   
   
   1. CHAIR. The Chair shall serve as the chief administrative officer of LPNM; preside over meetings of the Executive Committee and Central Committee, preside over state conventions, serve as spokesperson for LPNM, and perform such other duties and functions as specified in this constitution or as delegated by the Central Committee.
      
      
   2. VICE CHAIR. The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair, assume the duties of the Chair when the Chair is unable to perform such duties, and perform such other duties and functions as delegated by the Chair, the Executive Committee or the Central Committee.
      
      
   3. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep minutes of Executive Committee and Central Committee meetings, keep minutes of state conventions; initiate such correspondence as directed by the Chair, the Executive Committee, or the Central Committee, and manage all records of LPNM except financial records.
      
      
   4. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall receive monies paid to LPNM, keep and disperse LPNM funds as directed by the Central Committee, keep the financial records of LPNM, make financial reports to the Central Committee, and manage the property of LPNM.

4.2 — ELECTION AND TERMS OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Executive officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the delegates voting at the first state convention following a regular congressional election. If more than two candidates seek an office and no candidate obtains a majority of the votes, the lowest vote-getter shall be eliminated and Caucus members shall vote again choosing among the remaining candidates. This shall be repeated until a candidate wins a majority of the votes, or if there are two candidates remaining, the highest vote-getter between the two shall he elected. If only two candidates seek an office, the highest vote-getter between the two shall be considered elected. The term of an elected executive officer shall be two years, and no members may serve more than two consecutive terms in a particular executive office. Vacancies of executive office shall be filled in accordance with Section 3.1(c) of this constitution.

4.3 — CABINET OFFICERS

The Chair is empowered to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Central Committee, caucus members to positions such as Legislative Liaison, Publications Editor, Project(s) Coordinator(s), or other such cabinet office as deemed appropriate by the Chair. Cabinet officers serve at the pleasure of the Chair and may be removed or replaced at will, or by a majority vote of the Central Committee.

ARTICLE V — CONVENTIONS AND CANDIDATES

5.1 — CONVENTION DATES

1. WHEN LPNM IS A MAJOR PARTY. In election cycles when LPNM is qualified as a major party, LPNM shall hold annual conventions during the last weekend in March in even years and as determined by the Central Committee in odd years. Any candidate seeking the Libertarian nomination for public office in the General Election who receives a majority of the votes at the March convention shall he considered endorsed by the party.
   
   
2. WHEN LPNM IS A MINOR PARTY. In election cycles when LPNM is qualified as a minor party, annual conventions shall be held as determined by the Central Committee.

5.2 — NOTICE

The Secretary shall notify each caucus member, by mail, of the dates, time, and public place of state conventions; and shall cause to be published in newspapers of general circulation notice of state conventions at least fourteen days prior to the date of the convention provided, however, that where a county party organization has been established, the officers of the county party organization shall cause such notice to be published as provided herein.

5.3 — BUSINESS OF THE CONVENTION

Each annual state convention shall include a business meeting. Caucus members in good standing shall be automatic delegates to state convention business meetings and no fee shall be charged to delegates for attending the business meeting portion of state conventions. The Chair of LPNM, or the designee thereof, is empowered to verify the credentials of any delegates. Business meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order except as otherwise provided by this constitution and LPNM bylaws.

5.4 — NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES

1. WHEN LPNM IS A MAJOR PARTY. In election cycles when LPNM is qualified as a major party, nominations of candidates for public office, presidential electors, and delegates to the national convention of the Libertarian Party shall be made in accordance with the New Mexico Election Code and Primary Law. The New Mexico Election Code and Primary Law is hereby incorporated into this section.
   
   
2. WHEN LPNM IS A MINOR PARTY. In election cycles when LPNM is qualified as a minor party, nominations of candidates for federal office, statewide office, and offices elected from multi-county districts shall he made by majority vote of the affiliate and caucus members voting at annual conventions, except for special elections in odd-numbered years. Nominations of candidates for offices selected from multi-county districts shall be made by affiliate and caucus members from the counties comprising such districts, in caucus at the state convention. Election of presidential electors and delegates to the national convention shall be by majority vote in even-numbered years. If a potential candidate wishes to be nominated more than 12 months but not more than 24 months prior to an event, (election or National LP Convention), he or she must receive the votes of not less than 2/3 of the delegates present and voting.
   
   
3. COUNTY OFFICE. Nominations of candidates for county office shall he made at the respective county conventions. Organized counties may caucus at the state convention for the purpose of nominating candidates if the county affiliate has not had a convention at the time of the state convention, or to nominate additional candidates if the county affiliate has held a convention, provided that the County Chair is in attendance. Three or more caucus / affiliate members from any unorganized counties may caucus at the state convention for the purpose of nominating candidates, and the State Chair will certify such candidates in lieu of a county chair.
   
   
4. CERTIFICATION AND VACANCIES. Candidates nominated for public office shall be certified in accordance with the provisions of the New Mexico Election Code. Additionally, any nomination is made subject to the nominee passing a criminal background check. Failure to pass such a background check shall result in the nomination being declared void. The Central Committee is empowered to fill vacancies in the list of federal, statewide, and multi-county district candidates in accordance with the New Mexico Election Code.

5.5 — NOMINATION, ELECTION OR APPOINTMENT OF DELEGATES TO NATIONAL CONVENTIONS.

To be a delegate to the national convention, any individual must be a caucus member in good standing, both at the time of his or her election to delegate status and at the time of serving as a delegate. Only caucus members in good standing may be appointed by the delegation chair to delegate status at any national convention.

ARTICLE VI — PLATFORMS AND POSITIONS

6.1 — PLATFORMS

1. LPNM PLATFORM. The Platform of the national Libertarian Party is the Platform of LPNM, except that LPNM may, at any state convention, delete any plank by a two-thirds vote of the delegates voting, or add any plank consistent with the Statement of Principles, by a two-thirds vote.
   
   
2. CANDIDATE PLATFORMS. Candidates for public office may run on their own platforms. However, the Central Committee may disavow any plank that is contrary to the Statement of Principles or LPNM Platform.
   
   
3. RESOLUTIONS OF POSITION. The Central Committee is empowered to issue resolutions expressing party positions on various issues throughout the year. However, any caucus member may challenge any such resolution that he or she believes to be inconsistent with the Statement of Principles or LPNM Platform by filing a Statement of Grievance with the Judicial Council in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.3(c)5.

ARTICLE VII — AMENDMENTS AND BYLAWS

The Statement of Principles may be amended by a nine-tenths vote of the delegates voting at any state convention. This constitution may otherwise be amended by a two-thirds vote of the delegates voting at any state convention. The Judicial Council is empowered to remove any section of this constitution found to be in violation of federal or state law. Bylaws may be added or deleted by a two-thirds vote of the delegates voting at any state convention. The Secretary is empowered to renumber bylaws as bylaws are added or deleted within two days of a state convention.

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LPNM BYLAWS

Bylaw #1

Any Central Committee member may designate, in writing, a caucus member to serve as proxy if he or she must miss a Central Committee meeting and that proxy counts toward quorum. However, the proxy vote will not count as attendance for purposes of retention or removal of the member.

Bylaw #2

College Libertarian Clubs may be recognized as affiliates of LPNM under the same rules and conditions as county affiliates. The Chair is empowered to implement guidelines for the administration of College Libertarian Clubs.

Bylaw #3

If the boundaries of the congressional districts are changed, Central Committee representatives shall serve the remainder of their terms; and for the purpose of electing Central Committee representatives, the changes shall be recognized by LPNM at the next convention in an odd numbered year following the changes.

Adopted in Convention,
April 18, 2015,
Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Copyright © 2016 Libertarian Party of New Mexico. All rights reserved.

2015 LPNM Annual State Convention

Libertarian Party of New Mexico

2015 Annual State Convention

Venue – UNM School of Law, Room 2403 – 1117 Stanford Street NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106

Saturday, 18 April 2015, 10 AM — 5 PM

Contact Mike Blessing – 505-448-9976 for details

A donation of $15 is requested to offset the cost of the use of facilities.

See the Convention's event page on Facebook for updates

Convention Schedule

10:00 – 10:30	Registration
10:30 – 10:45	Welcome and Introduction by Mike Blessing, Chair, LPNM
10:45 – 11:30	Keynote address by Marita Noon, Energy Makes America Great
11:30 – 12:15	Marisa Salazar, New Mexico State Chair at Young Americans for Liberty and Campus Coordinator at Students For Liberty
12:15 – 1:30	Lunch Break
1:30 – 2:15	Kerry Adams, Mere Liberty, Rio Rancho Observer
2:15 – 2:45	Scott Lieberman, Libertarian National Committee
2:45 – 4:45	LPNM Business Meeting
	All who are registered to vote with the State of New Mexico as Libertarians ("LIB" on the voter registration card) can vote during nominations for public office. Only Caucus Members can vote during LPNM business and internal LPNM elections. Visitors do not vote in any actions or activities. Central Committee meeting after close of the LPNM Business Meeting.
5:00 PM	Convention closes

Speakers and Candidates Addressing the Convention Membership

Speakers will have 30–45 minutes to make their case, then should be open to questions from the audience. Audience members are requested to ask questions of the speaker as opposed to making statements. All speakers will be considered to have consented to being recorded, including but not limited to audio or video devices, for posting to the internet (YouTube, etc.).

Handouts for Distribution

The LPNM membership reserves the right to disavow any handouts (handbills, brochures, CDs, DVDs, etc.) offered for distribution to convention membership, as well as the person(s) doing the distributing.

Nominations for Candidates for Public Office

Anyone wanting to vote to nominate candidates for public office needs to make sure that they're registered to vote as "Libertarian" or "LIB" as the Secretary of State prints on the voter registration cards before they show up for the Convention.

So make sure to bring your voter registration card.

Participating in LPNM Internal Business

All you have to do to participate in the LPNM's internal business (changes to the Constitution and Bylaws, internal nominations, etc.) is to do the following (all steps are necessary, regardless of order completed):

1. Register to vote as "Libertarian" so that your voter registration card reads "LIB" in the spot marked "PARTY" (lower right-hand corner).
   
   
2. Sign up as what the LPNM refers to as a "Caucus Member." Basically, this means that you've signed the Non-Aggression Pledge and paid $25 in dues. You can do this at the Convention itself, as we'll have the necessary paperwork on hand.
   
   
3. Pay the required amount for a convention membership.

Out-of-State Visitors

1. All national-level candidates (for President, National Chair, LNC spots, etc.) are responsible for covering their own expenses, including but not limited to travel, meals, and lodging. They are, of course, free to solicit financial or other support from individual LPNM members, but the LPNM will not expend organizational resources for this purpose.
   
   
2. The LPNM as an organization will NOT endorse candidates for any office until they have been officially nominated by an accredited affiliate of the Libertarian Party.

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Copyright © 2015 Libertarian Party of New Mexico, Libertarian Party of Bernalillo County, New Mexico and Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
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Does "Everybody" Truly Support Laws Against "Predatory" Lending? (Letter to the Editor)

Subject: Does "Everybody" Truly Support Laws Against "Predatory" Lending?
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2015 22:33:50 -0700
From: Mike Blessing
To: Albuquerque Journal

Ms. Nathalie Martin recently wrote in a guest column titled "Remember who votes against cap on loan interest rates" that

"The bottom line is that everybody favors the cap, except the legislators who have lined their pockets with industry funds."

I for one do not favor the proposed cap, as it pushes those who can't qualify for loans from businesses that meet with Ms. Martin's approval to the extra-legal market -- the gangs, Mafia remnants and such.

I submit that losing a car title for nonpayment is much less stressful than having your fingers or leg broken. But maybe that's just me?

Still, I don't remember being directly polled on this issue in any way, shape or form, so I have to ask -- what sort of polling did Ms. Martin undertake?

To which polling firm was this contracted out?

What was the sample size? What was the demographic breakdown of the respondents? What was the poll format -- telephone, direct mail, via the web, or face-to-face?

Another loaded line from the article:

"One-thousand percent interest loans hurt New Mexicans, and we unquestionably need to destroy these high-cost lenders before they destroy us."

One easy way to avoid being "destroyed" by high-interest lenders is to simply not do business with them. I've gotten offers through the mail from such outfits in the past, and never been close to being "destroyed" -- I simply put the mailings into the shredder.

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Who owns you? Who runs your life? Who should -- you or someone else?
Freedom is the answer -- what's the question?

"Government is the disease that masquerades as its own cure."
-- Robert LeFevre

"If you wanna live long on your own terms
You gotta be willing to crash and burn"
-- Motley Crue, "Primal Scream"

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Copyright © 2015 Libertarian Party of New Mexico and Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
This blog entry created with Notepad++ and KWrite.

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