Nevada Republican State Delegates File Suit Against State Party
RENO, NV, July 18, 2008—Nevada State Republican delegates have filed a complaint in Second Judicial District Court late this evening, contending that the Nevada Republican Executive Committee’s decision to appoint national delegates is in violation of State law. The complaint alleges that the GOP’s decision to appoint delegates to the Republican National Convention violates NRS 293 because state delegates have been deprived of their ability to select national delegates at a convention.
“The State Executive Committee announced yesterday that they won’t bring the Nevada State Republican Convention out of recess,” said Wayne Terhune, a Republican activist in Washoe County. “They shut down the Convention in April, and now they aren’t giving delegates a chance to have their voices heard. This is a violation of the law.”
The complaint alleges that the State Executive Committee’s decision is in violation of NRS 293, which states: “In addition to such powers granted it, the state convention shall select the necessary delegates and alternates to the national convention of the party”. The complaint has been filed by local attorney Mark Goodman on behalf of several Nevada State Republican delegates.
Mike Weber, a local Republican who has served on the National Republican Rules Committee, announced early today that he is shifting the focus of his State Assembly race to make sure that the state delegates have their voices heard. “Most Republicans are getting fed up with party leaders because of underhanded tactics instead of principled leadership,” he said in a press release. “The announcement that national delegates will be appointed by a small group behind closed doors only reinforces this distrust.”
“The actions of the State Party are taking away the voice of every state delegate,” said Terhune. “Over a thousand delegates attended the convention in April, and the State Executive party officials are attempting to silence all of them. This is completely against the traditions of the Republican Party and the United States of America.”
Posted by John 1:09 AM View Comments
Nevada GOP finally has to admit Epic Fail.
The Nevada GOP has given up on their reconvention, and they're resorting to appointing delegates. This was their original plan in the first place: on April 26th they intended on shoving their slate through, but had to abort their mission and blamed it on our (a majority of the convention, not all Ron Paul people) rule change.
As of right now, it's going to be up the RNC to decide if the June 28th delegation (fairly voted in at the reconvention) or the NV GOP's delegation (hand picked party goombas) will attend the National Convention. Or they can call all of us Nevadans jerks for not playing nice and pull a Michigan/Florida on us, or some sort of variation.
The RNC's decision right now has the ability to set a precedent. This year has been the first year Nevada has had a caucus system instead of a primary system. In primaries, people vote and those votes count toward whom the state will nominate at the convention. In our caucus system, we still vote for specific candidates, but it doesn't go toward the actual nomination process. It's more of a gauge to give the media results before we have actual results. During caucuses, what counts is the election of delegates (who are unbound and can vote for anyone they damn well please), to the county conventions, state convention, and eventually the national convention. If the RNC accepts the behavior of the NV GOP, it will give them permission to continue on like this as long as we have a caucus system. It will cheat the Republicans of Nevada out of control of their own party, and it will place all the power of a bunch of sleezy dirtbags.
Posted by Alyssa Cowan 3:12 PM View Comments
Hyprocrisy at its Finest
Not only was taking the handicapped spot not good enough for this parking services meter-maid/butler, but it also seemed appropriate for him to utilize much of the sidewalk "For Official Use Only".
Just keep in mind everyone, rules and laws only apply to those not creating and enforcing them (and if you're famous).
... All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
(Click to Enlarge)
Posted by John 10:56 AM View Comments
Posters!
This year we're planning to launch a poster campaign over the school this semester. These posters:
- will advertise our club (not any specific club meetings)
- will advertise our ideas
- can be short or detailed
- can be about a specific issue
- can be about an idea or broad array of ideas
- should grab attention
- can make people laugh
- will be awesome
Posted by Alyssa Cowan 12:20 PM View Comments
Changes to the Club Constitution
While planning for the new school year, we're gearing up for a few changes to the club. We're going to hold elections at the beginning of the year, and we're going to vote on changes to our club Constitution. I sent out a copy to all of the members for review. If you have not gotten it please e-mail me, and I'll send you a copy. If you have any changes you would like to suggest please reply back to me.
Extra note to consider while reviewing:
- There has been some consideration about changing the name of the club. This would alter the preamble significantly. Everyone is welcome to offer name changes.
- Other positions that you would to be created in the club.
Posted by Alyssa Cowan 12:06 PM View Comments
No Wonder They Hate Us: Brief History of U.S. Intervention
What do you all think of this?
Part I (6:11)
Part II (6:23)
Posted by John 4:32 PM View Comments
NV Republican Convention gets a plug in Time Magazine!
If the freedom that lives in the Libertarian imagination has an earthly home, it is the American West. If it has a temple, it's Nevada.
In Nevada, where the liberty lobby is strong, McCain got trounced in the primary voting, coming in third behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. When the state GOP tried to crown McCain at its Reno convention in April, so many Paul supporters showed up that party leaders literally fled the hall, turned off the lights and postponed the convention to make sure the anemic pro-McCain camp wasn't swamped by liberty's marauders. It was like a John Ford western set inside a hotel ballroom.
The whole article is pretty good. It's about the new libertarian movement. Check it out.
Posted by Alyssa Cowan 11:05 AM View Comments
Mises on Social Planning
Sometimes we forget what a genius Ludwig von Mises was.
Who am I kidding, no we don't. Given recent discussion on universal health care, additional governmental bureaucracies for charity, foreign affairs, and energy, and the idea that governmental solutions to governmental problems, I thought it fitting to include a few quotes from your man and mine, Ludwig von.
The planner is a potential dictator who wants to deprive all other people of the power to plan and act according to their own plans. He aims at one thing only: the exclusive absolute preeminence of his own plan.
At the bottom of all this fanatical advocacy of planning and socialism there is often nothing else than the intimate consciousness of ones own inferiority and inefficiency.
All this passionate praise of the supereminence of government action is but a poor disguise for the individual interventionists self-deification. The great god State is a great god only because it is expected to do exclusively what the individual advocate of interventionism wants to see achieved.
The writings of the socialists are full of such utopian fancies. Whether they call themselves Marxian or non-Marxian socialists, technocrats, or simply planners [hell, even Republicans and Democracts], they are all eager to show how foolishly things are arranged in reality and how happily men could live if they were to invest the reformers with dictatorial powers. [Brackets by Barry]
If a man says socialism, or planning, he always has in view his own brand of socialism, his own plan. Thus planning does not in fact mean preparedness to cooperate peacefully. It means conflict.
The social engineer is the reformer who is prepared to liquidate all those who do not fit into his plan for the arrangement of human affairs.
He's just filled with these beautiful insights. To learn more about him (as well as find more of these quotes) go to the Ludwig von Mises Institute at mises.org. It is also a useful site for anyone interested in Austrian Economics, anarcho-capitalism, Libertarian studies, and all sorts of goodness. They have free online books, lecture series, debates, articles, and essays. Which just goes to prove that capitalists [even the most die hard] don't necessarily have to be greedy, hoarding, or selfish.
P.S. Be sure to check out the stuff by Murray Rothbard, Walter Block, Herman Hans-Hoppe, Joseph T. Salerno, and many others.
Posted by Barry Belmont 12:30 PM View Comments
Obama and FISA
After spinelessly backing out of his promise to NEVER allow the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008 to pass, I thought I would find out what other pieces of legislation Obama has been actively pursuing:
- S.CON.RES.5 : A concurrent resolution honoring the life of Percy Lavon Julian, a pioneer in the field of organic chemistry and the first and only African-American chemist to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.
- S.CON.RES.25 : A concurrent resolution condemning the recent violent actions of the Government of Zimbabwe against peaceful opposition party activists and members of civil society.
- S.CON.RES.44 : A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued honoring Rosa Louise McCauley Parks.
- S.CON.RES.46 : A concurrent resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month.
- S.RES.133 : A resolution celebrating the life of Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson.
- S.RES.268 : A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as "National Summer Learning Day".
- S.RES.383 : A resolution honoring and recognizing the achievements of Carl Stokes, the first African-American mayor of a major American city, in the 40th year since his election as Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.
- S.RES.600 : A resolution commemorating the 44th anniversary of the deaths of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia, Mississippi, while working in the name of American democracy to register voters and secure civil rights during the summer of 1964, which has become known as "Freedom Summer".
Posted by John 8:26 AM View Comments
Senate to Americans: You do not have a right to privacy
...unless you choose to live in a box with no communication.
The senate voted today, and it's been determined: companies can spy on you and give your personal information to the government, and that's cool.
The FISA bill, H.R. 6304 passed today 69-28. This bill allows companies who give/sell your information to the government immunity from being sued.
Other notes:
- Comcast is having a party with this one: they're charging authorities a $1,000 installation fee, and $750 a month to spy on people.
- Many Democrats received money from telecom companies (Verizon, which has said that it doesn't provide information to the government; AT&T; and Sprint) to switch there votes. Check out this nifty list.
- I'm high-fiving myself for having Eurpean company T-Mobile as my cell carrier. Woot.
Posted by Alyssa Cowan 9:46 PM View Comments
