No, but it just might be at Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i.
Astute readers may remember the 2006 Libertarian Party national convention in Portland, which drew only 300 or so attendees, the lowest number since 1973, and managed to delete three fourths of the 2004 platform after the delegates were not provided a copy of the then-current platform. Some may also recall the California LP convention on board a cruise ship.
Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it.
I stand against paranoid fantasies as much as any other sane person, but Paulie is absolutely correct instating that there is no paranoia in this case.
I remember attending a local LP meeting in Palm Springs a few years ago (when I was Riverside County Chair) and heard guest speaker Aaron Starr explicitly state to those in attendeance that in order for the party to mean anything, we have to “get rid of the freaks” and he named Starchild as an example.
Paulie, my bad. You are correct: the convention was in 2005. For some reason, 2004 was the year that stuck in my mind.
I think the LPC is on a better path now that Starr and his cronies have apparently moved on after doing their damage.
Paulie, you don’t do your cause any good by this level of hyperbole and conspiracy-theory writing.
What in the article wasn’t factual, other than the somewhat facetious title and the reference to “Pearl Harbor” for effect?
Rather than write about the inconvenience of holding a convention in Hawaii, you jump immediately to the conclusion that there is a great conspiracy to prevent as many Libertarian Party members as possible from attending the convention.
1) Please show where I made any such conclusion.
2) Messrs. Starr and Carling, and everyone else likely to be in any way involved, are very well aware of the controversies over the Cruise Ship and issues regarding the inconvenience of getting Portland, which was likely to be related to the low attendance there. Proposing Hawai’i as a convention location is unlikely to be an oversight of any kind.
It really doesn’t help your cause any when your only sources for the story are paranoid anarchist activists, either- no primary source whatever.
1) It isn’t paranoia when they really are out to get you.
2) My sole source is an LNC member with close working knowledge of the proposal and proposers. If you want to characterize her as paranoid, that’s on you.
Paulie, you don’t do your cause any good by this level of hyperbole and conspiracy-theory writing. Rather than write about the inconvenience of holding a convention in Hawaii, you jump immediately to the conclusion that there is a great conspiracy to prevent as many Libertarian Party members as possible from attending the convention.
It really doesn’t help your cause any when your only sources for the story are paranoid anarchist activists, either- no primary source whatever.
Actually that was 2005, and I was one of the “subsidized” povertarians.
The Libertarian Party of California has experimented with this whole “convention on a cruise ship” scheme before. Definitely, it reeks of Carling’s and Starr’s involvement. They like to use the word “povertarian” quite often and in 2004, violated the LPC bylaws to institute a floor fee to prevent a certain element they don’t like from voting on business. Here’s how it ran:
At that time, the LPC bylaws explicitly stated that all delegates had the right to vote on party business in convention, however, they decided to charge a “floor fee” indirect violation of the bylaws. Simply being a delegate did NOT allow one to vote on party business. Of course, some of us found out and challenged the legality of it (we were not opposed to a fee per se, just that they didn’t follow the rules). In order to neutralize our challenge, Aaron Starr came up with an end run: he found a financial backer (Allen Rice) who “donated” money to pay for our floor fee. The name badges we had said, in large red letters, SUBSIDIZED and Mark Hinkle kept repeating the phrase “povertarians” over and over, even though we were more than able to pay for the floor fee many times over.
Aaron Starr has always been about two things: money and exclusion. These cruise ship conventions are the perfect combination of money and exclusion for people like him. This must be stopped.
I’m not familiar with M. Carling. Aaron Starr’s name has been lurking around the depths of libertarian hatred for a while now, although I don’t know enough about him to judge.
Alright, who is behind this?!
Aaron Starr and M. Carling, as far as I have been able to gleam.
Alright, who is behind this?! I might actually have a flippin’ chance at being at the 2010 convention to try and keep it under control, but to Hawaii?
…
I do have a rather old bayliner…gas would be to expensive, but I could rig a sail. Maybe if I left now out of the Illinois River, I might be able to make it around the horn and to Hawaii in time!
Anyone need a ride? It’ll be a looong, lonely voyage.