I just returned from an intense and inspiring weekend at the RLC National Convention, hosted by the great folks at the RLC of Florida in humid but congenial Jacksonville. I wish I could have reported during the convention but there was so much going on and so many people to talk to that I didn’t have have a chance to sit down and write anything substantial until it was all over.

Sarah Lovett, Will Pitts, Mark Cross and all the great folks at the dynamic and growing RLC chapter here have really gone above and beyond to put on a great convention for their state and to generously share so much of what they’ve done with delegates from other parts of the country and the national organization. Their efforts on behalf of the National RLC have been above and beyond the call of duty and they are an example for other states to follow in how to manage rapid growth and deal with the struggles which come with that growth in positive and productive ways. It’s very clear from the hard work and dedication I have seen here that they are going to be enormously successful in reawakening the Republican Party in Florida to the ideas of individual liberty, responsible government and fiscal responsibility.

My role at the Convention as Vice Chairman of the National RLC was to fill in for Chairman Bill Westmiller who could not attend and run the business meeting on Saturday morning and supervise the election of new officers. I was also there to meet libertty advocates from all over the country, make some new friends and connections, and gather ideas on how to move the RLC forward to greater success and take advantage of this period of flux within the GOP to make our liberty message more central to the party agenda.

Convention business started first thing Saturday and it was a very long and busy day and wiped me out. There may be a video on YouTube sometime soon which shows me stumbling through an awards ceremony at around 10pm, bleary eyed and barely coherent. I did at least manage not to fall off of the stage.

Overall events on Saturday went very smoothly, though the schedule got a bit out of hand. Attendance exceeded expectations with close to 150 people there, including a strong showing from outside of Florida, with representatives from Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. About 100 qualified delegates turned out for the national RLC meeting on Saturday morning.

The business meeting went nicely, despite the fact that I was running it based on parliamentary experience acquired primarily at meetings where you don’t bang the first gavel until everyone is at least on their second drink. My management style was a balance of the pragmatically informal and the things I was able to glean and remember from a quick reread of Roberts Rules of Order. I did have the help of parliamentarian Louis Rose, who was understanding about my laxity with some of the rules and helped out cheerfully when needed.

The positive tone of the meeting was a pleasant surprise for me with my varied and not always happy experience of political meetings in Texas which have sometimes been contentious and acrimonious. The mood here was more collaborative and congenial. In fact, it was so nice that I may have stretched the rules a little bit to allow more latitude than I should have because I was so happy to see delegates working together in a positive way.

We passed a set of bylaw revisions first. The most significant of these was the creation of five regional districts so that we can add regional coordinators to the board who help with chapters in the states in their regions. That idea was warmly received and passed unanimously, as did most of the rest of the proposed changes with the occasional token Ron Paul style no vote from RLC board member Jeff Palmer. Jeff’s contributions stood out, as did RLC founding member Eric Rittberg’s enthusiastic cheerleading during several key parts of the proceedings. There were a couple of small unexpected proposals for wording changes in the bylaws, which I thought were relatively meaningless and more aesthetic than substantive, but I allowed them as a gesture of respect to the delegates.

We then held officer elections, which included a vote for Chairman during which I yielded the gavel to RLC Treasurer Mark Cross as I was a candidate. We had a huge number of nominations for at-large positions on the board and had to pick from more than a dozen candidates for 3 seats and 3 alternates. The final results were:

Dave Nalle (TX), Chairman
Mark Cross (FL), Vice Chairman
Aaron Biterman (VA), Secretary
Bill Westmiller (CA), Treasurer
Bryan Haddock (TN), At-Large
Dan Sheill (MI), At-Large
Jeff Palmer (NC), At-Large
Steven Talcott-Smith (FL), Alternate
Eric Wall (FL), Alternate
Steve Wright (MD), Alternate
John Orlando (MD), Alternate

As you’ll notice, there are four alternates when there were supposed to be three. There was a tie for the third alternate spot, so after lunch we very briefly reconvened and voted to allow a fourth alternate on the basis that the bylaws don’t explicitly say we can’t have more than 3 alternates, and on the theory that having another alternate can’t do any harm — plus we didn’t want any hard feelings among our feisty new Maryland chapter members. Many of those in the election for at large spots were not in attendance, but had their names put in nomination as a courtesy by members of the delegation who rose to speak on their behalf. Of those absentee nominees only Dan Sheill of Michigan won a spot. The rest will be invited to join one of the new committees which we are forming over the next few weeks. That will give them excellent opportunities for substantive involvement and lift some of the work burden off of the board.

Later on Saturday there was a dinner featuring speakers and awards and a tasty Mediterranean-style buffet. Will Pitts of the Florida RLC opened the ceremonies, followed by Sirius talk radio host Mike Church, local candidate State Senate candidate Dan Quiggle and Dr. Lawrence Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education.

In addition to his presence at the RLC Convention, Larry Reed also address the Palm Beach County Republican Club, including the Executive Committee members, on April 3.

At the Convention, Mike Church was quite a rabble-rouser and Quiggle had interesting stories to relate from his time in the Reagan White House. Reed was a bit dry and monotone but gave an interesting lecture on the Depression. By that time I was barely conscious — working on 3 hours sleep and 15 hours of convention — but I struggled up to the podium and I think I made a rather stirring introduction with some nice things to say about our activist members and especially the Florida chapter and their great job hosting the convention.

Other speakers included Ivan Osorio of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, John Hallman of the Florida Taxpayers Union, Allen Douglas of the National Federation of Independent Business and author-activist Matt Falconer. Several candidates and politicians attended and participated including State House candidate Dean Santoro, U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Marion Thorpe, and former Maryland Delegate Don Murphy. Special thanks to Lenny Curry, Duval County Republican Party Chairman, for answering tough questions about the future of the Republican Party and the party’s willingness to work with limited government Republicans.

So I started to give out awards and realized that very few of those we have awards for except for a few Floridians has already fled the increasingly empty hall and those who are left look tired and testy. But I did manage to stumble through and get our attractive certificates given out with some backup from the equally exhausted Mark Cross. There were activist awards for some of our most successful chapter organizers including Adina Cappell from California, David FitzSimmons and Norann Dillon from Minnesota, and Phil Blumel and Will Pitts from Florida. I think I also managed to do a pretty good job of giving the Chairman’s Award to Aaron Biterman on behalf of outgoing Chairman Bill Westmiller. And I have to say that Aaron’s tireless competence and remarkable command of information and resources is even more impressive when you meet him face-to-face and realize that all that knowledge is stored in his head available for instant recall. No one is as competent or deserving of recognition for his work as Aaron.

Further awards went to B. J. Lawson for his exceptional work as a congressional candidate and to Jeff Palmer of North Carolina for his work in launching two state chapters and making the RLC strong nationwide. Awards also went to featured speaker Lawrence Reed for his work in promoting free market economics and Sarah Lovett for her fantastic job organizing the Jacksonville convention on short notice. After I was done, Mark Cross gave out additional awards for the Florida chapter, but I was barely conscious by that point and ready to stumble off to bed with dreams of the very cool stylized eagle-head trophy — which Richard Bradfield Lee had found for the Floridians to use as their premier award.

On Sunday the Florida RLC had its business meeting and by all accounts it went very well. I’d report on it, but I only peeked in a couple of times because I spent the morning eating brunch and chatting with delegates from some of our other chapters about what we can do to grow the RLC and make our efforts more effective. Steve Wright and John Orlando from Maryland had a lot of great ideas to offer and Dan Halloran and Vito Palmieri from New York shared some of their campaign experiences and suggestions.

From there we went to the first meeting for the new executive board, with Jeff Palmer (who had gone home), Dan Sheill (in MI), Bill Westmiller (in CA) and Mark Cross (who was still in the Florida meeting) absent and our two Maryland alternates filling out the quorum. The meeting was informal, but productive. There are things you can get done quickly face to face which you just can’t do as easily in a teleconference. We talked a lot about fundraising and ways to get the RLC National organization the resources it needs to achieve the goal of chartering 12 new states in the next year. We also did preliminary planning for setting up committees to which we can delegate some of the work which the board has been doing, including press relations, finances and fundraising, technology and endorsements. As we were discussing putting together a packet of materials to provide new chapters with information and tools to help them get started, Steven Talcott Smith arrived from the Florida meeting carrying a binder of materials which Florida had developed for their sub-chapters which was exactly the kind of thing we were talking about assembling. They had already done our work for us, and later on Mark Cross gave me all of the materials on CD, so drawing on Florida’s expertise we’re on our way to putting together a really helpful packet for new chapters and state coordinators. Not long after that it was time to catch afternoon flights out of Jacksonville and we had to adjourn the meeting, but we’d accomplished a great deal in a few hours.

Just reporting the official events doesn’t really do justice to what was going on in Jacksonville. The real action was in the hallways and the atrium and over meals and drinks, where delegates from all over gathered enthusiastically to share ideas and pick each others’ brains and find ways to work together to help make the RLC bigger, better and more effective in getting its message out. I got to meet and talk to an inspiring group of activists, from long-time RLC members like Phil Blumel, Eric Rittberg and Jeff Palmer to enthusiastic newcomers like Will Pitts, John Orlando, Steve Wright, Bryan Haddock, Dan Halloran and too many others to name. They all had good ideas and the enthusiasm to make those ideas a reality. Special recognition was given to past Chairman Bill Westmiller for his service to the RLC. To get a feel for the convention, check out the photo collection at RLC.org.

I came away from the convention convinced that we can really accomplish great things with the RLC if we can export the kind of energy I saw in Jacksonville nationwide in this time when the GOP is looking for renewal and inspiration, which we have in abundance. In the next year I see three main goals for the RLC:

• Expand fundraising so we can afford a small permanent staff and a budget for travel and other expenses.
• Charter at least 12 new state chapters and provide all of the chapters with a Florida-style coordinator’s toolkit.
• Raise the profile of the RLC by capitalizing on key issues and events to promote our viewpoint in online, print and broadcast media.

Thanks to everyone who was in Jacksonville for putting on a great convention and helping to build the RLC. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming months.

Eric Dondero has been live-blogging the RLC Convention in Jacksonville, Florida:

Live Blogging from Republican Liberty Caucus National Convention
Florida US Senate candidates speak to RLC National Convention
Local Jacksonville GOP Chairman speaks to RLC Convention
Dave Nalle elected new RLC Chairman

We also have Twitter Coverage from RLCTN and photos from Michael Para..

According to the AP, the New Hampshire State House on Thursday voted narrowly to make that state the third that would allow gay couples to marry.

The bill, HB 436, which passed the House 186-179, next goes to the Senate, where its future is uncertain. Governor John Lynch (D) claims to oppose gay marriage but has not said specifically that he would veto it. Two years ago, the Legislature approved, and Lynch signed, civil unions for gays, which provide all the rights of marriage, except in name.

Currently, only Connecticut and Massachusetts allow gay couples to marry. The Vermont Senate sent a gay marriage bill to the House this week, but Gov. Jim Douglas (R) says he will veto it if it reaches his desk.

Rep. Melanie Levesque (D-Brookline), who is black and married to a white man, said her marriage was still a crime in Virginia in the mid-1960s. “We have had a long history of challenging conventional wisdom — the Earth is flat, people from different continents should not marry, people who are the same should not marry,” she said.

Never one to be shy, longtime RLC ally Steve Vaillancourt (pictured, right) defended his vote in favor of gay marriage in an e-mail to me (posting permission granted):

“As happy as I was over the victory of gay marriage yesterday, I was deeply saddened that only 13 Republicans were on board for the first vote and then only 12 for the second vote (and only five for the vital bill of granting equal rights to transgendered folks). I am ashamed of the Republican Party; I am especially ashamed of Republicans who claim to be libertarians who could not bring themselves to vote for this bill.“

“I am disgusted by Chairman Sununu’s attempt to brand New Hampshire as San Francisco. As wrong as he is morally, he is equally as wrong politically. These scare tactics will not merely fair, but they will backfire. He is leading the party to permanent minority status. Republicans are losing the moral authority on spending and less government issues by insisting on staking out the immoral ground on social issues from marriage to — dare I say it — the humane issue of medical marijuana.”

“We must end all discrimination, and we must do it now. There’s never been a better time.”

In addition to the correct vote cast by Vaillancourt, RLC-endorsed State Rep. Calvin Pratt also was one of the thirteen courageous Republicans with a backbone.  RLC-endorsed Rep. Jenn Coffey was not able to vote on the measure because she was at work.  (New Hampshire does not have a full-time legislature.)

Even past RLC allies were wrong on this bill: for example, State Republican Party Chairman John H. Sununu criticized the House vote as an “attempt by the liberal Democrats in the Legislature to impose their San Francisco agenda on the state of New Hampshire.” Additionally, State Rep. Nancy Elliott of Merrimack said marriage was instituted by God and that “marriage between a man and a woman is perfect and holy.” Perhaps so, but the government has no reputation of sanctioning that which is holy or perfect, nor is that the role of government.

As controversial as this post may be, it is important that it be made. Please note that I am writing to express my own view on the issue of gay marriage (which is not necessarily representative of other opinions within the RLC).

Personally, I hope the bill passes the Senate and is signed by the Governor.  Thanks to Reps. Vaillancourt and Pratt for representing the correct libertarian perspective on the issue — EQUAL RIGHTS!

Lisa Bullion (above, right), who oversaw the Florida RLC’s growth and legislative successes since 2006, resigned as chair of the organization on March 6 for personal reasons. Ms. Bullion lead the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida through an astounding period of growth. RLC Treasurer Mark Cross stepped up to fill the position until new elections are held at the upcoming RLC convention this weekend in Jacksonville.

Bullion took the chair position after Alfonso Gutierrez stepped down as RLC Chair in December 2005. Bullion was known throughout the state for her efforts on behalf of individual liberty, including stints as a campaign manager in a State House race, a past Libertarian Party Chair, and an employee of Citizens for a Sound Economy (now FreedomWorks) as well as an elected public official. As with many RLC’ers, her partisan route was circuitous: she started out as an independent, later joined the Libertarian Party, and finally registered as a Republican.

“It has been a learning process. I made the switch because I realized after all these years that the best chance to elect libertarians into public office and to enact libertarian policy ideas into law is through the GOP,” Bullion said in 2006. Similar to other RLC members who were once members of the LP, Bullion said “my philosophy has not changed, only my strategy.”

Her first action as chair was to organize a RLC outreach effort at the Young Republicans quarterly convention in Orlando in January 2006. But Bullion’s most lasting achievements are likely to be the buildout of the RLC and the RLC’s legislative successes. After months of letter writing, public speaking, phone calls, visits to Tallahassee, media work, and intra-party intrigue, the RLC of Florida scored many legislative victories since Bullion assumed her position.

In 2006, the RLC of Florida chose two legislative priorities: advocating a state ban on government takings of private property for private redevelopment and defeating a legislative effort to extend Florida’s voter-approved term limits from eight to 12 years. Both were successful. (For details, click here and here.)

“Our experience during the 2006 session is evidence that the RLC’s principled and practical strategy is the right one to advance libertarian policy,” said Bullion. “The RLC took a lead role in two important issues of the day and our efforts were rewarded.”

Bullion also oversaw the first national RLC convention held in Florida the same year, which earned coverage in The Wall Street Journal and featured WSJ editorial writer Stephen Moore. Notable Florida politicians attended looking for support from RLC’ers, including RLC ally Sen. Mike Haridopolos and then-U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris. Elected RLC’ers attended from across the country, such as Dade County (Georgia) Commissioner Ben Brandon and then-State Representative Ken Lindell of Maine.

As part of the RLC Day at the capitol in 2007, Bullion launched the Florida RLC’s ongoing effort to enact a constitutional spending restraint — called Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) or Taxpayer Protection Amendment (now retitled ‘SmartCap’) for the state. The idea was floated by the James Madison Institute, but it was the RLC that became its primary grassroots advocate, pushing the idea in Tallahassee and across the state throughout 2008 and 2009.

In summer of 2007, Bullion helped organize the RLC’s outreach efforts at the Young Republicans National Convention held in Hollywood, Florida. The effort recruited new RLC members and greater awareness of the organization among young Republicans, who have always been the RLC’s best market for new members. RLC members also were a presence at the Republican Party of Florida’s Presidency IV Convention in Orlando, part of the process of nominating the 2008 presidential candidate. It was under Bullion that RLC speakers began bringing its message to GOP clubs throughout Florida.

Speaking of the primaries, under Bullion’s leadership, many RLC’ers active with the Ron Paul campaign recruited new members from the campaign ranks, bringing in a new breed of RLC’ers. New informal RLC Meetups sprung up across the state including in Tallahassee, Palm Beach, Miami, Lee County, Tampa Bay, and — most notably — Northeast Florida. All of these Meetup groups from the Ron Paul campaign were converted to functional RLC affiliates that are in the midst of growth.

In February 2008, many of the new crowd was invited to join the Florida RLC Board of Directors, broadening its scope in geography and passion. RLC activity continued non-stop throughout 2008, up to her departure, and will continue under the new RLC Chair to be elected this weekend in Jacksonville. Bullion will remain active in the RLC and will be attending the Convention in Jacksonville this weekend.

Jacksonville RLC volunteers stuffed bags for the Convention on Thursday night in anticipation of the RLC National Convention from March 27-29.

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As I reported earlier, Matt Collins, Vice-Chair of the newly chartered Republican Liberty Caucus of Tennessee, is in a run-off to be elected Davidson County Republican Chair in the Volunteer State. His opponent is an incumbent, establishment candidate, who he tied in a previous Convention. Yesterday, Collins was on the Mike Church Show promoting his candidacy, the Republican Liberty Caucus, and a return to basics for Republicans. You can listen to Mr. Collins via mp3 by clicking here.

On the radio, Collins advocated more individuals becoming involved in their local Republican parties to take back the party from those who believe in establishment big government policies. The RLC wishes Matt the best of luck in his April 4 run-off election.

Additionally, Will Pitts of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida, was on the Mike Church show yesterday.  Mr. Pitts is running to become Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.  He promoted the National Convention and the Republican Liberty Caucus on the radio program.  You can listen here.

Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA) recently wrote one of his constituents a response letter that included the names of 17 courageous members of Congress who voted against all of the bailout proposals in 2008 and 2009.

According to Forbes, “I will continue to urge my colleagues to stop the practice of quickly passing bailout bills and instead embark on a serious and earnest debate on how we can best address the economic challenges facing our country. As a conservative member of Congress, my goal is always to ensure the taxpayer gets the absolute most for each tax dollar, and I will continue to do everything I can to eliminate wasteful spending.”

The following a list of members that have continued to oppose the bailouts and a list of final votes that have been taken on bailouts:

Rep. Paul Broun* (R-GA)
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA)
Rep. John Linder** (R-GA)
Rep. Ed Royce** (R-CA)
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX)
Rep. Scott Garrett* (R-NJ)
Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)
Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA)
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
Rep. Ron Paul* (R-TX)
Rep. John Duncan Jr.* (R-TN)
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX)
Rep. Jeff Flake* (R-AZ)
Rep. Jack Kingston** (R-GA)
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)
[Note: The Congressman mistakenly listed David Price of
North Carolina instead of Tom Price of Georgia.]

______________________________________________________________________________________

The bills with links to complete votes:

- Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008, H.R. 5140, Vote Results

- Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, H.R. 3221, Vote Results

- Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, H.R. 1424, Vote Results

- Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act, H.R. 7321, Vote Results

- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, H.R. 1, Vote Results

______________________________________________________________________________________

*RLC-endorsed in 2008
**RLC-endorsed in previous year, but not in 2008

A brouhaha has been bubbling in Missouri over the last month, with a lot of anger and confusion over a report released by the the Missouri Information Analysis Center. MIAC is a so-called “fusion center” for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to collaborate on domestic security issues. In the report, it was noted that “it is not uncommon” for supporters of Bob Barr, Ron Paul, and Chuck Baldwin (i.e., supporters of constitutionally limited government) to join violent anti-government militias. The report also suggests that domestic militias often subscribe to radical ideologies rooted in Christian views and opposition to immigration, abortion, or federal taxes.

The controversy has been aired on blogs, cable news programs and conservative radio, however much of what was written was hearsay or conspiracy theory. Finally there is something substantive to report: according to the Springfield News-Leader, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R) has called on Gov. Jay Nixon (D) to place Department of Public Safety Director John Britt on administrative leave pending an investigation of a controversial report profiling members of militias issued by Britt’s department.

According to Kinder, “the report unfairly maligns Christians, anti-abortionists and advocates for protecting our borders and supporters of certain political candidates as potential threats to the public safety.” He noted the report makes no mention of environmental terrorism or Islamic terrorism. The News-Leader also said that Britt has issued an apology letter to 2008 presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr.

RLC-endorsed State Representative Jim Guest said he will introduce an amendment to the Department of Public Safety’s budget barring the agency from using “state or federal funds for political profiling.” Guest said he doesn’t consider Britt’s letter to Barr, Baldwin and Paul a true apology. “This really was not a letter of apology … [i]t was a letter of regret that they had included these words in there.” Guest and a half dozen House Republicans attended Kinder’s press conference. Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat elected last year, has publicly defended the MIAC report.

According to the Kansas City Star, “Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. James F. Keathley released a memo saying the report did not meet the patrol’s standard for quality and would not have been released if it had been seen by top officials. Said Keathly, ‘I have ordered the MIAC to permanently cease distribution of the militia report’. In the future, Keathley wrote, reports from the center will be reviewed by leaders of the Highway Patrol and the Department of Public Safety. The patrol will also open an investigation into the origin of the militia report.”

These days, when you thinks of a militia, the Michigan militia that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols associated with in the mid-1990s comes to mind immediately. Of course, McVeigh went on to bomb the Murrow Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1996 — a violently anti-libertarian act. However, the Michigan Militia was formed as a result of two other events that disturbed constitutionalists and libertarians (including Barr, Baldwin, and Paul supporters) — the government’s actions at Waco and Ruby Ridge.

According to Justice Antonin Scalia, in his opinion written in the Supreme Court case won by RLC member-plaintiff Dick Heller (see: Heller v. DC, 2008), “[a] militia in colonial America consisted of a subset of ‘the people’ — those who were male, able-bodied, and within a certain age range.”

Regardless of what one thinks of either definition of a militia, the MIAC report highlights a growing and oft-overlooked phenomenon: government tracking and profiling of non-violent American citizens.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Thanks to Lt. Governor Kinder, Rep. Jim Guest, and thousands of Missouri citizens who wrote to their legislators, action will be taken against those in charge of profiling innocent Missouri citizens.

This morning I received an e-mail from Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), a group that I have been supportive of since my college days. SSDP writes:

“Earlier this month, Derek Copp, a Michigan college student, heard a noise at the back door of his apartment. As he went to investigate, his eyes were blinded by a flashlight and a gunshot rang out. The next think he knew, he was in a hospital fighting for his life.

“The intruders were police. They had a warrant for drugs, but all they found was “a few tablespoons” of marijuana. Derek had no weapons.”

“Thankfully, the bullet that tore through Derek’s lungs and liver didn’t take his life. And every day since that incident, local Students for Sensible Drug Policy members have been standing up for Derek and opposing the polices that made this shooting possible.”

This story is no surprise to those of us who have been following the consequences of the failed War on Drugs.  You’ll recall the most shocking story in recent drug war memory — that of Kathryn Johnston, a 92-year-old grandmother whose home was entered by Atlanta police officers in 2006.

According to Reason contributor Radley Balko:

“They had earlier arrested a man with a long rap sheet on drug charges. That man told the police officers that they’d find a large stash of cocaine in Johnston’s home. When police forced their way into Johnston’s home, she met them holding a rusty old revolver, fearing she was about to be robbed. The police opened fire, and killed her.”

After the officers shot Johnston, they left her handcuffed on the floor while she bled to death and then planted marijuana from their patrol car in her basement to try to help justify the shooting.

Mr. Copp is lucky to have his life, but when will this insanity end?

According to a new report from the Pew Center, a record 7.3 million people — or one in every 31 American adults — were behind bars, on probation, or on parole at the beginning of 2008.  Of these 7.3 million people, an astounding 2.3 million are actually in prison or jail.  That’s 1 in every 99 adults.

According to the report, black adults are four times as likely as whites and nearly 2.5 times as likely as Hispanics to be under correctional control. Ending the drug war in entirety would solve these problems and redirect our country’s limited resources toward more productive measures like — shock! — paying off the national debt.

The Executive Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia has endorsed the following measures currently under consideration in the Georgia General Assembly.

•We OPPOSE HB277, SB39, and SR44 – These measures will levy a 1 percent sales tax, statewide or regionally, for specified transportation projects. The Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia stands with Governor Perdue (not often we’ve said that) in unequivocally opposing any increases in transportation taxes until the DOT is reformed so that the money is not wasted;

•We OPPOSE HB 160 – Governor Perdue’s “super speeder” bill to boost fines $200 for drivers exceeding 85 mph on Interstate highways and 75 on other roads. This measure is meant to fund “Trauma Care”. While arguable a worthy effort, the RLC-GA opposes the direct funding of any government services through fines or “sin taxes”.

•We SUPPORT HB480 and 481 – JOBS Act to cut taxes on businesses looking to hire workers and relocate to Georgia.

•We Support Senate Bill 1 - Zero-based Budgeting which will require the General Assembly to review all spending every four years.

Senate Bill 1 is sponsored by Georgia RLC Adviser Senator David Shafer of Gwinnett County.  Sen. Shafer has been allied with the RLC since he was first elected in 2002.  Next year he intends to run for Lt. Governor.

We all remember the scene in the movie version of Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls the curtain aside and the Wizard turns out to be none other than the snake oil salesman from Kansas.  In William Leach’s wonderful history of consumerism, Land of Desire*, Leach points out that Baum was one of the earliest store window designers for Wannamaker’s Department Store in Philadelphia and that Baum’s American fairy tale was an allegory for the concept of consumerism.  The snake oil salesman was the Wizard of consumerism who could grant everyone their dreams.

Within a few decades of Baum’s publication of Wonderful Wizard of Oz American politics took a particular turn.  A snake oil of illusory democracy and equality were sold to the American public by a series of Wizards who managed to transfer increasing quantities of wealth to Wall Street and the banking industry while, at the same time, convincing Americans that they were doing so in the interest of the poor and middle class.

Americans have traveled the Yellow Brick Road for more than seventy years while the snake oil has done its work.  During that time, both conservatives and “liberals” have played their part.  The conservatives, keying off the social Darwinism of the late 19th century, have claimed that “liberals” are soft on the poor and do not recognize the importance of incentives. They pretend to libertarian views on government, but when push comes to shove conservatives advocate a key role for big government in the form of Soviet-style central planning by the barbaric relic known as the Federal Reserve Bank.  The “liberals” say that the conservatives are greedy and indifferent to income inequality.  Both sides agree that big government is needed and neither questions the Federal Reserve Bank’s existence.

The faux debate has left open an opportunity for the RLC: a benign libertarianism where freedom works in favor of the poor; government serves to oppress them; and freedom (as opposed to border fences or wealth transfers) provides the opportunity for achievement.  This is the authentic American dream that both conservatives like Sean Hannity and “liberals” like Paul Krugman have deserted.

The use of illusion is fundamental to Keynesian economics and its argument for Soviet-style planning by Fed economists.  On page 8 of his General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money Keynes writes:

“Although a reduction in the existing money-wage would lead to a withdrawal of labour, it does not follow that a fall in the value of the existing money-wage in terms of wage-goods would do so, if it were due to a rise in the price of the latter. In other words, it may be the case that within a certain range the demand for labour is for a minimum money-wage and not for a minimum real wage.”

In other words, policy makers can trick workers into working for lower wages through inflation. Keynesian macro-economics is rooted in the use of deception: tricking workers into working for lower wages by increasing both prices and wages.  And who is in charge of increasing prices and wages?  Commercial banks and their Wall Street colleagues who are, of course, dependent on the Federal Reserve Bank for the Wicked Witch’s broomstick of an ever-expanding monetary base.

For seven decades the faux debate between conservatives and “liberals” has proceeded apace. The conservatives say that property is important but we need a central bank to stimulate the economy–ignoring that inflation is the surest way to transfer property from the general public to those receiving fresh reserves.  The liberals say that income equality is important and as a result need a central bank to stimulate the economy–ignoring that inflation is the surest way to transfer wealth from poor to rich.  Both sides claim faux expertise–junk economics, quack sociology and crackpot psychology, to bamboozle the public.

But this year something odd happened. The Wizard became over-confident. Paulson, Geithner, Bush and Obama left the curtain open. They stopped claiming that they are transferring from rich to poor. Instead, they claimed that they are transferring from the public to the rich.

The Republican Liberty Caucus now has a golden opportunity to undo the harm that more than seven decades of snake oil has done to American political debate.

*William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power and the Rise of a New American Culture. New York: Vintage Books, 1993.

Mitchell Langbert is associate professor at Brooklyn College. He can be visited at http://www.mitchell-langbert.blogspot.com.