Republican Liberty Caucus

Paul Jacob, a close friend of the Republican Liberty Caucus who spoke at our 2006 national convention in Orlando, was indicted last Oct. 2 on felony charges of violating Oklahoma’s statute requiring petition circulators to be residents of the state. Today he is attending his preliminary hearing in Oklahoma City.

Jacob and his co-defendants — Susan Johnson, president of the petition management firm National Voter Outreach and Rick Carpenter, the proponent of the controversial 2006 initiative that would have set a cap on state government spending that could only be lifted by a vote of the people — pled not guilty.

He released a statement this morning on the case:

“Today, Attorney General Drew Edmondson continues his attack on the right to petition one’s government. We are innocent. We sought to understand and to fully comply with the letter of the law. Indeed, those running the petition drive were advised by state officials and followed that advice.

“Furthermore, the very statute being used to prosecute us is being challenged as unconstitutional. In recent months, statutes similar to Oklahoma’s have been struck down as unconstitutional by two federal circuit courts—the Sixth and Ninth Circuits—in unanimous decisions.”

“Make no mistake: We are here today facing 10 years in prison because we worked for an issue adamantly opposed by the rich and powerful in Oklahoma. The goal of this prosecution is to threaten us and scare Oklahomans away from the initiative process, which gives citizens their best opportunity for real reform.

“But we will not be bullied out of our rights as Americans. We will fight this vicious, politically-motivated assault, and we will prevail.”

Jacob is the former executive director of U.S. Term Limits and current president of the pro-initiative group Citizens in Charge.

Oklahoma’s attack on him is testament to his effectiveness as an activist and should send a chill down the spines of libertarian activists everywhere. For updates on the case, see www.freepauljacob.com.

Adina Cappell, RLC California Chair, urges support of
California Propositions 5 and 11.

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On November 4, as we cast our ballots for the next U.S. President, Californians will also decide on twelve state-wide propositions. In a time of unprecedented fiscal crisis, the RLC believes that government need to reign in on spending rather than ratify new expenditures. For this reason the RLC California Board of Directors opposes Propositions 1, 3, 10, and 12, each a new bond measure that will increase government funding for high-speed trains, health care, vehicles, and housing loans. According to the RLC California Board, “While some of these proposals are well-intentioned, in the long run they will diminish the quality of life for most Californians, by dramatically increasing our state’s debt obligations.” The RLC California Board also opposes Proposition 6, a proposal that increases penalties for drug use, and Proposition 7, which mandates that companies generate 20% of their power by “renewable energy,” a measure the Board believes will harm California’s already gloomy economic prospects.

The RLC California Board members endorse Propositions 5 and 11. Proposition 5 would decrease criminalization of non-violent, drug users. The measure would diminish punitive and costly incarceration, while allowing a comparatively small amount of funding for drug treatment and rehabilitation. While Proposition 11 is not an “ideal” redistricting plan, it goes a very long way toward preventing incumbents from carving out preferred district boundaries to ensure their own re-elections.

Non-violent drug offenders like Debi Campbell are serving time
in California prisons. Debi is currently in her 12th year of a 20 year
sentence. Is 20 years a just sentence?

The Board was divided about the controversial Proposition 8. While no Board member favored endorsing the measure, some members of the Board prefer remaining neutral on the matter, while others emphatically believe that we should officially oppose it. The RLC blog has previously posted about RLC members working to oppose Proposition 8.

So what will Proposition 8 do, exactly? For the first time, it will create a provision in the California state constitution that mentions and defines marriage. According to Adina Cappell, RLC California Chair, “RLC’ers believe that marriage is a deeply sacred institution, which ought to be considered private and contractual rather than a government-regulated affair.” The RLC California Board contends that, “So long as the government allows financial benefits for marriage, we believe that all individuals should be equally eligible, under the law, to receive such benefits. For these reasons, Proposition 8 concerns most of us.” That said, some RLC Board members are concerned that government recognition of gay marriage might allow individuals to file lawsuits against private organizations and businesses that choose to establish their own policies regarding membership, benefits, and services. In a related example, the California Supreme Court recently upheld a ruling in Benitez vs. North Coast Women’s Care Medical Group, in which a clinic was found guilty of unlawful discrimination, after refusing to provide fertility treatments for a couple. According to the RLC California Board, “We believe, in the spirit of free enterprise and freedom of religion, that private institutions have the right to maintain policies with which some of us might disagree and find discriminatory, while in the spirit of equal treatment under the law, public institutions should never be allowed to discriminate against any members of society.” The RLC California Board therefore leaves it to its members to read carefully through the measure and to decide for themselves whether Proposition 8 is a violation of equal protection or a proper defense of private property rights.

The RLC California Board chose not to take any official positions regarding Propositions 2, 4, and 9.

Concludes Cappell, “We encourage our members to become involved in supporting pro-liberty candidates and propositions while fighting anti-liberty propositions.” Read the full-text of the ballot measures at
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_j.htm.

New California candidate endorsements have been posted at 2008 Endorsed Candidates.

Amendment 2 will be on the ballot in Florida this November. In California, Amendment 8 will be on the ballot. Both of these initiatives will be a setback for equal rights. The Florida initiative would ban marriage for gay and lesbian couples, as well as all civil unions and state-recognized domestic partnerships. In California, Amendment 8 would eliminate same-sex marriages, which have been legal since June.

RLC member Terry Hamilton, president of the California Log Cabin Republicans, is working with a newly formed group called Republicans Against 8 to fight Amendment 8. In 1978, Governor Ronald Reagan opposed Proposition 6, the Briggs Initiative, which would have banned gay and lesbians from teaching in public schools. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is standing with Republicans Against 8.

In Florida, RLC-endorsed candidate for State Senate, Dean Santoro, joined the Miami Log Cabin Republican group at an anti-Amendment 2 event recently held. “Amendment 2 is a drastic and un-American measure aimed at dividing Americans and taking away basic fundamental rights,” according to Log Cabin-Miami President Robert Watson. “Good Republicans … understand there is nothing conservative about amending the state constitution to prevent loving, committed partners from caring for one another.”

Dean Santoro, right, Republican for State Senate, with two other event goers.