If every state Republican Party followed the lead of the Equality State Republicans, our nation would not be in such a time of crisis.

Earlier this week, legislation banning recognition of out-of-state gay marriages was narrowly voted down in Wyoming. Out of 30 legislators in the Senate, only four are Democrats.

The bill failed 14-16. Twelve courageous Republicans voted to keep The Equality State equal.

These Wyoming Senate Republicans rejected a discrimination measure against gays. RLC-endorsed State Senator Cale Case, Ph.D. (2nd photo from the left, above) made economic and personal liberty arguments in opposition to the bill.  In the State House, RLC-endorsed member Sue Wallis made similar arguments. The RLC hopes that these pro-liberty, fair-minded legislators can help the Republican Party change its course nationally.

Supporters of the legislation said it was needed to resolve a conflict in Wyoming law, which defines marriage as a contract “between a male and a female person” but also recognizes any valid marriage performed outside the state. Earlier in the day, the bill barely passed the Wyoming House 31-28.

Wednesday’s vote on HB74 marked the latest in series of late-session defeats for social conservatives in Wyoming, who had been heartened by last year’s election results. Wyoming Republicans enjoyed their largest legislative majorities in 90 years and swung the Legislature noticeably to Republicans.

Last week, lawmakers killed a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage as well as legislation requiring abortion doctors to offer an ultrasound to their patients.

Maybe the social conservatives didn’t count on the fact that many of the Republican State Senators — shown above — have strong libertarian leanings.

Wyoming’s Ron Paul — State Senator Cale Case — was recently interviewed by Michael W. Dean, Wyoming RLC Coordinator.

“I think rights belong to everybody. I don’t necessary have to exercise my rights, like on guns; however I know that I can. But it’s important that everyone be able to exercise their rights,” according to Senator Case. He also talks about Wyoming, gun rights, the economy, homeschooling, the wind tax, marijuana, and the role of government.

Click here to listen to the interview.

The RLC helps promote libertarian goals within the Republican Party: limited government, fiscal conservatism, personal liberty. The Wyoming chapter, under the leadership of Michael W. Dean, is working to re-charter its affiliate. (The original Wyoming chapter was chartered in 2007 and was active for about a year.)

Please join interested parties on Monday, April 19 from 7-9 pm at the Natrona County Public Library, in the Crawford Room (307 E. Second Street Casper, WY). Milk and cookies will be served!

Learn more about the Wyoming RLC at http://www.RLCWY.org.

MAINE

Republican Liberty Caucus, Maine chapter, will hold a free public information meeting Saturday, April 10, at noon at Portland Airport Hilton Garden Inn, 145 Jetport Access Road off I-95 (Exit 46). The meeting will introduce the national volunteer grassroots movement of libertarian-oriented Republicans and its goals.

The meeting is free. Lunch is optional from the hotel menu. Membership applications will be accepted at the meeting.

Dues-paid members will be eligible to participate in the RLC-ME State Convention on May 7, which will be held in Portland concurrent with the Maine State Republican Committee Convention. Dues-paid members can vote endorsement of a gubernatorial candidate before the primary and for RLC Maine Chapter officers. Dues-paid members are also eligible to attend regional and national RLC conventions.

Local chapters can be formed with a minimum of five dues-paid members who apply to the state executive board. Please attend and learn about this grassroots movement which is independent of any official party committee and committed to individual liberty.

Hilton Garden Inn by the Portland Jet Port
Saturday April 10th 2010
12noon to 2:30 PM
145 Jetport Boulevard, Portland, Maine, USA 04102
RSVP on Facebook

TENNESSEE

It is time for Tennesseans to have our biennial convention to elect officers for 2010. In order for the our group to grow and be effective, we need people willing to commit to the time and energy required to make an impact.

Please mark your calendar for April 24 at Doughhead Pizza (124 Harrison Ln.) in Soddy Daisy. The event will occur from 11am to 1pm.

If you are interested in running for a position, please contact Gregg. The future of the RLCTN depends upon you! You can RSVP to the event on Facebook.

VIRGINIA

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia is hosting former New Mexico Governor Gary E. Johnson on Saturday, May 1 at 4:30pm at Ireland’s Four Courts, which is located less than a block away from the Courthouse Metro Station (Orange Line) in Arlington, VA. Parking in the area is somewhat limited, so please arrive a bit early to allow time to find parking. Ireland’s Four Courts is allowing us to have a private back room for free, so please be prepared to buy some drinks or appetizers (or dinner) to help us support their business.

To help propel our small organization forward, we are requesting a small $10 donation from attendees who are not members of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Those who are members (including out-of-state members) can enter free of charge. RLC dues payment is available at http://www.RLC.org/, or dues can be paid in person on May 1.

We look forward to seeing you there. You can also RSVP to the event on Facebook.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
From: Michael W. Dean
Wyoming contact, Republican Liberty Caucus

[Disclaimer: This letter is from Mr. Dean himself, not the Republican Liberty Caucus.]

Dear Republican Party,

In the next presidential election, and in all state and local elections, you need to support candidates who are true Republicans and genuine lovers of liberty. The party will not succeed if it does not run candidates who truly understand and respect the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

America was once a constitutionally limited republic, and it needs to be returned to that. In the past 100 years, and especially in the past 20 years, America has been reduced to a so-called “democracy”, where 51% of the people can rob and over-regulate 49% of the people.

A true constitutional republic could last in perpetuity; whereas democracies historically survive for 200 to 300 years. After that, they devolve into socialism or oligarchies, as the people who do not want to work vote into office people who will let them not work, and can pay them to do so by stealing from those who do work.

We are at a tipping point. America is in her 235th year. The next presidential election can determine if we regain our constitutional republic, or slide into a permanent “progressive” majority helmed by a deluded far-left who do not listen to the people, and are chomping at the bit to bankrupt us into a socialist oligarchy. Those folks see Republicans not as a force to work with in a bipartisan capacity, but as an impediment to robbing from the productive so they can “give” to those who have no desire or ability to produce.

If Washington followed the Constitution, it would barely matter who was president. The checks and balances would work. But ours has been co-opted into a popularity contest wherein people vote for the candidate with the slickest tongue and the shortest slogan….especially slogans like “HOPE” and “CHANGE.” As we’ve seen, these basically mean “Get me in, and you’ll find out my actual core beliefs later, when it’s too late.”

If the President and Congress followed the Constitution, DC would not be permitted to arbitrarily dictate most of what a citizen does in a given state. We need candidates who stand up for the Constitution, including the true meaning the Interstate Commerce Clause, and the original intent of all parts of the Bill of Rights, especially the First, Second and Tenth Amendments.

If the Republican Party establishment supports a spend-o-crat RINO (Republican in Name Only) in the next presidential election, you will guarantee a victory for the Democratic Party.

The Democrat Party used to have some principles, but has lately been taken over by a few dozen extreme leftist “progressives” with radical ideas and ties. They think they know what’s best for everyone, consider the Constitution a detriment, and consider Republicans a speed bump to be routed around behind closed doors.

America has woken up to the waste, “legal” stealing and “legal” bribes that can only lead to the destruction of America. The Democrats are largely responsible, but some Republicans have helped along the way. If you run a RINO for president, you will guarantee AINO (America in Name Only) in the near future, and forever.

The American people have finally woken up. Americans who have never been active in politics have taken to the streets by the millions. This is just the beginning.

The Democrats have been exposed for their gross spending of other people’s money at all levels, but in doing so have also shown that the Democrats aren’t the only ones. Some Republicans have contributed to this as well.

If you run a constitutional candidate like Gary Johnson, Tom Coburn, Jim DeMint, or Paul (Ron or Rand, take your pick) in the next presidential election, you’ll have a chance. I’ll vote Republican, and help out. So will millions of libertarians, tea partiers, swing voters, independents and even some of the smarter disgruntled Democrats. All combined, this will be enough to make the difference in the outcome of that election.

But 2012 is likely the very last year where even this will be possible. The leftists are working 24/7 to stack the deck against the possibility of retaining any America in America.

The Republican Party needs to run constitutional candidates, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it will keep the party from being perceived as “irrelevant naysayers” without any of their own ideas on how to make the country better. Running constitutional candidates will keep you from becoming a footnote in history. And even that footnote will likely be erased with time when a permanent socialist majority takes control of all media and education.

This road to serfdom can possibly be avoided, but it’s up to the Republican Party. You must run Barry Goldwater candidates, not George W. Bush, John McCain, or Rudy Giuliani candidates. Otherwise you’re going to end up with an America you don’t recognize, while you cling to your “Don’t blame me, I voted Republican” buttons.

Politics has become far too complicated. Lawmakers don’t think they’re doing their jobs if they don’t enact dozens of new laws and endless pork-barrel projects to “bring home the bacon” every day. This leads to honest folks becoming criminals, and the federal government having a stranglehold over every single aspect of our lives. We need candidates who will simplify, not complicate. We need candidates who will leash the beast, not feed the beast.

The Republican Party must run candidates who follow the Constitution and understand natural law… people who believe in their heart of hearts that government does not grant rights, does not restrict rights, but has only one legitimate role: protecting rights.

Our Founders are likely rolling in their graves at what the Democrats are doing now. But the Founders surely wouldn’t be pleased with what some in the Republican Party have done, either.

Why make us pick from the lesser of two evils? Here’s a novel idea: how about running someone who’s NOT evil!

Try it, you’ll like it. And America will be better for it.

–Michael W. Dean
http://www.libertarianpunk.com

Arizona, the District of Columbia, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Utah hosted their first RLC meetings in the month of June. Meanwhile, Florida continued its great effort as the model RLC chapter.

In addition, California, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming have recently updated or added content to their web sites. In July, the Texas RLC elected a new Board of Directors and will be revamping their outdated web site shortly. The Minnesota RLC hosted a meeting to endorse candidates and selected a new state Board of Directors.

RLC activists in Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin have expressed interest in organizing state chapters and holding RLC organizing meetings. I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of other state affiliates.

Below is a list of some RLC events that you can attend in the month of August. If there are no events in your area, please volunteer to host an RLC meeting in your area.

Please spread the word about the below events.

California:

San Fernando Valley Republican Liberty Caucus Meetup
August 5 at 7:00pm at Galpin Ford in North Hills, California (15555 Roscoe Blvd., just east of the 405) in the 2nd Floor Meeting Room. For for information, join the meetup group at http://rlc.meetup.com/41/.

Silicon Valley Republican Liberty Caucus Meetup
August 11 at Round Table Pizza in San Jose (4400 Stevens Creek Blvd.). For for information, join the meetup group at http://rlc.meetup.com/109/.

Sacramento Republican Liberty Caucus Meetup
August 27 at 7:30pm. For more information, join the meetup group at http://rlc.meetup.com/6/.

Sonoma County Republican Liberty Caucus Meetup
August 25 at 7pm at Redwood Cafe Coffee House and Grill (8240 Old Redwood Highway) in Cotati. For more information, join the meetup group at http://rlc.meetup.com/115/.

Delaware:

Delaware RLC Meeting
August 23 at 1:00pm at Crossroads Restaurant (4579 Kirkwood Highway/intersection of Rt. 2 and Rt. 7) in Wimington, Delaware. This meeting is in conjunction with the Libertarian Party of Delaware’s annual Convention. RLC’ers are gathering to gauge interest in chapter formation in The First State.

Indiana:

Indiana RLC Re-Chartering Meeting
August 17 at 2:00 pm in Crown Point, Indiana. Contact Kevin for details.

Michigan:

RLC Meeting at State GOP Convention
August 23 in the afternoon. Contact Dan for details.

RLC National Convention
September 12-14 at the Crowne Plaza in Romulus (Detroit), Michigan.

Texas:

Austin RLC Meeting
August 8 at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room at Garlo-Ward (505 E. Huntland Dr.), floor 3. The speaker will be RLC Texas Chair, Judge Melissa Goodwin.

Bexar County RLC Meeting
August 30 at 10:00am the Tobin Library at Oakwell (4134 Harry Wurzbach, San Antonio 78209), the Bexar County RLC affiliate will meet. The featured speaker will be Terri Hall, founder of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom. Don Zimmerman, RLC Executive Director and candidate for Tax Assessor Collector in Travis County, will also be addressing the audience.

Utah:

Utah RLC Convention
September 27 at 10:00 am at Location TBD. Contact Lowell for details.

Wyoming:

Wyoming RLC Convention
August 23 at time at the Best Western Inn (260 Grand View Drive) in Lander. Contact Don for details.

The Republican Liberty Caucus is taking off in state affiliates across the country. For example:

In Arizona, organizer Ken Rineer is hosting an RLC organizing meeting in Pima County, Arizona on July 29. Joe Higgins, Republican candidate for the Pima County Board of Supervisors, District 1, will be the guest speaker. Mr. Rineer and company will also discuss the following items: Organization, officers, future meetings, the Candidate Pledge and setting up a separate web site. The event will occur at Cody’s Beef and Beans in Tucson at 6:00pm.

In Minnesota, the RLC will meet on July 23 at 6:30pm at the Devanni’s Restaurant in Golden Valley. Candidate endorsements will be considered.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wyoming will hold its first annual summer convention on Saturday August 23 at the Best Western Inn in Lander. They plan a full day of events, including speakers on a variety of topics, as well as panel discussions. Organizer Don Wills says, “You shouldn’t miss this gathering if you are interested in liberty in the Equality State!”

In addition to these meetings, the RLC affiliates in the District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Texas have recently hosted member meetings.

There’s a lot going on in RLC-land. Some updates from the states:

Arizona: Roy Miller of Phoenix has replaced Bennett Kopp as the new Arizona RLC State Chair. Roy can be reached via e-mail.

Arkansas: Jim Martin of Eureka Springs is the new RLC State Contact. Jim can be reached via e-mail.

Illinois: The state RLC has established a new website at http://www.rlcil.org. The new state Co-Contacts are W. Guy Finley in Round Lake and Robert M.W. Stanford in Normal. Guy and Robert can be reached via e-mail.

Iowa: Roger Barr of Boone has been appointed the new RLC State Contact. Roger can be reached via e-mail.

Louisiana: Aaron Andrus was appointed the RLC state contact in March. Aaron and his wife Jill have four children, ages 8 years to 4 months old, and reside in Lake Charles. Aaron graduated with a BS in Finance from McNeese State University and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans (2006). He is the Assistant Operations Manager for Seabulk Towing Services, Inc and has been a registered Republican since 1996. We are excited to have Aaron on board. He can be reached via e-mail.

Nevada: RLC National Board member Daniel Rego has moved to Las Vegas and is the new RLC State Co-Contact in the state. Dan can be reached via e-mail.

North Carolina: RLC National Treasurer Jeff Palmer reports: “Spearheaded by the Triangle-Area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) RLC Meetup group, which held its largest organizational meeting to date on March 20, the North Carolina RLC approved bylaws, elected an interim Board, heard from our local congressional candidate (who’s now a Board member), and increased its paid membership by more than 50%. A RLCNC rechartering application will be submitted to national shortly. New members came all the way from Wilmington where the Cape Fear Republican Liberty Caucus was founded and promises to absorb the 150+ member Wilmington-Area Ron Paul Meetup group. Seeds have also been planted for local RLC groups in Charlotte, Asheville, and the Triad (Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point). Interestingly, three of our new members — including one of our most promising — were libertarian Republicans who just happened to being playing pool in the room where we were about to have our meeting. When it rains, it pours! North Carolina has a delegate selection process separate from and parallel to our upcoming presidential primary and, as the state’s Ron Paul movement has switched gears to the GOP ‘inside-baseball’ that the delegate selection process entails, the RLC here has enhanced its reputation as the putative expert on the process and on working within the GOP.”

Pennsylvania: Shawn McArdle of Erie has been appointed the new RLC State Contact. Shawn can be reached via e-mail.

Tennessee: The state RLC has a new contact, Dr. Joe Dumas of Signal Mountain in Hamilton County. Dr. Dumas is a Professor of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is a volunteer for Bachman Community Center and Mountain Arts Community Center. He is a rated chess player and is the Senior Tournament Director of the U.S. Chess Federation. The RLC is thankful to have Joe as our state contact. He can be reached via e-mail.

Dr. Joe Dumas

Virginia: A statewide Republican Liberty Caucus chapter meeting is taking place at 3:30 pm on Saturday, March 22 at the Snow Memorial Library in Spotsylvania (north of Richmond and south of Fredericksburg). The featured speaker with be State Senator Ken Cuccinelli, one of the few libertarian-leaning Republicans in the state legislature.

Utah: A statewide Republican Liberty Caucus chapter meeting is taking place at 2:30 pm on Saturday, March 22 at the Sandy Library in Sandy. This is the first official organizing meeting for the RLC in Utah. The state RLC contact is Lowell Nelson, who can be reached via e-mail.

Wisconsin: The state RLC has a new contact, David Baumgardner of La Farge in Vernon County. David is an Eagle Scout who is currently completing his goal of obtaining a Law Degree. He is involved with Boy Scouts of America, the Vernon County Republican Party, GOPAC, the NRA, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, and the Federalist Society. We welcome David’s enthusiasm to the RLC and look forward to a Wisconsin chapter. David can be reached via e-mail.

David P. Baumgardner

Wyoming: The state RLC has established a new website at http://www.wyrlc.org.