[Update on the notes: The resolution adoption was postponed to January so Angela can present them to teh Trump administration.]
Meeting called to order. Agenda read. [Edit: I am advised that the departure of the Vice Chair was mentioned. I must have missed the very start of the meeting, or the sound dropped out at the key moment.]
Yeniscavitch moves to appoint Malagon as Secretary pro tem. Haman seconds.
Redpath moves to end the suspension of Harlos. Discussion of parliamentary procedure. He speaks inaudibly for his motion.
Roll call Motion fails 3-8-1.
Appoint Malagon as Secretary pro tem. No Hirsch, McGee, Redpath Vote 10-3-0-1 Chair votes to ensure it is a 2/3 majority, which may not be needed.
Malagon moves to move reports to the one note from the regular minutes. Thompson: concern with electronic stability in ten years. Debate on alternatives. Pass without objections.
Malagon moves to reporting of conflicts of interest from minutes to electronic file in a new one-note. Passes without objection.
Malagon moves to eliminate numbering of LNC motions and placing of motions in a separate log. Acoustics are still poor. Motion is adopted without objections.
Motion to approve minutes from the two recent meetings, as amended by the above changes. minutes dropped from 300+ pages to 19 pages. No objection. Minutes are adopted.
Motion to approve minutes of October 6 and November 3. No objection. Passes.
Chair’s report. She reads a list of Libertarians who were elected.
Treasurer: Unrestricted cash $137,000 – 39,000 undeposited, and various other items. We are at $115,000 or perhaps somewhat more. Credit card balance is $95,000. We are paying 14%. Current liabilities are $127,000. November revenue was 78,000. Expenses were over $90,000.
Redpath is not projecting his voice. He is often impossible to understand. Malagon complained and I agree. They are discussing a bank loan of some sort. The Michigan litigation was settled, releasing some money.
Ford asks about the line of credit approved during last term. There is an inaudible discussion of the Kennedy Victory Fund money that is recorded someplace in quickbooks.
Malagon moves to accept the latest set of ExComm minutes. Passed without objection.
Hannah Kennedy reports: Membership and something report. We obtained the (Aristotle, I think) data on all members. The data base in question is huge. They are trying a program in which people sponsor membership renewals for other people, with their agreement. Progress is being made in improving membership records.
Noted we do not have a fundraising director. We are trying to raise money. We are supporting and paying people who try to raise money for us. Various projects are discussed. Efforts are made to cut expenses.
They are in recess for ten minutes.
The legal report was received without questions.
We went through Region reports. Ford compliments Massachusetts for activity. LPMAssachusetts Treasurer spoke, but alas was completely inaudible.
The resignation of the National Vice Chair has not been mentioned.
Ballot Access Committee reported. We had the President on the Ballot in 47 states plus DC. The count of Libertarian lower-level candidates is way down. Malagon speaks in opposition to candidates running in non-winnable candidates. Redpath says most potential candidates know what they want to run for and are very hard to persuade to run for something else. Discussion of ‘paper’ candidates. Redpath: Minimum: If a reporter calls, call back. If you are invited to a forum, go…
There is an open discussion as to what the LNC should be doing. It is inaudible. National Chair asks which states depend on the Presidential race of ballot access. No discussion of what ‘ballot access’ is meant. Malagon: What are we trying to to do? President on the ballot in more state? Get more votes? Rally the faithful?
Q: What did we spend on ballot access? Ford explains that we encumbered funds that are not there. We spent well into six figures. Complaint that LNC spent much resources on New Mexico ballot but had no local support. Chair seems to say we spent $200,000 on ballot access this year. Question if we can run someone for ballot access with lower signature count required. I am losing most of the conversation, because it is inaudible. Malagon notes that he and Redpath went to remote places to collect signatures because locals were not available.
Q Ford: How much did we spend for the current cycle on ballot access. $115K this year. Treasurer thinks it was several hundred thousand, but does not have a number. If in fact that we have to urn the party down in order to save it and defund the LNC, what does this mean for funding. Try making clear to people that if they then want our candidate on the ballot they have to give to the candidate.
Complaint of state chair
Hays? If revenue goes down and we must cut expenditures, what should we cut?
There was back and forth conversation on support for the Presidential campaign of 2024. The conversation became heated. Ford suggests that there needs to be a focus on how we can do better in the future.
One hour lunch break.
I am not sure that this coverage is very effective.
There was an Employment committee report. It is all confidential and was sent to all members.
Information Services: Kennedy reports. Inaudible. Chair: We need an email asking for volunteers. Kennedy: Data analysis.
We reach the budget. The budget is in the OneNote. Redpath We were over budget this year in ten categories There is a motion to submit a revised 2024 budget. There are some overages, but in some cases there are related items that are under.
Redpath says that the estimated $220,000 of revenues from the Joint Fundraising Committee is not wildly unreasonable. Kennedy says expenses are at a bare minimum. Several people are talking over each other. They are moving outside contractors into a single GL code without changing the amounts. “I’m going to try to find out this coming year if the store is profitable.”
We have been reinvited back to the students for liberty. That may cost $20,000. We have major donors that may pay for this.
Vote on passing 2025 budget is 11-0-1-1. Passes with minimal discussion.
Audit Committee Malagon nominates Yeniscavitch. Redpath speaks against her. Malagon notes officers cannot serve and need someone who is familiar with the budget. It is noted that Yeniscavitch is familiar with the budget. Roll call: vote is 10-0-2-1, the chair not voting.
Convention oversight committee: Chair: This convention will make a lot of money. Malagon: Need more LNC members. Ford agreed. Ford nominated. McGee nominated. Watkins nominated. Passed without objection.
Discussion of Goals Progress. Goals are 500 candidates, 2 million in revenue, 17,500 members, Defend the Guard effort. Recruiting started. Chair is talking of max donations from bitcoin advocates and use some of it to hire fundraising director. Chair thinks there will be little dropoff in membership. Chair talks of running RFK for some office.
Business: Chair wants double oversight on FEC reporting. We have had a few errors and salacious rumors on the internet. Our accountants are not FEC compliance experts. Redpath wants Executive Director or Operations Director as a reviewer. Redpath: Most important thing is to get reports in on time. Chair wants oversight because she is responsible. Review is to be the Treasurer, the Executive Director, and the Chair or the Alternate Treasurer. No objections.
Motion to amend Policy Manual to replace ED with ExD as abbreviation. Passes without objection.
Malagon: Motion to strike the harassment section. It encourages poor behavior. Some disagreement. Roll Call Vote: vote is 11-1-1, chair not voting.
15 minute break.
A committee on good behavior is created.
A resolution on the middle east, condemning the Israelis for genocide, the IDF for war crimes, etc. was [Edit: discussed There was no opposition. Adoption was postponed until January so Angela can present it to the Trump administration.]
Resolution Urging the United States Congress to End Military Support to Israel and Cease Global Expenditure of U.S. Taxpayer Dollars
Whereas, continued U.S. military support to Israel exacerbates tensions in the Middle East, increasing the likelihood of a direct war with Iran that would unnecessarily drag the United States into another costly conflict;
Whereas, U.S. ties to Israel present significant conflicts of interest, especially through the lobbying efforts of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which perpetuate a deep-rooted influence on American politics to the detriment of U.S. sovereignty and the principles of non-interventionism;
Whereas, the Israeli government has committed acts that constitute genocide against innocent Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including the use of excessive and indiscriminate military force that has resulted in significant civilian casualties;
Whereas, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has committed war crimes during its ongoing conflicts with Palestinians, actions that violate international human rights and humanitarian law;
Whereas, the Libertarian National Committee recognizes the atrocious acts committed by the IDF against the USS Liberty, an unprovoked and deliberate attack that killed 34 American servicemen and wounded 171 others, and condemns this act as both kinetic and philosophical in its assault on U.S. interests and principles;
Whereas, the United States government has recklessly spent taxpayer dollars on foreign military and domestic military industrial complex expenditures, placing an undue burden on the American people through taxation and inflation, violating the principles of fiscal responsibility;
Whereas, the Libertarian Party opposes foreign intervention, including military aid that perpetuates conflicts and undermines efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee calls upon the United States Congress to immediately cease all military aid and support to Israel, ending U.S. involvement in perpetuating conflicts in the Middle East;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee condemns the actions of the Israeli government, including its genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, its war crimes, and its persistent violations of international law;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee specifically condemns the lobbying efforts of AIPAC and its undue influence on American politics, calling for the severing of ties that compromise U.S. independence and sovereignty;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee calls for a formal recognition and public condemnation of the Israeli Defense Force’s attack on the USS Liberty as an act of aggression against the United States;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee urges the United States Congress to cease the global expenditure of U.S. taxpayer dollars, instead cutting those expenditures from the Federal budget and removing the burden on the American people;
Resolved, that the Libertarian Party commits to advocating for a foreign policy based on non-interventionism, respect for sovereignty, and peaceful diplomacy, urging the U.S. government to prioritize the interests of the American people over foreign entanglements.
A resolution supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine was [Edit: discussed. There was no opposition. Adoption was postponed until January so Angela can present it to the Trump administration.]
Resolution Urging the United States Congress and the Incoming Trump Administration to Halt Military Involvement in Ukraine to Prevent Nuclear Escalation
Whereas, the single greatest threat to the survival of humanity is nuclear Armageddon, and current U.S. foreign policy dangerously escalates tensions with nuclear-armed nations;
Whereas, the Biden Administration’s recent decision to greenlight the use of long-range weapons capable of striking deep inside Russia has violated explicit red lines set by Russian leadership, significantly increasing the risk of global nuclear war;
Whereas, such provocative actions unnecessarily endanger the lives of the American people and the entire Western world by escalating conflicts to a point of no return;
Whereas, NATO, as an entangling alliance, obligates the United States to commitments in Europe that risk dragging the nation into a broader war, potentially escalating to a nuclear confrontation;
Whereas, continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine prolongs the conflict and undermines efforts for a peaceful resolution, contributing to an unnecessary loss of life and destruction;
Whereas, the Libertarian Party opposes foreign intervention and advocates for diplomacy and trade as tools to foster peace and avoid catastrophic war;
Whereas, the United States government’s reckless spending of taxpayer dollars diverts resources away from American citizens through coercive taxation and destructive inflation;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee calls upon the United States Congress and the incoming Trump Administration to immediately cease all weapons shipments and military support to Ukraine, ending U.S. involvement in a conflict that risks nuclear escalation;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee recognizes NATO as an entangling alliance that places undue commitments on the United States, dragging the nation toward potential wars in Europe and beyond;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee urges Congress to prioritize diplomacy and peaceful negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and de-escalate tensions with nuclear-armed nations;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee condemns the reckless actions of the federal government that escalate the risk of nuclear war and enrich the military-industrial complex at the expense of global peace and American safety;
Resolved, that the Libertarian National Committee calls upon Congress to cease the use of taxpayer dollars for foreign military aid, reduce federal spending by the corresponding amount, and lower the overall tax burden on American citizens accordingly;
Resolved, that the Libertarian Party reaffirms its commitment to advocating for a foreign policy based on non-interventionism, respect for sovereignty, and peaceful diplomacy.
Malagon proposes an amendment to the policy manual. There is new language on removing officers or at-large members, for causing harm to the party, as interpreted by the LNC.
The new language is Any Party Officer or At-Large member may be removed by motion for any cause the National Committee deems potentially harmful to the Party.
Vote is 7-3-3-0. Chair votes yes. Vote is 8-3-3-0 The motion passes.
Chair proposes that better trial procedure is needed.
Redpath said something inaudible.
There is a report on Ohio.
They have run out of business, I think.
Malagon moves to adjourn. They adjourn.
A resolution supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine…
George, your characterization is inaccurate to the point of dishonesty.
The resolution does not “support” a Russian invasion. It merely calls for U.S. non-intervention.
Your understanding of geopolitics is lacking. Cutting off American weapons, ammunition, and money to Ukraine greatly facilitates the forward march of Russian fascism in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
There is a fundamental part of the belief that we should not use force that tends to be ignored. There are people who use force. It is the duty of people who oppose using force to stop aggressors. In particular, it is the duty of the civilized world to oppose Russian aggression.
A more individual action might make this clearer. If we are living in a state where this is legal — I am not — and we see a trio of miscreants grabbing a young woman , muffling her screams as they tear off her clothing as they drag her into an alley with obvious immoral intentions — it would be our duty to intervene. So we would remonstrate with them, with a couple of pauses in the remonstrations.
Pauses?
Yes, Glock magazines only hold a dozen rounds each, so there would be momentary interruptions for reloading.
I’m surprised George. I would think that you would be able to get kill shots to their heads in the first three or four rounds.
Reloading and continuing to shoot after the assailant is deceased is what gets you in trouble with the law. At that point it is no longer defense and protection of their victim.
But to Ukraine:
None of us like war. None of us want war. People dying senselessly because of a person or a political movement with a desire for power and empire is horrible.
I think that the difference is that radical anarchist believe we should do nothing. That is the same isolationist attitude that our country had 100 years ago. The world doesn’t work that way. If you don’t defend yourself, the bad guys will walk all over you. And there will always be bad guys. If you don’t stop them at your allies’ borders, will you stop them at your own?
Two millennia ago it was the Romans. 500 years ago it was the Spanish and the English and the French, depending upon who was being invaded at the time.
Today it is Russia with China on the sideline, flexing their muscles and watching. If Russia is not stopped, they will continue until they take half of Europe or more. Latvia, Estonia, Poland. The list goes on.
So you are absolutely correct that failure to provide them with materials needed to defend themselves is the same as supporting the aggressor. Is that supporting war? Is that daring Putin to turn it nuclear? No. Putin might use nuclear weapons in a final defense of his own life and control of his country, as all despots would, but he knows quite well what would happen very quickly if he used them offensively.
The game he has been playing lately is the introduction of non-nuclear short and mid range intercontinental ballistic missiles. Since they are capable of nuclear warheads, he raises the bluff since we don’t necessarily know what they carry until they hit.
I would doubtless negotiate with the kidnappers first “You are under arrest. Raise your hands and place them against the wall”. The serious question is whether 45 rounds would actually include any hits on the miscreants. I do not actually believe in killing criminals, but there was a point that needed to be made by my little tale.
It appears that the crime has changed somewhat. You had them grabbing her, followed by physical assault and other implied acts in an alley.
That is a significantly different crime from kidnapping, although abduction is technically a part of the several crimes committed in that situation.
On a related note, I have received several messages regarding my concerns about the reference to Team Kennedy to the FEC. I have been assured by an unnamed member of the LNC, who would probably be removed from office by the chair for communicating with me, that it was the Kennedy victory fund that they took over.
This, of course, raises the question of whether the FEC will notice that they were given incorrect information in the response to the request for clarification. Or if they would care.
I have not yet taken the time to look at the FEC reports or filings for the victory fund.
There is a fundamental difference between countries that launch wars of aggression (Russia) and countries that are victims of wars of aggression. If one believes in world peace, one spends the necessary funds and sends the necessary equipment and troops to stop aggressors. In the individual event, if there is one of me at closing on 80 years old and a half dozen young thugs, lecturing the thugs on the errors of their ways is not a winning strategy.
And your position, which I agree with 100%, is actually an anti-war position. Unlike the people who just say avoid all war and don’t help anybody who has a war going on. Don’t fund people defending themselves.
They are not really anti-war in my opinion. They are the avoid getting involved in any wars people. Isolationist.
8 years in the Marine Corps and personal experiance actually fighting in the thing everyone in politics loves to theorizes about has made me exactley an isolationist, and anyone who wants to know what experiance created that can ask me personally.
Present the resolutions to the Trump administration? They are starting to look like the subjects in “Anne and the King of Siam”, completely prostate on the ground and anxious to not be executed by the king for raising their head or looking up.
Is this an opposition party, or has it become a separate but subservient wing of the Republican Party?
Called 3 years ago, republicans who couldn’t get traction in their own party.
There you have it.
The LNC is going to suspend Harlos again after she gets reinstated.
Lawfare, people.
Throw them out.
So is that it for the weekend, or do they come back for part two tomorrow?
I think that was it. They will be taking advantage of their free lunch tomorrow.
The Chair did not speak of running RFK Jr. for some office. She speculated that maybe if the RFK Jr. appointment as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services does not go through that maybe he will run for President in 2028, and maybe if he runs for President in 2028 maybe he will seek the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination.
I am not interested in seeing RFK Jr. aa a Libertarian Party candidate because I do not consider him to be a libertarian. He seems like a nice guy who one could have a conversation with and I think he’s good on a few issues, but this does not make him a libertarian.
You are agreeing with my report, with more detail.
Thank you again for your excellent work. Trying to transcribe things you are listening to when there is bad audio is a very challenging task.
YES she did.
Isn’t it illegal for a party national committee to plot and plan which candidate they will select to run for president?
Oh wait. The Democrats from Republicans do it that way. I almost forgot.
Was the room filled with smoke yesterday?
Someone asked me off-line why I am being so harsh on Mr. Redpath. I am not. I am trying to point out the things that are making it impossible for him to do his job correctly. The treasurer does not use the credit card, write the checks, or make commitments to give away money to other organizations. But he or she has to accurately report it to the FEC.
That is impossible to do if the organization does not keep internal records that are accurate, and does not have accountants who understand what they are doing.
So when they eventually try to blame Mr. Redpath for this, everyone needs to remember that the apparent lackadaisical attitude over how debt is treated by the chair and the staff she has hired is a primary cause of the problem.
The chair is not responsible to the FEC for the reports, but the chair is responsible for the general operation of the party. If there were a grade lower than F, she would deserve it.
Salacious? These aren’t rumors. There are serious errors in the reports. And the statement that they are taking over responsibility for Team Kennedy needs to be addressed. It wasn’t a rumor. It was literally stated in their response to the FEC.
From the sound of it, no one asked any of the questions I suggested asking.
A salacious rumor would be a rumor that the treasury was spent on, say, hookers. There was no such rumor so far as I have seen.
I find it interesting that the chair claims responsibility for the FEC reports, when in fact, it is the treasurer who is responsible.
I certainly agree with Mr. Redpath that the most important thing is to get them in on time. But they need to be accurate, and no treasurer can be expected to submit an accurate report if it does not have all the data.
If the accountants do not understand how to work with the FEC, then somebody needs to start the process of finding another accounting firm. Meanwhile, staff — if they have any left — need to do their job and keep accurate records. From the sound of the credit card balance, things are quickly moving in the wrong direction. That is not a rumor, it is based on the numbers reported above.
FYI, the Libertarian Party spent less money than the Green Party spent on ballot access, including spending from the presidential campaigns and state affiliates.
The Libertarian Party spent far less that the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign spent on ballot access, even on a ratio basis when you take states where the LP did not have to conduct ballot access drives and the RFK Jr. campaign did out of the equation.
The Libertarian Party usually obtains ballot access while generally spending less money on it than any other party.
Since Caryn Ann Harlos won a Judicial.Committee appeal why is she not being reinstated as Secretary? Is there some internal legal proceeding that she has to get through first? Is the appeal being appealed?
That decision, at the November 3 meeting, has not yet had its appeal heard. The appeals that were heard were of the actions at the October 6 meeting, decisions that set up the trial.
It voided the motions thereby voiding the trial thus I was never subject to trial.
So did you make it to the meeting?
She posted videos of herself outside the meeting room in Rhode Island earlier today on YpuTube, so yes, she is there.
Apparently she was kept out of the room where the meeting is taking place by a security guard.
So they kept her out of the meeting? Did they keep other party members ir the general public out?
They can’t do that legally. Obviously, they have no concern with breaking the law. I know that libertarians don’t normally believe in laws, but some exist to protect rights that people have.
Unless they are in executive session, those meetings are open to the public.
I am not a member of the party, but had I gone up there, they would not have kept me out of that meeting room as an observer. I would had police on premise to shut them down. And of course, I would not have gone up there without a bodyguard. These people cannot be trusted.
“Redpath moves to end the suspension of Harlos.”
Wasn’t the suspension already undone by the Judicial Committee?
No, the JC has not yet acted on the suspension. That appeal is futurewards from now.
They are activley deleting and blocking commenrs from members with dissenting opinions in the YT chat and whoever is runni g it is laughing at members as the party.
Malagon
That figures