Opinion: Keep the Pledge, by Mike Seebeck

PLEDGE TO KEEP THE PLEDGE

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

– from The Statement of Principles of the Libertarian Party

In every matter, we advocate the consistent application of the principle of the non-initiation of coercion, physical force, or fraud.

– from Section 4.0 of the Platform of the Libertarian Party

Members of the Party shall be those persons who have certified in writing that they oppose the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals.

-Article 4, Section 1 of the Bylaws of the Libertarian Party (“the Pledge”)

Powerful words, these are. They are at the very core of the Libertarian Party, and they are the key distinction that separates us from the duopoly and the other parties.

And those words matter now more than ever!

Recently, Donald Trump told an auditorium full of military brassholes that there were “enemies within” in the American people. That’s chilling, because while he said that, what he meant was “we’re going to use the military to clamp down on enemies of the state, meaning people I as President don’t like.” Posse Comitatus be damned, we’re all supposedly insurrectionists now.

Except we as Libertarians, aren’t. We know it, but many don’t.

Some of us Party old timers remember the MIAC fiasco of 2002, when the Missouri state government with its post-9/11 intelligence (or lack thereof) agency assessment tried (and thankfully failed) to label libertarians as violent extremists. They failed because the outcry from the members of the Party nationwide shot that down. In the forefront of that outcry was our references to the Pledge and the Statement of Principles.

Yet here we are again, facing potentially the same problem by a new generation of clueless government officials. And it’s time to be prepared to raise hell about it again.

There have been many Libertarians who have either been in the military or around it, all with security clearances, including yours truly. (No, I’m not a “fed,” I don’t work on aggressive weapons systems, only defensive and intelligence systems, satellites, and a Mars rover once. But it does pay the bills, and at the end of the day, cash buys the groceries.) When one has a security clearance, they go through an extensive background check to make sure you’re deemed worthy to have it. Criminal convictions, suspect finances, family background, your history, all of it comes into play. And you have to fill out this wonderful form called an SF-86, thus named because if you blow it, your chances of getting a clearance are 86ed. In that form, as has been the case for at least the last 30 years, most recently in Section 29, there’s several extremely important questions:

Have you EVER advocated any acts of terrorism or activities designed to overthrow the U.S. Government by force? Yes: { } . No: { }

and

Have you EVER been a member of an organization dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the United States Government, and which engaged in activities to that end with an awareness of the organization’s dedication to that end or with the specific intent to further such activities? Yes: { } . No: { }

and

Have you EVER been a member of an organization that advocates or practices commission of acts of force or violence to discourage others from exercising their rights under the U.S. Constitution or any state of the United States with the specific intent to further such action? Yes: { } . No: { }

and

Have you EVER knowingly engaged in activities designed to overthrow the U.S. Government by force? Yes: { } . No: { }

and

Have you EVER associated with anyone involved in activities to further terrorism? Yes: { } . No: { }

Section 29’s header also says “terrorism is defined as any criminal acts that involve violence or are dangerous to human life and appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.”

That’s how the government defines it, and it’s everything we stand AGAINST, not for.

Libertarianism scares the proverbial crap out of the government because we seek to PEACEFULLY make government everything it currently isn’t. They can’t have that, so they seek to portray us as “enemies of the state” and “terrorists.”

That means the Pledge is absolutely necessary for our members, just as the Statement if Principles is absolutely necessary for the Party as a whole. It’s very difficult for the government to declare the Libertarian Party and its members to be “terrorists” when we disavow that violence or as “enemies of the state” because we advocate for Liberty—unless they wish to be tyrants and dictators. It’s our insurance policy. Insurrectionists for Liberty? While that’s one helluva future Convention slogan, it’s not something we should be embracing, at least not yet.

The Statement of Principles is pretty safe with its double padlock. The Pledge is not, and that’s scary. Keeping the Pledge is a Hill to Die on when it comes to the Libertarian Party, because once it’s gone, the Party is gone shortly thereafter. That’s not a conspiracy theory, it’s a spoiler; and it’s not a threat, it’s a guarantee, because that’s how government functions.

As we head into the 2026 convention season within the Libertarian Party, each state affiliate and its members should recommit itself to ensuring the Pledge doesn’t go away, ever. The same holds true for Grand Rapids. As a Party, it is essential to keep our foundation intact, and that goes beyond factional infighting, caucuses, state organizations, the LNC, and the JC. We lose our core and we lose our Party—and possibly much more in our country, our lives, our freedom, and our posterity.

Keep the Pledge. It’s necessary.

Michael Seebeck

Current Chair, Judicial Committee

October 7, 2025