Silencing general@lpma.org
How did Massachusetts Libertarians take to this range of opinions as to how a Libertarian Party organization ought to be advanced? In fact, most of them were unaware that there was any disagreement. The Massachusetts email lists, as noted above, did not always carry a full range of Libertarian opinions. Many Massachusetts Libertarians appear to receive their information from the email lists maintained by the Browne and Howell Campaign Committees. These lists are not focused on telling their readers of the diversity of Libertarian opinions that exist. Massachusetts activists regularly encounter readers of these email lists who are surprised to learn that they have not been reading the official party email list.
Until February 2002, interested Massachusetts Libertarians did have access to the state list general@lpma.org, which gave substantially unmoderated coverage of Massachusetts events to its few readers. (The much more widely read list activists@lpma.org was heavily moderated.) In February 2002 the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts shut down general@lpma.org. The proximate cause were letters on the general@ list giving URLs for an article by Steve Trinward in Rational Review (www.rationalreview.com) and for an article by John Gregg in the Sunday, February 3 issue of MetroWest Daily. MetroWest Daily was at the time one of the more-widely-circulated newspapers in Massachusetts. It can be found on the web at:
(http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/ waylhowell02032002.htm.)
After questions were raised within the LPMA State Board as to the list’s fate, State Vice Chair Kamal Jain explained the events in a message sent to the LPMA State Board and forwarded to me by friends:
“From: Kamal Jain <kamal@marathon1.com
To: <statecomm@lpma.org
Subject: General List
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 12:26:08 -0500
Fellow State Committee Members:
The General list has been officially shut down at my request and under my authority. For years there has been an ongoing debate over keeping the list around. The decision to shut it down was made for business reasons, among them:
- Numerous activists and donors have been chased away by some of the content that has been posted to that list over the years, hence harming the party. This is not theoretical. Specific damage to candidates and the party has taken place because of slander and misbehavior on the General list.
- The list generated nothing positive or of value to the party.
Furthermore, the list was de-facto sanctioned by the state party since it was “@lpma.org”—and we cannot be a party to the lies, misrepresentations, and slander that appeared on the General list.
– kamal
Kamal Jain
Executive Director & Vice Chairman
Libertarian Party of Massachusetts”
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