Another Libertarian candidate worth considering: Scotty Boman for Senate in Michigan

I keep trying to make the point here that there are credible Libertarian candidates out there doing the heavy lifting of trying to turn this into a real political party.

Another one is Scotty Boman, running for US Senate against Carl Levin in Michigan.

Boman is a long-time Libertarian activist, seeking to build on Ron Paul's momentum, and his positions are strongly in favor of human liberty: get out of Iraq, non-interventionist foreign policy, end the war on drugs, end domestic surveillance, and get the government out of the marriage business.

I'm particularly impressed with his assessment of why Michigan ought to oust Levin:

Carl Levin voted for the Real ID act and continues to support funding for it. In case you haven’t heard, next year every state is required to make their state’s drivers license into a DeFacto national ID card that will store personal information about you and will contain RF technology that will make it possible for the government to track your every move. It will require a national data base that will serve as a one-stop shop for identity thieves. Possession of the Real ID will be required for most travel and to carry out most financial activity.

Carl Levin supports the Foreign Intelligence Survalance Act (FISA), and the “Anti-terrorism Wiretaps Amendment of 1995.” Which make it easier for law enforcement authorities to use multipoint wiretaps. This removed restrictions that previously required judicial authorizations for every wiretap on a suspect, and creating a single multipoint wiretap authorization.

Carl Levin voted in favor of the “USA Patriot Act of 2001” that granted law enforcement more authority to search homes, tap phone lines, and track internet use of those SUSPECTED of terrorism for FOUR YEARS.

Carl Levin votes to continue support for the Iraq war while claiming to oppose it.

Carl Levin voted for a federal definition of marriage (as heterosexual only).

Carl Levin voted to create a Homeland Security Department and to keep detention and interrogation camps at Guantanamo.

Carl Levin continues to support funding for the DEA.

Wow. And this is a man who passes himself off as a liberal Democrat.

Here's why this is a critical race to which Bob Barr and Libertarians nationwide should pay attention:

These are the LP presidential vote totals in Michigan in 2000 (16,711) and 2004 (10,552).

On the other hand, these are LP vote totals for Governor 2006 (23,524) and Senator 2006 (27,012).

So the average Libertarian presidential vote in Michigan was 13,632 in two elections, but the average state-wide vote was 25,268.

In other words, there are at least 11,636 voters out there who will vote for a strong LP candidate, but they haven't been willing to do so for a Libertarian Presidential candidate.

Scotty Boman was part of the Libertarian gubernatorial ticket (as Lt Gov) that achieved 23,524 votes.

In Libertarian terms, Scotty Boman has coat tails that can and should be used by the Barr campaign potentially to double the LP's showing in Michigan.

And it would be easy: a Bob Barr press release that jumps on the same points Boman has already raised about Carl Levin would be an excellent start.

But that would require Bob Barr to begin operating like a true presidential candidate who is also leading a major political party rather running the campaign of a spoiler.

What I don't know is whether the Georgian has it in him.

But, in the meantime, visit Scotty Bowman's website and take a look.

The Obligatory Libertarian Tax Day Post

The most disturbing factoid that I learned on Tax Day was that the average American must now spend a full twenty-four hours filling out tax forms. That's three work days. Or, think of it this way: if you had to put in two hours per night after dinner to finish your taxes, that's two weeks (with Sundays off). I saw a talking head economics professor on some Philly TV channel pontificating about how Americans procrastinate. He was laughing. The IRS guy they interviewed actually said, "Tick, tick, tick." You have to wonder if Governor Ruth Ann Minner and her cohorts put in twenty-four hours pondering whether or not to give Kraft Foods $708,000 of our State taxes while demanding that school districts return $8-10 million each?

New Warfare: I started my posts with a discussion.....

.....on Unrestricted warfare . The US Air force Institute for National Security Studies have developed a reasonable systems approach to deter non-state violent actors who they label as NSVA's. It is an exceptionally important report if we want to deter violent extremism and other potential violent actors that could threaten this nation and its security. It is THE report our political officials should be listening to to shape policy so that we do not become excessive in using force against those who do not agree with policy and dispute it with reason and normal non-violent civil disobedience. This report, should be carefully read by everyone really concerned with protecting civil liberties while deterring violent terrorism and I recommend if you are a professional you send your recommendations via e-mail at the link above so that either 1.) additional safeguards to civil liberties are included, or 2.) additional viable strategies can be used. Finally, one can only hope that politici...

More of This, Please

Or perhaps I should say, "Less of this one, please." Or how about just, "None of them. Ever again. Please....For the Love of God." Sunshine State Poll: Grayson In Trouble The latest Sunshine State/VSS poll shows controversial Democratic incumbent Alan Grayson trailing former state Senator Dan Webster by seven points, 43 percent to 36 percent. A majority of respondents -- 51 percent -- disapprove of the job that Grayson is doing. Independents have an unfavorable view of him as well, by a 36/47 margin. Grayson has ignored the conventional wisdom that a freshman should be a quiet member who carefully tends to the home fires. The latest controversy involves his " Taliban Dan " advertisement, where he explicitly compares his opponent to the Taliban, and shows a clip of Webster paraphrasing Ephesians 5:22 -- "wives, submit to your husbands." An unedited version of the clip shows that Webster was actually suggesting that husba...

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