Comment over at SWGA Politics 28 JUL 09

Hey Kids,

Great post over at SWGA politics ref "opposition research". You know, spying on your political opponents, their friends, family and wacky Uncle George.
Head over and join the fun!

TANSTAAFL Says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
July 28th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

Geeze,

Well, we’re all quite miffed over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) at the inference that the only viable third party in Georgia has no spies…er, opposition researchers. We have hordes of them and we’re constantly turning away volunteers everyday. Granted, most of them only want to work on the looming Martian/Jupertarian invasions or investigate the rumblings from Neu Schwabenland or the lunar UFO bases, but hey, free research is free research.

Rest assured that pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the LP in Georgia is as well informed on the political undercurrents drifting through the state as the Republicans and Democrats. Maybe better because all sorts of people tell us all sorts of things, besides the typical “What are you doing running a candidate against him for? He’s a good guy! You should run a candidate against this other guy because he is a real rat bastard and let me tell you how I know…..”

And so opposition research Libertarian style goes on. Mostly unsolicited, thoroughly enjoyed and not even considered for political purposes. We currently have other fish to fry, like getting rid of Georgia’s 1943 Jim Crow Ballot Access Laws.

Once we get that obstacle reduced and can field candidates in the 140 or uncontested state races here in Georgia, I imagine that Libertarians will look into opposition research as currently practiced and see what we can see.

Fresh Loaf Comment Repeal Georgia's State Income Tax 27 JUL 09

Thomas Wheatley over at Fresh Loaf has a link to mind numbing report by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government up over at his place.

Is it time to repeal the state income tax in Georgia? Why the hell not?

1. TANSTAAFL Says:
   July 27th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

   Greetings all,

   Hats off to Mr. Wheatley for having the stamina to plow through the Rockefeller Institute report cited in the article above. It’s an accountant’s wet dream crammed full of charts and graphs and lots and lots of multicolored squiggly lines. I shall remember it’s location the next time I can’t get to sleep.

   One item of interest contained in said report was on Table 9 where Georgia and Florida information was arranged in a convenient side by side comparison. As most of you know, Florida has no state income tax and makes up for that deficit by hitting the corporate side of the house pretty heavily. Both states are suffering declines in revenue as is everybody else, but I haven’t heard of any teacher furloughs in Florida. Yet.

   Perhaps the citizens of Georgia should look at the trade-offs that Florida has made and free themselves from the onerous state income tax. I could not help but notice that some of our esteemed state politicians are already ahead of the curve on this by failing to file their state taxes or allowing themselves very generous minimum rates.

   I do not believe the fair tax is the solution or that the redoubtable Mr. Oxendine will even be the Republican Candidate in 2010. No state income tax falls in line with general libertarian principles and will hopefully be talked about by John Monds (L) during the upcoming Governors race in 2010.

Rockin' Barry O's fourth presser draws 24.7 million hypothetical viewers! 23 JUL 09

OK Kids,

It doesn't look so bad for the PresBo on his fourth presser about the ObamaCare plan. We had predicted that this conference would draw about 14.7 million viewers and so we were dead wrong about the magnitude of the decline. But according to an article over at Nielsen.com, that 24.7 million is down from the viewership of presser number three at 28.8 million, which was less than presser number two at 40.3 million or presser number one at an astonishing 49.4 million.

I think the results of the overnights are indicative of just who is to blame for the current mess we're in. The victory that team Obama rolled into last November was not the result of any kind of landslide movement in American politics, it was the result of about 15 million true believers coupled with the traditional democratic base that resulted in the win.

And what do we have to show for it? More open government? Were the various and sundry major pieces of legislation that have been rammed through available for public inspection? Is Guantanamo closed? What happened to all that stimulus money? And a host of other questions.

Is this the Change that was voted for?

Comment at Zombie Contentions Blog 21 JUL 09

Hi Kids,

There's a great article running over at Zombie Contentions, I just had to throw in my .02 (US)

TANSTAAFL wrote:

Greetings All,

I think we ought to wait and see what the overnights are for Rockin’ Barry O’s upcoming press conference on healthcare before we declare the man down and proceed on to the kicking phase. It’s embarrassing enough that Susan Boyle’s interview on ABC put the kibosh on the much sought after 9:00PM time slot and the White House had to settle for 8:00 PM. Over here at Bludgeon & Skewer, we’re betting on a total viewership on 14.7 million, way down from his last major presser at 29 million. If that’s even close, let the ridicule begin!

Posted 21 Jul 2009 at 4:49 pm ¶

Cruise by and give 'em a read, links on the sidebar. Quite good fun.

Current Market Price for Republican State Senators in Georgia $10,000

There's an interesting article over at Political Insider about the current market price of Georgia's Republican State Senators, couldn't help but comment

TANSTAAFL

July 17th, 2009
10:06 am

Golly Gosh Kids,

We’re in a state of shock over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC), those rascally republican’s have stolen all our thunder! We were planning an exclusive “Meet some of the guys who could be your state senator if Georgia didn’t have the most messed up ballot access laws in the US” event at the huddle house in Hapeville when one of our media sleuths pointed out this article. Well, what can you say, looks like the going price for some face time with the current crop of Republican Senate Grandees is 10K, and we were worried that the $5.99 lunch special was a bit steep. We’ll have to re-examine our current bribe spreadsheets and factor in the runaway inflation effect that all this government spending has induced in the market price of state politicians here in Georgia.

All of this wouldn’t be an issue if the people of Georgia weren’t being held captive by the entrenched two party system courtesy of Georgia’s 1943 Jim Crow Ballot access law and the way the current Sec State interprets it. When the republicans and democrats can rest assured that no third party will ever be able to actually get a candidate on the ballot for State Senator or State house or the US House of Representatives, the cost of corruption goes up. Why would it be worth it to give a Georgia State Senator $10,000 freakin’ dollars for a round of golf or a spa session? Because of the millions of dollars of state and federal money those politicians can direct and divert and deliver to those “special” constituents.

So think about that when you’re standing in the voting booth next November and looking at all those unopposed republicans and democrats. In 2008 there were 62 democrats and 82 republicans that had no opponents on the ballot, don’t expect to see anything different in 2010. There is one small, effortless thing you could do while you’re there of course. You could cast a vote for John Monds (L) for Governor. He will be right there on the ballot next to Nathan Deal(R) and good ol’ King Roy(D).
So strike a blow for Liberty! Vote Libertarian! Vote John Monds!

Re-Write Central: Zombies in control of the West Wing! 13 JUL 09

Hi Kids,

Stumbled on this impressive story over at today's WaPo issue. It seems that the grueling schedule of the West Wing of the White House is predictably grinding the staff of partisan political hacks down to a gooey pulp. What fun! The original title is "In West Wing: Grueling Schedules, Bleary Eyes" by the redoubtable Micheal Shear. We could not resist taking a hatchet to this piece of bootlickin' statist lovin', what me change? piece of "journalism" from the influence peddlers over at the once mighty Washington Post. As always, please visit some of our sponsors and the conclusion of the article. Enjoy!

Zombies in control of the West Wing!

Washington
13 JUL 09
B&S staff

The West Wing Mess hates the current occupants of the West Wing according to one of Rockin' Barry O's senior advisors. "It seems that all the shuffling and moaning the West Wing staff makes as they lumber through the mess has upset the servers" confided an unamed food line server "that and the rumor that the Zombies are contagious ain't helping".

Long lines of Zombies ritualistically appear each morning promptly at 7:00AM at the doors of the mess hall after wandering aimlessly around the West Wing all night staring at the blank screens of thier long dead blackberries. They mumble incessantly and incoherently, with phrases like "bank bailout", "Roymotos", "health care scam" and "two wars are not enough" punctuating their eerie moans. They head towards the KooL-Aid dispenser and drink cup after cup of the liquid in a desperate attempt to rouse themselves from their zombiehood, but to no avail.

In a city known for taking the best and brightest and transforming them into the worst and the dullest, the current crop of West Wing Staffers has crossed the Rubicon and burned the bridge behind them. "I don't know if they're really human anymore" confided an unnamed parking lot attendant "They get in their cars at the end of the day and just stay there until a little before daylight when they shuffle back into the building. It's kinda like they're vampires masquerading as zombies."

All West Wings face fatigue issues according to those in the know. The only exception was the staff that worked with President US "It's 6 O' Clock Somewhere" Grant way back in the wayback. Today's staff has to contend with a grueling 24 hour news cycle and the 12 hour spin cycle as well as ensuring that someone is on duty in the Chapel of Political Correctness making sure that no one is washing short loads or mixing colors with whites.

"It's the pace of events, that's what did them in" stated a nonexistent source close to the side entrance "Most of these guys got here by working on the presidents campaign staff for the last two years and now they have to suck it up for 4 or 8 more years until they can cash in their chips. You can see it in their eyes, well at least the ones who still have eyes. God only knows how many of them will be left after the putsch for socialized medicine clears the Senate this fall"

So much work has been done that more work is being piled on. Using the flimsy excuse that all the nation's problems were inherited from the Evil Bush/Rove cabal, the current President has flogged the staff to produce metric tons of papers to prove that it wasn't HIS fault. As the very life was sucked out of them they were greeted by the now famous memo that stated "The beatings will continue until morale improves" and like lemmings to sea they dove into the maelstrom of treaty writing, bank bailouts/confiscations, and the never ending awarding of taxpayer money to political cronies.

"It's not like that crew of hard drinkin', womanizin', money grubbin' cigar smokin' staffers that Nixon had" observed an unnamed 81 year old newspaper vendor "These guys were idealogues. It's just that working 18 hour days 7 days a week is worse that spending most of your time dead drunk. And these guys are writing the legislation that Congress doesn't read before they vote it into law. Fer Christ's sake, send 'em off to Disney World before it's too late!"

White House officials and others say that's pure bunk. "If working 18 hour days was so inebriating, then why do I have to knock back 4 double vodkas just to take the edge off?" asked an unnamed Clinton era staffer who is also an Obama era staffer "The fact of the matter is that slaving away for 18 hour days and heavy drinking combined with no exercise is good for you. Just like smoking cigarettes."


The original story is here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/12/AR2009071202081_pf.html

Cruise over and take a crack at doing your own re-write!

More to follow from your friendly, nieghborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!

Article at Iconoclast Investor comment

Thanks for the history lesson Mr. Lutts. It will provide us all with more grist for the mill as we continue the push for a larger and more effective Libertarian Party. Over here at Bludgeon & Skewer, we agree that the most pressing problem facing Libertarians today is ballot access.

The Georgia LP is recognized as a “political body” in Georgia and is able to run candidates for statewide office (Governor, AG, Sec State, US Senate etc.) without petitioning. A considerable advantage as compared with other states in the union, and yet if we find and run candidates for State House, State Senate or the US House of Representatives, those candidates have to petition. And Georgia has one of the most draconian petitioning requirements in the US.

Faced with this obstacle, elements of the Georgia LP are working on multiple fronts to amend, rescind or remove the 1943 “Jim Crow” legislation that put the onerous petition reqiurement into law. Our efforts may yield fruit in time for the 2010 cycle in Georgia and if it does, we will need about 140 Libertarians to run in races that only have unchallenged incumbents. And funding to support them.

In 2008 in Georgia, 62 democrats were unchallenged as well as 82 republicans. The success of the campaign by John Monds for the Public Service Commission indicates what can happen when Libertarians run against unopposed encumbents in Georgia. Mr Monds recieved over 1 million votes, the highest total ever recorded by a Libertarian in a state wide race. That kind of performance can be duplicated by other Libertarians in Georgia in 2010. And John Monds will be our candidate in 2010, we hope he can break the 20% vote barrier as well as cause a run off for the Governorship

Keep up the good fight and continue to crank out thought provoking work Mr. Lutts, I’ve added you to my blogroll and will stop by now that I know you’re here.

Current Market Price for the Governorship of Georgia! 8 JUL 09

Hi Kids,

Well the fundraising numbers are in for the all the guys and gals running for the office of Governor here in Georgia. We've tallied up the the republicans and democrats and are pleased to present the numbers below, no reason to break them out by candidates, we're just gonna lump them all together and see who's got the biggest total. Please note that these numbers represent the cash on hand (bottom line) from the state Ethics Commission website, if you want to go dig around here's the link:

http://ethics.georgia.gov/main.aspx


Republicans: $3,398,636

Democrats: $1,186,381

Libertarian: $2,675

King Roy didn't have anything to report by the 30 JUN 09 filing date, so that makes him the loss leader on the democrat side of the house. Thurbert Bakers numbers look pretty damn good until you start looking around at where his money came from. And Poythress and Porter have a lot more money on hand that John Monds. Too bad they won't be on the ballot next year because John Monds will be.

On the republican side, Nathan Deal is predictably ahead. Just like we predicted over at the Bludgeon & Skewer website way back in June. The Ox is in second place even after having to give the 120K back to his insurance buddy, Johnson is third and Sec State Handel is a distant fourth.

We still stand by our assessment that Georgians will have to pick between Deal, Barnes and Monds next November. Strike a blow for liberty and Vote John Monds! You will get an opportunity to vote on it again!

Gmail - videos - thesocietyforprofit@gmail.com

Sarah Palins OODA Move

The amount of traffic my girl Sarah has generated throughout the internet, the TV/Cable nets and print and radio over the last few days is mindboggling. When I go to Politico and see comment trails numbering in the thousands, it tells you something. Sarah Plain Rocks! She out mediaied Micheal Jackson, blew poor ol' Mark Sanford clear out the headlines, made everybody ask the question "Zelaya?" and has generally dictated traffic for the last three days.

Simply phenomenal.

What drives that level of continued attention? Jeeze, what with political upheaval in Honduras, Rockin' Barry O' fixin' to go eyeball to eyeball with Vlad "Calender Guy" Putin, the Chinese, the Indians and the other half of the world talking about ditching the dollar and Steve McNair getting murdered, you'd think people would be doing something else other than overcrowding the comment boards on my favorite political sites. But they're not. They're out there in droves, hordes I tell you, cluttering up the landscape, making it impossible to find whatever it was that you wrote and generally taking a huge bite out the available bandwidth.

While the numbers are incredible, some of the things you read off of RCP are unbelievable. The vitriol and hate that some of my fellow posters exhibit is beyond the pale. I don't think there are any negative comments or combinations of them that have not been stated and restated and restated again. Just when you thought that your friends with Bush Derangement Syndrome were finally cured by the absence of W, along comes Sarah Palin and your recently cured buddies come down with Palin Derangement Syndrome. Totally freakin' weird.

I gotta say that the Molotov cocktail her lawyer tossed in the front window of every major newspaper, TV news outfit and all over the blogosphere today sure lit things up. After 3 days of speculation and rumor mongering as to the why's and wherefore's of Sarah's resignation, Sarah dictates the discussion all over again. Talk trash and I'll sue your ass for defamation and libel. And I'll win because the things you've reported and quoted and speculated on are not true. And you knew they weren't. See you in court for a nice fat settlement.

So tomorrow brings another day and we'll have to wait and see what those wiley rascals up in Wasilla have on the schedule for the MSM/Blogoshere. This is what happens when you get a "Third Tier Political Organization" working a plan with a political superstar like Sarah Palin. You get 1,000,000 facebook friends, a twitter list from hell and the ability to dictate the news cycle for the last 72 hours. And when the project is over , those third tier guys will take a look and see how it worked out and start planning their next move in the game. If they're not working on projects 5 thru 17 already.

I can think of few races already underway that would welcome her with open arms. Libertarian Candidate John Monds here in Georgia should do an event with Sarah if that's possible. A rally, speech/facebook/meetup /electronic gathering of some sort. Find an issue that both agree on and hammer home the agreement. Lower Taxes? You Betcha, Smaller government? You Betcha. More Freedom? You Betcha.

Butts in seats, baby, butts in seats.

OK, Bludgeon & Skewer will look into this. The proposition is a rally/speech/facebook/meetup/fundraiser with John Monds and Sarah Palin as the headliners. Anyway in the world that this could happen? We'll find out!

Re-Write Central White House Sotomayor Anouncement 30 MAY 09

Greetings kids.

Welcome to the newest section here at Bludgeon & Skewer, Re-Write Central. We had so much fun with the Mystery Poll take off we decided to do some more of them. Luckily, the New York Times published a "News Story " on 27 MAY 09 titled "Sotomayor Pick a Product of Lessons from Past Battles" that is perfect for this exercise, and so we proudly present :


The White House tells lackeys, minions and underlings to STFU, STFD

Washington - In preparation for the looming battle to get Rockin' Barry O's first SCOTUS nominee through the congressional approval process, white house aides threw a small tea party for a select group of unnamed liberal activists and informed them that their constitutionally guaranteed first amendment rights were being suspended for the next few weeks. The attendees went through the stages of surprise, indignation and finally meek acceptance in relatively short order and huddled together as they were given their instructions by the aforesaid white house aides. It boiled down to a simple plan to restrict the american public's knowledge of the impending pick by requiring everyone present to swear on Stalin's grave that they would not speak on the subject until congress was out of session to make sure the monumental announcement was issued with no chance for those evil republicans to avoid being blindsided by the Obama Express. Everyone present chortled with glee at the thought that they were in on the big secret and would play vital role in ensuring the venture's success just by keeping their mouths shut.

The plan for the roll out of the Prez's first SCOTUS pick was devised by Ronald "Chad" Klain, aka Kevin Kenneth Klain, a man gifted with a devious mind and long track record of successful lackeyhood in democratic power circles. Having started numerous dumpster fires of his own during the confirmation hearings for Clearence Thomas, it was agreed that his experience would be pivotal in squelching any dissent from either side of the aisle concerning the smooth appointment of Sonia "I'm smarter and more justlier than you" Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. He was aided in this by his dynamic side kick Cynthia "Leaky" Hogan, who didn't have the stellar career of Mr Klain in bouncing from one disastrous lobbing job to the next, but was deemed to have what it takes to get the job done on selling the first pick to the media minions and spinning any ill conceived questions from boot licking Democratic operatives during the hearings.

The first hurdle the dynamic duo had to clear was to ensure that Sotomayor had actually paid her income taxes in a timely fashion and didn't have any La Raza refugees living in her basement doing roof work in her neighboorhood on sunny days. Part two of the plot was more difficult as ways had to be devised to blunt the objections of the more extreme elements residing in the Democratic party without looking like they were. While talking out of both sides of your mouth is an elementary political skill, doing so while moving is reserved for the truly adept. The third problem they had to face was "Friendly Fire". Both Klain and Hogan had had long associations with VP Joe 'Gaffe" Biden and were skilled spinners as a result.

The plan was presented and all participants were warned that "The walls have ears!", as a result the rest of the presentation was conducted in absolute silence with sticky notes passed among the attendees to relay elements of the plan. This level of secrecy was maintained for the rest of the roll out effort by cleverly disquising meetings on internal documents and schedules by the use of pig latin. "Sotomayor" became "Roymotos" and was thus hidden from the spies that litter the White House seeking information of political importance. The Roymotos Ruse worked and everyone in America was clueless as to who the President might pick until the day it was announced! a clever plan indeed!

The plan detailed steps to be taken by POTUS himself and the rest of the roll out staff. Rule number one was that all of the nine candidates off the short list would be thoughly investigated to prevent another unseemly pick like Tiny Tim Gietner. This important task was given to the prestigious law firm of Duey, Rookem & Howe, longtime DC legal insiders that checked, cross checked and triple checked each candidates personal finances, taxes, medical history and ethics. Great care was taken not to look at any candidate's public posturing or off the cuff remarks when they were with friends, attending radical political meetings or just drinking heavily. The President aided in the deception plan by calling each member of the Senate Judicial Committee and asking them if they knew anyone who knew anyone who would be a shoo-in for the Supreme Court.

As the list shortened from 9 candidates to the final 4, a bracket system was devised and White House staffers began to lay bets on the eventual nominee. This alarmed the roll out team who feared that thier secret code had been broken and so they began a series of off site meetings to finish the interview process. After setting up a secret base camp under Cynthia Hogans dining room table concealed by a blanket, the merry crew continued thier work.

But a clever plan was not enough, clever timing was to be used as well. After kicking around some potential release dates, Klain, Hogan and the rest of the braintrust came up with a winner. Memorial Day was the perfect time to annouce as the US Congress would be out of session and there would be no competing news except the annual rehash of various and sundry Memorial Day ceremonies. The Prez could lay the wreath at the unknowns, grab a quick 18 holes and still have time to dazzle an adoring public with a pithy pick for the Supreme Court. All was well in ObamaLand.

The 25th of May rolled around and the plan went according to plan. Congress was out of session and it's members had returned home to conduct the annual Memorial Day Roll in Pork Fest. No one was thinking about anything other than a three day weekend and some bratworst on the grill when suddenly news erupted that the dastardly North Koreans had detonated a nuclear device and fired off a couple of missles for good measure. Undeterred, the roll out team rolled out the announcement to the excited cheers of the White House staff that had guessed right and won the office pool. Rockin' Barry O bloviated on about how great his pick was, how excited he was to send her to the charnel house over at the Senate Judiciary Committe and how a vote for the new media darling would add at least 25 points to his next popularity poll!

OK, if you'd like to read the original strory, here's the link:



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/politics/28select




More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!

Bludgeon & Skewer send another Letter to Sec State Handel 1 JUL 09

Bludgeon & Skewer send another Letter to Sec State Handel 1 JUL 09

Hey Kids,

The ballot access battle continues. Not satisfied with the lack of response to our first missive to Secretary of State Karen Handel, we reached into the piggy bank and invested in certified postage once again to send a second letter on the same topic. And guess what? We heard back from none other than Director of Elections Wesley Tailor. And we expect an email shortly that should explain to us just what the Sec State can or cannot do. We're on pins and needles!

Please keep in mind that we do not expect the Sec State to wave a magic wand and actually do anything to address the ballot access issue. Hell, she's got her hands full right now trying to pimp the voter ID issue to the republican faithful since her poll numbers put her at the bottom of the heap and the much anticipated funding report is due out real soon and if her funding numbers look weak, that bastard Oxendine will eat her lunch. Not to mention the fact that Nathan Deal and his out of state, entrenched , old line republican money is gonna bury both of 'em. So what's a poor girl to do? Spend time and attention on those wacky Libertarians or get out there and schmoose donors?

We're guessing it's major schmoose time at Handel HQ.

Which is really kinda funny as there is only one group of liberty lovin', small goverment wantin' lower tax needin', loosely organized voters out there that migh be inclined to play in the republican primary if one of the candidates in that primary actually said something they wanted to hear. 127,000 Georgians played in the US Senate race in 2008. 127,000 Georgians said no to continued corruption and never ending pork barrel spending. If half of them decided to play in the republican primary, those 60,000 plus votes would have a big impact. They might even pick the person who gets to run against King Roy and the redoubtable John Monds. You'd think somebody working in the brain trust over at Handel HQ would've spun that scenario.

Anyway,

First, here's a copy of our second letter

Secretary Of State Karen Handel June 27^th 2009

214 State Capitol

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Via : Certified Mail

Subject : Electronic Petitioning

Third Request

Dear Secretary Handel,

May I remind you that, ’justice delayed is justice denied” It seems as though our first attempt to communicate our wishes for your office to immediately implement a system by which by which Libertarian candidates could fulfill the petitioning requirement was ignored. Perhaps your campaign staff did not effectively communicate our sense of urgency or the extreme importance that the “concerned parties” place on this matter.

Our second attempt (via certified mail) has met with the same results, though I did receive one phone message from Mr. Wes Taylor from your office, my four return phone calls over the course of a week netted zero response.

The citizens of the State of Georgia deserve the opportunity to vote for candidates that advocate low taxes, small government, fiscal responsibility, personal liberty, and an undying respect for the United States Constitution.

Libertarian candidates are the only candidates that trumpet these principles.

Your partisan foot dragging on this matter is unacceptable, the citizens of this state are not your serfs. Again, if one can file their taxes online, secure automobile registration online, and conduct a slew of other “government business” online surely one should be able to sign a petition online to allow a third party candidate ballot access.

I, Christopher Barber as a potential candidate, along with Mr. Shane Bruce, Mr. Allen Buckley and all other potential Libertarian Party members who may wish to run for office as a Georgia House Representative, Georgia State Senator, or US Congressional Representative request the following: your office immediately implement a system by which the petitioning requirement can be accomplished electronically.

It should be noted Secretary Handel, that your own campaign website prominently displays a request to sign your petition to send a message to the Obama Administration, it is obvious that you believe this technology has merit and can be used as a bellwether of public support for an issue or candidate. Why are the citizens of Georgia denied the use of this same technology to select potential candidates for office? Have we finally reached that fabled Orwellian plateau where some are more equal than others?

Was the intent of the legislature back in 1943 to use the petitioning requirement as a roadblock to ballot access for political parties other that white Democrats, or was it intended to gage potential political support? You tell me.

Libertarians are engaged politically not to enrich themselves at the public trough or waste taxpayer money on things like midnight basketball leagues or fishing initiatives. But rather, we are engaged to champion very the principals and values of our founding fathers.

Your campaign slogan is “bring it on” so here it is; I need to hear back from your office within one week as to what your intent is. Can you affect the change we seek? If not, why not? Georgia Code, Title 21, Chapter 2, Article 4, Part 3, 21-1-170 (a) specifically states “Such petition shall be in the form prescribed by the officers with whom they are filed,” Continued failure to communicate will be taken as a no and we will then pursue other methods of redress. Be advised that our resolve on this issue is steadfast and unyielding.

Christopher Barber

1388 Conway Road

Decatur, Ga. 30030

404.373.2178

cc. perdue s.

wheatley t.

oxendine j.

deal n.

Next, here's a copy of the first letter that appeared over at Fresh Loaf and has since percolated around the internet, showing up at the NY Post of all places.

Libertarian asks Handel to ease third-party ballot access

June 8, 2009 at 11:19 am by Thomas Wheatley in News

Christopher Barber, who wants ballot access eased, said we could use this awesome photo of him and one of God's most poetic creatures

For decades, most third-party candidates in Georgia who wanted to gain ballot access have had to circulate petitions and gather signatures. The process has been derided as unfair, unnecessary and an obstacle to public service.

And now, a Libertarian Party of Georgia member has asked Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel — who’s also a gubernatorial candidate — to ease third-party ballot access in the Peach State.

In a letter sent last Friday to the Secretary of State’s office, DeKalb County resident Christopher Barber — who’s allowed me to reveal his identity as the mysterious “man in the Hawaiian shirt” from previous posts — asks Handel to embrace the Internet and TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.

Barber says allowing potential candidates to petition via e-mail for ballot access would save her department — and in turn, Georgia taxpayers — money.

Judging that Handel has been gung-ho on cutting her department’s waste and keeping elections fair — and considering the allure of winning the kind graces of the burgeoning number of residents who identify with the Libertarian platform — this should make for some interesting theater.

More from the letter — and a copy of the letter itself — after the jump.

Barber writes:

It should be noted that if one can file their taxes online, secure automobile registration online, and conduct a slew of other “official state business online” surely one should be able to sign a petition online. I know that under your guidance the Secretary of State’s office has embraced technology, I am sure that you will agree that this is a “reasonable” and “prudent” request.

Barber writes he’s been told Handel could fulfill the request without input by the Georgia General Assembly. Local Libertarian blogger Jason Pye, who’s written extensively on the subject, says any easing of ballot access restrictions would have to be approved by the Legislature. But that doesn’t stop the Secretary of State from endorsing such a move, he says.

Full text of Barber’s letter to Handel — I’m cc’ed next to Gov. Sonny Perdue, which I’m sure will never happen again in my lifetime — is pasted below. (Handel’s name is misspelled in the letter. We doubt she’ll hold a grudge.)

Secretary Of State Karen Handle
214 State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334

VIA: Certified Mail
Subject: Electronic Petitioning

Dear Secretary Handle,

As you know the Libertarian Party of Georgia has suffered for 37 years under some of the most horrendous ballot access laws in the country, the original legislation drafted in 1943 was born in that hate filled period commonly referred to as “Jim Crow”, which sought to deny people of color and others a voice in Georgia.

I, Christopher Barber as a potential candidate, along with Mr. Shane Bruce, Mr. Allen Buckley and all other Georgia Libertarian Party Members who may wish to run for office as a Georgia House Representative, Georgia State Senator or US Congressional Representative request the following: your office immediately implement a system by which the petitioning requirement can be accomplished electronically (via e-mail)

I am sure that you would agree that this application of technology would save your department, and the Georgia taxpayers a tremendous amount of money. After careful review of the statues I and other knowledgeable parties believe that this would be an “administrative decision” and not require any legislative input.

It should be noted that if one can file their taxes online, secure automobile registration online, and conduct a slew of other “official state business online” surely one should be able to sign a petition online. I know that under your guidance the Secretary of State’s office has embraced technology, I am sure that you will agree that this is a “reasonable” and “prudent” request.

Last November 4th over one million Georgia voters chose the “Libertarian” brand in the Public Service Commission Race, and even with the 60th US Senate seat up for grabs, the faithful still voted Libertarian. Our resolve on this request is steadfast, because we believe the voters of Georgia deserve an opportunity to vote for a candidate who echoes the very values of our “founding fathers” those being; small government, low taxes, fiscal responsibility, personal liberty, and an undying respect for the United States Constitution.

In closing, I would ask you to consider this; the obvious intent of those Georgia Legislators some 66 years ago was to deny ballot access and political competition by setting up “roadblocks” with an extreme petitioning requirement. I would hope you would agree that this was, and is wrong. If the intent was that the petitioning requirement would be used as a bellwether of potential political support for a candidate or party, then surely this could be accomplished electronically.

Thank you for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing from your office.

Best Regards

Christopher Barber
[address, phone number redacted]

cc. perdue s.
wheatley t.

And next a copy of the email from the Sec States office, if it ever shows up.

?

More to follow from your friendly nieghborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!