The DeKalb LP Affiliate Meets Tonight at the Famous Pub in Toco Hills starting at 7PM!

Come on down!

The DeKalb affiliate of the Libertarian Party will have it's monthly meeting at a brand spanking new location at the Famous Pub in the Toco Hills Shopping Center. The meeting starts at 7PM and will include a brief presentation by Libertarian Candidate for Commissioner of Insurance Shane Bruce on the state of the race.

The readership cordially invited to attend and get your feet wet in Libertarian politics the DeKalb County way. No fee, no cover just a gentle nudge to toss some cash in the hat when it comes around. Want to get active in the 2010 elections? We have a multitude of opportunities for you!

Stirrin' the Pot over to the AJC's Georgia Elections Central

History, baby, History.

A great day for all Georgians occurred today, the Libertarian Party of Georgia qualified a complete slate of statewide candidates for the first time. We picked up some earned media over at the AJC's Georgia Elections Central and I just had to throw in my 2 cents. The readership is encouraged to participate.

Greetings All,

It's a fine day for Liberty here in the great state of Georgia as the Libertarian Party has qualified a complete slate of statewide candidates for this this fall's historic elections and now begins the herculean task of acquainting Georgia voters with their names and views on the issues of the day.

As Davis S has noted, the Libertarian Party stands for the stable tripod of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom. Libertarians are hard to define in todays fractious political environment and so endure the slings and arrows of the type of commentary provided by Patriot1960. We are not nutcases by and large and while we share common ground with some of the fundamental views of the burgeoning Tea Party movement, there are major differences that have to be resolved in a reasonable manner. Both organizations support the concept of Lower Taxes which will yield the desired goal of Smaller Government. In the arena of personal freedom much debate has been had and much debate is still needed to come to a mutually acceptable position on the concept of Individual Sovereignty. Such is the nature of politics.

As the weeks and months pass until the 2nd of November, much will be said and written about candidates the Libertarian Party of Georgia has tasked with spreading the message of Liberty to all of Georgia. They will be studiously ignored by their political opponents in the republican and democrat camps while wild rumors and innuendo flit to and fro across the internet and blog-O-sphere. It will not distract us from the task at hand.

We will continue the historic work we have begun today. Our party has achieved significant firsts for politics in Georgia, we have nominated and qualified John Monds for Governor and have likewise secured a place in history for our candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Ms. Rhonda Martini. These exceptional individuals and the rest of our slate will do their utmost to earn your trust and your vote on election day while making sure that Liberty is front and center during the political debate.

To achieve success we need your support. If you never been politically active, 2010 is the year and the Libertarian Party is the place to get started. Be advised that the work is hard, the hours are long and the accolades are few and far between. Do not doubt that the work is critically important, do not doubt that your contributions are essential and never doubt that your voice counts and will be heard.

Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian this fall!

It's Super-Mega-Uber Official, The Libertarian Statewide Candidates Have Qualified!

It's get real time.

The deed is done, the forms have been filled out and signed and the man has his money. I am now super-mega-uber qualified in the eyes of the state to be the next Commissioner of Insurance in Georgia. That beggars the question of if I'll make the cut in the eyes of the voters, but only time will tell on that question. While we're waiting for November, I'm gonna put on the Candidate hat and put it to the readership straight. I need your support in the form of volunteers and I need your support in the form of cash.

Like fellow Libertarian Jason Pye has observed, campaigns don't run on Pixie Dust, Unicorns and Rainbows. They run on sweat and cash. Sweat I got plenty of, cash I need. You'll have some more options to donate either of those two items to this campaign in the ensuing weeks. In the meantime, please visit my FaceBook Political page and join in the fun and be sure to check out the FaceBook pages of my fellow Libertarians as we make history for Liberty in Georgia this year.

LP Press Release Time!

Hot out of the box from State LP HQ!

So far this has been picked up by the Athens and Rome newspapers, guess we can expect the Atlanta media to report on it when the SecState updates it's candidate website. Remember, it's not news until the SecState says so.

The readership is invited to attend the qualifying session if you have time or inclination and the best place to park is the parking deck on the east side of the towers on Jesse Hill Drive. It's an excellent opportunity to meet our 10 statewide candidates as well as two State House Candidates that will be on the ballot this November.








FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2010
Contact: Brett Bittner
brett.bittner@lpgeorgia.com
404.888.9468

MEDIA ADVISORY

The Libertarian Party of Georgia Qualifying 12 Candidates Tuesday, 1 PM

With the state of Georgia's qualifying period for Independent, Political Body, and Non-Partisan candidates now open, the Libertarian Party of Georgia will be qualifying ten candidates for statewide office and two candidates for State House races to appear on this November's General Election ballot. Unlike the Democrats and Republicans, who qualify in April to select their candidates via primary next month, the Libertarian Party of Georgia nominated candidates via convention without cost to the taxpayers on April 24, 2010.

The 2010 slate of candidates for the Libertarian Party of Georgia includes:
U.S. Senate - Chuck Donovan
Governor - John Monds
Lieutenant Governor - Dr. Rhonda Martini
Secretary of State - David Chastain
Attorney General - Don Smart
State School Superintendent - Kira Willis
Commissioner of Agriculture - Kevin Cherry
Commissioner of Insurance - Shane Bruce
Commissioner of Labor - William Costa
Public Service Commission (District 2) - Dr. James Sendelbach
State Representative for District 51 - Brooke Nebel
State Representative for District 59 - Brad Ploeger

Who: Libertarian Party of Georgia and their slate of candidates
What: Qualifying for placement on the General Election ballot
Where: Secretary of State's Election Division office:
1104 West Tower
2 MLK Jr. Dr.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334

When: Tuesday, June 29th at 1:00 PM, Eastern Daylight Time

The Libertarian Party is Georgia’s third largest political party and the only party in Georgia promoting fewer taxes, less government and personal liberty for all Georgians. To learn more, please visit www.LPGeorgia.com.

Libertarian US Senate Candidate Chuck Donovan Addresses the Crowd that the Gilmer County Tea Party

Libertarian Taylor Bryant is in it to win it in the Augusta School Board Race

Taylor Bryant Gets it.

Our guy Taylor Bryant returns to the field in Augusta to carry the banner of Liberty in the Augusta School Board races this fall. the readership will remember Taylor's epic run in the Special Election for State Senate 22 in Augusta at the first of the year which netted him 9.8% of the vote and caused a runoff. Taylor's actions inspired Libertarian David Montané to enter the Special Election for State Senate 42 and Libertarian Brandon Givens to take a shot at the Special Election in State Senate 49 several months later.

Taylor continues to lead the way for Georgia Libertarians and has set his sights on the local school board race for his next contest. Visit Taylor's FaceBook and friend the man up and volunteer your time and treasure for his efforts!

Libertarian Candidate for Superintendent of Schools Kira Willis Addresses the Gilmer County Tea Party

Geeze Louise, looks like I won't make it to the Hi Caliber Turkey Shoot

Bummer Dude.

I got mega excited last Friday upon learning about the Turkeyshoot today at the Hi Caliber Indoor Range and Gunshop way up in Holly Springs. The dealio was that each shooter would plunk down $50 bucks for 5 shots out of one of the gunshops Glock rental battery pistols on a 52 card target. Top hand wins the match and the match prize is a Head Down Products XPR-15 rifle, pretty sweet prize.

As it turns out my schedule will not allow the planned sidetrip to Holly Springs today. Again, Bummer Dude. But that doesn't mean that any of the pistol packin' readership that lives a little closer to the match shouldn't take a shot at winning the prize. Keep in mind that it is a fundraiser for an incumbent republican sponsored by none other than Speaker Ralston and Senate Majority Leader Chip Rodgers, so if you go, win that freakin' rifle!

Libertarian Candidate for Commissioner of Labor Will Costa Addresses the Gilmer County Tea Party on Saturday

Augusta Chronicle Reporter Walter Jones Reviews the republican Insurance Commissioner Debate on GPTV

Hey, maybe the mojo is working.

Great news on the Commissioner of Insurance Race! Reporter Walter Jones from the Augusta Chronicle was one of the panelist's in Friday nights GPTV insurance commissioner debate put on in conjunction with the Atlanta Press Club. I watched it from the comfort of the mancave and even recorded the closing arguments for later study.

Here's the kicker, I got a name mention in the article! Nice to know that media people in Georgia's second largest market are aware that the Libertarian Party of Georgia has fielded a full slate of statewide candidates this year. Kudos to Mr. Jones for presenting a complete picture of the state of the race to readers in Augusta. How long will it take for the Atlanta media to follow suit?

We Libertarians have a lot offer the citizens of Georgia this fall. All we ask for is an opportunity for our message of Maximum Freedom and Minimum Government to be heard. The ongoing Atlanta media blackout on our candidates and our party do not serve the people of Georgia well. The fact that we have candidates for every statewide office this fall has been ignored and under reported since the conclusion of our annual convention on 28 APR 2010. A convention we paid for with our own funds, unlike the taxpayer supported primary's of our democrat and republican brothers and sisters.

Once again, Kudos to Mr. Jones. Keep up the great work.

It's Final, Libertarian John Monds Takes 4th place with 12% of the vote in the Georgia Education Alliance On-Line Straw Poll!

4th place ain't first, but 4th out of 15 ain't so bad.

In a surprising finish, Libertarian John Monds finished in the top tier of candidates in the recent Georgia Education Alliance poll that concluded Saturday. The first place finisher, democrat David Poythress, pulled 28% of the online vote, followed by republican Nathan Deal, democrat Dubose Porter and then our guy, John Monds.

While this poll strangely inverts the results from other recent polls, it did include the Libertarian candidate the others have ignored. Perhaps John Monds strong showing will increase the likelyhood that the next poll after the primary will give the respondees the chance to voice their opinion for the Libertarian candidate.

Here are the results:

Updates from the Campaign Trail on Saturday

Update Time, Looks like the Insurance Commissioner TV Debate is SRO

The TV debate is SRO so it looks like I'm SOL.

A quick update for the readership, I'm not going to attend tonights first and only TV debate between the republican candidates for Insurance Commissioner at the GPTV midtown studios. I got phone call from the fine folks down at the Atlanta Press Club about the debates and it turns out that there is very limited seating. Like 50 seats.

Since I already plan to vote for Maria Sheffield in the primary I feel like I ought to not occupy a seat at the event that an actual voter might want. And the folks at the press club have restricted the candidates entourages for the same purpose. So I'll watch the debates and opine later tonight as to who I think won the debate, But I'm still voting for Maria in the primary and I encourage any other Libertarians who plan on playing in the primaries to do like wise.

Who wants a New Head Down Products XPR-15 for $50 Bucks?

I do.

Looks like there's an opportunity for a pistolero to pick up a brand spankin' new XPR-15 by Head Down Products, LLC in a friendly little shooting match/fundraiser that is going to be held at the Hi Caliber Range over in Holly Springs Monday. The fine folks over at Head Down built the match prize and it looks mighty fine. It'll look even finer when it's sitting on my ready rack after the match.

Think you can shoot? Care to try your hand? I'll be there from 4-6PM and see if I can pull a Royal flush with 5 rounds out of a stock Glock 17 from Hi Calibers rental battery. Should be loads-o-fun!

Libertarian John Monds moves into 4th place ahead of Roy Barnes in Online Straw Poll

Update Time Folks!

Libertarian John Monds has moved from 5th place out of 15 candidates to 4th place and bumped democrat Roy Barnes in the online straw poll at the Georgia Education Alliance website. In less than 24 hours since our last post, John has gone from 7% of the vote to 11% and now trails Poythress, Porter and Deal for the top spot. Here are the standings as of right now:










Who is your favorite for Georgia's next Governor?
Thurbert Baker 1.7%
Roy Barnes 9%
Bill Bolton 0.3%
Carl Camon 0%
Jeff Chapman 5.2%
Nathan Deal 17.3%
Karen Handel 3.1%
Eric Johnson 2.1%
Randall Mangham 0%
Ray McBerry 1.4%
John Monds 11.1%
John Oxendine 3.1%
Dubose Porter 15.2%
David Poythress 29.8%
Otis Putnam 0.7%

The readership is highly encouraged to head over to the Georgia Education Alliance and add their vote to John's total. It's easy, it's fun and it alarms our opponents! Vote John Monds for Governor!

Libertarians Chuck Donovan and Shane Bruce hit the Road this Saturday

This Saturday's Barnstorming Itinerary.

Alright folks, me and Chuck Donovan are mounting another multi-location foray into the hinterlands of Georgia to test drive the LP's newly minted slogan of Maximum Freedom, Minimum Government and see if it works. We'll be heading to the Gilmer County Tea Party affair first thing Saturday morning up in Ellijay to set up the tent and do a little politickin'.

After that we're heading over to AthFest to support Paul Pence and his merry crew of Libertarians in their efforts to grow the Athens affiliate. The AthFest is supposed to be an absolutely huge affair and I'm looking forward to it! Major bonus for the readership that is able to attend is that John Monds will be on site doing major grip and grin activites.

So if you're out and about in Gilmer County Saturday morning, stop by and say hi and same goes for you liberty lovers over in Athens.

Hot Diggitty Damn, An Online Poll for Governor that Lists Libertarian John Monds!

Fire that mouse up.

Big news folks, another online poll is out there with a drop dead date of 26 JUN 2010 that actually lets you vote for Libertarian John Monds against a sea of other candidates. Evidently the fine folks over at the Georgia Education Alliance had such a good time with the Superintendent of Schools poll that they decided to put up another one. Good for them!

Here's the results as of right now:


Thank you for voting!
Thurbert Baker 2%
Roy Barnes 10%
Bill Bolton <1%
Carl Camon 0%
Jeff Chapman 6%
Nathan Deal 18%
Karen Handel 4%
Eric Johnson 2%
Randall Mangham 0%
Ray McBerry 1%
John Monds 7%
John Oxendine 3%
Dubose Porter 17%
David Poythress 29%
Otis Putnam 1%

I personally like the fact that our guy is leading 10 other candidates and is in the hunt with the rest. Please note that candidates Porter, Poythress and Barnes are ahead as is Nathan "Stinky" Deal so far. Time to head over and cast your vote for Liberty by clicking the button for John Monds. Lets drive his total to number one by this Saturday!

Libertarian Taylor Bryant Announces his entry into the District 6 School Board Race in Augusta!

The gauntlet is thrown.

Libertarian Taylor Bryant has announced his intention to seek office as the next District Six School Board Representative in Augusta. This will be Taylor's second run for office this year as he comes off a record setting race in the Special Election for State Senate 22 in Augusta in January. Here's the Press Release:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Taylor Bryant will run for District Six School Board

Augusta, GA, June 24th, 2010

Taylor Bryant will file his Declaration of Intent to seek the seat of School Board Representative for District Six.

Taylor Bryant recently ran in the special election for Senate Seat 22. He is the Second District Coordinator for the Libertarian Party of Georgia. He is also the Public Relations Director for the CSRA affiliate. Taylor was the charter PTSA President for Pine Hill Middle School for the 2009-2010 school year.

Taylor is married and has two children in the Richmond County School System. He is currently employed by Gerald Jones Auto Group as a European Auto Technician. Platform details will be released at a later time.

For any questions concerning this matter, please contact Amanda Bryant at (706)306-6356 or you can email amabryant@gmail.com. ###


The readership is encouraged to contact Taylor and offer any and all support for this race.

Hey, Hey, Hey, the first Commissioner of Insurance Televised Debate is on it's Way

Big News Folks.

One of my sharp eyed volunteers just pointed out that the first and only televised debate between the rascally republican candidates for Commissioner of Insurance will be aired live this Friday night at the GPTV studios in Midtown. Sounds like a great show so I'm going! And you should too.

Since I'm not a republican, I won't be in the debate but I'll be easy to spot as I'm pretty sure nobody else will be wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt with a spiffy new candidate name tag. The readership is encouraged to attend as well as the event is free and the studios at GPTV can seat quite a few people, probably hundreds if the Commissioner of Insurance debate rates the big studio.

Will this be a genuine debate or one of those candidate forum thingies? I'm hoping for a finger pointing, podium pounding all hell breaks loose kind of political function but I'm pretty sure it'll be a generic question with generic answers pretty dull shindig. But there's always the post debate parking lot session!

The show starts at 8:00PM so be sure to get there early. The Location is:

GPTV
260 14th Street
Atlanta, GA 30318

And instructions on the parking procedure from GPTV's website:

Parking Instructions: »

Turn into the driveway between the Georgia Tech Research Institute building and Georgia Public Broadcasting and approach the parking gate. Wait for the parking gate to rise and proceed to the right up the ramp. Please park on the 2nd level or above on the west side near the elevators with black and gold Georgia Public Broadcasting signs. Take the elevator to the ground floor and exit to your right. Take the next right and proceed up the hall to the security console or event registration desk located in the GPB Atrium Lobby.

Hey, what's with the "Security Console"?

Has Big Jim Golloway over at the AJC's Political Insider Seen the Light?

An absolutely killer article.

Has Big Jim seen the light? Head over to the Political Insider and check it out. Want to add your 2 cents, go ahead and make it a quarters worth. Here's the breadcrumbs I left:


Greetings All,

We're in a state of respectful silence over here at the Secret Underground Libertarian Command Center in awe of the ballot access article just penned by Big Jim Galloway over to the AJC's Political Insider. Are there cracks showing in the 1943 Georgia Ballot access law that have successfully contained the waters of Liberty for the last 67 years? Will the news that citizens of other states in this great country can show support for third party candidates for elected office by the effortless utilization of the internet finally start the ball rolling here in Georgia for electronic petitioning? We sincerely hope so.

There is another little quirk in the ballot access laws of Georgia that it's citizens could use to trigger major political change in 2012 that would remove the power of the republican and democrat party to dictate which candidates are able to run in state house and state senate races. One of the caveats of the current law is that if a third party, and here in Georgia, that means the Libertarian Party, can run a candidate for Governor who receives 20% +1 of the vote in an election year, that body will transition to full fledged political party with access to every race in Georgia in the next election cycle.
That would mean no unchallenged incumbents anywhere in Georgia, no safe districts anywhere in Georgia and the end of the good ol' boy system.

That is one of the goals of the Libertarian Party of Georgia this year. We have a stellar candidate for Governor with Libertarian John Monds leading the charge for Liberty in 2010. John burst on the political scene in Georgia in 2008 with a record setting 1,000,000 votes in his PSC race, votes that were earned the old fashioned way, day by day and face to face. John declared for the Governorship in 2009 and his leadership and performance inspired 9 other Libertarians to seek statewide office this year in pursuit of the goal of spreading the words of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom to every corner of Georgia in 2010.

We ask you join with us and dismantle Georgia's 1943 Jim Crow Ballot access laws by voting for Libertarian John Monds for Governor this fall as well as supporting our candidates for every statewide office from US Senator all the way down the the Public Service Commission. Go to LPGeorgia. com and examine the party platform, review our candidates and take action to bring more choice and meaningful change to Georgia.

Vote for Maximum Freedom and Minimum Government. Vote for Libertarian John Monds for Governor!

Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan fires it up on the Kelo Case

And you thought your property was your own.

Check out Libertarian Chuck Donovan's latest essay over at DonovanForSenate.com and then see how many times you can hit the donate button!

Here's Chucks post:







Liberty, Property, and Peace
By ChuckDonovan - Posted on 22 June 2010

“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – Benjamin Franklin

“.. and will soon find themselves without both.” – Chuck Donovan


“Complex law is not equally enforced upon all. It is selectively enforced upon the politically unconnected.” – Chuck Donovan




With sadness, we remember that today, June 23, 2010, marks the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo v. New London decision. It forced Susette Kelo and her neighbors out of their homes so the neighborhood could be developed by a government backed company. New London was trying to bring in a large business and all of the revenue it would mean to their struggling local economy. A major pharmaceutical company would establish a large plant nearby what used to be Susette Kelo’s neighborhood in return for a special deal on unused land, plus a city government approved development plan for the neighborhood itself. The development would include housing and a mall meant to attract employees for the pharmaceutical company.

The Supreme Court took the words of the Constitution, specifically the 5th Amendment, and decided that Susette must leave the home she had personally worked to improve and maintain. The Constitution states, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” The Supreme Court twisted the printed words “public use”, and interpreted a much more open meaning of “public good”. The estimated tax income from the improved property and new business, plus the influx of new wage earners, consumers, and taxpayers, would give the city government more income to spend on the “public good”. That was the theory.

In actuality three things happened. First, Susette and her neighbors lost their homes and were forced to move. Secondly, the houses were razed, but the business project failed to take shape, the phamaceutical company decided to not expand, and the area that was once a lively, working class neighborhood is now an empty field. Thirdly and most importantly, the power of the government was increased, and the power and freedom of individual, productive, law abiding Americans was taken away.

I challenge you to show me one Eminent Domain case that involves a rich person, a Federally subsidized business, or a politically connected business being forced to “sell” their property to the government. This ancient right of tyrannical kings is selectively enforced on low and middle-income property owners. It happens repeatedly through history, and yes that includes U.S. history.

Why is government “of the people” allowed to do things no person in the U.S. is allowed to do? Why can government take our property and dictate the terms?

Never forget, whatever the issue, whichever side you politically support, whenever government can take something from one citizen, it is only a matter of time before it will take something from you. An unrestrained government will seize all of your property and take all of your liberty.

Is the end to this story the empty field that once held Suzette’s beloved “Little Pink House” [1], a field that now lies fallow as a testament to overreaching big government that is unable to keep its promises? Will it be more stories of unlimited government seizing your property? It doesn’t have to be.


“The Libertarian Party has always showed strong support for private property rights. Our platform states that 'we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain."

"…The Castle Coalition, which works to protect property owners from eminent domain abuse, has given only five states an A or A- rating for eminent domain reform in the wake of the Kelo decision. Many states have passed reforms that sound strong at first, but contain major loopholes or other bad provisions. Republicans and Democrats like to posture as eminent domain reformers while they carve out exceptions for special interests." [2]



What is it that you will allow government to do?


The mission is freedom.
The vision is now.

Stirrin' the Pot over at the AJC's Political Insider

Can King Roy win without a run off? Sure hope not.

A pretty cool thread is running over at the AJC's Political Insider blog on the possiblities of King Roy winning his primary without a run off. I've left some breadcrumbs and encourage the rest of the readership to follow suit. But before you go, I need to inflate my friends list over at the FaceBook Political page for fundraising purposes and respectfully request a friend up or two.

Here's the post:

Greetings All,

It's blackberry cobbler time here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center on the news that our preferred democrat candidate for Governor, King Roy, is a shoe in for the nomination. While we prefer republican Nathan "Stinky" Deal, we can live with the Ox if he indeed wins the republican primary. Why? Because our guy, Libertarian John Monds is going to upset the apple cart this fall.

Aided and abetted by the first full slate of Libertarian statewide candidates, John Monds history making run for the Governorship is going to ensure that the Libertarian ideals of maximum freedom and minimum government are front and center in the debates. Head over to VoteMonds.com and get involved in the campaign that will make a difference.

Vote for Maximum Freedom, Minimum Government! Vote Libertarian John Monds for Governor

Holy Crap! According to the Georgia Tea Party Voters Guide I Support Obama Care!

Sure hope this is just a typo.

Looks like the questionnaire I filled out back on 27 May 10 just got released from the fine folks over at The Georgia Tea Party along with their endorsements for candidates this fall. All well and good, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but if you go to the trouble ask candidates for their stances on issues and are kind enough to include the Libertarian candidates in the mix, please, please, please don't screw up their responses. Did this mistake cost me their endorsement?

According to the Tea Party Voter guide, I support Obama Care. Really? A Libertarian candidate supports a massive increase in the size and reach of our already bloated federal government? I'm assuming it's a typo, but my campaign is now saddled with this albatross and it's already pretty ripe. To set the record straight here's my post from way back in May on this questionaire:

Ms. Stanton,

The LP Operations Director, Brett Bittner, forwarded your email to me. It seems from the specific questions that these are policy questions for the candidates for the Office of Insurance Commissioner this year in Georgia.

First order of business, the name is Shane Bruce, not Bruce Shane.

Your questions. Please note that each is provided with a yes or no as requested and additional info as I see fit.

Reduce spending: Yes. That is one of the three fundamental elements of Libertarianism. Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom.
Reduce fees and taxes: Yes. See answer number one.
States’ Rights: Yes. Only as a subset of the rights of the individual citizen. Are any of the amendments after the 10th Amendment real?
Purchasing insurance across state lines: Yes. The citizens of Georgia must be freed from the Insurance plantation.
Obama Care: No. Obama Care is another intrusion by the federal government into the lives of Georgia citizens and must be stopped.
Establishing risk pools: Yes. Georgia already has a high risk pool that is unfunded. It is not perfect but it is a start.
Establishing coverage by menu: Yes. Each citizen of Georgia should be able to pick and choose the coverages they want and not be dictated to by the state in the form of mandates.
Portability: Yes. The citizen is the user of insurance products. The citizen pays for this directly or indirectly but the coverage is his. If he leaves one employment situation for another his policy coverage should go with him.

I appreciate the Tea Party's interest in these matters but urge you to also look at some of the other functions of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. What do the members of the Tea Party think about Georgia's hidden insurance premium tax? What is their opinion on payday loan operators? Do they think the statewide Fire Safety program as is currently constituted adequate for the job or in need of additional funding and staff?

As a first time politician and long term Libertarian I am interested in establishing communications channels with as many like minded Georgians as possible. Thanks for your inquiry and if you need more info, pick up the phone and call me. Or go to the campaign FaceBook page or my blog and see what's happening today.

Regards,

Shane Bruce
Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shane-Bruce/111977342173440?ref=ts
http://bludgeonandskewer.blogspot.com/

I realize this massive voter guide has been released in electronic format and is probably being scrutinized in detail by the members and supporters of this new political movement. As a result I'll be spending a lot of time between now and November being quizzed by voters as to why I supposedly support Obama Care when we should be talking the premium tax, the use of credit scores in pricing insurance products or the captive insurance give away. This little screwup is not going to make my herculean task any easier.

The solution? Retract the guide, correct it, and reissue it. Make sure that Tea Party supporters have the correct info with which to make their decisions this fall. It's the right thing to do.

Online Polls are a Beautiful Thing

Once a Marine, Always a Marine.

Libertarian candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan sent out an email today encouraging his readers to take part in an online poll currently running way down there in Florida at NaplesNews.com. Like Georgia, Florida has an Marine Corps veteran named Alex Snitker running for one of it's US Senate seats, and like our Marine Corps veteran running for US Senate, Chuck Donovan, Alex has been consistently ignored by the main stream media even though he will be on the ballot this fall.

Chuck said move to contact, I took action and voted. Here's the kicker, Alex is running #1 in the poll right now out of 814 online votes.


Alex Snitker 46% 378

Marco Rubio 33% 273

Charlie Crist 16% 137

Kendrick Meek 2% 19

Jeff Greene 1% 9

total votes: 816

Boots and Saddles time folks. Two clicks and you can influence politics in the southeast right here and right now. Once you are done go to Chuck's website and hit the donate button. Repeatedly.

The DCSS wants $5 Bucks out of Me?

Look what the cat dragged in.

You volunteer at a local Girl Scout Camp to assist in check in for an afternoon and hardworking guys and girls over at the DCSS automated spam-a-matic have clogged up the old inbox with requests for money. How dare they, your inbox is supposed to be clogged up with my requests for money. Couldn't help myself, here's my response:


J.B.,

Imagine my astonishment in receiving your latest missive regarding handing over $5 to the DSCC. How in the world did I obtain a supporter number with your organization? I do not recall ever signing up with you or your republican counterparts, mayhap it is time to reexamine your mailing lists or perhaps change vendors

As a matter of fact, I'm currently running for Insurance Commissioner in the state of Georgia and look forward to defeating my democrat and republican opponents this fall. I am also supporting Libertarian Chuck Donovan in his race against Johnny Isakson and which ever democrat candidate emerges from their primary on 20 JUL 10.

Upon reflection, I seem to recall your organization was instrumental in convincing Micheal Thurmond (D) to take one for the team this fall in the Georgia US Senate race as a method of boosting turnout to support Roy Barnes effort to regain the Governorship prior to reapportionment after the census. That kind of crafty, strategic, behind the scenes political manipulation has become a hallmark of your organization and has been a major contributor in putting all the citizens of the United States in the mess we are in today.

None the less, I would accept a political donation from your organization to assist me in defeating which ever republican I end up facing this fall. It can only benefit your candidate who will lose in any event. Might I suggest the maximum donation of $6100.00?
Anything less would make your organization appear cheap and ineffectual. Rest assured that you'll never get a dime out of me and remember....

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend"

Regards,

Shane Bruce
Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner

And the almost original message:





On Sun, Jun 20, 2010 at 11:41 AM, J.B. Poersch wrote:



Supporter Number Supporter Name Supporter as of Contribution Status
7949955 Shane Bruce Pending


Dear Shane ,

We were reviewing our supporter records and saw that you had not yet made an online gift to the DSCC. The November elections feature a huge and ever-shifting map. And Karl Rove's American Crossroads group just announced on Friday that it is turning the full force of its fundraising machine against no fewer than eleven Democratic candidates.

The DSCC is counting on every one of our grassroots supporters to defeat Republicans and defend President Obama in November. We can't win without your help. Would you consider making a contribution today? Even $5 will make a difference in races from coast to coast.

Please click here to make a gift of $5 or more to the DSCC.

When you give to the DSCC, you'll become part of a powerful grassroots force that has helped elect 14 new Democrats to the Senate since 2006. There is no path to victory in November without the support of committed Democrats just like you. Please consider making an immediate donation.

Thank you.

J.B. Poersch

P.S.: Even a gift of $5 will make a difference in November. Please become a supporter of the DSCC today. We need your help to win in November!


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Libertarian Candidate for State Superintendent of Schools Kira Willis gets coverage at the AJC's Get Schooled Blog

Major Earned Media Time Folks.

Libertarian Kira Willis breaks new ground for Libertarian politics in Georgia by successfully getting her positions aired at the mighty, mighty AJC. Way to go Kira!

Here are some snippets from the article:

The AJC asked Kira Willis, state school superintendent candidate, her views on four issues. (Her answers are part of a Sunday/Monday package in the AJC.)

1. How would you manage a mandated 10 percent cut in education spending?
2. How will you restore public confidence in test results?
3. Do you support vouchers for public education?
4. Do you support pay for performance for teachers?

Want to see the answers? Head over to the article and read for yourself. Then head over to Kira's website and slap that donate button silly.

Libertarian Chuck Donovan and Shane Bruce will be in Augusta Saturday

Breaking News Liberty Lovers.

Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan and Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Shane Bruce will join Taylor Bryant and his CSRA crew tomorrow for Augusta Pride. We'll be there around 2:00PM to show our support for equal rights for all Georgia citizens in accordance with basic Libertarian principles.

If you're gonna be at the event tomorrow, stop by the Libertarian Party of Georgia tent and meet at least two of the ten statewide candidates the Libertarian Party of Georgia will have on the ballot this fall. And get off the couch and join the CSRA Libertarian affiliate, one of the fastest growing affiliates in Georgia!

Neal Boortz Likes Nathan "Stinky" Deal? So do We!

Stirrin' the pot over at the AJC Georgia Elections Central.Funny how an off hand comment from our buddy Boortz can turn into a major political endorsement. Head over and join the fun!










Bludgeon & Skewer
June 17th, 2010
4:36 pm

Greetings All,

We’re in a state of shock over here at the Secret Underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) on the news that radio personality Neal Boortz has endorsed republican candidate Nathan “Stinky” Deal for Governor of Georgia! It’s not often that we agree with Mr. Boortz’s political endorsements here in the great state Georgia as he has consistently recommended republican candidates over Libertarian candidates to his listeners while occasionally identifying himself as a person with Libertarian leanings. Such is life.

In this particular case we whole heartedly agree that ol’ Stinky is the man to lead the republican effort this fall and we sincerely hope our brothers and sisters over in democrat-land do us a favor and pick King Roy as their standard bearer. The image of our guy, Libertarian John Monds, standing on the stage with those relics of the past in the televised debates will provide the citizens of Georgia with a stark contrast of choices this fall.

To help make sure that happens, we are encouraging our Libertarian brothers and sisters to throughly enjoy themselves on primary day and go the polls and vote once they’ve decided which primary they want to play in. And if you’re playing in the republican primary, go ahead and vote for Maria Sheffield for Insurance Commissioner! Our Libertarian Insurance Commissioner candidate Shane Bruce will be glad you did!

Stirrin' the Pot over at the Gwinnett Daily Post

Google is a wonderful thing.

I bumped into this recap of the state of the race over at the GwinnettDailyPost.Com and had to add additional info. It's not like my campaign can afford earned media at the moment. The readership is encouraged to head out and read the entire article to get the skinny on my democrat opponent, Mary Squires. Looks like she's building a warchest with $131,000 in the kitty. Quite daunting.

Here's the post

Greetings All,

Nice to see some up to date info on democrat candidate Mary Squires since the oxygen is getting eaten up by the thundering herd of republicans vying for John Oxendine's old job. To complete the picture, here's some up to date info on the Libertarian candidate for Insurance Commissioner Shane Bruce. The big news is that the Libertarian Party of Georgia will field a complete slate of statewide candidates this fall and I have to honor and privilege to be one of them. My main focus for the Insurance Commissioner race will be to:

-Move Georgia from 8th highest auto insurance rates in the USA down to 49th, where we like to hang in education.

-Fully staff the Fire Safety office

-Use the bully pulpit of the Commissioners office to reduce Georgia's horrendously high insurance premium taxes.

More info? Google Libertarian Shane Bruce.

Libertarian Cigar Smokers Club Meeting Tonight at The Buckhead Cigar Lounge at Dantannas

Major Grip and Grin Opportunity folks.

The Libertarian Cigar Smokers Club of Georgia is meeting again tonight in the Buckhead Cigar Lounge at Dantanna's next to Lenox Mall starting at 7:00PM. Numerous luminaries will attend the festivities including Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan, Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Shane Bruce and hopefully Libertarian Candidate for Secretary of State David Chastain. The Buckhead Cigar Lounge Bar at Dantanna's is exceptional and last months meeting had several surprise guests.

If you're leaning Libertarian, if you're disgusted with the choices in this years election or if you just like cigars and Liberty-centric conversation, then by all means attend!

It's Time to Start Thinking about which Primary to Play In

I finally recovered from Saturdays roadtrip.

One of the most interesting things about last Saturdays SWGA Politics forum was not the event in the forum but the conversations in the parking lot afterward. Throw 35 politicians into a situation where they are focused on their primary opponents instead of their arch rivals in the other major political party and all sorts of surprises occur.

One such surprise was the number of democrat and republican candidates that inquired which way the LP was planning to play in the upcoming primaries. I have often stated my opinions on this blog that the best match up for Governor we could hope for would be democrat "King" Roy Barnes opposite republican Nathan "Stinky" Deal facing off with our guy, Libertarian John Monds. There is no starker contrast available. I had not even considered the effect we could have on the down ballot races. Our political opponents have.

Politicians fighting for a spot in the run off are constantly recalculating the odds and the Libertarian Party of Georgia is suddenly a wild card, sort of an Ace in the Hole and it seems that we're this months popular folks. Every candidate I chatted with wanted to know how to get some libertarian voters to the polls to help sort out thier primaries.

I want to know that as well. Georgia's primaries are open primaries. If you're a registered voter, you can vote in either the republican or democrat primary without having to vote for the same politician in the general election. In other words, us Libertarians could significantly influence which candidates wind up facing our guys and gals this fall. The concern among our republican and democrat counterparts seems to be that fundraising has been difficult, primary turnout is expected to be low and with the vast herd of candidates to pick from a couple of thousand votes garnered from the LP might make the difference between success and failure. I agree with that analysis.

So where do the Libertarians of Georgia want to play? In the Insurance Commissioners race I have a suggestion, vote for Maria Sheffield in the republican primary. That would pit me against democrat Mary Squires and republican Maria Sheffield in November and make me the only guy in that race. Is Georgia ready for a female Insurance Commissioner? I hope not.

This is a big topic and I would welcome any input the readership might be able to provide.

Libertarian Candidate for Secretary of State David Chastain speaks at the SWGA Forum in Albany on 12 JUN 2010

Got recounts? Not in Georgia.

Libertarian Candidate for State Superintendent of Schools Kira Willis in Albany at the SWGA Politics Forum

ABC, Baby, ABC.

Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Shane Bruce Speechifyin' in Albany

Libertarian Shane Bruce leads off in Saturdays SWGA Politics forum in Albany.

Libertarian Candidate for State Superintendent of Schools Kira Willis Nabs 32% of the Vote

Way to go Kira!

Libertarian Kira Willis posted a surprisingly strong second place finish in yesterdays online straw poll held by the Georgia Education Alliance that asked the question "Who is your favorite for Georgia's next State Superintendent of Schools?" Yeah it's straw poll, yeah it's online but the fact remains that Kira's supporters outnumber everyone but democrat Brian Westlake. Outstanding for a part time all volunteer effort.




Here are the results from yesterday.


Brian Westlake 53.1%
Kira Willis 32.4%
John Barge 2.4%
Beth Farokhi 6.9%
Joe Martin 5.2%
Richard Woods 0%

Second place is good but first place is what we're shooting for. It's time to head over to Kira's website and drop a dollar or twenty on the donate button and volunteer!

Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan speaks at the SWGA Politics Forum in Albany on 12 JUN 2010

Libertarian Chuck Donovan working the crowd at the SWGA Politics forum.

Diebold Strikes Again in South Carolina

And you think this can't happen in Georgia? Think again, we have the same kind of unverifiable Diebold electronic voting machines.

From the indefatigable Garland Favorito:


VoterGA Supporters,

By now you may have heard that Alvin Greene, an unemployed 13 year military veteran defeated Vic Rawl, a four term former state representative in the South Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary race. Greene, who was declared the victor by roughly a 59-41% margin is expected to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Jim DeMint in November. What you may not have heard is that Alvin Greene had almost no funds, ran no advertisements, produced no yard signs, conducted no state wide tours, attended almost no Democratic Party events and did not even establish a web site. Green was unknown even to his opponent and less than articulate as demonstrated by his video clips. What you also may not have heard is that there was a double digit discrepancy between the absentee ballot results and electronic vote totals. For example, in Lancaster County, Rawl won the verifiable absentee ballot count by 86% to 14% while Greene won the unverifiable electronic vote count by about 58% to 41%. The local and national news media has largely suppressed these details of this bizarre election and have offered no explanation of how someone who essentially ran no campaign at all could win a statewide race..

But the story gets even more bizarre. South Carolina Democratic Party chairwoman, Carol Fowler, began attacking Greene immediately after his “victory”. She called for his withdrawal on the grounds that he may be tried for showing obscene internet photos to a female college student in a computer lab at the University of South Carolina. (Yes, I know that makes little sense). The media is quick to report this part of the story and even emphasizes the point that the charge could somehow be considered a “felony”. It is particularly interesting that Carol Fowler has offered no assistance to Vic Rawl in his examination and potential challenge of the electronic voting results.

A third bizarre aspect of the election is why Greene would put up $10,000 of his limited personal funds for the filing fee and where did he get that money since he is unemployed. More details on this election, which is likely to become ongoing saga, are available in the article by Brad Friedman below.

South Carolina has 100% unverifiable electronic voting equipment manufactured by Election Systems & Software (ES&S). ES&S recently purchased Premier Elections Systems from Diebold in a deal that allowed them to supply almost 70% of American’s voting machines.

Garland
404 664-4044 CL
www.voterga.org


So head out to VoterGa.Org and get the full story.

Libertarian Candidate for Governor John Monds speaks at the SWGA Politics Forum on 12 JUN 2010

Hot off the presses from Bludgeon & Skewer.

Listen to the man and get off the couch and volunteer!

Libertarian Candidate for Ag Commissioner Kevin Cherry gets interviewed by the Douglas County Sentinel

Earned Media Time Folks.

Libertarian Keven Cherry got a nifty interview with reporter Winston Jones of the Douglas County Sentinel that really lays out some of the most important issues Kevin is running on.

Here's a snippet:

Cherry called for a “change in the culture” in agriculture, with food safety inspectors being licensed through private associations.

“We need more research in green energy and organic crops,” he said. “That’s the wave of the future and we need to get into it.”

Cherry also wants to “get rid of unneeded programs and regulations” which he said have built up during Irvin’s 41 years on the job.


To read the rest of the article head on over to the Douglas County Sentinel and be sure to leave a comment or two. And then head over to Kevin's FaceBook page and help the man out!

An email from the Georgia LP's very own Jason Pye

From the man himself




Hey guys,

We're about a month away from primaries for the Republicans and Democrats, and we're just a couple weeks away from filing day for our candidates. The "pre-game" for campaign season is almost over.

We've nominated a full slate of statewide candidates. It's great that we have a group of willing individuals to step up to run for office, but they need our help to run serious campaigns.

The fact of the matter is campaigns don't run on unicorns, rainbows and fairy dust. They don't run on gimmicks, at least not for more than a couple weeks. I've been observing, working and consulting for campaigns and candidates for about six years. I'm not saying that I'm an expert, but I have learned a lot. You don't have to be James Carville or Karl Rove to know the basics of campaigning. Those basics are that we need money, time and effort to be successful.

How can we expect a campaign to win, if no one shows up to help the candidates at events, volunteers to work on their campaigns, or gives money to them (or the party for providing the resources)?

Four years ago, the Democratic Party of Georgia sent out a press release bragging about putting a candidate on the ballot in every congressional race in the state. I remember saying, "That's something the Libertarian Party would do... touting an expectation as an accomplishment." We are beyond that now, and it's time that we stop doing the things that people expect from a political party, and we do things that actually make a difference in Georgia politics.

Our candidates need money to purchase yard signs, bumper stickers and other forms of advertising. They need volunteers to make phone calls, canvas neighborhoods, run or build websites, manage social media campaigns (like Twitter and Facebook), and write Letters to the Editor of your local paper talking about our candidates' positions on the issues.

Our candidates need help NOW. Everyone can give something, whether it is time, money or both, but it’s time to step up.

You can donate RIGHT NOW to any of these candidates:

Chuck Donovan - US Senate

John Monds - Governor

David Chastain - Secretary of State

Kira Willis - State School Superintendent

What am I doing to help?

I’m going to raise our candidates $500, either by soliciting donations from friends and acquaintances or by slowly contributing it over time myself. If you don’t have money or the resources to raise money, get involved some other way. But the most important thing is that you're involved.

In Liberty,

Jason Pye
Legislative Director
Libertarian Party of Georgia


P.S. Don't forget about the state party. We are working the hardest I've ever seen. If you aren't a member of the state party, become one. That is why I'm writing you today. I am asking specifically for your help. We need YOUR help to keep up with Democrats and Republicans, your donation or monthly pledge of $25, $50, $100 or even $1000 will help us support these candidates as they take on the candidates from the Big Government Party.

To mail a check, please make it payable to “The Libertarian Party of Georgia” and mail it to:
1776 Peachtree St. NW
715 South Tower
Atlanta, GA 30309


This message paid for by the Libertarian Party of Georgia. Contributions to candidates for office and/or political organizations are not deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes. The state of Georgia requires political bodies, parties, and committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer for each individual whose contributions amount to $101 or more in a calendar year.

If you wish to no longer receive mailings from the Libertarian Party of Georgia, please click to send an email to: GLOunsubscribe@lpgeorgia.com to opt-out.

Libertarian Kira Willis is Polling 2nd in the Georgia Education Alliance Online Straw Poll

Hot off the Presses from FaceBook.

Libertarian Candidate for Georgia School Superintendent Kira Willis is holding down 2nd place with 28% of the votes in an online straw poll being conducted by the Georgia Education Alliance.

The current standings are:

Democrat Brian Westlake 55%
Libertarian Kira Willis 28%
Democrat Joe Martin 7%
Democrat Beth Farokhi 7%
Republican John Barge 3%
Republican Richard Woods 0%

I urge the readership to cruise by and play havoc with this poll, no info on numbers of votes so lets see if we can push Kira to first place by the end of the day. And while you're at it, drop by my Politician FaceBook page and friend or fan me up as well.

Libertarians Chuck Donovan and Shane Bruce hit the Road Saturday

Gonna be a busy day tomorrow.

Big news folks. Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Chuck Donovan and Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Shane Bruce will criss cross Georgia tomorrow in a barnstorming political tour starting with the 10:00AM Bartow County Libertarian Party meeting and ending with the SWGA Candidate forum in Albany at 10:00PM. We will log over 600 miles according to MapQuest and meet and greet as many citizens of Georgia as humanly possible.

What drives us part time citizen politicians to undertake an 18 hour day in pursuit of elected office?

Liberty.

Liberty.

Liberty.

If you're in North Georgia and would like to meet, greet and donate to two of the Libertarian Party's candidates for this fall's election then come on down to the Bartow County LP meeting:

Date:
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Time:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:
Country Inn & Suites - Meeting Room
Street:
43 State Route 20 Spur
City/Town:
Cartersville, GA


View Larger Map


Later that day some 200 miles to the south, we will be attending the SWGA Candidate Forum in Albany. Here is the updated info from SWGAPolitics

The inaugural SWGAPolitics.com Candidate Forum will be held at Connections Albany, 2401-D Dawson Rd Albany Ga 31707, on June 12th , 2010. We have the room from 5PM to 10 PM, and the formal forum will start promptly at 6PM, feel free to bring a campaign table to distribute campaign information as well. We will follow a simple format with a 2-3 min introduction, 1-2 questions per race, 2 min closing remarks, upon completion should you choose you can meet the locals and mingle as you see fit.


View Larger Map

UPDATE: Looks like Maria Sheffield will be at the SWGA Forum as well, what's Ralph Hudgens doing?

Like I said, it's gonna be a long day. I urge the readership to attend either of these events, hell, go to both of 'em!

Holy Crap, I Gotta Raise Some Funds!

Another fabulous headshot.

The clock is ticking and I have to make some progress towards amassing a fabulous warchest for the impending campaign for Commissioner of Insurance, Fire Safety, Comptroller General and Race Track Regulator for the great state of Georgia. A quick check of the campaign coffers indicates that the status from last month of zero, nada, nothin' is rapidly becoming the status quo. What to do?

I know from my personal experience with other Libertarian campaigns for elected office in Georgia that we Libertarians do not get the same level of donations that our republican brothers and sisters do. As I've observed in other posts here, there's not to much cash in the Liberty game, just Liberty and stuff. That does not mean that it's not important, it just means that since we don't hold any elected offices we don't have the ability to barter the publics money for campaign contributions from rent seeking corporations, single issue advocacy groups and the whole herd of special interests that have become a plague upon our land.

Thus the corundum, can a Libertarian politician can mount and sustain an effective political campaign with no financial resources? The short answer is that you can't. Name plates cost money, push cards cost money, yard signs are astronomical and a major media buy? Fogettaboutit!

And so I appeal to the readership for a modicum of financial support. I'm not asking for $120,000 worth of illegal PAC contributions from Alabama, I'm looking to get John Oxendines old job, not become his clone. I'm not asking for $34,000 in donations from insurance companies like republican Ralph Hudgens got last year, although that would certainly set Libertarian records for fundraising here in Georgia.

If every member of the readership could see their way to donating a sawbuck to this campaign over the next month that would work out to $40,000 bucks. That's enough to run a competent asymmetric web based campaign that will ensure that our message of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom is featured on the menu for the Insurance Commissioners race.

So, please ponder my request. Then reach for your checkbook and send me a $20 dollar check.

Thank you for your support!

Big Shindig This Saturday at SWGAPolitics Candidate Forum in South Georgia

It's gonna get crowded in Leesburg this Saturday.

The Candidate forum sponsored by SWGAPolitics down in Lee County this Saturday is turning into a political Tsunami! As of right now 5 of the 8 republican candidates for Insurance Commissioner will be there as well as myself. Looks like democrat candidate Mary Squires has yet to decide. C'mon Mary, it's grip and grin forum and there's democrats down there, Peanut Politics says so.

There's also time for Maria and Ralph to make the phone call and show up as well, in case your staffs haven't briefed you, the format is:

We will follow a simple format with a 2-3 min introduction, 1-2 questions per race, 2 min closing remarks, upon completion should you choose you can meet the locals and mingle as you see fit.

I think it's an opportunity for a great group shot. 1 Libertarian (That'd be me), 1 democrat (Mary Squires) and:
Republican Tom Knox – Insurance
Republican Denis Cain – Insurance
Republican John Mamalakis- Insurance
Republican Seth Harp – Insurance
Republican Gerry Purcell – Insurance

The picture can only be complete if Maria and Ralph show up and Steve Northington should come too. Anybody know if Harold is still running? I seem to remember that he pulled out a while back but I could be mistaken.

In all there are 33 candidates taking part in the forum ranging from US Senate, US House, statewide Georgia officers and county and city races. Should be a great show!

Here's the list as of today:

Lonnie Smith – DoCo Commission Dist 2
Donnie Smith – DoCo SB Dist2
Ewell Lyle – DoCo Commission Dist 4
Richard Thomas – DoCo Commission Dist 6
Jeff Sexton – Leesburg City Council
John Douglas – PSC 2
Jeff May – PSC 2
Tim Echols (represented by Stephen Morrison) – PSC 2
Libertarian Will Costa – Labor
Melvin Everson – Labor
Richard Woods – School Super
Libertarian Kira Willis – School Super
Brian Westlake – School Super (tentative)
Libertarian Kevin Cherry – Agriculture
Darwin Carter – Agriculture
Tom Knox – Insurance
Denis Cain – Insurance
Libertarian Shane Bruce – Insurance
John Mamalakis- Insurance
Seth Harp – Insurance
Gerry Purcell – Insurance
Libertarian David Chastain – SOS
Angela Moore – SOS
Sam Olens – Attorney General
Preston Smith – Attorney General
Libertarian John Monds – Governor
Nathan Deal – Governor
David Poythress – Governor
Thurbert Baker – Governor
Dubose Porter – Governor
Rick Allen – Congress Dist 2
RJ Hadley – US Senate (tentative)
Libertarian Chuck Donovan – US Senate

If any of the readership can make it, please attend.

Stirrin' the Pot at the AJC's Political Insider

It's a Sunburn kinda Sunday.

I was running the boards after yesterday's shooting soirée at RiverBend and ran across a post over at the AJC's Political Insider about republican candidate John Oxendine with a rather interesting comment trail. Here in Libertyland. we're constantly bombarded by our republican and democrat foes hurling the phrases "Wasting your vote" or "lesser of two evils" as part and parcel of our political campaigns but it's kind of early in the season to hear that from the proles.

I left some breadcrumbs and the readership is encouraged to pile on as they see fit. But before you do, be so kind as to visit the adsense side bar and click on any of the campaign ads you see there, it's the best way to influence politics in Georgia right here and right now!

Here's the post:

Bludgeon & Skewer
June 5th, 2010
6:51 pm

Greetings All,

It’s wonderful Chamber of Commerce kind of day when you run into political thread about the governor’s race in Georgia that mentions “lesser of 4 evils”, “wasted vote” and a request for information on Libertarian Candidate for Governor John Monds.

Commenter Jeff has kindly provided a link to John Monds website in his post so there’s no need to duplicate it here. As far as reasons to cast your ballot for a Libertarian this fall as opposed to your democrat or republican choice, the answer lies in the other responses in this thread. Will you “waste your vote” on a politician you do not trust? Will you settle for the “Lesser of 4 evils” and barter away more of your liberty to stay within your political brand?

Or will you cast your ballot for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom? The choice is a simple one if you think it through. I urge you all to take a look at Libertarian John Monds and consider the fact that he is the only candidate in the Governors race that does not have any ethical dilemmas, any shady deals or questionable relationships. He is an honest and trustworthy man and will make a great Governor.

Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote for Libertarian John Monds for Governor!

Bludgeon & Skewer Head to the Shootin' Range

It's June. It's Hot as blazes. Where you gonna go?

Republican Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Maria Sheffield Gots Videos!

Somebody's reading That's Just Peachy!

Hot news folks, one of my prime opponents for that sweet gig down to the Insurance Commissioner's office has broke out the big money and released 3, count 'em, 3 YouTube videos along the lines of the stuff candidate Steve Northington has had up for the last 6 months. Coincidence? I think not!

Evidently both candidates media consultants are in love with the fixed studio headshot approach and Maria threw in a bluescreen complete with campaign logo. I did find the piano soundtrack entirely to much like elevator music but hey, it's cheaper than paying license fees.

Here's a sample, judge for yourself.

Undecided Wows 'em in the latest Republican Primary poll for PSC District 2

The saga continues.

Perennial favorite and champion of the indifferent and unattentive, Undecided dominated the latest InsiderAdvantage/RosettaStone Poll for the republican primary for PSC district 2 with an insurmountable 75% of the vote. Undecided is also dominating in other recent polls for entirely different races here in the Peach State which is pretty telling evidence that the voting public is not all that impressed with the flesh and blood candidates they have to pick from.

That's good news for Liberty.

Fortunately Libertarian Candidate James Sendelbach is a refreshing alternative to which ever republican winds up being the nominee for PSC district 2. Please visit his FaceBook page and fan the man up or volunteer to help his campaign.