[Lnc-business] Email Ballot 2017-18: Unity Statement

Mon Aug 28 08:38:00 EDT 2017

I must admit that coalitions make me nervous unless they are confined to advocacy for specific actions like closure of all foreign military bases and reducing our offensive military presence on foreign shores and on the seas. While this motion is presented in the context of the broader Libertarian perspective, the proposed actions appear to be on target. I fail to see any “rent is theft” connection.

As to the environmental issue, it is a well-established fact that governments and their military arms are by far the worst polluters and stewards of the environment. Our 25 existing and proposed 15 additional carrier strike forces are certainly not green-friendly floating wind farms.

On the espionage issue, I am okay with privately sponsored foreign defensive espionage but government offensive espionage is a serious threat to not only the world community but inevitably trickles down into information gathering focused on citizens here at home for obvious unethical reasons disguised as scare-tactic protection from terrorists.

Aside from my interest in a little more definition on the proposed coalition and its action limitations, I support this motion.

Thoughts?

~David Pratt

2018 Omaha Roads to Freedom Un-Convention

Freedom, Nothing More, Nothing Less

~David Pratt Demarest

Roads to Freedom Foundation, Founder

LNC Region 6 Representative (IA, IL, MN, MO, ND, NE, WI)

LSLA Vice-Chair

LPNE State Central Committee, Secretary

LPRC Board Member, Nebraska State Coordinator

David.Demarest at LP.org <mailto:David.Demarest at LP.org> 

Secretary at LPNE.org <mailto:Secretary at LPNE.org>  

DPDemarest at centurylink.net <mailto:DPDemarest at centurylink.net>  

DPrattDemarest at gmail.com <mailto:DPrattDemarest at gmail.com>  

Cell:      402-981-6469 

Home: 402-493-0873

From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces at hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Hayes
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2017 6:00 AM
To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Email Ballot 2017-18: Unity Statement

I vote NO.

I am TOTALLY in for closure of all foreign bases. I immediately paused at the language that Caryn Ann just pointed out about Environmental damage.   I was worried I was going to be the only "No". I would have worn that one proudly.  

I think I see another agenda from the authors here besides closing bases.  I think we need to run away from this.

I don't think our position on foreign bases is unclear either. Run away.. bravely run away away...

If "we" sign this, next thing you know, we will have members saying something absurd and antithetical to the fundamental principles of libertarianism (like property rights) such as, "Rent is theft".

Daniel Hayes

LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 28, 2017, at 3:40 AM, David Demarest <dprattdemarest at gmail.com <mailto:dprattdemarest at gmail.com> > wrote:

Yes

~David Pratt Demarest

On Aug 28, 2017 2:22 AM, "Caryn Ann Harlos" <carynannharlos at gmail.com <mailto:carynannharlos at gmail.com> > wrote:

Yes

On Mon, Aug 28, 2017 at 1:07 AM Alicia Mattson <agmattson at gmail.com <mailto:agmattson at gmail.com> > wrote:

We have an electronic mail ballot.

Votes are due to the LNC-Business list by September 7, 2017 at 11:59:59pm Pacific time.

Co-Sponsors:  Vohra, Bittner, Harlos, Demarest

Motion:  The Chair is authorized by the LNC to sign the following petition on behalf of the LNC:  http://noforeignbases.org/

--------------------Resolution Text--------------------

Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases

Unity Statement

We, the undersigned peace, justice and environmental organizations, and individuals, endorse the following Points of Unity and commit ourselves to working together by forming a Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases, with the goal of raising public awareness and organizing non-violent mass resistance against U.S. foreign military bases.

While we may have our differences on other issues, we all agree that U.S. foreign military bases are the principal instruments of imperial global domination and environmental damage through wars of aggression and occupation, and that the closure of U.S. foreign military bases is one of the first necessary steps toward a just, peaceful and sustainable world. Our belief in the urgency of this necessary step is based on the following facts:

1.  While we are opposed to all foreign military bases, we do recognize that the United States maintains the highest number of military bases outside its territory, estimated at almost 1000 (95% of all foreign military bases in the world). Presently, there are U.S. military bases in every Persian Gulf country except Iran.

2.  In addition, the United States has 19 Naval air carriers (and 15 more planned), each as part of a Carrier Strike Group, composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft — each of which can be considered a floating military base.

3.  These bases are centers of aggressive military actions, threats of political and economic expansion, sabotage and espionage, and crimes against local populations. In addition, these military bases are the largest users of fossil fuel in the world, heavily contributing to environmental degradation.

4.  The annual cost of these bases to the American taxpayers is approximately $156 billion. The support of U.S. foreign military bases drains funds that can be used to fund human needs and enable our cities and States to provide necessary services for the people.

5.  This has made the U.S. a more militarized society and has led to increased tensions between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Stationed throughout the world, almost 1000 in number, U.S. foreign military bases are symbols of the ability of the United States to intrude in the lives of sovereign nations and peoples.

6.  Many individual national coalitions — for example, Okinawa, Italy, Jeju Island Korea, Diego Garcia, Cyprus, Greece, and Germany — are demanding closure of bases on their territory. The base that the U.S. has illegally occupied the longest, for over a century, is Guantánamo Bay, whose existence constitutes an imposition of the empire and a violation of International Law. Since 1959 the government and people of Cuba have demanded that the government of the U.S. return the Guantánamo territory to Cuba.

U.S. foreign military bases are NOT in defense of U.S. national, or global security. They are the military expression of U.S. intrusion in the lives of sovereign countries on behalf of the dominant financial, political, and military interests of the ruling elite. Whether invited in or not by domestic interests that have agreed to be junior partners, no country, no peoples, no government, can claim to be able to make decisions totally in the interest of their people, with foreign troops on their soil representing interests antagonistic to the national purpose.

We must all unite to actively oppose the existence of U.S. foreign military bases and call for their immediate closure. We invite all forces of peace, social and environmental justice to join us in our renewed effort to achieve this shared goal.

---------------End of Resolution Text---------------

-Alicia

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-- 

In Liberty,

Caryn Ann Harlos

Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Harlos at LP.org <mailto:Caryn.Ann.Harlos at LP.org> 

Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado <http://www.lpcolorado.org> 

Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee

A haiku to the Statement of Principles:

We defend your rights

And oppose the use of force

Taxation is theft

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