[Lnc-business] Resignation From LPF

[Joshua Katz]

The original email in this thread was from Mr. Stanton (whom I've never
met).  He accused a member of the LPF leadership, who is also a Libertarian
candidate (and whom I have also never met) of being a white supremacist
leader, and of making threats towards himself and others.  I have no way of
knowing if these accusations are true, but they most certainly are
disturbing if true - and the sorts of things I would expect the affiliate
to react to.  If they are true and the affiliate does not react, I would
expect this board to take action.

Instead, the responses I've seen seem to combine shrugs with exhortations
that Mr. Stanton should deal with it himself, and some variation on "hey,
we're all on the same team, work together."  Again, I do not know if the
accusations are true, but if they are, then we are not, in fact, all on the
same team.  I am not on the same team as any white supremacist, or anyone
who thinks the use of threats and intimidation, together with violent white
supremacist and anti-semitic rhetoric, are acceptable ways of conducting
business.

Such a pre-modern retreat to tribalism, to prejudice, to
anti-individualism, is the single largest threat to human freedom.  It is
the condition in which humans lived for quite some time, before
civilization made real freedom possible.  No party that stands for freedom
against all threats can tolerate those in its midst who would hold those
positions, let alone allowing those who advocate such positions to hold
leadership positions.  This cannot be a party that tolerates such things.
At the moment, I have no actual facts.  Furthermore, there is little we can
do - but little is not the same as nothing.  Let's get the facts.  The
response to such a statement cannot be "well, you figure it out."  That is
not leadership.  Nor should the response be immediate panic, or a rush to
judgment.  I would think the accusations are of such a nature, though, that
we'd want to know what is going on.

Joshua A. Katz

At-Large Representative,
Libertarian National Committee



On Sun, Oct 22, 2017 at 8:54 PM, Paul Stanton <region7 at lpf.org> wrote:

> Marcos,
>
> Due to the LPF Executive Committee's recent refusal to respond to threats
> targeting myself and others from Ryan Ramsey, a white supremacist leader,
> LPF county chair, LPF EC member, and candidate for Florida House, I hereby
> resign from all positions and membership within the Libertarian Party of
> Florida, as I can no longer in good faith continue to ask other
> Libertarians to support a party which allows its leaders to threaten and
> intimidate members while repeating violent white supremacist and
> anti-semitic rhetoric.
>
> Libertarians deserve better than the Libertarian Party of Florida.
>
> Please remove me from any mailing or membership lists and add me to the
> LPF's do not call list. I will not be responding to any email sent to this
> address.
>
> In liberty,
> Paul Stanton
>
> Follow me on Facebook: fb.com/Stanton4Liberty
>
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