<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Over the past few months I have made several references to the LNC Policy Manual being <b>72 pages</b> <b>long</b> -- mostly in the context of expressing my concern that the document has been growing out of control and threatens the authority of our convention delegates. Therefore I was quite surprised to notice, when looking at the Policy Manual a couple days ago, that it had only <b>68 pages</b>. If I somehow subconsciously wished a shorter document into existence, you all have my apologies, and if I can manage to prove my heretofore unsuspected paranormal powers to one of the groups offering reward money for proof of possessing such powers, I promise to share some of the winnings with the LP!</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Obviously, as thrilling as it might be to me personally, such an explanation is hardly likely. So could my memory have been mistaken? I went to the Internet Archives site, which preserves older versions of websites, to check, and found that as of their last web-crawl of <a href="http://LP.org">LP.org</a> on December 7, 2012, our Policy Manual did in fact list 72 pages. If you go to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.lp.org">http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.lp.org</a> and click on the calendar link for December 7, it takes you to <a href="http://LP.org">LP.org</a> as it appeared on that date, where you can click on the "Our Party" pull-down menu and select the "LNC Meeting Archives" option, which takes you to a page that includes a 72-page Policy Manual:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20121103013551/https://www.lp.org/files/LNC%20Policy%20Manual-Adopted%202012-05-02.pdf">http://web.archive.org/web/20121103013551/https://www.lp.org/files/LNC%20Policy%20Manual-Adopted%202012-05-02.pdf</a></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Deepening the mystery, the<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>web address<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> for the version</span> of the Policy Manual<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> currently on our site </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre">-- <a href="https://www.lp.org/files/PolicyManualupdated12NOV2012.pdf">https://www.lp.org/files/PolicyManualupdated12NOV2012.pdf</a></span> -- s<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; ">uggests that the document </span>may have been<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> updated in November 2012 </span>. <b>However</b> <b>the last update listed in the document's Log of Changes (p. 66), and the date that appears on the title page of the document, is May 2, 2012</b>.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In comparing the version of the LNC Policy Manual from the Internet Archives with the version that currently appears on <a href="http://LP.org">LP.org</a>, two major differences stand out:</div><div><br></div><div><b>(1) In the Dec. 7, 2012 version of the document linked above, the Endnotes [basically footnotes describing how various provisions in the Policy Manual relate to Roberts Rules of Order and to the LP Bylaws] begin on page 67 and continue to the end of the Policy Manual halfway through page 72. In the currently posted version of the Policy Manual, the Endnotes are completely missing. </b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>(2) The "Detailed Table of Contents" published in the currently posted version of the Policy Manual is a lot less detailed than the "Detailed Table of Contents" as it appeared on Dec. 7, taking up only a single page whereas it previously encompassed nearly three full pages.</b></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Curiously, the currently posted version of the Policy Manual, like the Archived version, contains both a "Condensed Table of Contents" and a "Detailed Table of Contents". However in the currently posted version, both tables of contents appear to be identical! Essentially, the actual Detailed Table of Contents was removed, and the "Condensed Table of Contents" was printed a second time in its place, so that it now appears on two consecutive pages, listed first under the heading "Condensed Table of Contents" and then a second time under the heading "Detailed Table of Contents".</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><b>Can someone explain what is going on?</b> It's always possible that I overlooked an email or am forgetting something, but I don't recall the LNC being notified of or authorizing the changes to the Policy Manual documented above. The "General Delegation of Authority" provisions in Section I of the document itself appear to indicate that no other body or individual has the authority to make these changes in the absence of such notification or authorization (I've highlighted the relevant language from sections 3 and 4 below in boldface):</div><div><br></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Times; "></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Times; ">Section I.1 GENERAL DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Times; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">1) Participation by LNC Alternates at Meetings</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">Free substitution of Alternates for Regional Representatives at LNC meetings is</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">permitted.<span style="font: 8.0px Times">iii</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><span style="font: 8.0px Times"><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">2) Proposed Agenda</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">The Chair shall propose an agenda for each session of the LNC.<span style="font: 8.0px Times">iv</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><span style="font: 8.0px Times"><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">3) Executive Committee</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>The Executive Committee shall exercise all powers of the LNC between LNC meetings</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>except for the addition, deletion, or amendment of the LNC policy manual </b>or amendment</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">of the budget beyond the limits specified elsewhere in this Policy Manual.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">Notwithstanding, the LNC reserves the right to exercise its authority through electronic</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">mail ballots.<span style="font: 8.0px Times">v</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><span style="font: 8.0px Times"><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">4) Document Maintenance</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">The Secretary shall maintain a complete copy of this Policy Manual.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>The Secretary is authorized to propose corrections to formatting, spelling, grammar,</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>capitalization, punctuation, article and section designations, cross-references, and such</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to the Policy Manual,</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>provided such changes would have no effect on the meaning of the adopted Terms,</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>Definitions, Rules, and Orders.</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">The Secretary may propose adding or amending annotations in the form of endnotes and</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">introductory language to provide relevant references to authoritative statutes, the Party’s</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">Corporate Charter and Bylaws, the parliamentary authority, and explanations as to how</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; ">Special Rules of Order differ from the parliamentary authority.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>The Secretary shall promptly submit such proposals to the LNC, along with any written</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>opinions provided by the Party’s parliamentarian. These proposals shall be considered</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>adopted thirty days thereafter or upon the close of the next LNC meeting, whichever is</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>sooner. The LNC may veto such proposals by majority vote prior to adoption.</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>The LNC reserves the right to also propose and adopt non-substantive, as well as</b></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><b>substantive, changes.</b><span style="font: 8.0px Times"><b>vi</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><span style="font: 8.0px Times"><br></span></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Meanwhile, the only changes to the Policy Manual which I at least *do* recall the LNC authorizing this term (based on a ruling of the chair which was not overturned), a dissolution of the pre-existing membership of various LNC-created and Bylaws-mandated committees, so that these committees could be repopulated, is not reflected in the currently published version of the document. Pages 64 and 65 of the Policy Manual still list the persons who served on these committees during the previous LNC term.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I do strongly urge that when those committee assignments <i>are</i> updated, that the information of who served on which committees last term be preserved in some other archival section of <a href="http://LP.org">LP.org</a> for the historical record, rather than simply deleted.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><b> </b></span><b>In the meantime however, I'm most concerned about the fact of LNC Policy Manual changes apparently being made by staff, or someone with access to the website, without the knowledge of this committee. </b></div><div><br></div><div>Love & Liberty,</div><div> ((( starchild )))</div><div>At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee</div><div> (415) 625-FREE</div><div><br></div><br></body></html>