<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Of course it's appropriate to voice your concerns. However, it's also appropriate for everyone else to be silent.<br/><br/>Geoffrey Neale<div>Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile</div><hr/><div><b>From: </b> Starchild <sfdreamer@earthlink.net>
</div><div><b>Date: </b>Tue, 5 Feb 2013 06:57:04 -0800</div><div><b>To: </b><liber8or@austin.rr.com>; <lnc-business@hq.lp.org></div><div><b>Cc: </b>Carla Howell<carla.howell@lp.org>; Robert Kraus<robert.kraus@lp.org>; Ruth Bennett<BennettRuth@comcast.net>; Alicia Mattson<agmattson@gmail.com></div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [Lnc-business] About the Policy Manual - What Happened to the Missing 4 Pages?</div><div><br/></div>Geoff,<div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>According to the language I quoted from the Policy Manual in my original message below, the LNC <i>does</i> vote on changes of formatting such as table of contents and endnotes, and any such changes should have been proposed to the LNC for approval before being made:</div><div><br></div><div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "></div></div></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; ">"4) Document Maintenance</div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; ">The Secretary shall maintain a complete copy of this Policy Manual.</div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><b>The Secretary is authorized to propose corrections to formatting, spelling, grammar,</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>capitalization, punctuation, article and section designations, cross-references, and such</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to the Policy Manual,</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>provided such changes would have no effect on the meaning of the adopted Terms,</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>Definitions, Rules, and Orders.</b></div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; ">The Secretary may propose adding or amending annotations in the form of endnotes and</div><div style="clear: none; ">introductory language to provide relevant references to authoritative statutes, the Party’s</div><div style="clear: none; ">Corporate Charter and Bylaws, the parliamentary authority, and explanations as to how</div><div style="clear: none; ">Special Rules of Order differ from the parliamentary authority.</div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><b>The Secretary shall promptly submit such proposals to the LNC, along with any written</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>opinions provided by the Party’s parliamentarian. These proposals shall be considered</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>adopted thirty days thereafter or upon the close of the next LNC meeting, whichever is</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>sooner. The LNC may veto such proposals by majority vote prior to adoption.</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>The LNC reserves the right to also propose and adopt non-substantive, as well as</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>substantive, changes.</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; "></span>"</div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I haven't said or implied anything about <i>compelling</i> responses from staff or anyone else, in this or any other message that I'm aware of. Do you think it was inappropriate of me to voice concern?</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre">L</span>ove & Liberty,</div><div> ((( starchild )))</div><div>At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee</div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Feb 5, 2013, at 5:50 AM, <a href="mailto:liber8or@austin.rr.com">liber8or@austin.rr.com</a> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Starchild - you have no authority to compel responses from anyone, especially staff.<br><br>However, I would like to know if there are any real ommissions. To the best of my knowledge, the LNC does not vote on table of contents or endnotes, so changes such as these cannot be unauthorized. Are there any real differences?<br><br>Geoffrey Neale<br>Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile<br></div></blockquote><div><br><br></div>On Feb 4, 2013, at 9:18 PM, Starchild wrote:<br><br><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "></div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I'm concerned that <b>no answers have been forthcoming about the apparent unauthorized changes to the LNC Policy Manual </b>which I documented in a message posted January 14<b> (see below)</b>. The only response I saw to that message was from LNC regional alternate Scott Lieberman, who suggested that the fault could have been with immediate past secretary Ruth Bennett not providing the staff with an accurate version of the document, but when I responded asking him for any evidence to support that theory, did not see anything further on the subject. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>I'm copying Ruth along with LP executive director Carla Howell, operations director Robert Kraus, and Alicia Mattson who was secretary prior to May 6, 2012 on this message, in case any of them have information that can shed some light on the matter. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><b>I urge everyone to acquaint themselves with what my research turned up by reading or re-reading the message below before responding, in order to increase the likelihood that we can find out what's going on here without engaging in possibly unfounded speculation or responses that offer superficially reassurance without really providing credible explanations of the various peculiarities documented below.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; ">Love & Liberty,</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "> ((( starchild )))</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; ">At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "> (415) 625-FREE</div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><br></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><br></span><blockquote type="cite" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; "><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">Starchild <<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LNCDiscussPublic/post?postID=b5gtMQVQ-0OMKMOtTx6UcwheCPXt9TymaNJTF4hCO5gqP4fEKjrI2HR8CpruUIWTyIzxeM9DGXupBX6dnw" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">sfdreamer@...</a>><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">January 14, 2013 4:12:18 AM PST<br></span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LNCDiscussPublic/post?postID=8HWrYZ5lxLYbQtRflkYEttZnh9F0wSTYHcAFfVCax4f6k4I9DTRmJRU8tCPDMpQF8PnwEtnkezAENDS21A" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">lnc-business@...</a><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><b>[Lnc-business] About the Policy Manual - What Happened to the Missing 4 Pages?</b><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LNCDiscussPublic/post?postID=802bd8IySQ2QZVBmYQteLhXtraxoyrWTX2F6umMqGxQrXR-5X7xwoI0HsKIxfaYIpPhCrNq8gBIS0rU8-wDb" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">lnc-business@...</a><br></span></div><br><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">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" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">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/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20121103013551/https://www.lp.org/files/LNC%20Policy%20Manual-Adopted%202012-05-02.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">http://web.archive.org/web/20121103013551/https://www.lp.org/files/LNC%20Policy%20Manual-Adopted%202012-05-02.pdf</a></div><div style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">LP.org</a>, two major differences stand out:</div><div style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><b><br></b></div><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; "></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="clear: none; "><div style="clear: none; ">Section I.1 GENERAL DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY</div><div style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; ">1) Participation by LNC Alternates at Meetings</div><div style="clear: none; ">Free substitution of Alternates for Regional Representatives at LNC meetings is</div><div style="clear: none; ">permitted.<span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; ">iii</span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; "><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; ">2) Proposed Agenda</div><div style="clear: none; ">The Chair shall propose an agenda for each session of the LNC.<span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; ">iv</span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; "><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; ">3) Executive Committee</div><div style="clear: none; "><b>The Executive Committee shall exercise all powers of the LNC between LNC meetings</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>except for the addition, deletion, or amendment of the LNC policy manual </b>or amendment</div><div style="clear: none; ">of the budget beyond the limits specified elsewhere in this Policy Manual.</div><div style="clear: none; ">Notwithstanding, the LNC reserves the right to exercise its authority through electronic</div><div style="clear: none; ">mail ballots.<span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; ">v</span></div><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; "><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; ">4) Document Maintenance</div><div style="clear: none; ">The Secretary shall maintain a complete copy of this Policy Manual.</div><div style="clear: none; "><b>The Secretary is authorized to propose corrections to formatting, spelling, grammar,</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>capitalization, punctuation, article and section designations, cross-references, and such</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to the Policy Manual,</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>provided such changes would have no effect on the meaning of the adopted Terms,</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>Definitions, Rules, and Orders.</b></div><div style="clear: none; ">The Secretary may propose adding or amending annotations in the form of endnotes and</div><div style="clear: none; ">introductory language to provide relevant references to authoritative statutes, the Party’s</div><div style="clear: none; ">Corporate Charter and Bylaws, the parliamentary authority, and explanations as to how</div><div style="clear: none; ">Special Rules of Order differ from the parliamentary authority.</div><div style="clear: none; "><b>The Secretary shall promptly submit such proposals to the LNC, along with any written</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>opinions provided by the Party’s parliamentarian. These proposals shall be considered</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>adopted thirty days thereafter or upon the close of the next LNC meeting, whichever is</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>sooner. The LNC may veto such proposals by majority vote prior to adoption.</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>The LNC reserves the right to also propose and adopt non-substantive, as well as</b></div><div style="clear: none; "><b>substantive, changes.</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; "><b>vi</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div style="clear: none; "><span style="font: normal normal normal 8px/normal Times; "><br></span></div><div style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">LP.org</a> for the historical record, rather than simply deleted.</div><div style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; "><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 style="clear: none; "><br></div><div style="clear: none; ">Love & Liberty,</div><div style="clear: none; "> ((( starchild )))</div><div style="clear: none; ">At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee</div><div style="clear: none; "> (415) 625-FREE</div><div style="clear: none; "><br></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>Lnc-business mailing list<br><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LNCDiscussPublic/post?postID=eFURVofaGpRdkDRipZY8GaXkCX0F2EO94fbEdXYf_R-e9c6qy7Co5VxFsC44M6cATzb08mDWNBzInqzzoc2i0g" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 124, 212); ">Lnc-business@...</a><br><a href="http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org">http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org</a></blockquote></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>