<p dir="ltr">I mostly agree with the doctor's reasoning but I think a different conclusion can be reached. I am very interested in how national issues can be approached by candidates for local office.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In this case I would point out that in CT and I'm sure other states, towns without a managerial system have the First Selectman as police chief by statute. A candidate can reasonably promise to instruct officers and resident troopers that forfeiture is not an acceptable procedure. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Also some towns have elected administrative magistrates. Until recently CT had quasi elected judges who had some authority in this area and were very winnable. I currently hold that position in addition to my elected office but that power is gone. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Joshua Katz</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mar 19, 2015 10:17 AM, "Scott L." <<a href="mailto:scott73@earthlink.net">scott73@earthlink.net</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
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<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Mr. Chair:<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">The Libertarian Party is NOT an advocacy
organization. This Libertarian Party is a political party. <u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">We don’t want to be committing bait and switch, do
we?<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Even if "<a href="http://defendyourprivacy.com" target="_blank">defendyourprivacy.com</a>" was successful
in "attracting new members and support", obviously those "members
and support" have evaporated.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Until we provide the service that the American people
expect from an organization that calls itself a <b><span style="font-weight:bold">political party</span></b>, we will continue to lose members. And
fewer members means less money to achieve our mission.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Issue advocacy for a third party is OK as long as it
is done in a way that <b><u><span style="font-weight:bold">directly</span></u> </b>supports
candidates running for winnable or ballot-access retention offices. And
since the Libertarian Party is not in a position to get its candidates elected
to Federal office right now, that means that issue advocacy done by the
National Libertarian Party is a waste of time unless we are simultaneously able
to show prospective members that we are electing Libertarians at some level of
government. We don’t want to attract people because they care about
an issue with some vague, unspoken promise that we will directly be able to “fix”
that issue.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">At this point in the LP’s life cycle, we should only
use issues to attract people who are going to help us get our candidates
elected to public offices. And in most cases, the offices that our
candidates can get elected to in 2015-16 are not going to be offices that are
able to change the laws about civil-asset forfeiture or drug possession.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Issue advocacy that is done willy-nilly, just because it
feels good, will merely extend the period of time that the Libertarian Party
refuses to be a political party.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><br>
Scott Lieberman<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">“From: Lnc-business [mailto:<a href="mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org</a>] On
Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark<br>
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 6:56 AM<br>
To: lnc-business<br>
Subject: [Lnc-business] An example of a successful initiative/cause website</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">All,<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">The Libertarian Party has had previous success in attracting new<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">members and support from non-members when advocating for policy<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">change. Most memorably, the creation of <a href="http://defendyourprivacy.com" target="_blank">defendyourprivacy.com</a> in
1999<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">funneled opposition to the FDIC's "Know Your Customer" rules
that<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">resulted in the defeat of bank spying (until the PATRIOT Act at<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">least).<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">See:
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/19990428064847/http://www.defendyourprivacy.com/" target="_blank">http://web.archive.org/web/19990428064847/http://www.defendyourprivacy.com/</a><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Institute for Justice has launched an initiative to end civil asset<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">forfeiture. While I'm pretty supportive of IJ generally, both in<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">their work and in their methods, I wanted to bring this site to the<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">attention of the rest of the committee as an example of how a campaign<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">to enact/defeat a policy can be done even if the old parties aren't<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">supportive of the issue.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="http://endforfeiture.com/" target="_blank">http://endforfeiture.com/</a><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Note, this is not intended to be in lieu of revising and improving our<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">main web presence.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> Nick”<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
</div>
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