Hopes were high for the Gay Freedom Day parade last March, when J. R. Manuel offered the use of a flatbed truck for a float. With that much preparation time, it looked as though making a float would be no problem. Several people, in fact, volunteered to help. Tim and Jenn Myles offered several times to help, even though they were going to be out of town on the day of the parade, and Chikako Suzuki volunteered to make whatever costumes were needed.

The first problem, as was indicated in the May issue of GGL, was that every idea that was proposed for a float had more vociferous critics than supporters. Mike Acree, unofficial coordinator of the event, eventually decided to go with his original idea of two Miss Libertys in drag making out, supported by appropriate signs with Libertarian messages. But then he was unable to find a sufficient number of people to train as contingent monitors. With only Chris Maden and himself trained as monitors, there was no alternative to a simple walking contingent.

Notices went out to all Bay Area LP chairs, urging their regions to participate with us. In the end, the only person who showed up, besides the monitors, was Starchild. Surrounded by spectacular floats from even the humblest organizations, the three of them decided that a marching contingent consisting of one person—even if that person were Starchild skating in his butterfly costume—looked much worse than no contingent at all, and bailed out at the start of the parade.

The booth meanwhile offered its own set of challenges. At Starchild’s suggestion the LPSF had purchased a $90 canopy for such events (the Pride Committee charges $200 for a one-day booth structure), but the first gust of wind blew it down and broke it. The huge banner that Starchild and Chikako Suzuki had made last year looked splendid on the railing behind the booth, but the tape it was secured with was no match for the wind, which ripped it down as fast as it could be put up. Since Starchild had been unable that morning to find the nylon banner which we purchased from the national LP (it was subsequently located), we had no way to identify ourselves to passers-by.

Fortunately, for some reason the LPSF this year was awarded prime booth space, on McAllister between Larkin and Polk, rather than our usual dark side street. As she has in the past 2 years, Kelly Russell Simpson worked the booth from 9 to 6. She was assisted for most of that time by Bryce Bigwood. Chris Maden worked while he was not off waiting in the parade assembly area, and Don Fields also helped out for several hours. The crowd was estimated at nearly a million, almost twice as large as previous years. It is not clear whether the better location or the larger crowd were responsible, but LPSFers turned in 170 completed World’s Smallest Political Quizzes—more than 3 times as many as last year. Virtually all of them, unsurprisingly, fell in the northwest half of the Nolan chart, from liberal to libertarian. There were 5 authoritarians, and no conservatives. Nineteen people left their names and addresses, up from 14 last year.

Chair David Molony issued a spectacular challenge last month: that he would recruit 5 new members at the Pride Celebration or contribute $100 to the Party, and that he would take the winner to dinner if anyone recruited more members than he. No less impressively, Chris Maden and Bryce Bigwood agreed to the challenge, although Maden was required to be away from the booth for several hours while he was serving as contingent monitor for the parade. Michael Edelstein also donated a $25 prize for the winner. Molony later reduced the donation to $50 when he found out that booth space was unavailable, at that late date, for Saturday. Then, the day before the parade, he announced that he was called to work that day, and would be unable to participate. Maden and Bigwood still worked the crowd very vigorously, but without any actual sign-ups (though Maden reportedly came close a few times, and memberships may be forthcoming). Presumably the prize money will be rolled over to next year, like the lottery.

Okay, what are your ideas?

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We have completed the targeted fundraising campaign that began a few months ago to fund a mailing to registered Libertarians in San Francisco. We have raised $1,049.24 to reach out to these 3,086 potential helping hands in our fight to rescue the city from well-intentioned but confused socialists. The Membership Committee will shortly begin an orchestrated campaign to bring them into the fold as dues-paying members of the Libertarian Party, a huge potential boost to our capabilities, and a necessary step towards running winning campaigns.

Thanks to all the donors: Mike Acree, Bryce Bigwood, Jerry Cullen, Michael Denny, Michael Edelstein, Don Fields, Vince Grubbs, Jeremy Kotas, Leslie Mangus, David Molony, Tim Myles, Bill Tomasek, Kelly Simpson, John Ryland. [Maden, the second largest contributor, modestly omitted himself from the list. —Ed.]

On May 17, LPSF member Kelly Russell Simpson spoke about the libertarian philosophy to five American Democracy classes at Lincoln High School. Most of the time was spent in informal dialogue with the students. Kelly has talked to 35 high-school classes in the last 6 years (mostly at Sequoia High School in Redwood City). She believes that speaking to high-school students is important because many of them will not seek political ideas outside of the mainstream media after they leave school, and the students who are more interested in politics may be prompted to research libertarian ideas further. LPSF members interested in scheduling talks for classes or other groups can contact Kelly at KellySimpson@pacbell.net or (415) 487-9325.

Now is the time to decide whether you would like to be part of the 2002 LIBERTARIAN campaign team. The Libertarian Party is again recruiting candidates for US Congress, California Senate, California Assembly, California State Board of Equalization (Taxman), and six statewide offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Controller, and Insurance Commissioner. We have a few candidates already running, but will need hundreds more to fill the whole slate. Filing opens September 28, but we need to be running well before then.

Requirements are that you be alive, registered Libertarian for one year, and understand Libertarian principles and issues well enough to discuss them with the media and public.

It does take some time, effort, and money to run a decent campaign. Those of us who have done so have found it very rewarding in many ways. We have developed a teamwork system which makes it much easier for individual candidates than it would be without the team. We have Political Action Committees, experienced campaigners, managers, fundraisers and speakers to help you build your campaign organization and improve your speaking skills. We have developed and perfected methods of getting on the ballot which reduce the stress and work of the candidate by spreading the work across a team of fellow Libertarian activists. We have award winning political ads ready to put YOUR name on and run on radio and television.

WE HAVE FUN running for office as LIBERTARIANS.

This year we are planning to have debates between the Libertarians running for Governor, as we have at least four planning to compete in the March primary election. These will be fundraisers for the candidates, state LPC, and local regions. They will also be an opportunity for overlapping candidates to network and gather momentum.

Running for office as a Libertarian is no longer a "thankless task" or "exercise in futility." The LIBERTARIAN PARTY has increased in clout and visibility to the point where the big parties are getting scared and our activists are getting excited. For instance, an R-Party Congressman went to the Libertarian candidate’s home to try to talk her out of running a real race against him last election, here in San Diego. The GOP has a committee whose main goal is to STOP the LIBERTARIANS, because we have been so successful in pointing out the GOP politicians’ hypocrisy. They see us as more of a threat than the other half of the crumbling Statist Party monopoly.

Libertarian registrations here in San Diego have been increasing despite our lack of a registration drive, while the GOP and D-Party are sliding downward, unable to stop the defection of their registrants despite well-funded registration drives. The momentum is with the LIBERTARIAN alternative to big government. When our candidates start campaigning, our activists get more active, our signs and ads make us more visible, and the statists overreact again, our registrations will grow even more rapidly, while the big old parties will slowly die.

2002 is going to be the most exciting election ever for LIBERTARIAN candidates and activists. This is our millennium. It's a fabulous time to be a Champion of Liberty!

I'm running again in 2002—ARE YOU?

Your newsletter this month includes a copy of the gay rights brochure written by Mike Acree for distribution on Gay Freedom Day (slightly revised from last year). You are welcome to copy and distribute it, but also to suggest improvements. Keep in mind that this brochure was targeted specifically to San Francisco liberals. It was intended to convey a general idea of the libertarian approach, without an exhaustive coverage of specific issues. Several noted Libertarians have already registered their lack of enthusiasm. One problem is the title, which doesn’t make this recognizably a gay rights brochure (though the phrase "gay rights" is nowadays shunned as noninclusive). Perhaps you can add some original criticisms, toward the next revision.

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Welcome to new members this month—James Powell and Ira Victor—and appreciation to renewing members Sally Saunders, Nancy Williams, and Jon Wolfenbarger.

[The following letter, published last November in the Marin Independent Journal, is one of three Janice Edelstein had published last year, winning her a Lights of Liberty Award from the Advocates for Self-Government.]

The endless partisan wrangling and backbiting between the Bush and Gore camps in Florida raises a fundamental question: Do we really need a President?

Would one of these petty politicians do better than you would in deciding how to run your own life? Is one of them more competent than you are to choose what school to send you children to, what drugs you can put in your body, what type of relationship you would like with your doctor, or how to invest for your retirement?

I doubt it. Since you know more about your own life than they do, you’re most qualified to preside over it. A Washington hack isn’t.

This is what the libertarians mean when they say: "We believe in you."

You’re not a dysfunctional child. You don’t need a President to make your decisions for you.

Janice and Michael Edelstein

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[The following letter by Michael Denny was published in the San Francisco Independent January 23.]

In Warren Hinkle’s Jan 2^nd article, the "Grinch comes to Laguna Honda," he leads with a quote from Francis Bacon. "In charity, there is no excess." Here he suggests that Laguna Honda is a charitable organization that is not getting what it needs from the federal government—the Grinch. Sadly, Mr. Hinkle’s statement is far from the truth.

Charity is a voluntary activity, whereas Laguna Honda is a government institution financed by money forcibly taken from taxpayers by government agencies. And as the Laguna Honda residents are living at the largess of a political government, they are sadly subject to their whims. Mr. Hinkle clearly describes the unfortunate results of government involvement at Laguna Honda, and I submit that these sorry results are standard for government activities of all kinds.

For happy examples of what happens when true charity is at work here in San Francisco, Mr. Hinkle (and Independent readers) should look at St. Anne’s Home, a beautiful facility operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Raphael House, a transitional homeless shelter. These are shining examples of how effective private charity can be in replacing government services.

Mr. Hinkle, the real Grinch is not the federal government, it is the government process itself. Let’s get these guys out of the way so that we can truly know about the blessings of Charity.

Michael Denny

[Denny says, "This one didn't get printed, but I did notice a change in the Independent's position on Tony almost immediately afterwards. . . .]

After seeing your staff writer Eric Gershon use "race-baiting" to characterize the Teng-Hall recount ("Hired Hands Play Big Role in District 7 Recount," 1/23/2001), the Fang family ancestors must be rolling in their graves. Why is it that the local media, including the Independent, continue to accept the position of Mabel Teng and Jeff Chen of the SF Neighbors Association, that they are looking out for the city’s Chinese American population? The election between Mabel Teng and Tony Hall was not about race. That election was a battle between the forces to decentralize San Francisco government (Tony Hall) versus the increasingly concentrated power of City Hall (Mabel Teng). People of all races, colors, and creeds embraced both Tony Hall and Mabel Teng in very close numbers.

After San Francisco’s citizens witnessed how those of Chinese descent were made victims by racially divisive tactics used in early Hearst publications, it is shocking to see the Fang family allow this kind of reporting in their paper. It would be equally shocking to see our intelligent Chinese American citizens view Mabel Teng and Jeff Chen’s position as anything more than another shining example of how low politicians (and the media) will go to achieve influence over the ignorant. From politicians like Mabel Teng and Jeff Chen, I expect nothing. From the Fang family, I expect more.

Michael F. Denny

[The following letter, submitted to the Chronicle in June, has not been printed.]

What kind of person comes to mind when you hear the word felon? A murderer? A rapist? An armed robber? How about a man of conscience who refused to stand up when a judge walked into a courtroom?

Actor and American Indian leader Russell Means was convicted in 1975 of a felony for this small act of civil disobedience. Along with a group of Indian spectators in a South Dakota courtroom, he chose to remain seated to express his anger at the court’s treatment of his people. As if to prove his point, authorities used an obscure law to prosecute Means and put him in jail for a year.

Last week, Means held a press conference to announce that he will be running for governor of New Mexico on the Libertarian Party ticket. However, according to a CNN report, he may be legally prevented from doing so by a law that bars convicted felons from holding public office.

Means plans to fight that law in court, and he deserves our support. All Americans should be outraged, not only that people who have served their sentences are being denied the right to participate in our democracy, but that failure to show respect to a judge could ever be charged as a felony in the first place.

Have judges and politicians have come to see themselves as superior to the public they are supposed to serve? Unfortunately the answer often appears to be yes, and we the people may ultimately be to blame for encouraging their arrogance. After all, we address them as "Your honor," and place the words "The Honorable" before their names, no matter how corrupt and dishonorable they actually are. If we had a bit less pomp and ceremony, or perhaps required judges, as public servants, to stand up when the ordinary citizens of the jury enter a courtroom instead of the other way around, an innocent man might not have had to serve time in jail.

If you can afford to contribute financially, please consider sending a check to Russell Means for Governor, 7 Avenida Vista Grande, PMB B7-166, Santa Fe, NM 87508. For information on other ways to show support, visit <www.RussellMeans.com>.

Sincerely,

Starchild

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From an e-mail note about a fundraising event for CELL (an art studio/community space on Bryant Street near 20th):

Maybe the people worried about gentrification driving artists out of our city ought to look at some of the other costs making life difficult for San Franciscans in the arts.

Starchild

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(Note: Joining the LP does not automatically make your voter registration Libertarian.) The Libertarian Party is the party of principle. To publicly affirm what we believe–and to ensure that our party never strays from our principles–we ask our members to proudly sign this statement:

Signature (required only for membership): _________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 3: Financial District meeting, 6:30-7:30, 57 Post Street.

Saturday, July 14: Richmond District meeting, 3-6 p.m., Round Table Pizza, 5160 Geary.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

David Molony

chair@lpsf.org

(415) 820-3923

Leilani Wright

vice-chair@lpsf.org

(415) 786-5505

Vince Grubbs

secretary@lpsf.org

(415) 682-9482

Mike Acree

treasurer@lpsf.org

(415) 668-5794

Jerry Cullen

elections@lpsf.org

(415) 567-9642

Mike Denny

membership@lpsf.org

(415) 750-9340

Starchild

outreach@lpsf.org

(415) 626-3036

Jerry Pico

media@lpsf.org

(415) 885-5350

Chris Maden

fundraising@lpsf.org

(415) 504-8677

Opinions expressed in unsigned columns of the Golden Gate Libertarian do not necessarily represent those of anyone but the Editor. Submissions are encouraged. The deadline (including agenda and calendar items) is the penultimate Friday of the month.