Posted on 02/15/2002 6:50:19 AM PST by DoSomethingAboutIt
Libertarians in Santa Barbara, California have scored a victory for freedom of association by helping to nullify a resolution that censured the local Boy Scouts chapter.
On November 14, county supervisors approved a statute forbidding the government from discriminating against private organizations -- even if that group has "incorrect membership requirements," said Santa Barbara LP Secretary Robert Bakhaus.
"Even the U.S. Supreme Court had said the Boy Scouts have the right to associate, and make their own internal rules as they choose," he said. "If LPers could not lead in such a case as local government censuring the Boy Scouts, who would?"
The new statute invalidated a resolution adopted in March by a 3-2 vote, which censured the Boy Scouts for refusing to allow gay men to serve as scoutmasters.
County commissioners said the Boy Scout's policy violated the country's anti-discrimination law. The censure would have allowed county officials to prevent Scouts from using local camp grounds, leasing property from the city, or passing out leaflets on school grounds.
However, the Boy Scouts of America said the gay lifestyle violated the organization's oath, which requires members to be "morally straight." It won a U.S Supreme court decision in June 2000, which affirmed its right to decide who could be a Boy Scout.
Bakhaus said Libertarians support the right of the Boy Scouts to set their own membership requirements without government interference -- even if some Libertarians personally oppose those requirements.
"Even bigots have rights," he said. "Private organizations [should have] the right to make their own membership and leadership rules."
After the commission passed its resolution in March, "libertarian sympathizer" Michael Warnken and local LP members collected 20,000 signatures to put an initiative on the ballot to overturn it.
Libertarians helped drum up publicity for the campaign by sending letters to the editors of local papers, appearing at meetings and rallies, and speaking out on local television shows, said Bakhaus.
A number of conservative Republicans also joined the effort, which shows that small organizations "can't afford to be shy about having allies," he said.
"[Our LP affiliate is] too small to abolish taxation or achieve other radical reforms outright. We must first develop our clout by helping enforce the current good laws limiting government, while rallying better liberals and conservatives to uphold the best American traditions of freedom," he said.
However, the coalition ran into opposition from the county attorney's office, which filed a suit to stop the petitioning.
The attorney claimed the initiative language was "vague," and that only a statute or regulation -- not a resolution -- was subject to invalidation by initiative.
In response, activists changed the language of the measure meet state initiative requirements, and hired their own attorney to defend them from legal attacks, said Bakhaus.
With the initiative back on track and a large public turn-out at the commission's November meeting, county commissioners decided to nullify the anti-Boy Scout resolution, said Bakhaus.
"[It] was approved as law without a vote of the people, thanks in part to a large public showing -- but mostly by the fears of an electoral backlash if it went to a vote," he said.
Most importantly, Libertarians learned valuable lessons from the experience, said Bakhaus.
"The [Santa Barbara LP] learned that a countywide petition drive is not outside the bounds of doability," he said. "We also learned that a 1% investment ratio can be leveraged into victory, if that investment consists of extensive knowledge and experience about the intricacies of real politics."
Get over your 'pc' view of the world. Not everyone thinks in ways you or the government approves.
Indeed. And I will gladly fight with you to get the Constitution to be once again respected.
"Next, they'll make it illegal for White men to refuse to marry Black women."
Not everyone thinks in ways you or the government approves.
Clearly not. Lunatics who claim that the government plans to force people into inter-racial marriages, for example.
Libertarians are all over the place on such issues, as is the general population.
That's all I really want. And it seems so hopeless. Even the people who agree on that are divided and up against insurmountable odds. I feel it urgent that everyone who wants the Constitution reinstated should unite, stand up and demand it. Things are getting too far from it to be tolerable for much longer.
If that could be accomplished, and I hope it will someday, we can agree to not be neighbors. ;)
Why? Are you going to have crack parties with hookers in your front yard? :-)
You're becoming obsessive again roscoe. -- Forget your meds this morning?
That's why Conservatives shouldn't waste their time bashing Libertarians. We have MUCH more important things to do.
Like I drink beer while working on my motorcycle in the front yard with buttcrack showing, while my mangy dogs run amok.
I have to do this because girlfriends hate it when I take the motorcycle apart in the living room.
I wasn't going to bring up the dope thing, but you mentioned it in your opening post.
But I don't want to detract from the fact that I find it laudable work for the LP and I as a non-aligned conservative appreciate the effort and the result.
You have it ass backwards as usual. Only such perfect people could be entrusted with the sort of power you wish to give to government. With the real people we have in the world as it actually exists, government must be denied all power beyond the bare minimum.
Dude, I live in Alabama. That's practically a requirement over here.
That's because CJ's statements are contradictory. It's like that "stream of consciousness" thing my English professor was always talking about (and, come to think of it, demonstrating) in class.
I hate to tell you tpaine, but I get along with most people on these threads. When people get along, they tend to have fun with each other. Try learning that sometime.
So you support this "anti-discrimination" legislation? Do you support similar legislation regarding employment? Would you support similar legislation regarding marriage???
I wouldn't use either of those terms in connection with CJ, Kevin, Dane, Roscoe, et al, given their trolling of this thread.
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