Hello Liberty Lovers of Riverside County!
In the News: The Courage to Try
Here’s hoping your holiday celebration was grand in whatever way you chose to celebrate it! This July, let us consider two sentences from the Declaration of Independence:
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Jefferson and the other signers were talking specifically about government. They had lived as long as they could tolerate under the constraints of British rule, and at last decided they had to try something else. That was not an easy decision to come to. Launching out into the unknown to try something new never is.
There is a deeper concept here worth exploring: people can be reluctant to try new things, choosing instead to live in a way that grows increasingly bad. “Bad” is, of course, a subjective term, and can mean anything. It can mean life is oppressive and terrible, or just depressingly dull. People who choose to push the limits, to test boundaries and see what successes can be gained (and what failures can be learned from) are rare. But America’s founding celebrates this drive. The best things America has produced have come as a result of adventurers trying something new. Something others thought was silly, dangerous, just plain dumb, way too much work, or even terrifying.
Last month saw the destruction of the Titan submarine. There was no shortage of commentary on that. But whatever your view, it is undeniable that for those who climbed aboard that ill-fated craft, the promise of adventure was worth the risk.
Here in July, we will also celebrate the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. There is no shortage of commentary on that. But whatever your view, it is undeniable that for Armstrong and company, the promise of exploration was worth the risk.
247 years ago, Jefferson and the signers recognized that the promise of freedom was worth their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. We can still recognize that promise and pledge ourselves to seek it today.
It takes courage to push into the unknown and try something new. It may be dangerous, and it will involve both successes and failures. But it’s what America is based on. Happy July, everybody!
Discord Servers for State and National
If you are a dues-paying member of the Libertarian Party, there are two communications channels you can join to be part of the insider conversation.
The LPCA Discord server is ready for you to join! Find the server at this link: https://discord.gg/wfXzapGsTd
There is a new and growing LNC server as well! It has some kinks to work out, so it’s a little wild and wooly in there, but that server can be found here: https://discord.gg/fxdH2bre
Discord is an off-Facebook communications forum for productive and meaningful discussion to help grow the Party, and make it the vehicle for liberty it was always intended to be. Join and enjoy some general camaraderie, share liberty memes, get news of upcoming events, and (politely) engage with libertarians across California and the whole country!
Upon joining, you’ll be put in a new member channel awaiting verification. Be patient. Once your dues status is verified, you will get more information about how you can interact in the communications channels.
Party Membership
The national Libertarian Party defines a "sustaining member" as somebody who has signed the membership application statement and pays dues (currently a minimum of $25 per year) to the national organization. The number of national sustaining members in each state is used to allocate both delegate slots at national conventions and representation of the state parties on the Libertarian National Committee.
The higher the fraction of sustaining national members in California, the more delegates we can send to the upcoming presidential nominating convention. And as long as California accounts for at least 10% of the national total, we'll continue to qualify to have our own representative on the LNC. Other states’ memberships are growing, so we're currently a bit short of that, but the allocation for the next term will be made this October, so we still have time to qualify.
Note that while paying dues at the state level (California) or the county level (Riverside County) qualifies you as a voting member (aka "central committee member") at both the state and county levels, national membership is separate.
If you aren't a dues-paying member at all, you can join both as a national member and as a state/county member using a single online form:
Combined National/State/County Membership Form
If you are already a state/county member but not a national member, please consider adding national membership now. If you have any problems with the form, let us know at admin@rclp.us (or join the Discord server and ask the whole state party) and we’ll get you pointed in the right direction.
Join us in taking a stand for a world set free!
Suggested Reading This Month
Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul, by John M. Barry. If you are a student of America’s founding and the people who conceived the ideas we all consider planks in our civic foundation, Roger Williams should be on your radar. Williams was the guy who introduced Americans to the idea of separation of church and state, and founded the Rhode Island colony. He’s a fascinating, uniquely “American” figure who doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves. As July is a time of reflecting on how we got here, taking a look at Williams is quite appropriate.
LiberatED, by Kerry McDonald. McDonald raises her voice in favor of ending compulsory public education. Since July is a month of considering many ways of ending compulsory anything, it might be worth a listen to her podcast or a perusal of her articles.
Calendar Notes
As always, bookmark and regularly check https://rclp.us for up-to-date event details.
12-15 July 2023: FreedomFest. This is one of the marquee events of the liberty movement, bringing together freedom-lovers of all sorts. This year it is in Memphis, and you can find details here.
29 July 2023: Quarterly Central Committee meeting and lunch, at Cactus Cantina in Riverside. Come have some lunch and celebrate liberty with libertarians! The meeting will include discussions of principles, and a report from Wendy and Jeff Hewitt about their trip to Freedom Fest. Come spend a couple of hours with people who share your values.
Closing Thoughts from the Chair
One of the little-recognized factors in the birth of the United States is that the colonists already had local organizations in place to keep order and resolve disputes, even before they formally declared independence and started openly fighting the British. Local governance committees and councils, and even the Continental Congress, were operating before the United States made it official.
What does this have to do with you? The government we now have is an unsustainable disaster. It is the job of each person who loves freedom to be about the business of building what’s next NOW, before the inevitable collapse. Each of us needs to be active in local organizing and networking: the Chamber of Commerce, your local PTA, church auxiliaries, scout troops, neighborhood watch crews, and more are all out there.
I invite you to find an organization like that near you, join it, and work to build networks within it and raise your voice there for liberty. The future is local, and if/when (heaven forbid) real trouble comes, it will be your local activity and your local connections that help your community survive and recover.
“Join or die” was a slogan used by the early revolutionaries to rally fighters to the cause. It highlights the danger of being alone in the face of tyranny. You won’t survive what’s coming alone. No one will survive it alone. It will take courage, and you will see successes and failures as you learn how to get involved. But you must join with others in your community, and start building what’s next starting right now. You will be glad you did.
-Loren Dean
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