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Crackpots
of Hampton Roads Unite . . .
Sat, Jan 27, 2001
Hi! My name is Archie, and I
just found out I'm a crackpot.
'I'm sure there are a suitable number of crackpots in Virginia Beach they
can call upon to recruit for candidates,' said William C. Bischoff, chairman
of the local Democratic Party, which has struggled in recent years against a
dominant GOP. 'I feel the Libertarians will be inconsequential. They're very
extreme.'
Mr. Bischoff missed a grand meeting of crackpots, more formally known as
Libertarians, this morning (01/27/01). Had he been there, he would have enjoyed
the company of a group of fifty or so exasperated voters who are interested
enough in politics and, more importantly, interested in basic individual rights
to show up for a Saturday morning organizational meeting of Libertarians. We
were indeed an eclectic group, but in my judgment there was not a crackpot among
them. (One possible exception, read on.) Most were registered voters, some
long-time Libertarians and even a few registered Republicans unhappy with the
way their party is going. Ages ranged from retired people to those still in
their teens, and all age groups in between.
Judging from the conversations, private and public, the people present were
educated and informed. All were anxious to make a difference in local politics
by being more active regarding Libertarian political views.
Also present was a cross-section of professions, from business owners, to
attorneys to educators to middle-class professionals to homemakers, to
blue-collar workers. And, of course, this writer, who some may think is
indeed a crackpot.
The bottom line for Libertarians is, as I understand it, personal rights coupled
with personal responsibilities.
No, we didn't agree on all the issues, either, but we all agreed that whatever
our personal beliefs, it was not the government's place to make up our minds for
us. We all wanted a government that is as described by "the law of the
land," our United States Constitution.
Guest speaker Gary Reams spoke eloquently about his bid for Lieutenant Governor
of Virginia in the upcoming race. Marc Montoni, State Director of the
Libertarian Party, spoke enthusiastically about the importance of organizing
ourselves and working for our own Libertarian ideals.
The group elected its slate of officers, chaired by Robert Dean, and will be
meeting on the last Saturday of each month at 9:00 am at the new Chic-Fil-A
restaurant located at 1097 Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach (in the
Haygood Shopping Center).
If you want to enjoy more personal rights at the cost of personal responsibility
to maintain those rights, I'll be seeing you there.
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