LP member and activist Stephen Meier has recently remitted an open letter to the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) regarding the Committee’s publicly-leaked agenda, which entails a scheduled 30 minute repudiation of LNC Regional 7 At-Large Representative Angela Keaton for her investigation into former LP Executive Director’s Shane Cory’s severance pay in the wake of his resignation from his paid party staff position. That occurred in the aftermath of a successful kiddie-porn smear campaign launched by the Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root camps who were, at the time, vying for the LP presidential nominations earlier this year. (See the Let Liberty Ring blog’s archives for details on that mess.)
This is what Meier’s open letter states in the following, which was published on the Independent Political Report on November 26, 2008:
Nov 26th, 2008
To: Libertarian Party National Committee
Subject: Angela Keaton
In regards to the upcoming LPNC meeting to be held Dec 6th and 7th in San Diego, CA. An agenda has been published at:
http://lncregion7.blogspot.com/2008/11/agenda-san-diego-lnc-meeting.html
This published agenda includes the line “Discipline of Angela Keaton 30 minutes”.
I am deeply disturbed by what appears to be a very autocratic and arbitrary action by the LNC against one of its members who was elected by the party members at a national convention.
The LNC operates its meeting under Robert’s Rules of Order. The Libertarian Bylaws State
ARTICLE 13: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Party in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order adopted by the Party.
Robert’s Rules of Order require that notes be taken and that the meetings minutes be drafted and approved. Robert’s rules go on to state
The minutes should show:
All main motions (except such as were withdrawn) and motions that bring a main question again before the assembly, stating the wording as adopted or disposed of, and the disposition–including temporary disposition (with any primary and secondary amendments and adhering secondary motions then pending;
From the September LNC minutes (not yet appearing at http://www.lp.org/lnc-meeting-archives but can be found at http://pauliecannoli.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/an-error-in-the-september-lnc-meeting-minutes/ and at http://lncregion7.blogspot.com/2008/10/minutes-of-sept-mtg-lnc.html)
Angela Keaton
After a break, the Chair announced Angela Keaton had blogged on the Internet some information that had been revealed in executive session.
Pat Dixon moved to censure Angela Keaton for having blogged what she had put onto the LastFreeVoice website.
Angela Keaton left the room after having admitted to the transgression.
Michael Jingozian read the passage to the body.
Aaron Starr moved a substitute motion: It is the belief of this body that Angela Keaton should resign for having disclosed material in executive session.
Everyone in the room voted for the substitution.
First having reviewed the minutes as published I can not find where the meeting went into Executive Session in compliance with Section 2 Paragraph F. of the Libertarian Party Policy Manual. To be in an executive session during an LNC meeting a motion must have been made and seconded and voted upon and passed by by a majority or by 2/3 of the voting LNC Members depending on if all the reasons given in the motion are among the list of reasons in Section 2 Paragraph F sub paragraph 3 “Identified Topics for Discussion in Executive Session”
In the published minutes the LNC entered Executive Session
Campaign Finance Litigation
The LNC entered executive session to discuss potential campaign finance litigation with Alan Mura and the LP membership list rental.
Coming out of executive session, Jim Lark recommended the LNC express its appreciation to Alan Gura for his work for Liberty. Without objection, the motion passed.
It is expected that to have entered into this Executives Session that the minutes would note that some member of the LNC made a motion, the minutes would state what the motion was, the minutes would state who seconded the motion; the minutes should state that the motion passed by some method of voting or another and what the vote total was or if the vote was unanimous or at least no objections. But the minutes as presented have no motion, no second and no vote thus no Executive Session under the Libertarian Party Policy Manual.
This same (at least according to the minutes) non-entry into a Executive Session happened twice more
Counsel’s Report, Continued
The LNC entered executive session for the remainder of Counsel’s report.
Coming out of executive session, Sean Haugh wanted it reflected in the minutes that he had preferred to discuss matters involving him in open session.
and
The LNC entered executive session to discuss the Barr Root campaign and personnel matters.
Now what could Angela have blogged about that could have happened in one of these policy violating “Executive Sessions”?
Could it have been
Quick: Dead guy gave us money. More than FEC allows. Sue to claim that dead people cannot be corrupted.
Patriot Alan Gura of the Heller Case (frm. IJ intern in his law school days) will on the cheap challenge the Fascist State on this issue. We are discussing on to whether to move forward.
Gura is offering to wave certain fees and cap others so the costs are about 15K. If the suit drags on for several years, he might charge UP TO an extra $7500 (Make sure you actually read the minutes b/c it is harder to type and keep track. Sullentrup may be a closet Republican but he does do something quite difficult very very well.)
if it was how different is this then what the Minutes reported as
Coming out of executive session, Jim Lark recommended the LNC express its appreciation to Alan Gura for his work for Liberty. Without objection, the motion passed.
Aaron Starr moved to proceed with campaign finance litigation engaging the law firm of Alan Gura, to sue the FEC to overturn the contribution limits for bequests left to the LNC, budgeting $15k in 2008 for that purpose with disbursements beginning no earlier than November 2008.
Could it have been about the Barr Campaign when Angela blogged
Said in ExSession. I’m within my rights to reveal this:
We don’t have a contract b/t the Barr Camp and LNC b/c….Cory asserted to both Carling and Redpath that they were afraid that someone would reveal data. I didn’t know what the hell they were talking about until it was further explained that Cory was afraid that I would misuse “data.”
Why this is ExSession? No idea. To Redpath’s credit, he, Ruwart and several other believed that this was an excuse. That I am a scape goat.
Lets take this apart. For this to be a topic of a discussion within an executive session it would have had to have been part of the motion to enter that executive session. What motion? Second it has to be one of the stated reasons in
and as such it might fit under Section 2 Paragraph F sub paragraph 3 or the motion must have the support of two thirds of the voting membership.
vi. Strategic issues (only those requiring confidentiality)
But to do so it would have to require confidentiality. What would be the reasons for requiring confidentiality? To protect Angela? Not likely since she is the one who released the information. To protect the accuser? Since when have we (other then the despised patriot act and military tribunals) allowed an accuser to remain anonymous?
On to the motion to kick Angela off of the LNC. The motion was revised to read
The LNC shall suspend the membership on the LNC of Angela Keaton for breaching confidentiality in executive session as denoted in Article 8 Section 5 of Bylaws, in the event she does not apologize with 10 days and commit to never repeating the offense again
Article 8 Section 5 states that the LNC may suspend the membership of an at -large member for cause. What is missing from this motion is a detailed statement of what the cause is. The lack of a clear accusation and supporting evidence makes this motion appear arbitrary and capricious.
Stephen Meier
Fremont, CA
