ANNOUNCEMENTS

The party convention is just 3 weeks away, on March 19th. We have assembled a terrific slate of speakers for you: Josh Templet from SURJ to update us on their legislative progress; Ken Krawchuk, former PA chair and gubernatorial candidate; State Senator Colin Bonini, Delaware's most Libertarian Republican; James Lark, Libertarian extrordinaire, and our regional representative to the national committee; and our friend Spear Lancaster, former MD gubernatorial candidate. In addition, you will hear updates from party members on various local topics of interest. And finally, there will be the important business of electing a new board.

I hope to see every one of you there. There is no charge for anything except the meal. Please let us know that you are coming by calling Terri at 302.659.1920 or emailing her at jimc@ezol.com. If you would like to join us for lunch, there is a modest discount for prepaying, or you are welcome to pay at the door. But please let us know you are coming.

Due to it's closeness to the convention, the NCC March meeting has been cancelled. I would consider the Sussex meeting to be in doubt also, but that has not been confirmed.

Sign up for party announcements at YAHOOGROUPS.COM The list name is LPD-Announce

LIBERTARIAN VIEWPOINT

The News Journal ran a four day series on violence in Wilmington last week. From the outset, they comment that "nearly all the shootings are linked to the drug trade." "Wilmington neighborhoods are gripped by grief and fear. Some street corners are run by drug dealers and ruled with guns." But then, they go on with a full page on family breakdown, and shorter articles on "police apathy", gun control, the lack of resources in the city, etc.

On Tuesday, the editors came close: "Drug dealers are around because people want what they sell. The violence that follows drug dealing will only stop when it becomes unprofitable", said the lead editorial. But their solution to profitability is to make more arrests. Four other op eds in the same issue and three the following day likewise talk around the issue: Attorney General Jane Brady, for example, says the Justice system can't solve the problem - "Instilling values in our young people will provide the big payoff." Others call for more police and the return of community policing. C.E. Brittingham, President of the Wilmington NAACP blames "lack of sensible gun control laws." Another cites the lack of hope for kids in the city.

It is difficult to imagine that only Libertarians can see that if we didn't have our insane war on drugs, illicit drug dealing would not be profitable. We don't see shoot outs over beer deals gone bad, but we did when alcohol was illegal! We don't see turf wars between gangs who want to sell cigarettes to kids.

Year after year, the Federal Drug Czar tells us we are winning the war on drugs. But, year after year, we read reports about the most recent "biggest drug bust in history." In fact, these are often touted as proof we are winning. That is like saying that yearly record highway deaths would show that highways were becoming safer.

Many of us are very concerned about the two PATRIOT acts, and other incursions on civil liberties in the name of protecting us from terrorism. How sad to realize that these most recent laws are actually relatively minor extensions of laws passed in the name of the war on drugs. It is the war on drugs that gave the police the right to come kick down your door in the middle of the night because some low life gave your name to the cops in exchange for a lighter sentence. All the PATRIOT act does is extend the reach to "possible terrorists or sympathizers." It is the war on drugs that opens your bank records to the government, indeed, forces your bank to spy on you. All the PATRIOT act does is ludicrously extend the definition of a bank.

Believe me, I do not like the PATRIOT acts. But it is the war on drugs that infuriates me most. In the name of the war on drugs, nonviolent, petty drug dealers get 50 years without parole, while rapists do 10 if they have a bad lawyer. In the name of the war on drugs, undercover police set out to entrap you into buying drugs from them.

It is certainly possible that legalizing drugs could have some negative repercussions, just as has happened with alcohol. But could they possibly be any worse than what we have now?

George Smith

LP DE IN THE NEWS

Bill Morris, Community News 2/18, "U.S. not answer to foreign poverty" (LTTE) George Jurgensen, News Journal 2/27, "America needs to create saving and investment plan" (LTTE)

"What this country needs are more unemployed politicians." --Edward Langley

CALENDAR

The Libertarian Party of Delaware state board meetings are open to the public, as are all of the county monthly meetings. As things are always subject to change, please contact the indicated party before attending.

Kent County: 7pm Tuesday March 15th (third Tuesday), Dover Email Jim Conk: jconk4@comcast.net

NC County: Cancelled this month due to convention

Sussex County: 7pm Tuesday March 22nd (fourth Tuesday), Bella Capri Restaurant, Georgetown Tentative this month Email Valerie Valeska: Vixen_94928@Yahoo.com

State Board: 3:30pm Saturday March 26th (Last Saturday) Tentative. Email chair@de.lp.org to confirm

Next issue of First State Libertarian On Line deadline for editorial content: March 27th

Next issue of First State Libertarian deadline for content: April 5th

Join the Libertarian Party of Delaware or contribute. Visit our web site at www.de.lp.org

Thanks to Mike Herrera and Client Server Specialists for making fslol@lists.cssi.org available to us.

QUIP OF THE MONTH

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan