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Queens Libertarians

Libertarian News, Views, Discussion and Advocacy from Queens County, New York

News

2020 Toy Drive Wrap Up

Special Events Coordinator Michele Yaskel summarizes the outcome of the annual Christmas time toy drive, which was complicated due to COVID. Going forward, the QL drive may be phased out, or simplified into a personal project of Yaskel’s given the increased logistical difficulties.

“The toy drive this difficult year went along very nicely, in spite of many restrictions. Queens Libertarians gave out a total of 98 toys. Forty-seven new toys were donated to NYFAC (New York Families for Autistic Children). Someone from NYFAC with a car came to my house to pick up the toys that were collected from QL members and others who gave. Frank Scafo of NYFAC was the contact person. He and his wife Debbie put together bags of toys that were handed out to NYFAC families on Sat., Dec. 12th and Sun., Dec. 13th, by appointment from a parking lot gathered from wish lists filled out ahead of time.

Frank told me everything went well. I personally gave out 46 toys to the Here We Grow daycare center in South Ozone Park. The children chose from two bags of toys that I brought. It went well also. Then I walked on my block and gave out five additional toys. Everyone was happy and grateful.”

LPNY Opposes Assembly Bill Mandating COVID-19 Vaccine

Bravo, LPNY!

…Linda Rosenthal (AD-67), recently proposed bill A11179, currently in committee, which would mandate delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine to New York state residents.

As written, the bill states, “if public health officials determine that residents of the state are not developing sufficient immunity from COVID-19, the department shall mandate vaccination for all individuals or groups of individuals who, as shown by clinical data, are proven to be safe to receive such vaccine.” The only exception allowed would be for a medical restriction, verified by a licensed healthcare professional.

The Libertarian Party of New York stands opposed to these mandates. Cody Anderson, chair of the Libertarian Party of New York, called on all New York State assemblypeople and senators to reject bill A11179.

“We consider this to be a violation of the Fourth Amendment rights of New Yorkers,” Anderson stated. “On its surface, these bills would be an infringement on one’s personal choice and security, subjugating individuals’ informed consent and replacing it with ill-informed, one-size-fits-all mandates from government officials. Furthermore, the continued lack of religious exemption or consideration in this and other vaccine-related legislation coming from Albany is a blatant, prejudiced and reprehensible infringement of First Amendment protections.”

“We demand that legislative leaders be principled when they claim “My body, my choice” – they must not pick and choose.”

For more information about the Libertarian Party of New York, please visit lpny.org. You may also visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/LPNYOfficial , Twitter @LPNYOfficial, or Instagram @LPNYOfficial.

Contact:
Tony D’Orazio
1st Vice Chair
Libertarian Party of New York

QL Hosts Stacey Prussman on Her Campaign for Mayor

Queens Libertarians is proudly hosting “Meet Stacey Prussman, LP Candidate for Mayor” on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 11:30 am at Takara Sushi Restaurant, in Whitestone, New York. In this intimate and relaxed setting, actress, comedian, podcaster and radio talk show host Prussman will discuss her career, views, and decision to seek the LP nomination for NYC Mayor.

Stacey Prussman is a national touring headlining stand-up comic, a radio host, actress, and a public speaker. Stacey is a proud, life long, native New York City resident, born and raised in South Brooklyn. She started serving her community at the age of 16 as a liaison between her high school and the league of women voters. She later worked with Headcount as a coordinator for a successful, bipartisan, voter registration campaign. Stacey’s compassion drove her as an animal rights activist as she developed her strong support for critical animal rights measures. Her history with overcoming an eating disorder led her to become a speaker and advocate for mental health awareness and she has given hundreds of keynote speeches at colleges, military academies, and treatment centers across the US. Her political website is https://www.prussmanformayor.com

Details and Directions

Libertarian Views, Memories and Discussion of John Chodes December 12

Queens Libertarians will be holding our annual Christmas, or Holiday Dinner on Saturday, December 12, 2020 at 11:30 am at Takara Sushi Restaurant, located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York. Due to COVID, on this date we are combining our annual Dinner with a special “Celebration of John Chodes,” the late libertarian education and history author and lecturer, who passed in June 2020. Chodes spoke to Libertarian Party audiences for years on topics ranging from Abraham Lincoln to the Reconstruction era, to Frederick the Great, to the Lancaster school system in early America. A video of one of his last interviews (with Mark Axinn) will be shown at the dinner meeting, followed by discussion and remembrance. All people who were edified by his presentations are encouraged to attend. P.S.: Going forward, QL will likely re-title the function as a luncheon, given in most recent years it has been scheduled at lunchtime.

Directions/Details.

 

“Drop and Roll”–Was the 2020 Presidential Election Stolen?

Whatever your feelings about Trump or Biden, a victim of theft is a victim of theft. Regardless of who you want to be president, the public should have confidence in its voting results. A huge amount of physical, eyewitness, digital and logical evidence has emerged since the election indicating Trump (or more properly, most American voters) have been robbed of a free and fair election.  AP and other legacy corporate media prematurely called the election for Biden, despite heated disputes going on in at least six contested states as of this writing.

It has been documented (by hundreds of sworn affidavits, eyewitness accounts, video evidence, tens of thousands of ballot irregularities, audited reviews of the suspect voting software used, etc) that the “robust safeguards” in the system were circumvented, in violation of the Constitution and state laws, to engineer massive election fraud (amounting to ‘flips’ of hundreds of thousands of votes or more), or enough to alter the outcome of the election. The Gateway Pundit has summarized the statistical anomalies alone in the below video:

 

What is the LPNY’s Future After the 2020 Elections?

Join us on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara Sushi located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York to hear William K. Schmidt make a presentation regarding the theme “2020 Election Analysis—What is the LPNY’s Path Going Forward? “He will speak for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of interactive conversation. Is there hope left, or plans to deal with the setbacks of this election?

William K. Schmidt, a libertarian Republican, came very close to being elected Mayor of Peekskill. He served as a Peekskill Councilman and on the Westchester County Human Rights Commission. He was a Claims Manager at the NY Liquidation Bureau and is a graduate of St. John’s University and Peekskill High School. Schmidt has served on the LPNY State Committee, and on the Larry Sharpe 2018 campaign for Governor. He is currently Treasurer of the Westchester LP. More details and directions here.

Notes: QL tentatively plans to return to the Forest Hills (Irish Pub) location, but that is still delayed due to COVID complications. QL will also use the November meeting to receive toys for the Annual Toy Drive.

Post Election Update: LPNY on Failing to Sustain Ballot Status

The dire implications of the 2020 elections on Libertarians in NY will be explored at the Queens Libertarians November 14 meeting in Whitestone.

Message from the Chair:

In March, under cover of COVID, the governor and the State Legislature passed new and unconstitutional ballot access thresholds requiring our presidential candidate to receive the higher of two percent or 130,000 votes in New York State. Despite record voter turnout nationwide, our presidential candidate failed to meet the new threshold. This is a stinging loss. Debate will rage on about the suitability of our national candidates and the efficacy of their campaign. I will not engage in these conversations publicly. As LPNY Chair, my only concerns are moving Liberty in NYS forward and continuing our ballot access fight.

As you may be aware, and in conjunction with the Green Party of New York, the LPNY filed a Federal lawsuit in July challenging the constitutionality of these ballot access restrictions. Now that the election outcome for our candidate is clear, the lawsuit will move forward. I have called a meeting of the LPNY Executive Committee and our legal team to discuss next steps.

In the meantime, I ask all individuals, regardless of party affiliation, to rally behind this important battle for minor party ballot access, and click below to contribute to the LPNY to support our ballot access lawsuit:

Support our ballot access lawsuit!

Thank you in advance for donating as generously as you are able. Our survival, quite literally, hangs in the balance.

In Liberty,
W. Cody Anderson
Chair, Libertarian Party of New York

Ballot Access: An Urgent Message from the LPNY Chair

As you are no doubt aware, Governor Cuomo and the legislature added a rider to the FY2021 NYS State Budget to increase our ballot access requirements from 50,000 votes on the Libertarian gubernatorial line every four years, to the greater of 130,000 votes or 2% of total votes cast on the Libertarian presidential or gubernatorial line every TWO years. Further, if we lose ballot access, a minimum of 45,000 verified signatures will be required to earn a line on the ballot – triple the current independent petitioning threshold. WE MUST NOT LOSE BALLOT ACCESS.

We are fighting in Federal court against this latest attempt to silence the voices of minor political parties in New York. We believe our case is strong, but as with all litigation, the outcome is not certain. Our best chance to keep ballot access is to whip 160,000 votes on the Libertarian POTUS line. The LPNY Executive Committee met immediately following the state committee organizing meeting and allocated resources to fund a Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign for our Presidential candidate and other Libertarian candidates across the state.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY. We are looking for volunteers to help make automated GOTV phone calls. All you need a computer, a phone, and a little bit of free time to help the LPNY keep ballot access! We have scheduled a series of Zoom training sessions to get volunteers familiar with the phone bank platform and mechanics. Once you sign up, you will be sent a link to a Zoom meeting to train for the phone banking effort.

Any amount of time you can commit to helping us phone bank will be of enormous help. Our ballot access hangs in the balance. Please click the button below to volunteer for this urgent effort.

Click here to volunteer to GET OUT THE VOTE!

Our legal battle surrounding ballot access will continue. Please consider donating as generously as you are able to support both our GOTV effort and our ballot access lawsuit by clicking below.

Click here to donate in support of LPNY ballot access!

I personally thank you in advance for donating your time, money and talent to our survival.

In Liberty, W. Cody Anderson
Chair, Libertarian Party of New York

Forest Hills Naturopathic Doctor Speaks on Mask Mandates

Queens Libertarians will host popular Naturopathic Doctor Dr. Saul Marcus (ND), at the Takara Sushi restaurant located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York on Saturday, October 10 at 11:30 am. He will speak on the topic of “Lockdown Lunacy and the Mask Mandates of 2020” and the best way to promote health freedom and options for natural immune wellness in the wake of the constantly evolving “COVID guidance” state and city mandates of 2020. What happened to just “15 days to slow the spread?” Are we to stay socially conformed into wearing “face diapers” indefinitely?

According to Dr. Marcus, “Masks trap viral particles, creating possibility for infection. The damp environment of the mask creates opportunely for bacteria to grow, with may cause infection for the use. Impairs breathing. Masks decrease how much oxygen we can breath in. They also increase our levels of carbon dioxide.”

Face mask recommendations from Dr. Marcus, based on commentary recently expressed in his blog at: https://saulmarcusnd.com/ : “There are many situations where people are forced by government, private business, or social pressure to wear face masks. I am not telling anyone to disobey the law. This is simply what would be done in a more rationale and ideal world…” More details and directions

Remember John Perry

On 9/11, remembering the late John W. Perry, NYPD officer and Libertarian activist, among the heroes who died that day in 2001 while saving others. Yes, blue lives do matter.

One Day From Retirement

Officer John W. Perry was preparing to retire from the NYPD on the morning of September 11. He was in the middle of filling out his exit paperwork when news of the attacks arrived, and rather than carry on with his retirement, Perry put his paperwork down and ran the few blocks from 1 Police Plaza to the Towers. He was last seen helping a woman out of one of the towers as it collapsed. Perry’s friend, Arnold Wachtel, told New York Newsday:

Apparently, John was too slow carrying this woman. But knowing John, he would never leave that lady unattended. That was just like him to help people.

Should Public Sector Unions Endorse Candidates?

OAN takes a quick look at the controversy resulting from the NYPD union endorsing Donald Trump for President. Local Queens pols like AOC, who has been endorsed by several public unions, only seem to have objected to this when a non-Democrat got the endorsement. Libertarians might ask, should public sector unions even exist?:

Queens Libertarians Update On Officers, Bylaws and Bank Progress

QL has recently re-affirmed officers on its Executive Committee, the Bylaws amended from December 2016, and has re-acquired access to its bank account as of August 2020. The 2020 Officers of Queens Libertarians are as follows:

President, Speaker Coordinator— John Clifton
Vice President— Philip Schoenberg
Membership Secretary— Daniel Adler
Treasurer— Samuel Sloan
Secretary— Philip Schoenberg
Toy Drive, Special Events Coordinator— Michelle Yaskel

This independent organization will now be able to resume its mission to continue to be the authentic voice of libertarian views, activism, education and advocacy in Queens since 1994. QL expects its ongoing and upcoming positive achievements and fully active organization will result in a re-merging or restoration of its status and/or members with LPNY, through a future state convention or committee. The Queens Libertarians otherwise plan to complete a conversion into a Political Action Committee going forward in the next year.