Even de Blasio, like a broken clock, is right twice a day. Reposted from the Ron Paul Institute:

Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city had eliminated charges for phone calls made by inmates in city jails. Karen Matthews of the Associated Press reported that New York City, with this elimination of fees that had been 50 cents for the first minute and five cents for each additional minute, is the first major American city to eliminate inmates’ phone call fees.

This is a welcome move against what I described in an October of 2013 Ron Paul Institute article as “phone system monopolies that charge inmates’ families and friends exorbitant rates to communicate with their incarcerated loved ones.”

New York City is not alone in rolling back or eliminating the phone call fees. In August, for example, the Texas prison system voted to implement an over 75 percent reduction in phone call fees for Texas inmates.

De Blasio, quoted in Matthew’s Associated Press article, succinctly describes some of the benefit of eliminating the fees, stating that making the phone calls free will ensure “people in custody have the opportunity to remain connected to their lawyers, families and support networks that are so crucial to re-entry into one’s community.”

Join us on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara Sushi located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York for a Free Focus Group on Recruiting and Training Libertarian Candidates hosted by renowned Political Consultant and University of Oxford trained researcher Ebonique Boyd. She will investigate what the Libertarian Party of New York wants in new candidates and how to lower barriers to help more Libertarian candidates run in local elections in 2021.

Preliminary Topics:

· How would you want to be recruited to run for local office?

· What barriers keep you from running?

· What would you like to see in a training program?

Ebonique Boyd has worked in congressional and gubernatorial campaigns since 2009. Her survey research skills were developed at the University of Oxford and Market Research Foundation. She has led a political training program with Higher Heights for America. She has also taught business courses with Good Management and Investments.

More Details and directions here.

Join us on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara Sushi located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York to hear Carl Lanzisera & Gary Jacobs speak about their organization, Americans For Legal Reform. Should all lawyers be killed? Are there any ethical lawyers out there? What can you do to reform the legal system? They will speak for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of interactive conversation. Many educated and experienced people are being invited to participate in the discussion. Individuals from the Queens Libertarians, America First, Stonewall Libertarians and other groups are being invited to this educational presentation.

Other details and directions are here. Visit this website to learn more:

http://americans4legalreform.com/

An analysis by the Foundation for Economic Education on the super heroine:

Join us on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara Sushi restarantlocated in, Whitestone, New York to hear Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens speak about the United States Nationalist Initiative, a patriotic, nationwide organization founded by Cade Martin, a United States Marine. On March 6, 2019, Cade appointed Dr. Stevens to serve on the National Committee of the United States Nationalist Initiative. Learn all about how this organization hopes to take action to educate American and save this country. He will speak for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of interactive conversation. Many educated and experienced people are being invited to participate in the discussion. Individuals from the Queens Libertarians, America First, Stonewall Libertarians and other groups are being invited to this inspirational talk on the future of America.

Visit this website and join if you are interested:

https://www.officialusni.org/

More details and directions.

Join us on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara
Sushi located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York to hear
Bob Schulz speak on the topic of “The Republican Clause & The
Amazon Deal.”

Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution reads,“The United
States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican
form of government.” A state government republican in form is a
government based upon the consent of the People and the Rule of
Law. New York State is experiencing the peaceful demise of
republicanism.The Amazon Deal is but one current example. It violates Article VII, Sections 8 and 11 of the New York State Constitution…

Bob Schulz, 79 years young, resides in Queensbury, NY – near Lake
George in the foothills of the Adirondacks, where he and his wife
of 56 years raised four children, thoroughbred horses and sheep.

Bob’s second career, spanning four decades, has been devoted to
educating people in NY and around the country about the Cause of
Liberty; teaching them about their natural Rights and the
importance of protecting and defending our state and federal
Constitutions which are meant to secure those Rights.

More Details and Directions

Join us on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara Sushi Restaurant in Whitestone to hear Ron Litchman speak on the topic of “New York Libertarian Party At A Crossroads: Will Obtaining ‘Ballot Access’ Make It A Real Political Party.”

The NYLP, last November, obtained the 50,000 votes for governor required to become a “recognized party,” entitling it to put its candidates on New York State ballots for the next four years, without collecting thousands of signatures to qualify for ballot access.

What will the Party become, with its new status? It stands at a crossroads —

Down one road, the party can leverage its newly minted”recognized party” status to broaden its appeal, secularize its message, and engage in the give-and-take that is the nature of electoral politics. That means accepting compromise to achieve intermediate goals, joining forces with like-minded fellow citizens on common ground, demonstrating an ability to govern by addressing real issues with practical, non-dogmatic solutions.

But down the other road, where the party’s Old Guard seems set to go — is a party increasingly sectarian, more rigidly dogmatic. It’s mission is to defend ideological “principles,” not promote practical governmental solutions to voters’ problems. Emblematic of its self-imposed isolation, the party is adopting a rule that only registered Libertarians may be nominated or endorsed.

Standing at the crossroads, the NYLP is presented these existential questions: What is the function of a real political party? Which path leads to actually winning elections?

More Details and directions here.

Toy Drive Coordinator provides the following update excerpt on the Queens Libertarians’ outreach to private sector organizations in the borough, which distributed about 300 toys by Christmas:

“Today, Wednesday, December 19, John and I went to OLCA (Our Lady Catholic Academy) located in South Ozone Park right after breakfast with Santa at 9 a.m. Having taken a large car from my home from a local car service to arrive at the school, where we were met by the principal, Mr. Coyne, we set up our toys on three tables in the large basement for the pre-K section. We gave out toys from pre-K to part of 2nd grade. Children formed a line from each class to approach the tables in choosing the toys. We finished at 11:30 a.m.

“All the children from the three places mentioned above were well behaved. Everything but a dispute with the car service’s driver over the fare ran smoothly. And all our toys were appreciated.”

Yaskel also recently performed another beautiful song at the Singing Experience, “A Cockeyed Optimist,” which sums up her character:

On top of the odious NY SAFE act, gun control freaks in New York are now proposing additional regulations that would require access to a gun buyer’s social media comments before a permit could be approved. If you are defined as having expressed “wrongthink” on Facebook, Twitter et al, no guns for you! Popular libertarian YouTube pundit Styx comments (note, some bad language):

Join us on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. at Takara Sushi located at[masked]th Avenue, Whitestone, New York to hear Jeff Goolsby speak on the topic of Ending Birthright Citizenship. He will speak for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of interactive conversation. Many educated and experienced people are being invited to participate in the discussion. Individuals from the Queens Libertarians, America First, Stonewall Libertarians and other groups are being invited to this inspirational talk on the future of America.

Jeff Charles Goolsby is a long time classical liberal, libertarian, and Republican. Ayn Rand enthusiast, and architect by trade, he is a graduate of the College of Charleston (South Carolina), and the University of Notre Dame. He’s served as a political consultant on several campaigns including John Catsimitidis, and Ron Paul 2012.

Directions and more details

Flushing, New York, November 13— Queens Libertarians (both as individuals, and the organization of the same name) are celebrating the achievement of Queens’ own Larry Sharpe, an Astoria business consultant who served as the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor, and other progress made in 2018. Sharpe won enough votes in the election (over 90,000) to qualify the ballot line for permanent party status under New York election law, for the first time in its history. Libertarians thank Sharpe in particular for operating a full time, seriously funded campaign (he raised over $200,000) that unified its activists, chapters and organizations throughout New York.

“I want to thank each and every voter that voted for me. You took a step towards liberty and freedom,” says Sharpe on his ballot victory. “These results will enable the party to much more easily be able to run candidates throughout Queens, and the rest of the state,” adds Tom Stevens, President of Queens Libertarians (or QL). Sharpe has been a member of the organization for years and a frequent speaker, as part of the successful Libertarian education speaking program it has run through its 24 year straight history of monthly meetings.

Stevens also announced, when state party Chair Jim Rosenbeck spoke to the group in August, that the QL contact list had grown 33% since last December. In 2018, in addition to maintaining an over 400 active email and member list, it held a convention, holiday dinner, speaker program and 12 monthly meetings featuring guests including Murray Sabrin, Bill Schmidt, and 2018 LP gubernatorial contender Larry Sharpe. QL meets (since 1994) on the second Saturday of each month at the Takara Sushi restaurant in Whitestone from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

At their December 8 monthly meeting, the Queens Libertarians will also hold its annual toy drive for charity, and invites Libertarians in the NYC area to attend to donate new or gently used toys. Drive Coordinator Michelle Yaskel estimates they will deliver over 170 toys for homeless black children, through the family shelter support program Restfull Nights, at its Jamaica office in mid-December. The achievement, being the 18th straight toy drive conducted since 2001, will be honored by the shelter program when several QL members attend the Restfull Nights Christmas Party, held right after the Queens Libertarians annual Holiday Dinner on December 22.

The Queens Libertarians (formerly the original Libertarian Party of Queens County), is the authentic voice of libertarian views, activism, education and advocacy in Queens since 1994. It is not currently chartered with the Libertarian Party of New York (LPNY) due to a bylaws dispute, and over its documenting wrongful expulsions, and ongoing defamations of several Queens activists led by certain factions within the state party. According to Vice President John Clifton, “the de-chartering was demeaning, as it needlessly disenfranchised long term Queens activists, and represents a tendency towards fostering division and favoritism that probably contributed to the delay in LPNY achieving permanent ballot status until 2018.”

Members believe this action used the dispute simply as a pretext for removing its standing to object to the expulsions, since the reconsideration of that issue was never constructively resolved. QL expects its 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, or by Sharpe himself. The Queens Libertarians plan to further celebrate its history on their 25th anniversary in 2019.

Update: Roughly 300 toys were collected as of December 8, a new record for the drive. Due to a lack of communication from and disagreements with Restfull Nights, the toys will be distributed to other recipients.

Join us on Saturday, November 10, 2018 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 his Post-Midterm Election Analysis. He will speak for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of interactive conversation. Many educated and experienced people are being invited to participate in the discussion. Individuals from the Queens Libertarians, America First, Stonewall Libertarians and other groups are being invited to this inspirational talk on the future of America…

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.   More Details and Directions

Please join us on Saturday, October 13, 2018 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to hear Joseph R. Concannon speak about Kavanaugh & The Midterms.

The event will take place at Takara Sushi located at 150-11 14th Avenue, Whitestone, New York. Mr. Concannon will speak for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of interactive conversation.

I have been told that Martin Lev, a regular Queens Libertarian attendee, will be treating everyone to lunch. If something comes up and he cannot make it, all attendees will be required to purchase $10.00 in food and drink. While we will pass the hat, there is no mandatory donation…

Mr. Concannon is President Emeritus of the NY Metro InfraGard Members Alliance, an F.B.I. partnership initiative bridging the gap between the public and private sectors, which he led for twelve years. His vision and relentless pursuit of excellence pushed the InfraGard Members Alliance into the national spotlight, helping the F.B.I. expand its national membership and providing road map for alliances around the nation to establish similar programs. At the helm of NY Metro InfraGard, Mr Concannon developed and produced leading edge educational programs, including: monthly security summits, IGtv, a security and risk management broadcast channel; trusted partner conference calls; on-demand internet based distance learning; and the InfraGard Learning Series. Under his watch, the NYC Alliance provided education and professional development to over 5,000 security professionals hailing from over a dozen different industry verticals.

Mr. Concannon was awarded the prestigious InfraGard National Linda Franklin Memorial Leadership Award and led the NYC Alliance when it received the 2012 InfraGard Community Outreach Award.

Prior to InfraGard, Mr. Concannon has a distinguished 25-year law enforcement career with the NYPD. There, he successfully met challenges ranging from planning city-wide emergency management protocols and operations to directing and coordinating the early computer operations and LAN management for New York City to providing city government oversight. Mr, Concannon prepared the public safety section of the Mayor’s Management Report and was chiefly responsible for creating and providing analysis for Emergency Management Operations. He also served as Chair of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Mayor’s Office Emergency Response Protocol.

See October meeting notice for more details.

Larry Sharpe, 2018 Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of New York, shares his philosophy and vision for the state as he premieres the first of several campaign TV ads on Facebook this week: