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News from the RLC

Fight the Florida Party ‘Purge’!

Taking a Stand for Liberty!

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Issue #10 October 2009
Halloween is coming up and the political class is determined to play some more tricks on We the People.

This newsletter outlines the latest news from the Republican Liberty Caucus.

The RLC is made up of grassroots concerned citizens turned activists who are fighting an uphill battle to preserve personal and economic freedoms. RLC’ers nationwide are working to end the tricks of the politics-as-usual crowd and to return transparency and accountability to the political process.

Only principled citizen legislators — those who say what they mean and do what they say — with a fervent commitment to preserving individual liberty can save us from these tricks.

The fact is that the "leaders" of the Republican Party have party identification at record low numbers. These "leaders" are the people who want you to trust them for more leadership. Has their past leadership warranted you to trust them for future leadership? Or is it time for new leaders to re-brand the Republican Party?

This month — in the below newsletter — you’ll see how one state Republican Liberty Caucus has had such an impact on its state Republican Party that the party ‘leadership’ has expelled RLC members from participating in the party.

You’ll also hear about numerous RLC outreach activities, RLC-hosted speakers, a lawsuit against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) brought by a RLC member, and a passed California GOP resolution in support of auditing the Federal Reserve.
News from the Republican Liberty Caucus

Republican Liberty Caucus Members Expelled from FL Republican Party
… Activists Too Effective to=2 0Remain in Party Ranks

Earlier this month, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Grievance Committee notified Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida Chairman Will G. Pitts of Jacksonville and four other Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) leaders that they have been removed from positions within the RPOF and/or are prohibited from serving in any official RPOF capacity for lenths of time ranging from six months to more than four years.

Dissent and Effectiveness Cited as Reason for ‘Purge’

"The reasons for this ‘Party Purge’ are that we have collectively and individually called for a complete audit of the Republican Party of Florida finances, advocated for candidates not favored by party leaders, and that we are members of the Republican Liberty Caucus," said activist and RLC member Doug Guetzloe of Orlando, one of the ‘purged’ members. Guetzloe has served on the Orange County Republican Executive Committee since 1980.

In the case of Will Pitts, according to the formal complaints against him, Mr. Pitts not only criticized RPOF Party Boss Jim Greer, Governor and Senator-wannabe Charlie Crist, George W. Bush, and John McCain, but he also attended an "End the Fed" rally as well as a Ron Paul event in Minnesota.

In addition to RLC member Will Pitts being reprimanded, lifelong Republican and RLC activist Nick Egoroff of Orlando has been expelled for four years. Additionally, Northeast Florida RLC Chairman John Stevens — himself a Republican Committeeman for his precinct — is ineligible to serve in any RPOF position until August 31, 2013.

According to Stevens, "In effect, I [will not be eligible to] serve again until 2016 since the election for the next four year term will be in 2012." Florida RLC Board member and Escambria County Committeewoman Elizabeth Campbell was expelled for six months and stripped of her position.
Purged RLC member John Stevens with RLC
Advisory Board member Congressman Ron Paul.

Press Coverage Resulting from ‘Purge’

The RLC in Florida generated numerous press mentions as a resu lt of the ‘purge’: The St. Petersburg Times featured an article entitled Boss Greer accused of ‘party purges’. The Orlando Sentinel has an article entitled RPOF Suspends Orange Leaders; Ousted Vow to Fight ‘Purge’. Of course, the RLC issued a press release on the issue.

Just last week, talk radio host Mike Church spoke with a purge victim, Florida RLC Chairman Will Pitts, on his radio show. Listen to the radio clip on YouTube.

RLC Five Were Not Only RPOF Purge Victims

Several othe r Republican Party activists have also been removed from the Florida Republican Party, including former State Representative and Brevard County Chairman Jason Steele and former Chair of the Federation of Black Republicans and Orange County Committeeman Deon Long.

The RLC members had been supporting Paula Dockery for Governor and Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate — two political rivals of Party Boss Jim Greer, Senate candidate Charlie Crist, and gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum.

RPOF Continues Attack on Republican Liberty Caucus Under Jim Greer’s Ham-Fisted Reign

The Florida GOP has systematically attacked the Republican Liberty Caucus since summer of 2008, when Jim Greer’s staff notified the RLC that it could no longer use the word "Republican" in "Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida". They threatened lawsuit against the RLC.

The RLC has used this title for nearly two decades in the state of Florida and obtained proper permission in writing long before Jim Greer’s or Charlie Crist’s ham-fisted ‘leadership’ in the Florida GOP.

RPOF ‘Leaders’ Claim Loyalty Oath More Important Than Party Activists

RLC member Doug Guetzloe said that if his neighbors elect him to a precinct position, the party should have no power to oust him. Guetzloe and RLC member Nick Egoroff of Orange County will be filing a lawsuit to counter the ‘purge’ action.

Just within the last week, the Florida Third District Court o f Appeals ruled against the RPOF in a case brought by Dade county Republican Executive Committee members against the local and state Party. The court ruled that the RPOF loyalty oath (which RPOF ‘leaders’ say was violated by RLC members) could not be used to disqualify duly elected members from voting. The result of the lawsuit is that Lew Oliver, who has had a longstanding feud with some Republican Liberty Caucus activists in Orange County, may be removed as Chair of the Orange County Republican Party.

This ruling may also be precedent-setting for the lawsuit being filed by RLC members Guetzloe and Egoroff against the RPOF.

RLC Members Urged to Take Action

1) Contact RNC National Chair Michael Steele at (202) 863-8500 and the two Florida RNC Committee Representatives, Paul Senft [eMail] and Sharon Day [eMail]. Please be respectful. (Note: Background on the situation is available at the RLC blog.)

2) Call the Republican Party of Florida at (850) 222-7920 and (850) 222-7920. Give them a piece of your mind. Delmar W. Johnson, Executive Director of RPOF, voted to have RLC members banned from the party. Let Delm ar and his staff know what you think about that!

3) Contact members of the RPOF Grievance Committee — the folks who voted to boot RLC members. Express your frustration — no, outrage! — that they are purging elected Committee members from the party!

4) Join the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida on Facebook and Yahoo. There is also a reform-oriented Facebook group called "Restore the Republican Party of Florida" operated by RLC member Nick Egoroff. If you haven’t yet done so, please join the RLC or donate today!

5) Jim Greer’s e-mail addresses are: [email protected] and [email protected]. Let him know what you think.

Political Enemies Created by Successes

When the party leadership has to stoop this low, it is clear that RLC members are having an impact. Now is NOT the time to give up, but to keep on fighting!

Please take the above-outlined steps to help us fight back. The message of individual liberty, free markets, and limited government is gaining support all across the country and throughout the state of Florida.

The Republican Liberty Caucus hopes to provide you with a courageous, principled, and committed voice for reform in the Republican Party.

Illinois and Kentucky RLC Affiliates Working to For m

Grassroots liberty-loving Republicans in Illinois and Kentucky are working to form Republican Liberty Caucus affiliates in their respective states.

The Illinois RLC will be conducting outreach at the Students for Liberty Conference on October 10 at the University of Chicago. At the conference, RLC Advisor and former Michigan State Representative Leon Drolet — who is running for State Senate in 2010 — and former Wisconsin State Representative Terri McCormick — who is eyeing a race in 2010 — will be speaking. Please contact us to volunteer at the RLC booth in Chicago.

An activist in Kentucky is hoping to organize a first-ever event for Republican Liberty Caucus supporters in the Bluegrass State. If you are interested in helping lay the foundation for a Kentucky RLC, let us know.

RLC Member to FDIC: You must define ‘Systemic Risk’

Under the reform blueprint of the Treasury Department, any financial company — whether a regulated bank or not — could be ‘rescued’ or seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) if regulators believe it poses a ‘systemic risk’.

Enter RLC member Vern McKinley of Virginia. McKinley is seeking the answer to two questions: how exactly does the government measure systemic risk, and how do regulators know that the U.S. economy can’t live without a particular firm?

McKinley, who was endorsed by the RLC in 2008 in his longshot primary challenge to entrenched U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10) most recently spoke at the Republican Liberty Caucus of Northern Virginia meeting in August.

Now McKinley has decided to take on the FDIC. It started last December, when he sent a FOIA request to the Fed to find out what Fed governors meant when they said a Bear Stearns failure would cause a "contagion". They have largely blown him off, responding with a few highly uninformative letters from the Fed staff to Congress.

After Mr. McKinley sued the FDIC this summer, the agency coughed up a previously undisclosed staff memo to the FDIC board. The section of the memo=2 0titled "Systemic Risk" was entirely erased, however. He explained his lawsuit on Fox Business channel last week.

Opines The Wall Street Journal: "For rescues of institutions deemed ‘too big to fail,’ this lack of disclosure is striking… the counterparties that benefited from the AIG bailout last year were only formally disclosed in 2009 after months of public pressure…"

According to the WSJ, "A public debate on which banks really needed a bailout via the government’s AIG conduit has hardly taken place… [and] a year after the epic meltdown, this is the debate Congress needs to undertake before legislating any new federal authority. Regulators should not receive a blank check to prevent systemic risk without even defining what that term means."

Mr. McKinley wants answers. So do other concerned Americans.

RLC members Dick Heller (of Heller v. DC), Vern McKinley (center), and Mrs. McKinley.
Help Fight the Florida ‘Party Purge’!
RLC Members to File Suit Against Florida GOP, But Need Financial Help

Two RLC members (Nick Egoroff and Doug Guetzloe) who were kicked out of the Florida GOP in September will be going to court next week to obtain a temporary restraining order against the Republican Party of Florida for what they view as a gross violation of authority in booting out elected members of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee.

The two RLC members now have a legal defense fund link set up for credit card donations. All funds will go toward their legal defense, and $3,500 must be raised in the next se veral days. Please click here to donate to this important cause.

If these members win, it will be an important victory for grassroots Republicans in Florida.
Taking a Stand for Liberty!
RLC to Reach Out at Students for Liberty Conferences in Illinois, New York, North Carolina, and Texas
Students for Liberty, an organization founded in 2008 to promote liberty among college students on campuses around the country, is hosting seven conferences this fall.

The RLC will have speakers and representatives attending at least four the conferences:

* On Oct. 10 at Columbia University, New York RLC Chair/City Council candidate Dan Halloran and former RLC National Board member/ Professor of Finance Dr. Murray Sabrin will be addressing students and RLC member Elizabeth Hillgrove will be tabling for the RLC. To help Elizabeth table, please contact us.

* On Oct. 17, RLC member Robert Stanford will be tabling at the Chicago Conference, and RLC Advisors and former State Representatives in Michigan and Wisconsin,Leon Drolet and Terri McCormick, will address the crowd. Please volunteer to help Robert table — contact us!

* On Oct. 24, North Carolina RLC Board member/past Congressional candidate Dr. B.J. Lawson (pictured, right) will address students at the Duke University Conference and state RLC Secretary Gloria Lloyd will help table for the RLC. Contact us if you are able to help Gloria reach out to students at the conference.

* Also on Oct. 24, RLC Natioanl Chair Dave Nalle and Bexar County RLC Membership Coordinator Nadia Gaona will reach out to students at the Texas SFL Conference in Austin. Please contact us to volunteer.

These events are promising opportunities to reach young people with the Republican Liberty Caucus strategy to implement liberty principles into real public policy, so we welcome your involvement.

California RLC Prompts State GOP to Pass Resolution Supporting Fed Audit

In a precedent-setting and inspiring move, members of the Republican Liberty Caucus of California in Alameda and Sonoma counties convinced the California Republican Party Central Committee to pass a resolution in support of a full audit of the Federal Reserve. The California GOP is the first state party to pass such a resolution.

At the state GOP convention on September 26 (at which the RLC was conducting outreach), the resolution was circulated and delegates decisively decided to support it. RLC-endorsed Congressman Tom McClintock, Assemblyman and U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore, and several Congressional candidates threw their support behind the resolution. State Assemblyman Chuck Devore even spoke passionately on behalf of the resolution before California GOP delegates

RLC members such as Matthew Heath, John Dennis, David Latour, Walter Stanley, and David Ewing were the primary movers and shakers pushing for resolution adoption. For the text of the resolu tion, check the RLC blog.

October Republican Liberty Caucus Events
New York City RLC Meetup – October 2
RSVP at http://rlc.meetup.com/83/calendar/11293347/

Bexar County (Texas) RLC Meeting – October 3
RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139561668654
**Featuring Marialyn Barnard, Circuit Court Judge

Minnesota RLC Outreach at State GOP Convention – October 3
Contact [email protected] to volunteer.

Palm Beach (Florida) RLC Meetup – October 7
RSVP at http://rlc.meetup.com/86/calendar/11273526/

Alameda County (California) RLC Meetup – October 9
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/AlamedaCountyRLC/calendar/11352001/

Wisconsin RLC Meetup at Future Wisconsin Conference – October 11
For additional details, contact us.

Central East Florida RLC Monthly=2 0Meetup – October 12
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/rlccef/calendar/11376625/

Georgia RLC Convention – TBD
For additional details, contact us.

Do you have an event submission or newsletter content suggestions or recommendations? If so, please contact us.

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