Editors Note: While Ron Knecht is a Republican, he remains a friend of the LPN and holds dear many Libertarian Party principals. This article proves just that. Ron was recently defeated in the elections earlier this month and will be sorely missed.

Time for Federal Prohibition of Cannabis to End

Nevada Republicans suffered a significant setback in last month’s elections, despite good efforts, and we need to revisit some issues.  We won’t change our principles, but it’s time to square those principles with some changed facts on the ground.

Let’s start with marijuana.

Consistent with Republican “leave us alone” principles that oppose federal micromanagement of people’s lives, it’s time for the federal government to make cannabis legal and get out of the way of the states on such matters.

The President and Republicans in congress should lead the way.

The first action is simple: the federal government should reclassify cannabis.  It should not be a schedule one drug.  Let’s even go this far: completely decriminalize cannabis at the federal level.

With Republicans running point on the issue.

The midterm general election was already over two weeks ago, but Libertarians and the Libertarian Party have been making the news across the country! From Washington DC to Montana to sunny Las Vegas, people are either applauding us or blaming us for their embarrassing losses.

LP Nevada's own David Colborne published an excellent op-ed in the Nevada Independent about LP Nevada's immediate and future plans. It's also worth noting that "...the Republican Party may become even more irrelevant in Nevada than it is in California," Colborne writes. "So what’s a Libertarian to do? Celebrate, of course. That’s right — celebrate." Every Republican loss is an opportunity for Libertarians to succeed and advance. The Democrats will likely raise taxes, but so what? The Democrats don't kick the LP off the ballot like the Republicans did in Arizona. Besides, Nevada Republicans are already responsible for the biggest tax increase in the history of the state, so the Democrats will have to work hard to be worse. 

PARA PUBLICACIÓN ABIERTA

Nota del traductor: Dennis Hof alcanzó la fama como el protagonista de la programa de realidad de HBO, 'Catwalk' ('Cathouse' en EEUU) sobre la industria de los burdeles. En 2018 hizo campaña por un asiento en la asamblea estatal. Murió tres semanas antes de las elecciones generales, pero se robó los titulares internacionales cuando ganó su elección a pesar de estar muerto.

Por: David Colborne

Con el reciente fallecimiento de Dennis Hof, varios obituarios les recordaron a todos que dirigió una campaña fallida contra James Oscarson en 2016 como Libertario. Posteriormente, abandonó públicamente el Partido Libertario, se unió al Partido Republicano, corrió nuevamente contra Oscarson (esta vez en la primaria republicana) y ganó. Ahora, la Guía para votantes de 2018 recientemente publicada por el Partido Libertario de Nevada describe a Dennis Hof de esta manera:

"Preferí a este candidato cuando no estaba tocando ante la multitud de “Trump" para ser elegido. La gente de Pahrump sabe lo que quiere, y merece hacerlo bien y con ganas".

Entonces, ¿cómo pasó Dennis Hof de ser uno de los candidatos más exitosos que el Partido Libertario presentó en la boleta electoral en Nevada a obtener dos estrellas de las cinco como el ‘Trump de Pahrump’ republicano antes de que muriera? ¿Y qué pueden aprender de él los aspirantes a candidatos libertarios? ¿Y qué hizo Hof por Nevada mientras estaba vivo?

Politics in America has become a circus and a spectacle sport. While we in the Libertarian Party are wholly committed to fighting against the two party duopoly--progressive special interests vs. conservative special interests--we still have to appreciate the hilarity of some of the things we witness. Sometimes the best way to cope with crazy is to laugh, and these three events definitely earned some good laughs. They're also reasons why we don't take the two parties' "leadership" seriously.

PARA DISTRIBUCIÓN PÚBLICA

Algunos partidarios y simpatizantes del Partido Libertario están desanimados después de las elecciones intermedias en Estados Unidos. Yo no. Yo estoy caminando en el aire ahora mismo.

El resultado más importante del martes es que la máquina de Trump ya no tiene mayoría en ambas cámaras del Congreso; los republicanos apenas ocuparon el Senado (51-49) y los demócratas tomaron la Cámara (223-197). El hecho de que ninguno de los dos partidos de programas de bienestar y de guerra sin fin controle el Congreso, ni pueda cumplir su agenda partidista, es la mayor victoria para la libertad humana. Ahora, hablemos del elefante en la sala: el desempeño del PL en esta elección.

Some Libertarian Party members and supporters are disappointed after last night's midterm elections. I'm not. I'm walking on air right now.

The single most important outcome from Tuesday night is that the Trump machine no longer has a majority in both houses of Congress; the Republicans barely held the Senate (51-49) and the Democrats took the House (223-197). The fact that neither of the two welfare/warfare parties controls Congress, nor can ram their partisan agenda through, is the single greatest win for human freedom. Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the LP's performance in this election.

PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA

7 de noviembre 2018

Las elecciones del 6 de noviembre trajeron varias victorias significativas para el Partido Libertario, incluyendo ganar carreras locales para cargos públicos en la Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota y Tennessee. Incluso en algunos estados sin un candidato ganador, los totales de votos libertarios fueron lo suficientemente altos como para asegurar el acceso a la boleta electoral del partido para futuras elecciones en Indiana, Massachusetts, Nueva York, Oklahoma, Wyoming y el Distrito de Columbia, lo que permitirá que los futuros candidatos se centren en sus campañas en lugar del costoso y minucioso proceso de calificación de la petición. Las iniciativas de boletas de inclinación libertaria también se aprobaron en varios estados, incluida la marihuana medicinal en Missouri y Utah y la marihuana recreativa en Michigan.

Robert Strawder is the talk of the town in Las Vegas. Known as 'Vegas Don' in hip hop circles and celebrated for being a member of Digital Underground, Strawder is taking his message of freedom to the urban community. Just days ago, Robert Strawder was featured in Africa Informer magazine. The Libertarian Party of Nevada is thrilled that an LP candidate is being covered for his run for office, especially in a culture magazine that targets a demographic the LP has a tough time reaching.

Korean leaders Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in met last Friday and declared a historic peace compact between the two countries. While other attempts have been made in the past, this marks the best hope for peace in the Korean Peninsula in 65 years. 

This is hopeful news for everyone around the world. One less place where nuclear war could erupt. 

Despite the investment Americans have made in Korea, both in terms of lives lost and money spent, very little has been made of this effort in the Mainstream Media.

Instead, we have been inundated with the Kavanaugh hearings which have devolved into a partisan inferno of vile attacks on both sides of the political duopoly aisle. 

As a reformed liberal, I left the Democrat Party when they left me. Marching as a child against the Vietnam War, I took comfort in the notion that the Democrat Party was the party of peace. Weary of the endless war policies escalated during George W. Bush's administration, I welcomed the message that Barak Obama carried with him during his election campaign.

I was furious when he doubled down on all the worst things about Bush's warmongering (drone strikes in particular) and walked back his promise to close Guantanamo.

I became a Libertarian because the Libertarian Party has always been the Party of Peace. We have consistently called for the ending of overseas military operations and the closing of overseas bases. There is no reason for American troops to be in Japan or Germany as they have since the end of WWII. As Libertarians, we call for the closing of bases and the return of American troops from Korea as soon as we can.

If you are against endless war for profit and our ever-growing global military presence while maintaining the most powerful defensive military in the world, consider joining us.

Early voting is only 17 days away and the deadline to register to vote is upon us.

Click here to register to vote online. I ask you to consider joining us, the party of peace, by registering or changing your party affiliation today.

Together you and I can make this world a more peaceful place.

Robert Strawder, known to thousands by his hip hop name 'Tha Vegas Don', quite simply is the man.  For starters, the hip hop artist and guerrilla filmmaker entered his indie film Checkmate to the Silver State Film Festival in Las Vegas, where he brought home the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.  Robert Strawder is also a member of the hip hop group Digital Underground, and squeezes performances in between making movies and music videos.