Tribute to a fiery leader who nurtured the cause of liberty

Bette_Erwin This is an encore piece (originally penned January 8, 2007) as I reach the last of the columns I created in the former clunky format. By conjuring up memories of the way we were—at least here in L/libertarian Michigan in the final quarter of the 20th century—it propels me to think more strongly from the roots of experience. Also, the Libertarian Party that she helped to seed has reached, by many people’s accounts, a Day of Reckoning. It is good to reflect on the salient plusses that arose under its auspices. — bw

For a while I was afraid no one would find out about her passing; finally some solid information emerged from a scattering of emails from friends and who knew her back in the day. “The day” being roughly 1974-1984 in Michigan libertarian politics.

During the period when Bette came to preeminence—she was the Michigan Libertarian Party candidate for US Senate in 1976 and 1982—I was into my iconoclastic-anarchist phase. Continue reading →

The Libertarian Party (LP), at least here in the Hinterland,
seems ready for primetime (originally posted 5/31/2010)
by Brian Wright

Timid men prefer the calm of despotism
to the tempestuous sea of Liberty. – Thomas Jefferson

And in This Corner

So now comes the LP of Michigan (LPM), with its 2010 convention in Okemos (a relatively well-to-do bedroom community of Lansing, the capital, and East Lansing, home to Michigan State University). Yours truly, being acting Webmaster and having a long history with the LPM—actually one of the founders in 1972—I continue to have high hopes. The photo on the right shows Bill Hall, current “political director” of the LPM. Political director is such a plum job: organizing the candidates and getting the paperwork together for the state elections commission. Continue reading →