Link to the August 2020 Michigan Libertarian
Gaylord, MI – At the Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) nominating convention on July 18th, Delegates unanimously passed two resolutions condemning overreach my two prominent major party government officials. These Trump-Whitmer over-reaches were both related to their reactions to 2020 specific developments: The civil rights protests against police brutality and the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Resolutions are statements of opinion on timely issues, and are adopted as described in the LPM bylaws. They are not permanent planks of the LPM platform.
Resolution Against Trump’s Threat
We the Libertarian Party of Michigan oppose the use of the United States Military against Americans on American soil, and condemn President Donald Trump’s threat to do so. Furthermore, we believe he has set a dangerous precedent by using this threat to extort governors into using more draconian policies against residents of their states. This is not only a threat to the life and liberties of individuals in these united states of America, but is an usurpation of state powers by the less accountable Federal government.
Because some former libertarians have publicly supported Donald Trump and his abuses of power, we must clearly state that Donald Trump is not a libertarian, nor is any other person who advocates the use of the United States Military against the American people. As a State Libertarian Party, we don’t endorse any candidate who supports such policy and urge all other Libertarian Party organizations to withhold such an endorsement.
Resolution Condemning Governor Whitmer’s Response to the Coronavirus Outbreak
The Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) strongly condemns the actions of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the spread of COVID-19. We believe the governor has no authority under the Michigan Constitution to restrict individuals’ freedom of movement and association unilaterally.
The LPM does not advocate any legal restriction of personal freedom; rather we advocate voluntary participation in scientifically sound measures to prevent the virus’ spread as the most preferable solution (social distancing, rigorous hygiene, and the use of personal protective equipment). Only private citizens can achieve this through their own volition, whereas the Governor’s actions are both oppressive and incapable of mitigating the severe crisis at hand. Moreover, her actions will cause irreparable harm to the economy of the State of Michigan at both the personal and societal level. Citizens will feel this in the form of lost jobs, homes, businesses and lives, along with the suffering that follows.
The mask mandate of July 2020 has redoubled the governor’s tyranny, demanding business owners participate in the enforcement of state lawlessness. Moreover, Governor Whitmer has demanded the violation of ADA and HIPAA protections by insisting that business owners confirm that unmasked customers have medical justification for their non-compliance. We call for the nullification of this demand to the extent that citizens deem it safe to do so.
We therefore call on Governor Whitmer to lift the authoritarian restrictions in place and restore the human rights of movement and interaction to the citizens of Michigan. We also call upon the public servants of Michigan to resist these edicts and act to protect the rights of their constituents. Most importantly, we implore the citizens of Michigan to speak out against these egregious violations of human rights and demand a return to sanity and freedom.
