POLITICAL PARTY: Libertarian

OFFICE YOU ARE RUNNING FOR: State House of Representatives

STATE: Alabama

COUNTY: Lee

DISTRICT: 79

1) Do you believe that the Second Amendment confirms the individual right of every American citizen to possess and use (update of keep and bear) militia/military weapons for individual self-defense, as well as for the defense of the State / National defense?

Yes, the Second Amendment provides for an individual right to self-defense, which includes the right to organized self-defense in voluntary citizen militias.

10 Points
 

2) If elected would you support legislation for the removal of firearm laws and regulations? If your answer is yes, and if you are elected, what specific legislation would you propose/support to ensure that this individual right is protected?  Which current laws which infringe upon this individual right would you seek to repeal?

Yes.

As an Alabama state legislator, my primary concern would be the "may issue" language in Alabama's concealed-carry legislation. Putting arbitrary power in the hands of the sheriff to pick and choose who can defend her/himself has clear, serious consequences for LGBT people trying to defend themselves in a culture which stigmatizes, discriminates against, and threatens them. Making Alabama a "shall issue" state will guarantee that victims of anti-gay violence will not be victimized a second time by a state which feels it has some right to pick and choose who gets to defend him/herself.

10 Points
 

3) What do you consider are "legitimate" reasons to own a firearm?
Check as many as apply:
     [X] Personal Defense
     [X] Home Defense
     [X] Defense of your country (Unorganized Militia)
     [X] Hunting
     [X] Farm Use
     [X] Competitive Shooting
     [X] Informal Sport Shooting
     [X] Informal Target Practice and/or Plinking
     [X] Collecting
     [X] Constitutional Rights
     [X] Other: Defense of your community: militias can defend states/countries, but it is also important that they can also defend private communities from victimization by violent criminals.
     [ ] All of the above
     [ ] None of the above

10 Points
 

4) Would you support the banning of some firearms or ammunition? (IE: Saturday night specials, "assault weapons", Hollow points, and "Safety Slugs") Why and to what extent?

No.

10 Points
 

5) Do you believe that firearms and/or firearm owners should be registered? Which ones and why?

If firearm manufacturers and individual buyers agree to a self-policing system of registration in order to help distinguish themselves from criminals using guns, help track stolen guns, and so forth, I applaud them for being responsible. But I don't see what role the State has in forcing or coercing such a scheme.

10 Points
 

6) Do you support equal rights for all citizens of the United States regardless of the person's sexuality / orientation and / or gender identity/expression?

Yes.

10 Points
 

7) Which of the following would you be willing to support in regards to same-gender and/or polyamorous marriages and/or civil unions?
Check as many as apply:
     [ ] Domestic partnerships for same-sex couples
     [ ] Domestic partnerships for opposite-sex couples
     [ ] Domestic partnerships for polyamorous (more than two consenting adults)
     [ ] Same-sex marriages
     [ ] Opposite sex marriages (What we have now)
     [ ] Polyamarous marriages (between more than two consenting adults)
     [ ] All of the above. Everyone should have equal rights under the law.
     [X] None of the above. Government has no role in defining a marriage.  Leave it to the church.
     [ ] Other_________________________________________________________

The homophobia and heterosexism in the present situation with regard to marriage is not that the State doesn't recognize same-sex marriages. It's that it gives special privileges to monogamous heterosexual couples!

10 Points
 

8) Do you support the right for people to act as they wish in a private setting, with other consenting adults?

Yes. The State has no business in my bedroom.

10 Points
 

9) In July 2000 the Police Dept. of Attleboro Massachusetts entered a private party without a search warrant. The party was not open to the public or in the business to make a profit. Any donations given were used to pay rent. When the police entered, they arrested two people.  The first person who was arrested organized the event. The second person arrested was arrested because she spanked her consenting adult partner with a wooden spoon. Do you support the actions of  the Attleboro police as given in this example? Why?

I don't know, because I don't know what "offense" they were allegedly arrested for. If they were only arrested for consensual participation in this party then no, the actions of the Attelboro police are unconscionable. Again, the State has no business in my bedroom (or living room, or anywhere else, unless there is a specifiable violation of rights).

10 Points
 

10) Do you support equal immigration rights for partners of US residents, regardless of their sexuality / orientation and / or gender identity/expression?

There should be no discrimination against anyone in immigration. The INS and Border Guard should be abolished and the borders should be open, regardless of the sexual orientation, gender, nationality, race, economic class, refugee status, or any other characteristic of the immigrant. Discrimination against the loved ones of LGBTQ people just because they do not meet some Right-wing legislative busybody's idea of a "real family" is particularly heartless.

However, while this is my conscientious belief, it is not a campaign issue. Under the United States Constitution, immigration law is not an issue for state legislators, but rather for the federal government. My role in making this decision can only be as a voter and as a citizen free to express and support his political conscience.

10 Points
 

Do you have an additional statement to make that is not covered by this questionnaire?  Use as much space as you wish.

"It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself, when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks." - Malcolm X

I support the right of all people to defend themselves, and believe that it is especially important for those people who have historically been targeted by systematic violence. What LGBT people in this country face is nothing less than domestic terrorism, and if we're going to get serious about ensuring a life free of terror and violence, we have to be especially concerned with empowering LGBT people to defend themselves.

When I say "defense," I mean not only immediate physical self-defense, but also long-term legal and civil self-defense. Those who wish to cover the iron fist of the basher with the velvet glove of the State, and trample the rights of LGBT people through law, are no better than the common street thugs whose values they share. I support full recognition of the human rights and dignity of LGBT people.

The power of the State has always been directed primarily against those who are least able to defend themselves, and directed especially at disarming them to make them vulnerable to further predation. I support the work of the Pink Pistols, and similar work on behalf of women, communities of color, and other communities which have been especially targeted for violence. Thank you for the work that you are doing.