Libertarians Love a Parade ... or two!
LP DeKalb and friends marched in both the Dunwoody and Decatur parades on July 4th along with the other politicos like Cynthia McKinney, Max Davis, Fran Millar, DeKalb Republicans, Denise Majette, Cynthia Van Aucken, Dick Williams (Georgia Gang) etc... More coverage and pictures to come.

Lady Liberty in Decatur

LP Governor Candidate Garrett Michael Hayes (wearing hat in car) in Decatur

LP DeKalb and all our freedom loving friends to be in Dunwoody and Decatur parades this Independence Day
Dunwoody, Decatur GA (July 4th) - All libertarians, their families, their friends, and all lovers of liberty are invited to join us in one or both of these parades on this most libertarian of holidays! Participating in these parades are great fun and an excellent outreach to promote libertarianism to the voting public. Before they will care about our message they have to believe the messenger (the LP) cares about them. We will have LP DeKalb and LP Georgia banners, a convertible automobile, handout literature, children, and of course Lady Liberty. Plan on joining us to have great fun and promote ourselves to the local community while celebrating the Declaration of Independence. Contact event coordinator Pat Brookshire (brookie@mindspring.com or 404/373-8369) with any questions and/or to let us know you will participate. We want to show as big a presence as possible! Please join us. Please RSVP to Pat today. Also if you want to wear the Lady Liberty costume in either parade let Pat know that too. This is OUR holiday - let's spend a couple hours of our day having a great time and promoting liberty!

Dunwoody Parade - Dunwoody’s annual 4th of July parade is officially titled “Dunwoody Salutes America,” this year’s parade adds the theme “Let Freedom Ring.”
WHEN: Thursday, July 4, 2002 Parade begins at 9:30 a.m., rain or shine. Gather at starting point (see below) by 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: Begins at assembly area in Mt. Vernon Shopping Center (triangle formed by Mt. Vernon Road, Jett Ferry Road and Dunwoody Club Drive) and proceeds west 2-1/2 miles on Mt. Vernon Road to Dunwoody. The parade sponsors proudly point out that in 2001, participants topped 2000, while some 15,000 people lined the parade route, cheering and waving flags.

Decatur Parade - The City of Decatur’s annual July 4th Pied Piper Parade.
WHEN: Thursday, July 4, 2002 Parade begins at 6 p.m. Gather at starting point (see below) by 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Begins at assembly area at the Decatur First Baptist Church (at the corner of Clairmont Avenue and Commerce Drive) and winds through downtown Decatur for approximately 1 mile. The parade is followed by a concert on the Square with the Callanwolde Concert Band at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9:15 p.m. All parade participants are invited to join their community for the concert and fireworks.

Join us Wednesday June 26th to meet candidates for U.S. Congress District 4
Tucker, GA (June 26th, 2002) - Join LP DeKalb on the last Wednesday of the month at the Tucker Library to meet and here from district 4 (most of DeKalb County) candidates for United States Congress. We don't have a Libertarian candidate for the district 4 congressional race thanks to the oppressive Georgia ballot access laws. So the next best thing is for us to get to know the other potential candidates to represent us in Washington and for them to get to know us. Bring your questions and constructive comments. There will be Libertarian door prizes, refreshments, fellowship, and announcements. Note: Only 2 of the candidates have been confirmed to speak at this meeting. The other 2 are pending.

Meeting Details: (as always free and open to the public)
Where: We are back at the Tucker branch of the DeKalb County Library. The address is 4316 Church St, Tucker, GA 30084-4420. Very close to downtown Tucker near the La Vista Road and Chamblee-Tucker intersection.
When: Wednesday, June 26th. 7 PM until 9 PM. (as always the last Wednesday of the month)
Program:
-- 7 PM - Doors open
-- 7:30 PM - Meeting starts - Announcements
-- 7:45 PM - Special Guest Speakers
Confirmed - Catherine Davis (R) - www.catherinedavisforcongress.com
Confirmed - Cynthia Van Auken (R) - www.cynthiavanauken.org
Invited - Denise Majette (D) - www.majetteforcongress.org
Invited - Cynthia McKinney (D) - www.house.gov/mckinney or campaign site

LP DeKalb April Meeting Hosts Inspirational Speeches from Parker and Williams
Atlanta, GA (April 24th) - The Libertarian Party of DeKalb County hosted United States Congressional candidate Wayne Parker (Carrollton) and Georgia State Senate candidate Michael Williams (Rockdale) on April 24th at the Old Country Buffet off Buford Highway. Williams' district 43 overlaps both DeKalb (includes Lithonia) and Rockdale counties. Both Libertarians gave stirring speaches about why we are so badly needed in the fight for the American ideals of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Extra copies of the April 18th Community Review with our great Tax Day event picture featured on the front page were handed out to all. We had an announcement from LP Atlanta Chair Tracee Carlisle about their Inman Park OPH booth and parade (April 28th, 29th). We had an announcement from Outright Libertarians National Chair Allan Wallace about the 10th annual Gay Pride OPH coming June 28th-30th in Piedmont Park. LPDC member Doyle Jones filled us in on the upcoming Tucker Day parade and hopefully OPH booth sponsored by LP DeKalb. Door prizes included an LP DeKalb T-Shirt and Atlanta Braves mouse pads! ... >> See More Pictures

The 2002 LP DeKalb Tax Day Protest and Outreach Event reaches over 300,000 Georgians!
Decatur, GA (April 15th, 2002) - The 20th annual Tax Day Protest and Outreach Event at the Decatur Post Office produced quite a bit of publicity for the Libertarian Party here in DeKalb County. Some highlights were: lots of TV coverage, even a live feed during the 12 O'clock news on WSB channel 2; thousands of postal customers and passers by saw us; 500 postal customers got LP literature; we got big coverage in the Georgia's only bilingual daily newspaper La Vision de Georgia the next day; we got the front page picture on the Community Review and Journal (cir. 24,000); we got front page coverage on the AJC.com web site; 24 Libertarian volunteers came out to participate. ... >> Read More

Reach thousands of potential Libertarian voters and have fun protesting the evil income tax - join us for the 20th annual LP Tax Day Protest & Outreach Event in Decatur.
Please plan to attend Monday April 15th!
Decatur, GA (April 15th, 2002) - This is a great outreach opportunity for the LP, please do what you can to make it a success. If you want to see large libertarian vote totals this fall, we need to reach out to the voters every chance we get between now and then. Rain or shine, please stop by, even if you can only make it for an hour anytime between 9 AM and 5 PM. To make this a successful event we need participation by dozens of libertarians.

As always, our outreach will be held at the City of Decatur Main Post Office located at 520 W Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur, GA on Monday April 15th, from 9:00 A.M. to about 5:30 P.M. All LP supporters in metro-Atlanta are invited to participate. All people opposed to the IRS and the income tax are invited to participate. Last year we had 25 demonstrators.

We really need volunteers, even if you can only make for an hour. Of course more is better. Lets make a great impression on the media and on voters! CNN has already contacted one of our LPDC Executive Committee members with questions about our 2002 Tax Day protest!

We have high quality signs for spreading the anti-income tax message and 1000 pieces of new Libertarian Party literature to be handed out. See the 2002 Tax Day literature here.

We will have free Libertarian Party T-Shirts for all volunteers! There are LP Dekalb shirts and LP Georgia shirts.

See our 2002 Tax Day press release here. See all the 2002 event details here.

See the exciting pictures and details of last year's great Tax Day event at http://www.ga.lp.org/dekalb/taxday2001.html.

Membership Director Brian Fenton is our Tax Day Event Coordinator. Send Brian an E-Mail at bfenton@mindspring.com or call him at 770-393-4120. If you (preferably female) would like the honor of wearing our Lady Liberty costume at the event, please let Brian know.

Join us to plan for our 20th annual Tax Day Protest outreach event and to hear Chris Crawford at our March 27th meeting
Chamblee/Dunwoody, GA (March 27th, 2002) - Join us at Malone’s on Savoy Drive in Chamblee/Dunwoody for this months Libertarian Party of DeKalb meeting. The energy and progress of our party, and thus our fight for liberty and small government, depends on your participation.

WHAT: Libertarian Party of DeKalb County monthly meeting

WHERE: Malone’s restaurant – 2089 Savoy Dr., Chamblee/Dunwoody
(on the access road inside 285 between N. Shallowford & N. Peachtree)

WHEN: Wednesday, March 27th. (Always the last Wednesday of the month in 2002)
6:30 p.m. to &:30 p.m. dinner & socialize • 7:30 p.m. meeting and guest speaker

WHY: Special Guest Speaker - GA House Candidate Chris Crawford, political networking, political strategy, libertarian fellowship, 20th annual Tax Day Protest planning, local political updates, and Libertarian Party building. See Chris' campaign web site at http://www.chris2002.org.

WHO: LP DeKalb members, lovers of liberty, friends, family, people curious about the LP, and speaker Chris Crawford. All are welcome and encouraged to join us.

Hear about Chris’ well organized campaign and his excellent chance to win in this non-incumbent race! Discuss our plans for the 20th annual LP sponsored tax day protest at the Decatur Post Office. Plan to arrive between 6:30-7:00 p.m. to socialize and eat dinner (prices range from $7.95-$12.95; menu ranges from chicken fingers to steak and seafood). Meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.

See this month's Torch newsletter online at - http://www.ga.lp.org/dekalb/torch/03-02all.pdf.
See previous Torch's online at - http://www.ga.lp.org/dekalb/torch.html.
See the exciting pictures and details of last year's great Tax Day event at http://www.ga.lp.org/dekalb/taxday2001.html.

Future meeting dates: (Last Wednesday of the month)
* April 24th, May 29th, June 26th. (Locations TBD in various parts of DeKalb County, coming to Dunwoody, Stone Mountain, and Decatur in these next few months.)

LP DeKalb Monthly Political Meetings Resume Wednesday January 30th with LP Gubernatorial Candidate Garrett Micheal Hayes!
Atlanta, GA (January 30th, 2002) - Resolve to attend the first Libertarian Party of DeKalb County monthly political meeting in 2002. Let's start a year of ever-increasing local Libertarian political influence by attending this meeting. We in DeKalb can set the standard for all other Georgia LP affiliates to strive for. Let's set this standard high. There is much we can do, but we need the ideas, contacts, skills, talents, and efforts of our membership on a consistent basis. We need you. You make a difference for liberty. Please join us.

Meeting Details:
Where: Piccadilly Cafeteria - 2226 N. Druid Hills Rd. Atlanta, GA 30329
[ Between I-85 and Briarcliff Rd., just off the I-85 Southbound N. Druid Hills exit, right next to the McDonalds ]
When: Wednesday, January 30th. 7 PM until 8:30 PM.
Program:
(1) 7 PM: Dining with LP DeKalb - All attendees must purchase food in the Piccadilly's buffet line prior to entering the meeting room. They offer a reasonably priced ala-carte buffet. Your food purchase allows the LP DeKalb to use Piccadilly’s privately owned facility for free.
(2) Following the meal: We will discuss LP DeKalb business included, but not limited to - February 2002 LP DeKalb officer elections, local television advertising, local outreach events & ideas, and future monthly meeting locations and formats.
(3) Special Guest Speaker - Garrett Michael Hayes; Garrett is from Smyrna, GA; he is seeking the Libertarian Party of Georgia nomination to run for Governor; nominations will be made at the LPGa State convention on March 16, 2002. See Garrett's web site here.

NOTE: We can no longer meet at the Doraville Civic Center, because the Mayor of Doraville that this facility was not intended for use by organizations such as ours. He was not specific other than to say it was meant for Boy Scouts and civic organizations (are we not a civic organization?). He claimed to be unaware we met there the last half of 2001. Par for the course from a government facility, everything is politically motivated.
Future meeting dates:
* February 27th (annual Business Meeting) and March 27th. (Locations TBD)

The 2nd Annual LP DeKalb 12th Night Holiday Party was a grand success!
Tucker, GA (January 5th, 2002) - The 2nd Annual Libertarian Party of DeKalb County, this year co-hosted with LP Gwinnett, held at the Tucker Women's Club was a grand success. First ever annual LP DeKalb Acheivement Awards were presented. Significant increases in revenue and in net income was realized. Libertarians from all over metro Atlanta joined us in attendence. Many great silent auction items brought both revenue to start funding LP outreach efforts in 2002 and great bargains for the buyers. See all the great pictures: Page 1 - LP DeKalb Members, Page 2 - LP Georgia Guests, Page 3 - LP DeKalb Awards and Silent Auction.

The 2001 LP DeKalb Award Winners: New Activist Impact Award (Tie) - Pat Brookshire, David Brookshire Party Fundraiser Award - James and Becky Scheaffer Community Outreach Award - Bob Wamsley Hospitality Award - Brian and Peggy Fenton Lifetime Performance Award - Allan Wallace

Two Republican candidates for U.S. Congress District 4 Join us Wednesday June 26th to speak with LP DeKalb
Tucker, GA (June 26th) - Catherine Davis and Cynthia Van Auken came and spoke with LP DeKalb members on the last Wednesday of the June at the Tucker Library. We don't have a Libertarian candidate for the district 4 congressional race thanks to the oppressive Georgia ballot access laws. So the next best thing is for us to get to know the other potential candidates to represent us in Washington and for them to get to know us. Note: Both Democrats, Denise Majette and Cynthia McKinney, expressed a very positive desire to speak at an LP DeKalb monthly meeting, however both had scheduling conflicts on June 26th and July 31st.

Congressional District 4 Candidate Info:
Catherine Davis (R) - www.catherinedavisforcongress.com
Cynthia Van Auken (R) - www.cynthiavanauken.org
Denise Majette (D) - www.majetteforcongress.org
Cynthia McKinney (D) - www.house.gov/mckinney or campaign site

Join us on Wednesday May 29th to meet judicial candidate Johnny Panos and to get the latest scoop on election year activities!
Atlanta, GA (May 29th, 2002) - The next Libertarian Party of DeKalb County monthly political meeting is Wednesday May 29th at the North Druid Hills Piccadilly Cafeteria. The same location as our January meeting. Let's continue on the path of ever-increasing local Libertarian political influence by attending this meeting. We reached 300,000 Georgians with your Tax Day Protest, we have our first ever local Libertarian television ads in the works, are being invited to speak at more and more venues as Libertarians (LPDC Chair Tom Freese presents the Libertarian case against Drug Prohibition to Olgethorpe University students Tuesday May 21st. He gave this same presentation to Agnes Scott College students last year.), and we will run a full slate of 11 Libertarian statewide candidates for the first time ever in November. There is much we can do to continue building our Libertarian influence on public policy, but we need the ideas, contacts, skills, talents, energy, and efforts of our membership on a consistent basis. We need you. You make a difference for liberty. Please join us. Special Guest Speaker - Johnny Panos; Mr. Panos is a very active candidate for Judge in the State Court of DeKalb County. This Dekalb County Judicial Election is scheduled for August 20, 2002 (not in November). See Mr. Panos' web site here.

LP DeKalb and LP Georgia House Candidate Chris Crawford march in parade at 50th Annual Tucker Day Celebration Saturday May 11th
LP DeKalb also hosted the first ever OPH booth at Tucker day
Tucker, GA (May 11th) - LP DeKalb joined with some 18,000 people to celebrate Tucker Day's 50th Anniversary, sponsored by the Main Street Tucker Alliance. This fun event takes place every year on Main Street in downtown Tucker. ... >> See More Pictures Here

Once again the crowd response to the Libertarian Party presence in the parade was strong and positive. There are many closet Libertarians and almost Libertarians out there. We run into more and more at every event. We get lots of questions, positive comments, and the one common wise crack - "Where's Neal Boortz?". Fewer and fewer people have not heard of us before. Most people appreciate having another political player involved to give competition to the Democrats and Republicans. The Chris Crawford, Libertarian for Georgia House #68, campaign joined us in the parade. We marched in a stretch of political groups, included the Denise Majette campaign for U.S. Congress right in front of us (she is the Democrat opponent of Cynthia McKinney in the primary). The overall parade of course was filled with groups of all types, from high school marching bands to firemen.

We ran the first ever Libertarian Party Operational Politically Homeless booth at Tucker Day from 9 am to 5 pm. Eighty eight people took the World's Smallest Political Quiz. Thirty seven of those provided their contact information so we can send them more about the Libertarian Party here in Georgia. Dozens more stopped by with questions, to pick up literature, or tell us they were already libertarians. ... >> Read Event Promotion Details Here

Chris Crawford Discusses His High Profile Georgia House Campaign at our March 27th meeting
Chamblee/Dunwoody, GA (March 27th, 2002) - DeKalb Libertarians gathered at Malone’s Bar and Grill on Savoy Drive in Chamblee/Dunwoody for this months Libertarian Party of DeKalb meeting. After a fine meal, social time, and party announcements, we heard from our guest speaker Chris Crawford. Chris summarized his platform, how his campaign is going, and where he could use some help. Chris is already airing television ads in his district! He has a well organized campaign and has a good chance to win in this non-incumbant race. See Chris' campaign web site at http://www.chris2002.org. A few new faces were in attendence and a few old faces that had been seen since the 2000 campaign season were also a welcome addition to this meeting. Two attendees each won door prize T-Shirts.

See this month's Torch newsletter online at - http://www.ga.lp.org/dekalb/torch/03-02all.pdf.
See previous Torch's online at - http://www.ga.lp.org/dekalb/torch.html.

LP DeKalb Members Elect 2002 Officers at the Wednesday, February 27th meeting at the King Buffet
Atlanta, GA (February 27th, 2002) - Libertarian Party members now living in DeKalb County voted on all four Executive Committee officer positions Wednesday, February 27th at the annual business meeting. Elected for 2002 are Chair = Tom Freese, Vice-Chair = Bob Wamsley, Treasurer = David Brookshire, and Secretary = Bill Casino. The meeting was held at the King Buffet - 3303 Buford Highway NE #470 (in Northeast Plaza) Atlanta, GA 30329.

LP DeKalb Monthly Political Meetings Resume Wednesday January 30th with LP Gubernatorial Candidate Garrett Michael Hayes!
Atlanta, GA (January 30th, 2002) - The first Libertarian Party of DeKalb County monthly political meeting in 2002 kicked off in great style at the Piccadilly Cafeteria (2226 N. Druid Hills Rd. Atlanta, GA 30329). Twenty-Five friends of liberty joined us to dine, discuss local political business, and the hear prospective LP Candidate for Govenor Garrett Michael Hayes speak to us. Mr. Hayes presented a written outline of his positions on a number of topics then invited questions and comments from the audience. See Garrett's web site here. (Update: Mr. Hayes did in fact receive the LP of Georgia nomination for Governor at the March 16th state Convention.)

50th Annual Tucker Day Celebration is Saturday May 11th and LP DeKalb will be there!
Please join us for great fun in the parade and at our OPH booth
Tucker, GA (May 11th, 2002) - To celebrate Tucker Day's 50th Anniversary the Main Street Tucker Alliance has moved it back to it's original month of May. It has been held in August in recent years. This year LP DeKalb will both be in the parade AND have an OPH booth too!!! This one-day community festival is attended by about 18,000 people. In this election year these 18,000 people will have an opportunity to see and meet Georgia Libertarians. This event runs from 9 AM to 5 PM. We need as many people as possible to join us in the morning parade (we gather at 9:30 AM, parade starts at 10 AM). Please make time to join us for this short, fun walk up Main Street. See pictures from last year's parade here. We also need some volunteers to give the World's Smallest Political Quiz at our Operation Politically Homeless booth throughout the day. Please consider helping us for a one or two hour shift. If you haven't done an OPH booth before, don't worry it's easy. If you have, you already understand that it's an exciting opportunity to spread the message of liberty and to find more and more Libertarian supporters out there. ... >> Read More Details Here

LP DeKalb April 24th Meeting to host U.S. Congressional Candidate Wayne Parker
Atlanta, GA (April 24th, 2002) - The Libertarian Party of DeKalb County is proud to host Libertarian United States Congressional Candidate Wayne Parker on April 24th at the Old Country Buffet off Buford Highway. Please visit Wayne's web site for more info. Also joining us to speak is Libertarian candidate for the Georgia State Senate is Michael Williams. His district 43 overlaps both DeKalb and Rockdale counties. We also have a tax day protest report and update on the LP DeKalb TV commercial production.

When: Wednesday (always the last Wednesday of the month) April 24th. Dinner is between 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Meeting and speakers start runs from 7:30 PM until 9 PM.

Where: Old Country Buffet in the Publix Northeast Plaza at 3371 Buford Highway NE near the Popeyes and Taco Bell.

What: Wednesday dinner special features include Carved Roast Beef, Carved Turkey, Carved Ham, and more. Buffet cost is $8.59 (Seniors $7.69, kids under 12 are less, under 2 are free.)

Please Attend the Annual LP DeKalb Election Meeting Wednesday, February 27th at the King Buffet
Atlanta, GA (February 27th) - All Libertarian Party members now living in DeKalb County are encouraged to attend the annual business meeting prior to the state convention. This months meeting will be held at the King Buffet on Buford Highway. All four Executive Committee officer positions are up for election (see bylaws here). They are Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Are you interested in filling one of these important roles in our local quest for real liberty? Come join us to vote, nominate, and possibly serve as we choose our paths toward liberty.

Meeting Details:
Where: King Buffet - 3303 Buford Highway NE #470 (in Northeast Plaza) Atlanta, GA 30329
[ Off Buford Highway in Northeast Plaza Between Planet Fitness and Publix, nearest and surrounding I-85 exits to this section of Buford Highway are N. Druid Hills #89 - Northbound and Clairmont #91]
When: Wednesday, February 27th. 7 PM until 8:30 PM.
Program:
(1) 7 PM: Dining with LP DeKalb - All attendees must purchase the $9.29 All-You-Can buffet. This includes a non-alcoholic drink. Your food purchase allows the LP DeKalb to use King Buffet's privately owned facility for free.
(2) Following the meal: We will hold 2002 LP DeKalb officer elections. We will discuss LP DeKalb business included, but not limited to - 2002 state convention including district caucuses, delegate selection and electing our 2002 district representative, local television advertising, and local outreach events & ideas.

Future meeting dates: (Last Wednesday of the month)
* March 27th, April 24th, May 29th. (Locations TBD in various parts of DeKalb County, coming to Dunwoody, Stone Mountain, and Decatur in these next few months.)

The 2nd Annual LP DeKalb 12th Night Holiday Party and Silent Auction Extravagnza is coming Saturday January 5th. You won't want to miss this grand event.
Tucker, GA (January 5th, 2002) - Kick off the big 2002 election year with this Libertarian family event set Saturday January 5th at the Tucker Women's Club on 4276 N. Park Dr. The event is scheduled for 6 PM until 10 PM. This year's event will be co-hosted with the LP of Gwinnett County. Last year 88 people attended. We hope over 100 attend this year. Last year's great event brought in over $1400 gross revenue though ticket sales and silent auction sales. There will be music, award presentations, 2002 candidate recognition (but NO speeches), and a nearby after-party at Denise Frix's home. Don't miss this grand social event for lovers of liberty! Family, friends, and non-Libertarians are welcome. In fact, this is a great event to introduce prospective Libertarians to local party members.

Where: Tucker Women's Club - 4276 N. Park Dr. Tucker, GA 30084-3532 (At Kelly C. Cofer Park, just off Chamblee-Tucker Rd. north of LaVista) [B.Y.O.B - set-ups provided]
Cost: $25 per adult (Children ages 5-12 : $15, Children under age 5 : Free)
When: Saturday, January 5, 2002 from 6 pm until 10 pm.
RSVP: Please do so by January 2nd
(Phone: Denise Frix 770-939-5459, Email: LPparty2002@yahoo.com)

Many Silent Auction donations are needed:
Beyond enjoying the great social and networking benefits, it is a goal of the 12th Night festivities to raise monies for both the DeKalb and Gwinnett affiliates of the LPGa. At last year's party, the Silent Auction was a success for all concerned - purchasers received quality goods and services at bargain prices, donors contributed to the party with modest financial outlay and received recognition for their contribution, and LP DeKalb began 2001 on stable financial footing. Use your imagination, almost anything people want or use can make a great auction item. High quality, thoughtful, interesting, useful, fun, and unique items are best. Please contact Chairman Tom Freese or Denise Frix (770-939-5459) to donate.

Volunteers are needed for various duties. Please contact Denise Frix (770-939-5459) to volunteer.