Edward L. Plumb, R.I.P.

Edward L. Plumb, a past guest speaker at the Karl Hess Club, died on March 5, 2021 at the age of 64.

Edward L. Plumb was a producer and writer known for The Vampire Hunters' Club, Her Morbid Desires, and The Boneyard Collection. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and other industry trade associations. He lived and worked in the greater Los Angeles area.

He is credited with producing 65 projects during his lifetime. His production company, Irena Belle Films, mostly made comedy-horror films, but also dramas with such future stars as America Ferrera, who went on to TV's Ugly Betty. Edward's many short and feature films have screened at festivals such as Cinequest-San Jose Film Festival and Slamdance.

He produced some episodes for the sci-fi web series, The Silicon Assassin, which featured the work of several KHC members.

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Sharon Presley, R.I.P.

Sharon Presley, a frequent guest speaker at the Karl Hess Club, died on October 31, 2022 at the age of 79.

Presley had a Ph.D. in social psychology which she received from the City University of New York. Her dissertation was a study of political resisters to authority. Her mentor was Dr. Stanley Milgram, author of the classic study, Obedience to Authority.  

Presley had taught at California State University, East Bay in Hayward. Her research specialties were obedience and resistance to authority, women resisters to authority, and gender issues.

She co-edited Exquisite Rebel: The Essays of Voltairine de Cleyre, which won an American Library Association Choice award for Outstanding Academic Title 2005. 

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Carl Marty Swinney, R.I.P.

Michael J. Everling reports:

We were saddened to learn of the passing away of Carl Marty Swinney on May 11, in Lincoln, New Mexico.

Marty was an indefatigable activist in southern California and New Mexico, often running for office on the Libertarian ticket. He also served a term as New Mexico LP chairman. A medical professional by trade, he was a man of many talents and abilities, including the holder of a patent for a mobile joystick.

Because Marty had been a longterm resident of southern California in the Whittier area, services and internment were at Rose Hills Memorial Park on Friday, June 3rd. He is survived by his widow, Weng, of Lincoln, nephew Aaron of northern California, and many relatives, colleagues, friends, and fellow libertarians. 

Marty was and is well loved, and will be sorely missed.

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The Bitcoin Field Guide Exudes Libertarian Fervor

Libertarians have long been interested in Bitcoin, blockchain, and cryptocurrency in general, as a means of circumventing state centralized banking. A recent documentary (released just before the crypto crash of 2022) exudes that libertarian fervor.

For my review of 2021's The Bitcoin Filed Guide, click here.

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Libertarian Party of California Runs No Candidates for June Primary Election

I've been inactive in the Libertarian Party for a while now. And it seems I'm not alone.

I recently received the California Voters Guide for the upcoming June 7, 2022 primary election. I was surprised to see that not a single Libertarian candidate bothered to run for office throughout the state, or in my area -- Los Angeles County.

Take a look at the list of candidates. Apart from plenty of Democratic and Republican candidates, the Green Party is running several candidates, as is the Peace & Freedom Party. Also many candidates listed as "No Party Preference" and "No Qualified Party Preference."

But not a single Libertarian.

Also no one from the American Independent Party, but that's no surprise. They rarely run candidates.

However, Don J. Grundmann is running as "No Qualified Party Preference." In his candidate statement, he says he belongs to the Constitution Party, which is not ballot qualified in California.

So the Constitution Party, which is so tiny that it does not qualify as a legal political party in California, managed to field a candidate. While the Libertarian Party, with all its greater resources and membership numbers, failed to run any candidates.

Now, it's possible that the LP is running candidates in other parts of California. Or not. But definitely no one at the state level. And no one in Los Angeles, the state's most populous region.

I wonder how this happened? I know Top Two has hurt all third parties. But the Green, Peace and Freedom, and even Constitution parties managed to rise to the challenge, while the LP is MIA.

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Joseph Miranda Welcomes End to Covid Lockdowns