Partying Like It's 1773

I did not follow the Libertarian Party Convention, but it looks like the Libertarian Reform Caucus was successful in overturning most of the party platform. The problem is that that no replacement planks were passed, leaving the national party effectively silent on many issues in which they were just now gaining credibility, such as the War on Iraq.

This is particularly disappointing because one of the saving graces of the Libertarian Party has been its staunch and principled stand against foreign interventions. I believe the goal of the Reform Caucus was to make the platform less utopian and more relevant, not to abandon the key principles. But the Convention ended up repealing old planks without replacing them, and it looks like the party is in disarray.

In response, LP activist Tom Knapp has started a new party, the Boston Tea Party, to continue the advocacy of libertarianism in the political arena until the LP rights its ship. Striving to be principled while at the same time "big tent" and "incremental," Knapp has written the world's shortest party platform:

The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.

Knapp envisions on-line conventions in which a program or agenda of no more than five items is created to apply the platform to the burning issues of the day. He would like the first online "convention" to convene in the next 30-60 days. If you agree with this platform, you might want to check The Boston Tea Party out.