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Libertarian
Presidential candidate Browne;
for open records?
by Michelle Konieczny
With an election year
at hand, Open Records Supporters are faced with the question of
which
Presidential Candidate will fight for adoptee's civil and
constitutional rights during the next four
years. While the mainstream media ignores this controversial
issue for the most part, The
Adoption Activism Press (TAAP) requested an Official Response
from Presidential Candidates
when asked what their positions were on Open Birth Records. The
following presidential
campaigns were contacted via e-mail; Vice President Al Gore (D),
Governor George W. Bush
(R), Alan Keyes (R), Pat Buchanan (Reform Party) and Harry Browne
(Libertarian Party). With
the exception of Libertarian Candidate Harry Browne's Campaign,
no other replies were
received by the staff of the TAAP. [Former Presidential
Candidates; Senator John McCain (R)
and Bill Bradley (D) were also sent requests, but failed to
respond.]
Harry Browne's Campaign aide, Jack Williams, who contacted us
within 24 hours of our request
for an Official Statement regarding Open Records, issued the
following response:
"Even though there is no constitutional authority for the
chief executive to involve himself
specifically in the question of state laws on whether birth
records should be open or closed;
Harry Browne would certainly come down on the side of upholding
the 14th Amendment and of
nullifying any congressional actions that might perpetuate the
injustice of failing to enforce the
protections of the 14th Amendment."
Although Browne's reply is perhaps not as precise as Activists
would have preferred, it does
mark perhaps the first time a Presidential Candidate would be
willing to stand up for Adoptee
Civil Rights since states began the passing of Closed Birth
Records Legislation in the 1940s. It
would also appear from the silence of the other candidates'
campaigns that the Libertarian Party
might be the only party gutsy enough to tackle this important
issue. Interestingly enough,
Libertarians elected at the state level might be Adoption
Activists' best bet at getting Open
Records Bills introduced and passed into law. Having a
Libertarian President, it would seem,
could help accomplish this crucial task as well.
Harry Browne's election platform, affectionately called "The
Great Libertarian Offer", is one of bare bones government.
Browne advocates the end of "Big Government's"
interference into the personal lives of America's Citizens. He
advocates the restricting of Government solely to the functions
and powers it is entitled as outlined in the United States
Constitution, the Libertarians contend this is far from the way
Government currently rules our country today. This platform
includes the abolishment of Income Taxes, and
the privatization of Federally run programs such as Welfare. The
Libertarian philosophy follows
the thought that if the majority votes that such programs are a
necessity, then an amendment
must be made to the constitution that gives the Federal
Government the right to administer and
operate such a program.
Some Americans speak of Libertarians as "radicals", to
which they quickly counter, "there is
nothing radical about freedom", the Libertarian Party claims
that they are some of the few
people out there who are really willing to cut down "Big
Government" and return political power
and constitutional rights back to the Citizens of America.
Libertarians, when asked what their
goals are for America, state that they want to rebuild Government
to reflect what the framers of
the United States Constitution intended. Only then, they claim,
will we have a true Constitutional
Democracy as the Forefathers of our Country envisioned and fought
for.
When elections come this November, Libertarian Party leaders
claim that their Candidate for
President will be on all 50 state ballot forms, as Harry Browne
appeared in the 1996 election.
The party also points out that it has repeatedly run more
candidates in more Federal, State and
Local elections in past years than all other third parties
combined. The goal of the Libertarian
Party in the year 2000 is to have at least 2,000 candidates
running for office under their party's
ticket across the nation. The party also points out that if all
of their candidates for the House of
Representatives won, the Libertarian Party would be the Majority
Party, which would be an
incredible opportunity for Open Records Activists.
If Harry Browne wins the Libertarian Party Nomination at their
National Convention in June, as
he is expected to, it could well mean that for the first time
since Closed Birth Records Legislation
bills were introduced in the 1940s, Adoptees and their supporters
will be able to cast their vote
for a Presidential Candidate who favors Open Records for the
adult adoptee and supported
Adoptee Civil Rights.
According to the book, "Statistics of Adoption" by Lori
Carangelo, "125,000,000 Americans, or
roughly half of the US Population, have an adoption in their
immediate families". A nod from this
group of voting Americans, which could come as a result of a more
concise statement regarding
an Adoptee's Civil Rights, should one be issued, could translate
into a very strong showing in
the ballot boxes this November for the Browne Campaign and the
Libertarian Party.
For the Open Records Community, Adoptees, their families, and
other supporters around the
nation, if Harry Browne were to commit to the support of the Open
Records Movement, it could
signify the beginning to the end of their fight for equal rights,
and a victory in sight for Open
Records nationwide.
Harry Browne's Campaign staff can be contacted by phone at: 1-800-777-2000,
and on the
Internet more information can be found by visiting the campaign
website at:
http://www.harrybrowne2000.org.
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