Congratulations. You have found a room full of people who can argue passionately for three hours about the Non-Aggression Principle, constitutional originalism, Austrian economics, and whether the coffee should have been voluntarily funded.
We believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, and leaving other people alone unless they ask for help. We also believe in treating one another with respect because, as the old saying goes, “An armed society is a polite society.”
The practical takeaway is simple: Be polite. It costs less than ammunition.
Liberty means respecting other people’s rights—even when they are spectacularly wrong.
You are free to debate ideas. You are free to criticize policies. You are free to argue over bylaws until everyone forgets why the meeting started.
You are not free to:
Attack bad ideas. Do not attack the people holding them.
We fully expect spirited disagreement. If nobody disagrees, we accidentally wandered into the wrong political party.
Challenge ideas. Quote economics. Quote the Constitution. Quote Bastiat, Hayek, Jefferson, Rothbard, or Ron Paul. Just don’t quote your opponent out of context.
If you begin a sentence with “Listen, you idiot…,” stop talking and try again.
Libertarians generally believe government should know less about us. That principle also applies to each other.
Please don’t:
If someone trusted you with information, treat that trust like it actually means something.
Before posting online, ask yourself:
If the answer to Question 3 is “reality television,” close the app and go touch grass.
If you speak for yourself, say so. If you speak for the SNJLP, make sure someone actually asked you to.
When staffing a booth or speaking with the public:
Smile. Shake hands. Answer questions. Remember that every person who approaches the table is a potential future libertarian—not an NPC sent to ruin your afternoon.
If someone disagrees with you, demonstrate that libertarians can be both principled and pleasant.
If someone behaves poorly:
Retaliation against someone who raises a legitimate concern is unacceptable.
The Non-Aggression Principle is not merely something we print on campaign literature. It should occasionally escape into real life.
The Southern New Jersey Libertarian Party is a voluntary association. Nobody is forced to be here. That is precisely what makes courtesy so important.
So remember the old saying: “An armed society is a polite society.” Whether anyone is actually armed is neither your concern nor your responsibility to determine. Assume everyone is capable of defending both their rights and their opinions, and conduct yourself accordingly.
Disagree vigorously. Debate fearlessly. Laugh often. Respect everyone.
And if you absolutely must start a fight, make it over the proper APRS path, parliamentary procedure, or whether pineapple belongs on pizza—not over each other.
