------- Forwarded Message Subject: Release: Sue the Government? Date: Tue, 08 Dec 98 01:02:13 PST From: announce@lp.org To: announce@lp.org (Libertarian Party announcements) - - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ======================================= NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 ======================================= For release: December 8, 1998 ======================================= For additional information: George Getz, Press Secretary Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-Mail: 76214.3676@Compuserve.com ======================================= A radical idea: Why can't people sue politicians for their deadly programs? WASHINGTON, DC -- If politicians can sue gun and tobacco companies for damages caused by their products, why can't ordinary Americans sue politicians for the destruction caused by their products: Government programs? "Government programs -- such as wars, exploding automotive air bags, and grisly radiation experiments -- have killed and maimed tens of thousands of Americans over the years," said Steve Dasbach, national director of the Libertarian Party. "Americans shouldn't tolerate a double standard of justice, one for the politicians and one for the people. It's time to start holding the government accountable." What started Libertarians thinking in this direction? The fact that 41 state governments are about to divvy up a $40 billion settlement against tobacco companies, said Dasbach -- and the fact that several big-city mayors are deciding whether to join New Orleans in its lawsuit against gun manufacturers. With those legal actions serving as an inspiration, he said, why not prosecute the government for: * War deaths: "Recent military actions totally unrelated to U.S. national security -- like those in the Persian Gulf, Lebanon, Panama, and Somalia -- have claimed hundreds of American lives," Dasbach said. "If gun company executives can be held liable when criminals use guns irresponsibly, why not hold presidents and Congressmen liable when they use American troops irresponsibly?" * Cancer deaths: "The federal government admitted last year that Cold War nuclear tests exposed 230,000 Americans to high levels of radioactive iodine, and may cause 75,000 people to develop fatal thyroid cancer," Dasbach said. "If it's fair to force tobacco companies to pay for smoking-related illnesses, it's fair to force the government to pay for legislation-related illnesses -- like thyroid cancer." * Air-bag deaths: "According to the federal government, 49 children have been killed by government-mandated air bags," Dasbach said. "Their grieving parents ought to file wrongful-death suits against the Congressmen who demanded this law and the Transportation Department bureaucrats who wrote it." * Alcohol-related deaths: "Eighteen state governments control the liquor stores that operate within their borders," Dasbach said. "So why aren't those state politicians and bureaucrats sued for the cost of every alcohol-related car crash?" * Deaths caused by gun-control laws: "According to a landmark study last year by criminologists John R. Lott and David B. Mustard, the refusal of 24 state governments to pass concealed-carry laws caused an additional 1,414 murders, 4,177 rapes, and 60,363 aggravated assaults in 1992 alone," Dasbach said. "Residents of these states ought to file an immediate injunction to prevent these victim-disarmament laws from causing more innocent blood to be shed." * Deaths caused by criminals on parole: "According to Department of Justice figures, murderers are freed from prison an average of 11.6 years before their full sentence expires; armed robbers are sprung 5 years early; and rapists are back on the streets 5.9 years early," Dasbach said. "The politicians who handed these murderers, robbers, and rapists get-out-of-jail-early cards -- usually so they could fill the jails with people convicted of victimless crimes -- ought to be charged as an accessory to every crime these violent thugs commit." * Gambling-related suicides: "Heavily advertised state-sponsored lotteries siphon billions of dollars a year from America's poor, and are directly responsible for uncountable numbers of gambling-related bankruptcies, suicides, and broken homes," Dasbach said. "Since politicians addicted to taxes are harming vulnerable Americans addicted to gambling, shouldn't the state officials who run these destructive lotteries be held personally responsible?" But Libertarians aren't holding their breath waiting for the government to be brought to justice, Dasbach admitted. "Courts have consistently ruled that government is protected from prosecution by the legal doctrine of sovereign immunity," he said. "According to the courts, death-by-government programs are not against the law. "But wouldn't America be a much safer country if politicians were held to the same standard as any other individual? "Unfortunately, unless that happens, prosecution-proof politicians will continue to escape the consequences of their actions -- while hypocritically sending ordinary Americans off to jail." - - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBNmzhy9CSe1KnQG7RAQES5wP6Ap6aRD4XRSWEEnC+2Vz5+ix8aQg4ss+3 srlja3yDIqsh94SIo1xoIESwZ/61DEpXyvhO/PdJ0xt6wtcFWNkAGbt1VVyr26Tx O+2Qv3NMcHq7ISSMV1SGHYuuRsCuAg/om+PU39NxNfj60eTMpEkPDz0wyAm9XFxu 3c0bMkh+0Zw= =qedo - - -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 For subscription changes, please mail to <announce-request@lp.org> with the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line -- or use the WWW form. - - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.inannareturns.com "See God in Every Eye" --Inanna, Goddess of Love V.S. Ferguson author, Inanna Returns and Inanna Hyper-Luminal - - --------------54D4A0A30C2370EF22396E74-- - ------- End of Forwarded Message ------- End of Forwarded Message