Liberty Blog

The Montgomery County Libertarians are hosting an all-day series of nine rallies on Saturday, May 30th, to protest the disastrous shutdowns that are devastating businesses and individuals alike in Montgomery County and throughout Pennsylvania. #ShutdownTheShutdown.

The peaceful rallies are to be held once an hour, every hour, at each of the homes of nine state representatives in Montgomery County.  

Serving as celebrity guest emcee is Ken Krawchuk, past Libertarian gubernatorial candidate and host of The Pennsylvania Project, a weekly talk radio show on WWDB in Philadelphia.

“Enough is enough!” Krawchuk insisted at a recent Montco Libertarians meeting. “Because of the devastating diktats coming out of Harrisburg, families are on the financial ropes, small businesses are being destroyed one by one, and the memories of a lifetime are being stolen from our graduating seniors. And there’s absolutely no reason for it, none at all!”

Krawchuk calls into question the government’s assertion that this virus is inherently more deadly that a typical flu season, and hardly one that requires shutting down the state and national economy. 

“History shows that ‘flattening the curve’ strategies double the length of the pandemic,” and cites the experience of Sweden which urged its citizens to take voluntary action to stem the spread of the disease. “Harrisburg should take a lesson from Sweden. The Swedes haven’t shut down their economy. Restaurants have been serving patrons, businesses are open for business, and life is going on pretty much as usual.”

Krawchuk calls the state’s policy towards the pandemic “baseless tripe”, contrasting it with Sweden’s position within nine nations tracked by Forbes magazine as “smack-dab in the middle.” 

“That means the shutdown was totally, completely, and provably unnecessary,” concludes Krawchuk. 

“It is time for the people to stand up and fight back!” said Joseph Van Wagner, a past chair of the Montco Libertarians. “If we can save one person from losing their home or business, is defying one man’s orders not worth it? ”

The rallies are scheduled to occur on the hour, every hour, beginning at 9 AM and continuing until the last rally at 5 PM. Each rally is scheduled to last one half hour, and located in the immediate neighborhood of the targeted Montgomery County state rep on the assumption that the reps are honoring the stay-at-home order.  

A detailed map listing the state reps, times, and locations of the rallies can be found on the web at PennsylvaniaProject.com/rally. The stops include:

9 AM:

State Rep Christopher Rabb (D-200)

Meet in front of Mt. Airy train station

Park on side streets

10 AM:           

State Rep Steve McCarter (D-154)

Meet at corner of Lismore & Waverly

Park on side streets

11 AM:

State Rep Ben Sanchez (D-153)

Meet at corner of Jenkintown Rd. & Meetinghouse Rd.

Park on side streets

12 PM:

State Rep Thomas Murt (R-152)       

Park and meet in Boileau Park on Byberry Rd. near Orangemans Rd.

1 PM:

State Rep Todd Stephens (R-151)    

Meet at corner of Witmer and Old Witmer

Park on side streets

2 PM:

State Rep Steven R Malagari (D-53)

Meet at Hancock Street Park, Hancock Rd. & Maple St.

Park on side streets

3 PM:

State Rep Matthew Bradford (D-70)

Meet at corner of Trooper and Spring Hill

Park on side streets

4 PM:

State Rep Tim Briggs (D-149)
Meet at Crow Creek on Keebler Rd.

Park on side streets

5 PM:

State Rep Mary Jo Daley (D-148)

Park and meet in Sabine Park, Montgomery Ave. & Sabine Ave.

6 PM:

Post-rally Munchies (optional, non-political, just food)

Germantown Pike and Joshua Rd.

Nearby is a Wawa, a pizza place, decent Indian take-out, and a grassy park

Prominent Libertarian speakers are slated to appear at each location, and each state rep will be offered an opportunity to address the crowd. The rallies are to be held rain or shine, and are intended to be peaceful gatherings. Per libertarian principles, individual rally-goers are responsible for their own actions. They should also bring their own signs. Lettering should be at least three inches tall with good color contrast against the background.

Ken Krawchuk, celebrity guest emcee for the rally, is a three-time Libertarian gubernatorial candidate and is currently the host of The Pennsylvania Project, a talk radio program broadcast three times weekly on WWDB 860 AM in Philadelphia. The mission of The Pennsylvania Project is to showcase the political, cultural, and environmental challenges facing contemporary Pennsylvania and to explore solutions. More information about The Pennsylvania Project can be found on the web at PennsylvaniaProject.com.

Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the state and the nation, with over 230 elected and appointed officials currently serving in office nationwide, 61 in Pennsylvania and 5 in Montgomery County. Libertarians are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, and like the Founding Fathers, Libertarians believe that you have the inalienable right to conduct your life as you see fit, without interference, so long as you respect the rights and property of others.

For more information about the Libertarian Party, the public is invited to contact the Montgomery County Libertarian Party at MontcoLP.org, the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania at LpPa.org or (800) R-RIGHTS, or the National Libertarian Party at Lp.org or (202) 333-0008