| RSO Spotlight: Young Americans for Liberty |
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| Written by Melissa Castor, Daily Vidette Reporter |
| Wednesday, 18 November 2009 05:31 |
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Young Americans for Liberty is a student organization that focuses on defending inalienable rights and is open to people of all different political backgrounds. According to their RSO Web site, YAL consists of individuals who are disappointed with politics. To them, the typical left/right paradigm seems flawed. They feel that students have become politically disenfranchised because they feel the government is filled with politicians who do not protect the rights of the individual. YAL consists of classical liberals, paleoconservatives and libertarians on many levels that unite in order to support their core issues. Junior political science major and YAL president Kyle Kidwell said, “If you had to put it in a nutshell you would call it a classical libertarian organization.” Dave Lynn, senior political science major and YAL treasurer, said, “We’re a group of individuals from all different political backgrounds … but we don’t affiliate with any party… We are a group strongly in support of civil liberties.” Some of YAL’s core issues include: presenting the ideals of natural rights and individual liberty, ending the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, ending victimless crime legislation, focusing on marijuana and underage drinking laws, restoring the right to privacy, rebuking the intrusive police state and shedding light on the Federal Reserve System. YAL is a new organization on the ISU campus that began early this fall; however, according to founders Kidwell and Lynn, planning for the organization began much earlier in the spring. “So far, we’ve been involved in a monthly war protest in Normal with the Bloomington-Normal Citizens for Peace and Justice, and IWU Renegades for Peace… We’ve also started to focus on the medicinal marijuana legislation. We’re really trying to get politicians to get the medical marijuana bill passed in Illinois. “We’re also involved in campaign for liberty… This organization is also aware when the Bloomington-Normal police overstep their bounds. We are strong believers in the Fourth Amendment,” Kidwell said. “We also work with Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. We did a petition drive for their Good Samaritan policy on campus… Being such a new group, we have the chance of being something great. We’re a motivating group,” Lynn said. “It’s not even a matter about keeping our head above the water. We’re already above the water. Now we’re looking to do something,” he said. In the future, YAL plans on having a couple of large-scale events, a goal they had set for the year, according to Kidwell. The group is also planning a meeting involving many politicians in the upcoming year. For more information on YAL visit their group on Facebook, Young Americans for Liberty: Illinois State University chapter. |
