By Windy McKinney

Issues such as gun rights, medical marijuana legalization and excessive taxation have galvanized liberty-minded folks across the mountains into getting politically active, speaking up, and defending their own rights and the rights of others.

One particular affiliate, Henderson County, has set the pace for county affiliates across Western North Carolina. The Libertarian Party of Henderson County regularly attends gun shows and marijuana legalization rallies.

Credited with the revival of the local Libertarian Party in 2011, Henderson County Libertarian chair, nurse, and former soldier Shelby Mood ran for a state House seat in District 117 in 2014, bringing attention to the issues mentioned above -- gun rights, excessive taxation, and the damage caused by the state's attitude toward marijuana use.

From Antiwar.com

The Obama administration is pushing to pass their AUMF, an authorization for the use of military force against the "Islamic State" – a gang of thugs in a world of thugs that represents no particular threat to the United States. Yes, the War Party is going full blast with a propaganda campaign designed to drag us into yet another bloody futile war in the Middle East.

We’ve been here before – remember? The last time they corralled us into a war in Iraq they handed us cock-and-bull stories about "weapons of mass destruction" and Saddam Hussein’s nonexistent links to the 9/11 attacks. This time they aren’t bothering with any of that: it’s just pure horror stories plus the laughable contention that ISIL represents a credible threat to the U.S. homeland.

It’s time for a preemptive strike at the War Party’s congressional fortress. Please call your congressional representative today and urge them to vote no on the AUMF – because we can win this one. We stopped them last time when President Obama decided it was time to bomb Syria. One by one members of Congress who were inclined to authorize that military campaign backed away when faced with a deluge of outraged calls from constituents. We can do it again – oh yes we can!

Libertarian Ken Fortenberry, a nationally recognized award-winning investigative journalist and newspaper editor, responded to Gov. Pat McCrory's State of the State Address.

by Ken Fortenberry

I nearly fell asleep during Gov. Pat McCrory’s annual State of the State address tonight as he used the same worn-out platitudes that governors of both major political parties have used for years. More than an hour into his speech, I was still waiting for him talk about the critical need to reduce the size of our bloated state government and to protect the ever-declining freedoms of our citizens.

Yes, North Carolina is a wonderful place to live. Yes, we face many challenges (who doesn’t?). Yes, our people are resilient, hard-working and neighborly, but I yearned for him to tell us something new, and more importantly, to outline a realistic, financially-and-constitutionally-sound plan to make state government more responsive, more accountable and more efficient.

Instead the governor wants to spend more, tax more and put his signature on more laws.

Young Americans for Liberty is partnering with state and national organizations to offer a one-day training and networking event designed to build stronger state cooperation, improve activists' effectiveness, and inspire attendees to do even more to advance the cause of liberty.

Their state convention will be held Feb. 7 at UNC-Chapel Hill.

For more information and to register, go here.