Libertarian loses e-mail liberties

Leigh-Anne Brown Arizona Daily Wildcat Libertarian Party U.S. Senate candidate John Zajac (right) shakes hands with UA economics graduate student Ryan Johnson after Zajac's speech at a forum held last night at Terra Nova Restaurant. The politician sent a bulk e-mail to about 19,000 students, causing Starnet revoke his service.

John Zajac said his friend sent an unsolicited, bulk "spam" e-mail message to UA students from an Arizona Starnet listserv. Starnet revoked his service after it received complaints from some of the 19,000 UA students he successfully e-mailed, Zajac said.

"I didn't do it but I authorized it, then people complained, the UA complained and Arizona Starnet banned my account," he said yesterday.

Zajac will run in the Nov. 3 primary election against Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain and Democratic candidate Ed Ranger. The e-mail he sent to UA students was supposed to solicit support for the Libertarian Party at a forum held last night.

"The intention is not to beat John McCain, since that is almost impossible," Zajac said. "It is a party-building exercise to build our registration base."

Scott Stewart, Pima County Libertarian Party chairman running for Pima College Board of Governors, said his party needs to continue working to build support.

"If we grow sufficiently, maybe the Democrats and Republicans will get the message that they must take individual rights and fiscal responsibility seriously," Steward said. "If they adapted our philosophies, there would be no need for our party."

About 22 people attended the forum, held at the Terra Nova Restaurant, including Zajac, Stewart and five other Libertarian candidates running for various local and state-level positions. The candidates support the party's basic principles of individual freedom and less government.

"We are a party of limited government," Zajac said. "The government's only role is to protect our goods and rights."

Ed Kahn, a Libertarian candidate running for a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives, said the party's stance appeals to a particular type of person.

"We get support from your typical, hard-working, self-sufficient person who takes care of their family and wants to be left alone," Kahn said. "The guy who works 12 hours in the mine and who doesn't like the freeloaders."

The e-mail sent to the UA attracted several students to the forum, including Monroe Watson, a microbiology senior. Watson said he came because of the e-mail invitation, but became interested in some of the party's philosophies.

"It gets down to two words: individual freedom," Watson said. "If I am not- stepping on your toes, it should be OK."

Anthony C. Braza can be reached via e-mail at Anthony.C.Braza@wildcat.arizona.edu.