January 1998

A "magical" visit to Libertarian Party headquarters Libertarian Party member Penn Jillette (l) -- shown here shaking hands with LP National Director Ron Crickenberger -- stopped by party headquarters in Washington, DC, for a visit on October 31st. Jillette, the taller and more vocal half of the magical comedy team of Penn & Teller, was in town to promote their new book, How to Play in Traffic, and to perform at the Patriot Center in Virginia. "Penn & Teller's book is a real hoot to read," said Crickenberger. "And, surprisingly for a magic book, there's quite a lot of libertarian rhetoric. Along with a generally irreverent attitude toward government, they call for private road ownership, privatizing NASA, and stopping terrorism with freedom." Crickenberger, who attended the duo's show later than evening, speculated that Penn's visit to party headquarters might have "energized" the magician. "They certainly had more political lines in their show than I had seen them use before," said Crickenberger. Penn & Teller are probably America's best known magic team. They have appeared on Saturday Night Live, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Show with David Letterman, and on Broadway. Their articles have appeared in the New York Times, Time magazine, Playboy, and the New Yorker.

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