Free Keene

I’m getting asked a certain question a lot lately. Why pick on minarchists? We’re on the same side! Why aren’t you picking on socialists more? I’m glad I was asked because it made me put some thought into best how to express this with words. What is it about the philosophy of minarchism that really gets up in my craw?

And then it occurred to me. Anarchists and minarchists in one key respect are polar opposites. I’ve said before that there is an ocean between an anarchist and a minarchist, but only a creek between a minarchist and a socialist and I can finally nail it down succinctly. An anarchist believes that a monopoly government is the source of our enslavement. A minarchist believes a monopoly government is crucial to protecting our liberties. Exact opposites! So why do people keep saying we’re on the same side? Presumably it’s because we have similar preferences. We both love liberty.

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Toby and Nick interview several guests live at this past weekend’s Free State Project’s Porcupine Freedom Festival 2009. A few of the guests are Free Keene’s bloggers!

Here’s your chance to sell me on the notion so make it good. Bare in mind, however, that I’m a critical thinker and I’m looking for logical arguments without the usual presumptions like “It’s always been done this way.” If we invented really efficient and clean-running hovercrafts, it would be silly to cling to the idea of wheels just because that’s how it’s been done for thousands of years. I’m also tired of arguments from need which are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter how much we need unicorns if they don’t exist or voodoo spells if they don’t work. There’s no point in having a discussion about the benefits of unicorns and their healing and purifying magical powers until someone convinces me they exist or they can create them.
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Thanks to Jeremy Couch, here’s the brand new Free Keene Facebook page – be sure to click “become a fan”!

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I would just like to take a moment to clarify something since there seem to be a lot of different interpretations of what I mean when I poke fun at “minarchists”.

When I use the term “minarchism”, I’m referring to an individual belief system, someone who believes a small government is necessary, and perhaps evil. A minarchist believes that government has a role in protecting life, liberty, and property. By itself, that wouldn’t be worthy of ridicule, but where it falls apart is when they insist that it must be an authoritarian monopoly on violence, i.e. that it must exert a supreme authority over a certain geographic region and individuals cannot choose to act apart from it. By its very nature, such a thing will never protect life, liberty, and property. Such a thing is inherently contradictory to such values. If, on the other hand, you can let go of the idea of it being a monopoly, then it is subject to the controls of the free market and regains the accountability that’s essential for it to ever do more good than harm.

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A PA town has more surveillance cameras than anywhere in the US, wiretapping and the NSA, the Downiszer Dispatch, a British man eveicted from his cave dwelling, states fighting the federal government, journalist Dave Ridley sentenced to 6 days behind bars, and rubber rooms for bad teachers in NYC.

http://www.freemindsmedia.org

This news just released on KeeneSentinel.com was likely also published today, Friday, in the paper. Though out of jail, the story of Sam’s detainment and trumped up charges is far from over. His courage has gained him and liberty activists in general a lot of public attention and opened a lot of eyes. It looks like that will only continue, as Sam and supporters reveal to people who otherwise wouldn’t be paying attention the corruption within the system.

Jailed Free Stater a free man
Judge orders his release pending trial on misdemeanors
By Anika Clark
Sentinel Staff
Published: Friday, June 26, 2009 1:01 PM EDT

Each year, thousands of people are forced into jail and prison cells throughout the country.

Few of them must be pushed out.

But after a nearly two-month standoff, local authorities recently kicked Keene resident Sam A. Miller out of the Cheshire County jail in Westmoreland.

“He was just refusing to leave jail,” said jail Superintendent Richard N. Van Wickler. “We eventually talked him into walking with us to the lobby where he was greeted by some of his friends.”

On June 9 — still wearing his tangerine-orange jumpsuit — Miller left the building a free man.
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As members, supporters, and followers of FreeKeene know, the Keene District Court has been the site of several high drama situations. From Ian’s arrest for contempt of court, Dave Ridley’s arrest, Sam Dodson’s arrest, and the detainment, arrest, and citations of 6 other activists. So at minimum, we are at the Keene District Court at least twice a month. That will be increasing in the next few months as more activists face ridiculous charges from local police and prosecutors. However, according to the Keene Sentinel, the court could lose it’s legal legitimacy in those same few months if serious issues are not taken care of.

Unfortunately, the issues they speak of are not judicial or ruling related, but rather security related. Anyone who’s been to the Keene District Court knows it has no metal detectors, x-rays, or real “security” outside of a few officers with wands. However, I would go out on a limb and say many activists believe that “security” is more often “security theater”, despite what sort of intricate setup any court appears to have. The best security would be to allow everyone and their handguns into the court. The police are allowed, why aren’t we?

Keene District court is in trouble
By Anika Clark
Sentinel Staff
Published:
Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:46 PM EDT

For years, Keene District Court has been the target of complaints about its lacking facilities — an overcrowded space with little security or privacy for those who use it.

Now, a state commission says the issues are so bad, it plans to yank the court’s accreditation, a move that a judicial branch spokeswoman believes hasn’t happened to a court in years.

And local officials say they don’t know what the commission’s plans mean for the court’s future.
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Number 8 was inspired by Ron Helwig.

It’s fair to say I have a bad case of the wanderlust. Hopefully this year as a Motorhome Diaries crew member I’ll get a bit of that out of my system as we criss-cross North America. I’ve known that one day I’d decide to settle down somewhere but when looking into the future I couldn’t picture where that would be. After spending too-many years in Washington DC, I can confidently cross that off the list.

During our “search for freedom in America” we’ve met a lot of great people and have been to many beautiful places but for me, one sticks out: Keene, New Hampshire. Our friends at FreeKeene.com cover the vibrant pro-freedom activism scene in great detail that got my attention and inspired me and Pete to make it one of our first stops. This is my second visit and if one can fall for a community, I’m smitten. I’ll explain.

(Read the full article here.)