Free Keene

Peaceful Evolution

Heroic Activists Add Signs and Flag to Keene Statue on Central Sq!

Filed under: Issues, News, Response — Ian at 1:39 am on Wednesday, June 10, 2009

One early morning this past weekend in Keene, NH, the statue of the Civil War Union thug at Central Square was adorned with a upside-down American flag and two signs reading, “FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS” and “FREE SAM DODSON AND ANDREW CARROLL”. Odds are very good this story never made it to the Sentinel or WKBK and reports say it took a fire truck and the police to remove the Union killer’s new accessories. Here’s the proof it happened:
Statue with signsPerhaps the history buffs that love a statue worshiping men who blindly killed their fellow man at the orders of a power-crazed madman (Lincoln didn’t free the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, contrary to what you may have been told in govt high school.) should take this statue for their private collection. It’s an embarrassment to Keene and should come down when we secede, as it is nothing more than a symbol of arbitrary power and depravity. The Civil War wasn’t about freeing slaves as much as it was forcing people who didn’t wish to be in an organization (the union) to participate. Little has changed, except the plantation has gotten larger and we are all on it. It’s time for the slaves (us) to realize their situation, speak the truth to our fellow slaves, and refuse to obey. (Preferably here in NH and in Keene)

To those who would complain that these heroic activists have “wasted” taxpayer dollars, I say please stop supporting stealing from and harming peaceful people (what the violent monopoly known as government does). As long as one supports aggression against one’s peaceful neighbors, one will never have peace inside or out. These liberty actions have been created by aggression. Actions like these are the natural, peaceful consequences to aggression. If those who support aggression continue doing so, or worse, become more violent, we will respond peacefully and will not lower ourselves to their level.

Thanks to the market-based activists who created this brilliant visual statement!

29 Comments »

Comment by Atlas

June 10, 2009 @ 1:52 am

I have a good idea to who is responsible for this as I talked to this person at the last social sunday. High 5 to that person! Great activism.

Comment by Keith

June 10, 2009 @ 2:53 am

I don’t see an upside-down American flag in that photo. It reminds me of the flag on my Army outfit.

Comment by Markus

June 10, 2009 @ 3:11 am

Nice pic and activism! It looks like it was EARLY in the moanin’ when it was taken. Does anyone know about what time the “protectors” took it down?

Comment by Zeus

June 10, 2009 @ 3:28 am

Yeah, screwing with memorials for the dead doesn’t interest me in the slightest.

The plaque on the statue reads:
“Keene will cherish in perpetual honor the memory of her sons who fought for liberty and the integrity of the republic. 1861 – 1864. The honor of the heroic dead is the inspiration of posterity.”

Ok, so they didn’t really fight for freedom but rather to quash the freedom of the south to secede. And sure, there was no integrity in slaughtering one’s own brothers just because Abe told them to.

But the soldier pictured is just a generic representation of the men of Keene who died in that war. He isn’t sculpted in the likeness of some famous general or something.

Perhaps if it were a statue of some bloodthirsty warmonger who slaughtered Indians and Southerners with wild abandon, I’d have a different perspective on the matter but as it stands, I’ve no quarrel with this memorial for the dead. I don’t see the harm in it (beyond perpetuating a fantasy version of historical events) so long as I don’t have to pay for it.

There are bigger fish to fry than this.

Comment by The Ghost of Generic Civil War Soldier

June 10, 2009 @ 4:44 am

what do you mean? If I wasn’t killed in a stupid war I’d be in Keene, NH protesting the imprisonment of a political prisoner.

Comment by sam

June 10, 2009 @ 7:54 am

to compare what you think is your lack of freedom to the lack of freedom of a slave is completely outrageous.

Comment by RWW

June 10, 2009 @ 8:22 am

Then think about it a little harder, Sam.

Comment by sam

June 10, 2009 @ 8:53 am

I don’t need to RWW. I’m very satisfied with my thought process. Isn’t your whole argument with the free project thing that i have a born right to have my opinion? You haven’t gotten it yet – that simply because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean they are wrong. Maybe you should think a little harder and smarter.

Comment by abbie

June 10, 2009 @ 9:21 am

Zeus: I support anything people do to disrupt things a little, and perhaps cause them to think.

A statue is a statue. It is inanimate. It has no feelings. ie: I really don’t think this is a problem. You may have other priorities, but this person also did. You can go focus on the bigger fish. :D

Comment by Parick

June 10, 2009 @ 9:41 am

Isn’t your whole argument with the free project thing that i have a born right to have my opinion?

The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire. The shared goal in FSP participants is “a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life, liberty, and property.” Different people have their own specific goals. I would like to be able to live freely without being hurt by others.

Comment by Zeus

June 10, 2009 @ 10:34 am

A statue is a statue. It is inanimate. It has no feelings. ie: I really don’t think this is a problem. You may have other priorities, but this person also did. You can go focus on the bigger fish. :D

The statue is indeed inanimate and anyone who knew those soldiers has long since died, so I agree with your sentiments on that.

It doesn’t look like private property was damaged in any way, so I can’t fault whomever did it for that either. And if they feel they gained some benefit from it, fantastic. For me, I just don’t find it to be an appealing act. To each his or her own.

“I be lookin’ fer Moby Dick, arr.” :)

Comment by Larry kilgore

June 10, 2009 @ 11:45 am

I like the picture and reposted it at http://www.TXsecede.com
Larry Kilgore for Texas Governor 2010 – Secession!!!

Comment by Markus

June 10, 2009 @ 11:51 am

Zeus, I think those who are comfortable with war don’t like seeing any war “hero” (killer) statues disrespected in anyway. It makes me think you don’t think this is the best way to influence others(?).

Myself, I think people need to start thinking in a different way because this thing that’s supposed to protect our freedom, has become the biggest robber of it.

Maybe the next time there’ll be a sign hanging from his neck and it’ll say, Do you support troops who kill innocent people?

Comment by Zeus

June 10, 2009 @ 12:08 pm

It makes me think you don’t think this is the best way to influence others(?).

Most people still operate under the fantasy version of the Civil War being about slavery and have been indoctrinated into believing “Honest Abe” is someone to revere.

If the goal here is to create enemies of those ignorant of true history, then yes, it succeeds very well. If the goal is to get them to understand what they’ve been taught is false and immoral, then it fails in that regard. There is no context for them to grasp onto, no explanation as to the reasoning behind doing it.

Maybe the next time there’ll be a sign hanging from his neck and it’ll say, Do you support troops who kill innocent people?

Now *that* would be much more clear and to the point.

Comment by Paul

June 10, 2009 @ 12:20 pm

I agree Sam, chattel slaves were treated much more poorly than we are now.

We’re much better treated slaves.

I agree that to say nothing has changed is absurd — but slavery (if you define it as someone claiming and enforcing ownership of your life) has not been truly abolished.

Comment by Zeus

June 10, 2009 @ 12:39 pm

So that there is no misunderstanding as to my position, let me clarify thusly: I support any form of activism that a) adheres to the non-aggression principle, b) educates the indoctrinated as to the objective truth, c) peacefully stops or retards acts of aggression and d) puts activists of the philosophy of liberty in a positive light.

I am not a collectivist and do not subscribe to groupthink. Just because people who are pro-liberty (and/or friends of mine) choose to do a particular form of activism does not mean I will automatically agree with that form of activism.

I didn’t agree with AnarchoJesse’s flag-burning event but I thought his attempt to create an “illegal garden” was awesome. I think Andrew Carroll’s civil disobedience in possessing a harmless plant was incredibly brave but I felt he squandered a golden opportunity presented at his trial.

Those, of course, are only my opinions. I don’t have to agree with their every action anymore than they have to agree with mine. They’re free to do what they feel is right and I’m free to address my concerns with it. We live and we learn.

Comment by Paul

June 10, 2009 @ 1:59 pm

I agree with Zeus on this point.

Comment by Laissez

June 10, 2009 @ 2:19 pm

I don’t have any problem seeing the memorial statue being “decorated,” but I think it’s a good idea to make sure we check our language to avoid coercive implications of the type “when the revolution comes, we should do X, Y and Z.” Whatever happens with secession or privatization, the fate of the statue is up to the person who ends up owning central square. It’s not going to have to be taken down as some kind of imposed post-revolutionary “reform.”

Comment by Paul

June 10, 2009 @ 2:28 pm

I agree, Laissez :)

I certainly wouldn’t put a statue up on my property, but it’s up to whoever buys it.

Comment by KDus

June 10, 2009 @ 2:29 pm

Anger is a typical response to the challenge of one’s paradigm. That response doesn’t diminish a position of truth or the virtue of the NAP. To acheive liberty in our lifetime, we don’t have time to avoid offending our neighbors with the truth.
Sure, we can be tactful, but until you offer your neighbor another view, you shouldn’t presume they will have any reason to change.

Comment by Puke

June 10, 2009 @ 2:45 pm

Well done mystery flag planter.

As for the words about the statue from Ian; it’s just a statue for some dead people. It isn’t that bad.

I’d prefer the plaque just be changed to something like…

“Here is a statue in honor of the poor saps that where coerced into fighting and dying in a bullshit war by a stupid politician. May there be a day when this type of madness stops. Peace.”

Comment by Nawset

June 10, 2009 @ 5:47 pm

In case anyone is interested, I actually took a nice shot of the statue at 9am that morning (for my shot a day photo blog) and was actually questioned by the Keene Police while doing so.

While I don’t necessarily agree with the action (although I respect the intent as you will read in my related post), I figured it made an interesting shot and you might like to see an additional image.

Anywho, you can find it at:

nawset.com – click on photo blog in the banner. It was an entry from a few days back.

Comment by Zeus

June 10, 2009 @ 5:56 pm

Slick photography, Nawset.

Just to clarify, Sam is not responsible for your taxes being used to incarcerate him. That blame rests squarely on the shoulders of those who ordered that he be imprisoned for 58 days.

Comment by AnAmazedReader

June 10, 2009 @ 9:39 pm

Debates regarding the circumstances under which the secession of a town, city, county, state or region from a larger “entity” are potentially interesting, although I would imagine that any enemy of the FSP would welcome the project’s members waxing verbose about the North’s engagement with the South in our Civil War being essentially evil. Arguing on behalf of a region’s supposedly inalienable right to treat human beings as chattel (while making the childish analogy between said chattel and American citizens in our time) on the basis of the sanctity of property rights is probably not a winner, folks. Unless you are actually 1) trying to undermine the movement, or 2) fundamentally non-serious and more inclined towards attention-getting stunts and rhetoric. Sorry.

Comment by The Ghost of Generic Civil War Soldier

June 11, 2009 @ 4:39 am

wait, I fought the south over slavery? This is news to me. It doesn’t make much sense, I had slaves too. Why would I fight Southerners because they had slaves? I’m only fighting because I’m protecting FREEDOM and LIBERTY and I’m a CITIZEN SOLDIER!

I’m not fighting my friends over slavery, I’m fighting because they’d put me in a cage if I didn’t. Excuse me while this doctor removes my other leg.

oww. At least it was below the knee this time.

Comment by AnarchoJesse

June 11, 2009 @ 5:26 am

AnAmazedReader–

I think you’re misinterpreting the defense of the Confederacy here; most times, libertarians will take a Spoonerite position on that period of time, which is to say, we’re pro-abolition but just as much pro-secession. History has some pretty interesting things to tell us beyond the text book regurgitation of nationalistic ideals being defended by a man who suspended the writ of habeus corpus, instituted a draft, and didn’t actually take the time to free the slaves still in the Union.

Comment by Zeus

June 11, 2009 @ 5:31 am

Arguing on behalf of a region’s supposedly inalienable right to treat human beings as chattel (while making the childish analogy between said chattel and American citizens in our time) on the basis of the sanctity of property rights is probably not a winner, folks.

Many people erroneously think the Civil War was fought over one issue: slavery. This is just modern fantasy taught by government indoctrination centers (public schools).

The War Between the States began because the South demanded States’ rights and weren’t getting them. The Congress at that time heavily favored the industrialized northern states to the point of demanding that the South sell its cotton and other raw
materials only to the factories in the north, rather than to other countries.

The Congress also taxed the finished materials that the northern industries produced heavily, making finished products that the South wanted, unaffordable.

Eventually, these problems boiled over because they weren’t being addressed and southern states began announcing their intentions to sever ties with the Union. After all, what’s the point in staying if the promises aren’t being kept? Abe Lincoln decided that wasn’t going to happen on his watch. He was going to force those states to remain in the Union even if he had to kill thousands of his own countrymen to do it. So he starting raising an army… which pissed off even more southern states and caused them to announce secession. Conflict ensued and people died.

Slavery wasn’t a real factor until the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862 (2 years into the war) when Lincoln decided to free the slaves in the Confederate States in order to punish those states for continuing the war effort.

Lincoln’s decision that the only way to leave the Union was in a body bag resulted in the deaths of 620,000 Americans from both sides of the conflict and increased the power of the Federal government. Rather than actually freeing the slaves, it simply helped to make slavery more equal for all Americans.

No one is defending nor excusing slavery. Far from it. We want it to end completely for everyone across the board. We are the new Abolitionists and our goal is to end slavery in all its forms.

When the Men From Washington not only do nothing to help you make ends meet but actively work against you and then reach their hands into your wallet for a “fair share”, that is still slavery. When the Men From Washington can tell you what you may or may not do with your body as you see fit or they will kill you, that is still slavery. It’s just less visible and more insidious these days.

Comment by Johnny Law

June 11, 2009 @ 6:33 am

Isn’t that illegal… you know, desecrating a monument?

Comment by Geff Jordon

June 11, 2009 @ 8:03 pm

it’s illegal to speed too.

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