GQ Magazine’s Reid Cherlin encounters the Free State Project’s president, Carla Gericke at a Ron Paul event:
Ron Paul’s rally today, in a hangar at the Nashua airport, was one of the most crowded and energetic events I’ve seen here this week—hundreds of supporters whooped and hollered, as the Texas congressman warbled on about freedom and what sounded to me like the arrival of End Times. At least I think he was talking about End Times: the air was too thick with cheers to hear much. Amid this sea of freedom-leaving fankids, one supporter caught my eye as particularly cheerful and exultant. Sporting blue hair, a camouflage hoodie, and peace sign earrings, she shouted “END THE FED” during a rare quiet moment—a striking illustration of the diverse strands of hippyism and ultra-right armageddonism that define this quirky campaign. (Excuse me: movement.) Meet Carla Gericke, happy warrior, secessionist, and President of the Free State Project.
GQ: Tell me about the Free State Project.
Carla Gericke: It’s a geopolitical movement to get libertarians to move to the state of New Hampshire so that we can concentrate in one area. We have about a thousand people who have moved, about 11,000 who’ve signed the pledge. When 20,000 sign the pledge, they have five years to move here. I have been a Ron Paul supporter since 2006. I used to live in Manhattan, in Chinatown, and I was like the one little loft apartment with my Ron Paul posters in the window. I think a lot of people realize that he doesn’t get a fair shake in the media, and it’s kind of nice to show them, ‘hey, you know what, no.’ There’s a lot of support here.
GQ: So once you get all 20,000 people here, what happens then?
Carla Gericke: There are a lot of Libertarians in the world, but they’re all over the place. If we can actually concentrate them in one place, we can actually, feasibly, roll back government. So, the long-term vision, the way I describe it, is we want to create a Yankee Hong Kong or a Yankee Switzerland. Something that is really free, prosperous. You know, New Hampshire compared to most states in America is way freer, or ready, so we’re starting from a good place. But yeah, the idea is Yankee Hong Kong.
GQ: So that’s pseudo-separatist? Or fully separatist?
Carla Gericke: The Free State Project itself just recruits people to move here. Once they get here they do whatever. There are secessionists amongst us. There are hard-core political people. It’s the whole gamut.
GQ: In the realm of the ideal here, would New Hampshire then loosen its bonds to the rest of the country? I’m fascinated by this.
Carla Gericke: Personally—and this is not speaking as the president–I think secessionism makes the most sense. New Hampshire is a net payer to the federal government, which means we pay out more than we get in. So just on the math, it doesn’t make sense. [Laughing.] Why are we part of this scenario?
So, yeah, if I were describing my utopia, what Yankee Hong Kong would look like, we’d have legalized marijuana, so we’d have nice coffee shops. It would become a tourist destination. Lots of businesses would come in because there would be favorable business taxes or no taxes. And yeah, just honestly, this is a great state. It’s just small enough; it’s got everything. It’s got seacoast, mountains, the whole thing. I would love to see it become this giant business-tourist Mecca for freedom.
GQ: It’s funny, this is a Republican primary, but Santorum would seem to be much more the opposite of what you believe than Obama.
Carla Gericke: Google Santorum! [Laughing.] That’s all I have to say. I know it’s mean.
GQ: What do you think of Rand Paul, who introduced his father today?
Carla Gericke:You know, I think it’s great. I have read some things where I felt like he’s not as strong as his dad on foreign policy, and anti-war is a really big issue for me. But he seems to have come around. And I think it’s great that they’re at least doing the family legacy thing. If the Bushes and the Clintons get to do it…
GQ: He was saying “it’s coming, this crisis is coming.” How do you relate to that kind of sense of impending crisis?
Carla Gericke: The way I look at it is, right now we have a house of cards. And it’s all imaginary. Or it’s like the girl sticking her fingers in the dike. There are way too many holes now. They can’t paper over it, and I mean that literally, by printing more money. I think one of two things is going to happen. They’re either going to hyper-inflate—they keep printing money and probably invade Iran and use the war as an excuse to do that. In which case we have to secede, because that’s my line in the sand. [Laughing] If that happens, I’m outta here. I think it’s coming. And people have been saying that since ’72, when they went off the gold standard. It’s taken a lot longer, but I think it’s going to happen.
That’s one of the reasons for the Free State Project. We can concentrate people here who actually know what’s going on. I’m a funky girl, but I’ve got canned food, and I know how to shoot, you know? [Laughing] Seriously. I moved from New York City and I had to learn those things. But, yeah, when—I’m not sure. But for me it’s a question of when, not if.
