Free Keene » Outreach

Compassion & Liberty

Meg McLain — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:47:48 +0000

People often ask me how I discovered the ideas of liberty. Like many others, I was taught about government in school using state approved curriculum; which never mentions the ideas of liberty, self ownership, and personal responsibility. In addition, I was raised in a extremely liberal area, which gave me a socially acceptable set of morals that included support of government social/welfare programs. This was not because I disliked the idea of private charity and personal compassion; but rather, I believed it to be the only method of mass charity (the ability to fund care for many people at once). It was my experience in trying to use these social programs which led me to discover the ineffective, wasteful, and harmful effects they create. They didn’t help people. They gave those suffering the bare minimum for survival, but wasted so much time, and came with so many requirements, that those the government “helped” would never be able to move forward. They would become dependent on the system for survival, which skews this “help” to be thought of as a “right”… because obviously everyone feels they have a right to life.

Moreover, I discovered the system in which these programs are funded (by tax dollars), was a complex form of theft. How can you do good deeds with stolen money? And how could a charity be successful if it was continually funded no matter how poor it’s results? There is no competition, or at least none that can truly offer an alternative (possibly better) service, because the government has already taken any money people have to spare on charity. It was these factors that resulted in my change in heart on the necessity of government social/welfare programs; and eventually, my views on government all together.

But how can someone claim to be “caring” or “compassionate” if they advocate the end of social programs that people depend on for survival? Here is why: because I DO care. I AM compassionate. There are millions out there who care. Does anyone honestly believe that if the government funded “charities” were no longer available, we would all accept standing by and watching people suffer? I wouldn’t. But in thinking about why people believe this, I realized the amazing loss in simple acts of care and compassion between individuals. Because the government has taken over the “charity” system, most people have lost the ability to be kind or charitable on their own. Just as traffic lights have removed people’s responsibility of defensive driving (aka paying attention to others on the road).

We need kindness and compassion to be given back to the people. While it’s illogical to think we can just end government social programs tomorrow, and take back the task of charity; there is hope. We need to start by reeducating ourselves to care about others. To strive towards positivity and community. When you nurture those elements of human nature, you can begin to see a world without government. It wouldn’t be a scary world of chaos and violence; but rather, a world where people feel a responsibility to their fellow man. Not to provide for him/her from cradle to grave, but to see that all people are successful… because then there will be others to help you in your time of need.

To start encouraging others to take part in this shift towards a more compassionate society, I made this simple poster that can be printed and posted anywhere. There are some simple “random acts of kindess” tabs for people to tear off and perform the task later. While these things may seem small or simple, no act of kindess is ever a waste. And over time, these small acts can shift an entire community to a more positive and charitable point of view… without the need of a government threat.

*also posted @ MegMcLain.com

To download, simply right-click on the image and choose “save as”.

Color Version

Black & White Version

Feed Your Head

DerrickJ — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:04:19 +0000

Yesterday while handing out some information at a local high school, the principal mistakenly things that free speech doesn’t apply in public spaces. Despite repeatedly making threats to use force (call the police), a student-council representative tells us he doesn’t appreciate how disrespectful the FreeKeene activists are toward the principal.

Are we forcing anyone to take the information? Will the police use force against us at the whim of a government worker’s say-so? You bet. I won’t speak for others, but I was prepared to be arrested if my only “crime” was handing out literature in a public space. Why? This is why:

Ladies In Keene Radio – Weekly

Kager — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:45:01 +0000

Sundays from 11am-1pm Eastern on LRN.FM,
join Cecelia Freechild, Ali Havens & Kate Ager for
Ladies In Keene Radio!

Previous podcasts can be found at
http://LadiesInKeene.Com/LIK-Podcast.

Kelly and Derrick J Strip to Underwear at Manchester Airport

Ian — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:07:00 +0000

Keeniacs Kelly Voluntaryist and Derrick J. Freeman showed up again today at Manchester airport and stripped down to their underwear in protest of the TSA stripping our rights. They once again handed out fliers to travelers. Video coming soon.

Click the pic to the right for a full-size version.

UPDATE: A full photo album is here on Kelly’s website.

FLYER FOR DOWNLOAD: Thanks but no tanks!

Pete Eyre — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:58:53 +0000

Double-sided Thanks but no tanks! flyers now available for download via Scribd.com/FreeKeene

Learn more about the growing effort for a peaceful, not militarized Keene: http://FreeKeene.com/Bearcat

Bearcat Flyer (double-sided)

Kelly Voluntaryist Visits Manch Airport – In Lingerie

Ian — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:05:48 +0000

The heroic Kelly Voluntaryist from Keene visits Manchester Airport to hand out anti-TSA fliers and was not arrested! Keeniacs win again! Video to come – stay tuned to Free Keene.

Learn about moving to the Shire and joining with courageous activists like Kelly.

State = Parasite

DerrickJ — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:33:29 +0000

“Word for word and character for character, it’s tough to beat Ryan Maddox.” – Super-activist Pete Eyre

This is the first episode in what will become a weekly series highlighting a range of pro-freedom topics. This one focuses on establishing the parasitic nature of the state. Others soon to follow will cover topics such as Mesh Networks, DarkNets, and open-source ecology. New episodes will be featured on my YouTube channel each Friday. The goal of this series is to bring newcomers to the ideas of liberty and to equip the liberty community with the technical aspects of maintaining strong virtual and real-life networks. One such real-life network is The Corner News, my favorite store. Check them out below:

Free Keene’s Brad Jardis Makes Breitbart TV at Santorum Event in Salem

Ian — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:16:56 +0000

Ron Paul Zombies Wake Up!

Pete Eyre — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:13:13 +0000

This video is made-up of three short parts:

clips from The Onion News Network’s video “Obama Win Causes Obsessed Backers To See How Empty Lives Are” with the words “Obama” and “Barrack Obama” replaced with “Ron Paul”
clips from myself, encouraging current Ron Paul supporters to take their views to their logical conclusions
clips of Ron Paul striking the root from Adam vs. The Man, Motorhome Diaries and Fox Business

For the record, I myself supported Ron Paul during the primary last time around. Since then I’ve moved on. As have a lot of good people.

I’ve already Googled “Voluntaryism” – all you have to do is click this link

Thoughts?

WKBK Catches Shire Choir in Action at Romney Appearance

Ian — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:40:54 +0000

Thanks to WKBK‘s Brad Ryder for this coverage of Romney’s campaign appearance which features a performance by the Shire Choir. Download the Chronic Carols songsheet here.