It has been over a year since liberty activists in Manchester launched FreeManch.com, and finally it looks like there is some life being blown into their site. Granted, it’s in response to Will May’s incisive piece posted here to FK, but at least they finally got the ball rolling.
Of course, they seemed to have the ball rolling a year ago before the site died.
For his first post, Manch’s Sovereign Curtis attacks Keene’s civil disobedience and cites the Manchester chalking arrests as an example of Manch’s superior civil disobedience scene. Of course he neglects to mention that the chalking event and the CopBlock event that he cites were started by Keeniacs Pete and Ademo of Liberty on Tour, on their visit to Manchester. Oops!
Rather than acknowledge those trail-blazing Keeniacs who have been doing civil disobedience and noncooperation for years, like Lauren Canario, the Trespassive Twelve, and Disobedient Seven, Curtis suggests Keene activists are a bunch of drunks.
It’s not starting a blog on the most positive footing, but Keeniacs should appreciate the hidden compliment in Curtis’ hitpiece. Despite the fact that Manch is more than four times the population of Keene and as a result already the king-of-the-activist-recruiting-hill, some activists there appear to feel the need to compare the Manch activism to our supposedly un-intelligent movement out West. (I think Curtis is secretly jealous that Keene won the Manch vs. Keene Karaoke competition at this years’ Porcfest.)
Apparently, Manchies were too busy with their Mock Trials to come out and support Pete Eyre in his chalking trial that happened IN Manchester. A few Manchies showed up (late), but were outnumbered by the Keeniacs who had carpooled out to support their friend. I’m sure the mock trials Curtis is promoting are valuable for those with no court experience, and considering that only now are trials actually happening in Manch, it makes sense to have them. Here in Keene, we’ve had various trials happening for years. Nothing can substitute for the experience of actually going to court – something at which Keeniacs are old-hat.
Seriously though, I hope Free Manch works out this time.
