Here’s the letter to the editor published today in the Keene Sentinel by former Free State Project president and Keene inhabitant Varrin Swearingen:
Free State Project participants have one thing in common: We have signed a statement saying we’ll work towards the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of individuals’ rights to life, liberty and property. In other words, we prefer less government, more freedom.
That message is being drowned out by the present conflict surrounding Free Keene, which has devolved into a childish quarrel featuring lawsuits, ad hominem, and hateful bigotry. Free Keene’s opponents have included the Free State Project in their broad smears on the basis of objectionable tactics and personal behavior by a handful of Free Keene activists, some of whom are not even Free State Project participants.
Both sides unashamedly provide endless ammunition to each other to perpetuate the skirmish. This drama diverts attention from dialog about what’s really important: freedom.
I can tell the brawl has the public’s attention by the concerned questions I hear from longtime friends who are confused by misleading rhetoric.
It is obvious that our family isn’t accurately described by the slurs, true or not, being hurled about. Nevertheless, these questions are an opportunity to refocus attention on reasonable evaluation of the role of government in our lives.
I urge you not to be distracted by the theatrics. Rather, ask yourself: Do you respect the rights of others enough to refrain from harboring hostility or forcing them into your favorite view of what government should look like?
If so, maybe we can figure out a way to increase the level of freedom without destroying the character of this city, which so many of us have grown to love.
Varrin Swearingen
