Near high noon today, the first full day of the Free State Project‘s annual Porcupine Freedom Festival, two agents (Phillip Lawrence and Ray Persinger) from the “Department of Revenue” rolled up to Rogers Campground. The sharply-dressed thugs inquired with campground staff if there were food vendors in Agora Alley, a place renown for delicious food available from some vendors who may not have bothered asking government permission to serve their fellow hungry humans.
Upon exiting the office, I immediately began recording and confronted the men. Here’s the video of that encounter:
A crowd of activists quickly gathered, with multiple alerts going out via two-way radio, facebook, and word-of-mouth. They weren’t able to get any further than the first vendor before being told they were not welcome by multiple people in the crowd. A campground staff member ultimately told the criminals to go speak with the park owner, Crosby.
After thirty minutes of meeting with Crosby, the men immediately exited the property. Crosby refused to be interviewed about the conversation, but claimed he was not threatened by them. I suspect he’s not being forthcoming. Porcfest organizers would also not speak on camera, but the conversation I had and overheard leads me to believe that Crosby has been recruited to pass out government paperwork to food vendors. I plan to investigate further with the vendors and see what’s happening behind-the-scenes. Stay tuned here to FreeKeene.com for the latest on this developing situation. Also, Porcfest is just starting, so come out and join us through this weekend!
UPDATE: One vendor reports that Crosby did not hand him the paperwork from the state when the vendor indicated that he’s got his books in order. We’ll be discussing the incident on Free Talk Live tonight at 7pm Eastern. You can listen live at LRN.FM.
Lawrence is apparently the Director of the Collections Division of the NH Department of Revenue Administration. Persinger is a “Compliance Officer II” with same.
(from the publicly-accessible NH state website, in case anyone wants cares to know)
[…] to FreeKeene.com, the assumption is that the agents left permits for the campground owner to distribute to […]
That was one of the most inappropriate rantings by Ian. You were making threats, trying to start a confrontation, and the only real reason you went off like that is because you had your friends around. Playing 20 questions did not help your “cause”. People have to comply with the law regardless where you are. The y were nice, you were not. Freekeene seems to claim to be so peaceful but it must be an illusion.
Jumping Jacks Actually, no, compliance with the law is not required. The majority of the most heroic individuals in human history achieved that status by breaking laws. Every one of the Founding Fathers and every single individual who supported the Revolution in any way was guilty of treason against the British Crown. Gandhi broke many of Britain’s laws in another battle against their colonialism. Everyone who freed slaves and transported them on the Underground Railroad was breaking many laws. Should I go on? Breaking unjust laws in order to protect others from oppression is one of the most noble things… Read more »
The sandpeople scare easily but they’ll be back… And in greater numbers…
Jumping Jacks They were nice while pointing guns at people. They were acting professional, like Gestapo agents in someone’s home. That is not nice.
I believe they needed search warrants to do anything more than be there.
garyonthenet Jumping Jacks What guns? The dept. of revenue guys didn’t point a gun at anyone.
powertool garyonthenet Jumping Jacks Credibly threatening violence is a violent act. And the government is nothing if not good at making credible threats of violence.
FlintNH The only threats of violence were coming from Ian Blowhard.
powertool FlintNH Every visit from a state agent is ultimately a threat of violence.
cliffwells You sound pathetic, dude.
powertool FlintNH Could you quote any?
powertool cliffwells Not much of a response. Can’t address what was said, now can you? Government is inherently violent in all things. That’s the nature of what it does.
Now, violence is not inherently right or wrong. When responding to murderers and rapists and the like, violence is often the only functional response, for example. But trying to claim that government isn’t violent just makes you sound delusional. You’d do better trying to come up with some justification for it, than trying to claim it isn’t happening.
FlintNH powertool cliffwells Good point. I live in fear of the Acupuncture Licensing Board.
powertool garyonthenet Jumping Jacks They will point guns. If people don’t comply, they will send people with guns to enforce compliance.
powertool FlintNH cliffwells That’s sad. Personally, regardless of being threatened, I don’t live in fear. Petty thugs just are not sufficient to cause that kind of reaction in me.
FlintNH powertool cliffwells You aren’t giving yourself proper credit. All that whinging about gunpoint and threats of violence seems to be the opposite of not living in fear.
SnowDog2003 oh that’ll sound nice! (sandpeople choir)
powertool garyonthenet Jumping Jacks The guys themselves did not. But they were there uninvited without a call from anyone complaining about anything. They were not there to help anyone, they were there to collect evidence against people, in order to fine them or jail them. How do you fine or jail someone who refuses to comply with being fined or jailed. Their very presence there was an intentionally offensive act. “Just doing their jobs” in this case means coming with the intent to harm. Believe or not, I am not as radical as cliff or flint here, it is rare but agents… Read more »
powertool garyonthenet Jumping Jacks Look at this video.
The officer here did not point his gun at the farmer either, and he was just doing his job.
Are you telling me that because he did not point the gun at him, it made much difference? :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_0AE8Qst6s
powertool FlintNH cliffwells One does not have to fear something in order to recognize it. Bears occasionally come right up to my front door, and I recognize that they could endanger me if I was outside when they showed up, but I don’t live in fear of bears. A large portion of my employment involves being up on roofs, towers, and other tall structures. I recognize the inherent risks of that, but I don’t fear it; I just use proper harnesses, ropes, and other safety equipment to minimize those risks. Stepping out your front door is dangerous. One can recognize that life… Read more »
garyonthenet Are you really trying to use a Quentin Tarantino movie as some sort of “fact” here?
garyonthenet powertool Jumping Jacks And they weren’t even there for something that involves safety (like I said, there are occasions when violence can be justified; like if someone was poisoning patrons of their business).
But in this case, they were there to collect Danegeld. They wanted 9% of each transaction. Mugging, pure and simple.
garyonthenet Did the people who are at PorcFest all fly in in private planes? How did they all get there?
Even if these officers didn’t point guns directly at the attendees, their presence there had the threat of violence behind it.
Look at this video. The officer never points a gun at the farmer once, but do you really think it makes much difference?
The effect is the same:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_0AE8Qst6s
powertool garyonthenet It is an accurate allegory, as all good art is.
These events actually occurred, because it is a re-enactment doesn’t make it any less true and illustrative.
garyonthenet The film’s historic accuracy is not highly regarded.
powertool garyonthenet You mean like the part where Hitler gets killed and WWII is over?
How could I have missed that.
garyonthenet I bet you think Braveheart is a true story and Atlas Shrugged is nonfiction.
powertool garyonthenet How much do you want to bet?
Notwithstanding our bet, you have heard of the concept of historical fiction haven’t you?
garyonthenet Yes, I am. You run along and look up the word fiction. I’ll wait.
I’m also waiting for a response to my question about how the celebrants got to PorcFest.
powertool garyonthenet I looked up the word fiction many years ago. You seem to think that a depiction of something means that something is not real. Like if you have a photograph, because it is a just a picture, what’s in the picture is fiction. Read the Hadj, see Schindler’s List, Hotel Rwanda, Last of the Mohicans, Electric Koolade Acid Test, The Patriot, the Last Samurai, any of James A. Michener rendition fictions. All historical fiction, some more accurate than other. Just because they are fiction, doesn’t mean that almost identical things didn’t occur, or that the renditions aren’t truly instructive in… Read more »
garyonthenet Yes, we’re finally getting somewhere! Some more accurate than others! FICTION! Now, back to the matter at hand. Don’t give me a Tarantino movie and expect me to take it as gospel. If you can’t do any better than that, than stop trying.
garyonthenet Still waiting for the answer to my question about how people got to PorcFest. U scared bro?
powertool garyonthenet Not scared. Bored.
garyonthenet Nah. You’re scared. You don’t want to discuss the hypocrisy of the PorcFesterers.
powertool garyonthenet djeesus.
It’s an old socialist argument, showing how even libertarians need government.
come on, I can read your mind already even before you say it.
The defect in that reasoning is that libertarians aren’t in a libertarian environment and are forced into unlibertarian ‘agreements’. So it is not a good proof.
This is old hat. That’s why I am bored.
garyonthenet No reason why you libertarians can’t go build a libertarian environment. Other than extreme laziness.
powertool garyonthenet Well, that is what we are trying to do to NH. Turn it into a sovereign state libertarian legal system.
garyonthenet You want to steal a state where the infrastructure is already in place so you don’t have to do the work.
powertool garyonthenet Yup. It is a lot easier to start with a working modern state. Why dig a mine with a toothpick, when a steam shovel would do much better.
[…] Read more: VIDEO: What Happens When Govt Thugs Threaten Porcfest […]
garyonthenet powertool
Muh roads!
powertool garyonthenet “You want to steal a state where the infrastructure is already in place”
Infrastructure that was paid for with mostly stolen money, and built mostly on stolen land. Who’s doing the stealing here, tool? Who’s to say roads are the most efficient means of transportation infrastructure in NH? Allow the market to do its’ thing, and we can find greener better alternatives to asphalt. Personal airships could be a thing!
powertool FlintNH cliffwells You will if you don’t comply.
FlintNH garyonthenet powertool Jumping Jacks
“And they weren’t even there for something that involves safety… ”
Right. They were here to shake people down.
The Outlaw Jose Vela Allow the Free Market to do it’s thing and we’ll all sprout wings and fly!!
The Outlaw Jose Vela It’s not as if you’re paying for them. Just using them.
garyonthenet So why not build a libertarian society from the ground up and show us how it’s done, gary? That might eradicate your boredom.
garyonthenet Jumping Jacks They weren’t pointing guns at anyone and they were nice. No, they didn’t need search warrants. The vendors have to pay taxes like everyone else. Porcfest is not a “private event”.