Wow, have I really blown it. A few days ago I posted this article which was intended to thank the activists who did such an amazing job on the Concord BEARCAT issue. It apparently did the opposite – at least two of the activists who spearheaded the issue are apparently very upset. Why? The answer is in the last paragraph of the article where I said:
The more ridiculous and outrageous the NH state-believers become, the more people will move here and get active. The state-believers are not even close to having learned their lesson about not aggressing against peaceful people yet, so I must thank them for inspiring more influential activists like Dan to move here and concentrate their activism! Yay!
One of the anti-BEARCAT organizers shared my post on facebook, calling it a “backhanded compliment”. She apparently thought I was talking about her in that paragraph. I thought I was clear that I was talking about the government bureaucrats, but apparently I was not at all clear.
Why would she think I was talking about her with the term “state believer”? Well, after the BEARCAT activism, the activists in question were understandably a little frustrated with some of their fellow liberty-loving activists. Apparently there is a group of “anarchists” in the movement who have a habit of deriding political activism and that has frustrated the anti-BEARCAT activists in question, who are political activists and are disappointed that more people did not help with their anti-BEARCAT efforts. Worse, some of the “anarchists” apparently openly insulted the anti-BEARCAT efforts as pointless – these critics are totally wrong – the efforts were a strong success. The anti-BEARCAT activists had indicated that some callous people had called them “statists” for their small-government beliefs. So, when she saw my use of “state-believer”, she thought I was talking about her. At least – that’s what I could extract from the posts one of them made on facebook before blocking me.
I wasn’t talking about the political activists. I was talking about the aggressors – in this case, the people calling themselves the “city of Concord” and police. I can see how “state believers” did not effectively communicate that.
I have nothing but respect for the political activists in New Hampshire. They have done and continue to do amazing work. I myself am a politically active person and did the exact-same-things as did the Concord activists during the Keene BEARCAT situation – why on earth would I insult similar efforts? I hope this message reaches the eyes of anyone who took offense. Your activism was fantastic, as I poorly expressed in my original article. I’m sorry I blew communicating my ideas – I did not mean to upset you. (more…)
Last night the Keene PLD committee voted 5-0 to approve the proposed ban on synthetic drugs in Keene. Many in the community came out to speak on the issue, most of whom spoke for the new prohibition. Led by a group of confused, angry local parents, the prohibitionists won the day with their fear-based arguments justifying the violence the people calling themselves “the city” will soon employ against the poorest of victims – drug addicts.
The commission pretended to care as the opponents of prohibition spoke in favor of freedom and pointed out how prohibition created synthetic drugs in the first place, that prohibition never works, and the war on drugs only makes addicts’ lives worse.
Truth was of no concern to the committee. They overwhelmingly bought the prohibitionists’ claims that their ban will make things safer, when all the evidence points to the opposite. Force does not work and always creates unintended consequences. Force is not compassion for our sick, addicted neighbors.
The matter now goes to the full council where it will likely pass, despite not even likely being legal by their own rules. Of course, when have their own rules ever stopped them from doing what they want?
Garret already posted Ridley’s video “interview” where the Concord police chief dodges Ridley’s questions, claiming he doesn’t understand them. Here are the other three that Ridley has released thus far in the series of videos of him covering the scene outside city hall where he ambushes politicians and bureaucrats with pointed questions:
Of course, Dan is not the only person who has been inspired to move here by the anti-BEARCAT activism – there are likely many more who do not have blogs and/or have decided to not announce their decision to sign the Free State Project’s “Statement of Intent” publicly.
Rest assured, more liberty activists are coming. The more ridiculous and outrageous the NH state-believers become, the more people will move here and get active. The state-believers are not even close to having learned their lesson about not aggressing against peaceful people yet, so I must thank them for inspiring more influential activists like Dan to move here and concentrate their activism! Yay!
