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Hope Chapel, a local church, was the victim of an appalling act of vandalism recently and the insurance payment fell far short of what’s needed to repair the damage. The church is having a volunteer effort this Saturday at 9am to repaint the church. Free Keene frequently has news about what we are against. This is a chance to show what we are for. We’re for peaceful coexistence in a pluralist society where people with all different points of view can work together voluntarily for common goals and seek peaceful resolution of their differences. Whether you yourself are a Christian shouldn’t matter. I’m not. This church is a peaceful voluntary organization and they didn’t deserve this. It’s times like this when we have an opportunity to pull together and get to know our neighbors.
We’re expecting anywhere from a dozen to several dozen volunteers on behalf of Free Keene and I’d like to encourage our readers to come assist if you can. There will be supplies and refreshments on hand but if you have any tools that you think might come in handy, feel free to bring them. We are also encouraging donations to help replenish the funds that the church is having to deplete on supplies.
As you probably know, one of the most popular pages on this site is the 111+ Reasons to Move to Keene. At the very bottom of the list, we have an endorsements section including everyone from Penn Jillete to the activists who’ve moved to Keene all talking about how Keene and the activism here are really awesome. Thanks to Charlie G., we’re adding a new section beneath the regular endorsements called “Unintentional Endorsements”, where we’ll highlight some quotes from people who do NOT want liberty activists to move to Keene, but are unintentionally endorsing how effective the movement is. Here are the first two:
“Not sure how this ends — I’m hoping some town in New Hampshire will step up and say how much they want these people and maybe they’ll just leave. But there seem to be more each day, all here with the idea that they will turn Keene into their model town, so who knows.” – Mike Caulfield, Blue Hampshire Blogger
“Free Staters are becoming much more active — especially in Keene.” – Elwood P. Dowd, Blue Hampshire Blogger
The Hope Chapel on Rt 12 was vandalized recently. (Here is the story from WMUR.) The cowardly vandal(s) violated the church’s property with painted anarchy symbols and a large amount of their own preachy, anti-religious text, causing several thousand dollars worth of damage. Liberty minded people can debate amongst themselves over the meaning of the term “anarchist”, but such discussion is nothing more than academic “masterdebating”. You can talk until you are blue in the face about how anarchy really means “no rulers”, but when dangerous thugs smash storefront windows, throw molotov cocktails, vandalize property and call themselves anarchists to-boot, you’ve got a SERIOUS public relations problem on your hands.
I believe in rules on private property. I believe in peaceful, consensual interactions between human beings. I am a voluntaryist. I understand that others in this movement are still enamored (as I once was) by the “macho flash” feeling they get from calling themselves an “anarchist”, or by walking around wearing an anarchy symbol t-shirt, but look at the destruction and the people that symbol is associated with! I know, I know, you’re trying to rescue the term by showing that you are peaceful and respectful of others’ property, in hopes of changing people’s preconceived notions about it. While I understand where you are coming from, I think it’s as futile and counterproductive as walking around wearing a swastika t-shirt because you know that historically the symbol stands for good luck and you want to change peoples’ perceptions of it! (more…)
At around 5:20pm Dave Ridley was relased from Cheshire County Correctional Facility to a crowd of liberty activists in the midst of a cook out. The activists numbered around 40.
Journalist Dave Ridley will be released at 5pm tomorrow (or so we’re told), so I imagine most activists will gather at the Cheshire Jail, 160 River Road, Westmoreland, NH 03467 prior to 5pm (probably starting as of 4pm). There may be a BBQ. Here’s footage of him turning himself in, and of the pre-imprisoning picnic on Monday:
The Hope Chapel on Rt 12 was vandalized recently. (
