Now, in just over a week’s time, the percentage is up to 91%! That’s 200 signers (from 18,000 to 18,200) in 1/3 the time it took for the previous 1% (about a month).
If you’ve been thinking about signing up, why wait any longer? You don’t want to be in the second batch of 20k, do you? Take a moment to join the Free State Project! Once we reach 20,000 signers, the official move begins in which you have five years to make the move to NH, so start planning now. See you in the Shire!
Originally inspired by the libertarian “Hammer of Truth” blog, which featured multiple authors, I launched Free Keene nine years ago, on December 27th, 2006. At that time, there was exciting civil disobedience and street theatre being performed here in Keene by early Free State Project movers. I wanted there to be a place for area activists to post news, media, and opinion about the fun things happening here.
Prior to this blog, there was already the “Keene Free Press” newspaper edited and distributed by civil disobedience superactivists Russell and Kat Kanning. I moved in 2006 as part of the FSP and brought my nationally syndicated talk radio show, “Free Talk Live“, with me. When Free Keene launched at the end of 2006, liberty media in Keene continued to grow. The first post to the Free Keene blog was the premiere episode of “Free Minds TV“, a show hosted by area natives and produced by several Free State Project early movers.
Various new media efforts and Free Keene blog personalities followed, including several whose personal journeys led them out of New Hampshire eventually, as well as a couple who publicly resigned. Keene in many ways has become an activist Mecca, with some bloggers cutting their teeth here and moving on to other parts of the Shire, like JJ Schlessinger. JJ founded and produced Free Keene TV, which eventually became Shire TV, and now he’s a video professional in Manchester.
The Free Keene blog has become a go-to source for original NH news reporting, in addition to its traditional role of promoting activist media and opinion. Free Keene has long been a Google News source and has been responsible for breaking news (scooping other media) as well as providing video footage for mainstream media reports across New Hampshire. Our site has been privately thanked by multiple mainstream media members for providing them with content.
Free Keene‘s scope has also widened over the years, from originally focusing on Keene-area activism and news to Shire-wide reporting. Free Keene’s bloggers are physically distributed across the southern tier of New Hampshire, including Keene, Manchester, and the Seacoast, and we’ll certainly report on liberty activism and news-of-interest across the Shire. (more…)
Regional physical media chain Bull Moose recently opened its doors in the old Video Headquarters location in the Hannaford plaza on West Street in Keene. They carry a wide variety of media including video games, cds, vinyl, DVD, Bluray, and even books! It’s refreshing to see someone trying to keep physical media distribution alive – hopefully it works out for them. Kudos also to Bull Moose for carrying Keene-produced-and-edited documentary Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree on DVD!
DJVCS DVDs on-the-shelf at Bull Moose, Keene!
Of course, you can watch the feature-length documentary produced by Free State Project participants for free in its entirety online, but that doesn’t do you any good if you’re looking for a gift for this holiday season. Victimless Crime Spree makes a great stocking stuffer, and Bull Moose in Keene is selling it for LESS than Amazon! Amazon has it listed for $7.93 while Bull Moose has it on-the-shelf, brand new, for just $6.97! There’s no cheaper place to purchase the Director’s Cut DVD, which is loaded with hours of bonus footage and even features TWO commentary tracks!
Bull Moose has three copies in stock as of yesterday, so if you’re looking for a perfect last-minute gift, stop in to 401B West St. in the Hannaford plaza. They’re open until midnight tonight and 7pm on Christmas Eve.
If you don’t live in the Keene area, just grab your copy at Amazon where it qualifies for Amazon Prime and Free Super-Saver Shipping!
Now, mainstream media is picking up the news via an AP story (apparently sourced from NH’s Valley News) that is popping up in places like the Washington Post, FOX News, and dozens more outlets nationwide.
With two months to go and other speakers to be announced, the 2016 Liberty Forum is looking like it will be an amazing event.
2016 is also the year that the FSP will reach its goal of 20,000 people pledged to move to New Hampshire to work toward more liberty. The only question is when. Just this weekend, the Free State Project crossed 90% of its goal. In order to push to the goal faster, they’ve launched a fundraising campaign to buy facebook ads. Here’s the pitch video produced by Free Keene blogger JJ Schlessinger:
Are you a libertarian or voluntarist and still haven’t signed up for the Free State Project? Your time is running out to make history with us. The FSP is now at 90% of its goal of 20,000 people pledged to move to NH and get active for liberty. Join at http://pledge.freestateproject.org
In a clear victory today, Free State Project early mover James Cleaveland was found not guilty of “resisting arrest” and six of twelve jurors voted not guilty on the “disorderly conduct” charge! Judge John C Kissinger spoke with the attorneys after the verdict and relayed that the jurors were locked 6-6 on the disorderly charge for all five hours of their deliberation. As a result, a mistrial was declared on the “disorderly” charge, meaning it may go to retrial.
Earlier this year in a bench trial for the same charges, Keene district court judge Edward J Burke found James guilty of both counts. As is his right, James appealed the two class-A misdemeanor charges to a jury trial, even though the sentence from Burke was suspended on condition of good behavior. Ultimately James said he was glad he went to jury trial, as he’s now been vindicated completely on the “resisting” charge, where state police officer Phillip Gaiser lied, claiming James lunged at him and also stepped back 3-4 steps when he tried to cuff him, a claim that was proven false by the video and audio evidence in the case.
In post-trial comments for Free Keene, James said that the video and audio he recorded was critical to his success. Otherwise it would be several cops’ word versus his word, and jurors generally believe police to be honest. Though it was costly in time, stress, and thousands of dollars in legal fees, James is glad he stood up for the right of free press.
Jury Outreach Activists @ Cheshire Superior Court 2015-12-17
Kissinger allegedly said that James choosing to testify made a good impression on jurors, but that having a larger camera would somehow have given him better credibility. All jurors refused activists’ offers of $60 for a post-trial interview.
This is the biggest jury trial success of any liberty activist thus far tried in New Hampshire. Major thanks to all the stellar activists who braved the cold to hand out NHJury.com trifolds to the jurors and also hold signage reflecting the amount of time James was facing (two years in prison), a detail never allowed to be revealed in a criminal trial.
Full video of the trial is still to come to Free Keene. Stay tuned!
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