by Ian | Mar 1, 2010 |
BJ from Kentucky came up to visit us here in Keene in December and was blown away by the experience. Here’s what he wrote:
“There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper, and it would vanish — it was that fragile. And I fear that it will not survive the winter.”
— Emperor Marcus Aurelius Caesar, in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator
In our time, there is a dream that once was, and is no longer there, much like in Marcus Aurelius’ Rome. The founders of the United States of America had something like this in mind when they separated themselves from the British empire. Even in its flaws, their great plan was noble, and for a time it seemed to work.
Then something went terribly wrong. Why? Because there was government, and lots of it. This was a fact I had come to realize years ago, but had felt like there was nothing that could be done to save myself or others from the inevitable police state. Then I heard the whisper, of a dream that was set into motion, and finally one day, I decided it was time to see for myself if this dream really could come true.
Late into the night on December 24th, I set out on the road, headed for Keene, New Hampshire. It was to be an 800-mile journey with long hours and seemingly endless freeways. The purpose of the trip overshadowed any notion that the task at hand would be arduous or unworthy of the attempt. I was going to New Hampshire to explore the nature of the third American Revolution. Yes, third: The American Civil War was the second, and although a failure, was a response to government becoming more vast and intrusive.
The Free State Project is a very simple idea that basically asks those people who believe in freedom and liberty to move to one place where they can be amongst like-minded people, and hopefully reverse the trend toward larger and more powerful government. The idea is to get at least 20,000 people to move there, to join in the activism already taking place, or begin their own. Once 5,000 people had signed the pledge, a vote was taken, and New Hampshire was chosen as the location.
My arrival into Keene was somewhat anticlimactic, as I’d driven all night, and had not slept. So at first I was too busy being tired to admire the scenery around me. This would soon change, as I’d no sooner driven into town and posted on the online forums that I was there, than welcomes and offers to assist me began coming in. (more…)
by Dale Everett | Oct 9, 2009 |
I was recently accused of hiding behind my principles. The implication was that I was making a poor decision pragmatically speaking in order to adhere to some lofty and impractical principle. But principles are pragmatic. At least they ought to be. Otherwise what good are they? If your goals are noble, what better way to determine principles than based on whether they help you achieve your goals?
We often confuse expediency with pragmatism. You can make a choice that provides immediate return and seems the pragmatic choice only to pay a higher price later. A person who commits a crime is getting some immediate reward but has an ever-increasing risk of being caught each time. He’s gambling. He’s also shitting where he eats by destroying the sense of trust in his community. Lying is similar. When you get caught in a lie, which is likely just a matter of time depending on how often you attempt it, you seriously undermine your reputation. Worse yet, if you lie now expecting some immediate gain from it, even if you correct yourself in the future, anything you say thereafter will be circumspect. Even when you get away with it, every lie you tell for some immediate benefit undermines your veracity because you know you’re a liar. Conversely, knowing in your heart that you are consistently honest and sincere shows through in the power of your convictions. It’s a rare talent to be able to lie convincingly.
(Read On…)
by Sam Dodson | Sep 12, 2009 |
Free Keene has just uncovered an exclusive internal draft of a recent KPD press release related to an upcoming CALEA accreditation:
Public Notice
The Keene Police Department is scheduled for an on-site assessment September 13-15, 2009, as part of a program to achieve recognition by verifying that it meets professional standards. The recognition program requires agencies comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: Customer Satisfaction, Responsiveness to Citizen Requests, Solution Oriented Focus Addressing Root Causes, and Victim Restitution.
The public is encouraged to provide feedback ensuring our assessors get a complete picture of how this agency is impacting the community. Refreshments will be provided to visitors who may meet with our team during business hours this week, during the Saturday/Sunday sessions or other times by appointment. We look forward to hearing from you.
Janice Hartman, CALEA Team Lead
Okay, as you may have guessed, this is not a genuine draft of the press release. I wrote it to get you thinking about how police may be a bit hypocritical and even delusional in their claim to protect and serve the interests of the public.
In Reality, if you want to “offer comments” you’ll need to . . . (more…)
by Dale Everett | Aug 22, 2009 |
I was torn between calling this post The Pacifism Straw Man and The Purism Straw Man because the two seem to go hand in hand. The audio below is typical of some of the tired old arguments I hear. I am among a group of motivated individuals who constantly repeat the mantra of peaceful activism in place of violence. Watch the video below and try not to get too distracted by disagreements you may have with his view of certain environmental problems. Try to focus on the core of the message in which he tries to sell people on the idea of using violence as a tool for social change. That’s what I intend to address.
(Read On…)
by John Smith | Aug 15, 2009 |
This was written by Andrew Carroll in response to recent discussion about in-the-system activism versus out-of-the-system activism, specifically in this thread.
People come to the “ideas of liberty” through different routes. These people think differently, grew up in different cultures, and have different values. Different things attract their attention, different things make them think, and different things change their minds.
Therefore, if we really want to spread our message to as many people as possible, it is important we market ourselves in as many ways as possible. Aside from certain actions which are bound to be utterly counter-productive (such as direct violence against the State, which leads to sympathy for the State, and is not worth even the small minority of people that may find it agreeable), all activism – political or otherwise – markets our ideas to different audiences.
Running for office, refusing to shut off your camera, gardening, holding marijuana, protesting in IRS offices, placing money in empty parking meters: all of these things market libertarian ideas to different people who believe different things. Each of these activities catch the attention of different individuals and expose them to the philosophy of freedom. (more…)
by Dale Everett | Aug 8, 2009 |
I co-host Free Talk Live every Thursday night from 7pm to 10pm, a nationally syndicated talk radio show. Last Thursday, an anarchist called in to talk about how he attended a meeting about a local smoking ban to speak out against it. There was some discussion about whether such an act is part of working within their system and I’m known for not being a big fan of that game, to put it lightly. Mark is equating this act with voting based on the notion that you’re just voting by proxy, i.e. trying to persuade council members to vote a certain way. I’ve given some more thought to this and wanted to expound.
I wouldn’t go in there telling them to vote a certain way. I would simply use the platform of the meeting to talk about why they have no right to control the behavior or property of others. I wouldn’t give any moral support to the idea of the vote. I realize they are going to vote on it, but that’s their game. What it comes down to is I’m not going to go through the motions and essentially act out what is to me a big lie. It’s the same reason I don’t rise for a judge. They are hoping I’ll go through the motions and act publicly in accordance with their lies, reinforcing them, and in complete contradiction to my deeply held beliefs. It’s disgusting and offensive to me. On the other hand, simply taking the opportunity of the meeting and telling them they have no right to control others is as honest as I could be.
(Read On…)
