This year’s Porcupine Freedom Festival was more photo and video recorded than any prior gatherings of the liberty-loving community of NH and beyond. Officially the action was captured by PorcFest Chronicles, working on behalf of the organizers to videograph panels and discussions.
I captured some of the sessions I found to be most interesting on the Free Concord HD camera. Here’s the Austrian Economics panel, featuring Bob Murphy, Dan D’Amico, Anne Rathbone Bradley and Benjamin Powell.
This panel early on Saturday morning was entitled ‘Atheism and Liberty’, and featured Adam Kokesh, Stefan Molyneux, and Ernie Hancock.
Presenting three interviews with occupiers from across the nation at the Chicago NATO summit protests, the weekend of May 18.
Gregory Lucero of Occupy SLC. Gregory was interrogated in his home by the FBI one week before his trip East.
A Mystery Man from Manhattan, NY.
Zach Vorhies from Oakland was on the streets ready to film whatever may have occurred. With protection from sound attacks, poison gas, and blunt force, he even had the benefit of keeping both hands free with a helmet-mounted camera.
Earlier coverage of the Chicago NATO protests from Free Concord available here.
While many porcupines were occupied in the northern nether-reaches of the state at the 2012 Porcupine Freedom Festival, the collective trial of the five arrested and over a dozen cited for curfew violations at the eviction of the Occupy New Hampshire encampment occured in Manchester on June 22. Like the Chalking 8 trials, there is no ruling at this point as Judge William Lyons issued homework to the defense and prosecution requesting essays in support of their respective positions. Arnie Alpert, who was present for the eviction as well as the trial reports from his blog, Inzane Times. Readers of Free Concord may recognize some familiar faces among the photos published on the Inzane Times blog.
Yesterday on my way home from work, I saw a sticker on the back of a green minivan that stated: Proud Parent of a Soldier. As I drove behind this vehicle for several miles, I wondered if this parent actually understood just what message he or she was sending. My mind kept seeing dead Afghani, Iraqi, Pakistani, etc…men, women and children lying dead in the streets and in hospitals. My mind also went to the pictures of American soldiers gleefully urinating on dead Afghanis, the horrid Wikileaks video of the helicopter crew excitedly gunning down men, the torture and sexual abuse of Abu Ghraib, the burning of Korans. I know that I am not the only one who interprets nationalistic messages this way.
However, let me be clear. I once was a member of the US military and I once interpreted these nationalistic messages with visions of the American flag, the bald eagle, Stars & Stripes, the pledge of allegiance, and the list goes on and on! I would hear the national anthem and tears would come to my eyes. What glorious difference enlightenment brings!
After realizing I was just a dupe and a guinea pig to the sick, power hungry politicians, my viewpoint changed dramatically. I see how nationalistic tendencies destroy people and families, hell, the entire social system; and not just “American” people and families. The sole purpose of the military should be to protect the people, not to engage in endless wars for profit and population control, i.e. defense, not offense. I hope that more and more people start to see the way I do now, not like I used to.
As I write this, we are only one week away from the ultimate in nationalistic holidays (at least for the US), “Independence Day” aka the 4th of July. This is a day to indulge in the orgiastic displays of flags and stars and stripes, of fireworks, hot dogs, apple pie. Parents will put American flag shirts on themselves and their kids. Parties with grilled hamburgers and hot dogs will be had poolside in much of the US. And on this “independence day” I will be thinking of Bradley Manning, the innocent dead civilians of the hundreds of wars fought throughout time, and true freedom from government oppression.
Do mankind a favor and disassociate yourself from the indoctrination of nationalism and join me for Anarchy Day! See Kal Molinet’s site: www.liberateRVA.com he was my inspiration for this! Wear black and display signs of peace for one and all to see! I know there will be pushback, but keep your thoughts positive and love one and all, especially those that “hate” you! Peace and Love to All!
The following is a statement released yesterday by New Hampshire Peace Action on the escalating conflict in Syria. From their mission statement, “The members of New Hampshire Peace Action envision a world committed to disarmament and peace, nonviolent conflict resolution, and respect for the rights and inherent worth of all people. We believe that authentic social change comes from the bottom up and we are committed to educating, organizing and advocating from the grassroots level.”
By John Lamperti (NH Peace Action 501c(4) board chair and National Peace Action Board Member), and Will Hopkins (Director, NH Peace Action, NH Peace Action Education Fund)
Especially since the Huala Massacre, there is increasing debate about how the US should react to violence against civilian populations in Syria. While there is no one obvious solution, many possible actions could make things worse. Peace Action believes that the physician’s maxim “First, do no harm” should be our country’s starting point.
Although at present the outcomes of the Arab Spring are unknown, many in the West view the uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa positively, as people taking control of their national destinies. The uprising in Egypt was successful with relatively little blood spilled, while elsewhere protests have been met by extreme violence. In those countries to which the U.S. government is unsympathetic, especially Libya and Syria, US media have extensively covered civilian deaths and violence. The peace movement must hold to a single standard and equally denounce atrocities in US “allies” that allow US bases and access to their resources. (more…)
Earlier today I made public my raw footage taken the day of the police brutality protest outside of Manchester PD on June 4, 2011. The video begins around 4:20 in the afternoon with myself offering chalk to the small crowd gathering across the street before I take an exploratory walk into the police station. I spend the next few minutes inside, talking with civilians at the police department and watching out of the window as the protest swells. The chalking gets well underway while I am still inside, and police approach the crowd, but do not intervene. Time passes, some chalking spreads to the walls of the building, and the police reappear, this time ready to write tickets under the city’s vague graffiti ordinance. Moments after two chalkers are approached, they are arrested upon not immediately presenting identification. Once they are dragged inside, an order is given to start taking cameras from those present outside. Keeping my distance, I try to get as close as possible to get footage of the camera grabbing without becoming victimized myself. Shortly thereafter, two more arrests happen inside while my camera runs on the action outside. The last few moments of my video portray a more relaxed scene, as some of us present converse with officers stationed outside about everything from the events of the day to the morality of modern policing. After the sole battery I owned at the time exhausted, the final four arrests, including my own, would occur.
For the public record, here’s fifty-three minutes of unedited footage from the scene of the Chalking 8 incident.
This year’s Porcupine Freedom Festival was more photo and video recorded than any prior gatherings of the liberty-loving community of NH and beyond. Officially the action was captured by PorcFest Chronicles, working on behalf of the organizers to videograph panels and discussions.
While many porcupines were occupied in the northern nether-reaches of the state at the 2012 
The following is a statement released yesterday by New Hampshire Peace Action on the escalating conflict in Syria. From their mission statement, “The members of New Hampshire Peace Action envision a world committed to disarmament and peace, nonviolent conflict resolution, and respect for the rights and inherent worth of all people. We believe that authentic social change comes from the bottom up and we are committed to educating, organizing and advocating from the grassroots level.”
Earlier today I made public my raw footage taken the day of the police brutality protest outside of Manchester PD on June 4, 2011. The video begins around 4:20 in the afternoon with myself offering chalk to the small crowd gathering across the street before I take an exploratory walk into the police station. I spend the next few minutes inside, talking with civilians at the police department and watching out of the window as the protest swells. The chalking gets well underway while I am still inside, and police approach the crowd, but do not intervene. Time passes, some chalking spreads to the walls of the building, and the police reappear, this time ready to write tickets under the city’s vague graffiti ordinance. Moments after two chalkers are approached, they are arrested upon not immediately presenting identification. Once they are dragged inside, an order is given to start taking cameras from those present outside. Keeping my distance, I try to get as close as possible to get footage of the camera grabbing without becoming victimized myself. Shortly thereafter, two more arrests happen inside while my camera runs on the action outside. The last few moments of my video portray a more relaxed scene, as some of us present converse with officers stationed outside about everything from the events of the day to the morality of modern policing. After the sole battery I owned at the time exhausted, the final four arrests, including my own, would occur.
