Thanks to reporter Meghan Pierce for this well-researched feature article that focuses on several Free State Project early movers in Sunday’s Union Leader. The front page, above-the-fold article is very detailed and lengthy. It shows the various viewpoints of the participants and how we’re united by the cause of human freedom. No haters are quoted in the piece, but of course there are plenty in the comments. The haters better get ready, cause more FSP movers are coming to NH every week!
If your libertarian movement isn’t getting this kind of press where you live and if you feel nearly alone, as I once did in Florida, then the Free State Project is the solution! Go check out the 101 Reasons to Move to NH, sign up for the FSP, then start planning your move. You won’t regret it. NH is where freedom has a chance and libertarian-types can actually have an impact. This article is more proof of our relevance here. Libertarians just aren’t relevant elsewhere. See you in NH!
Entrepreneur, state rep, early FSP mover and bitcoin advocate Mark Warden joins the Rebel Love Show in studio. Topics discussed include the panels at Keenevention that myself, Joel, Shire Dude, and Mark all are participating in. Other topics discussed on the show included NH Independence outreach activism, Mark’s experience in the state house, Free Staters that will get to the state house this year, and Mark’s journey to the Shrie. This was also Joel’s last episode as a co-host of the Rebel Love Show. For the podcast listeners and LRN.FM fans, the show starts off with a little bonus content. The Rebel Love Show is available for download on itunes, stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
The important thing to takeaway from this, is that Dick at no point cites the varied, supposedly offensive activism done in Keene over the years. All of his objections to the FSP are purely political. This goes to the point that I’ve been making to the critics within the libertarian community for years:
Any activism that jeopardizes the status quo will result in hatred of those activists, by those who support the status quo. (Usually the government agents, their family, friends, and sycophants.)
For many years, libertarian critics in and outside of New Hampshire have wrung their hands about “Keene activism”, claiming we’re ruining the movement, poisoning the well, and other blame-placing. We’ve been told we’re doing it wrong and that we should do more political action, because that’s somehow not going to be as upsetting to people. (Of course, this ignores that many in Keene have done and continue to do political action.)
The reality is that political action takes longer to foment change and it’s not as visible or newsworthy as say, civil disobedience. However, this hate letter and the constant attacks on political activist and FSPer Aaron Day are just two more recent examples that those on the political scene will also find themselves under fire from the haters. In fact, as Free State Project participants win more seats and begin repealing bad laws, you can expect the attacks to increase in frequency and vitriol. Already the Aaron Day opponents have spent untold thousands on their full-color hitpiece mailers.
The people in power know that the Free State Project is a threat (peaceful) to their control over others, and they hate us for it. While much of Keene activism is a threat to the ideas that back the status quo, the political activism by FSP participants is an actual threat to the structure of power. It’s therefore arguable that eventually the political activists will bear the majority of the brunt of the haters’ anger.
Despite keyboard libertarian warriors’ beliefs, there is no way to foment change to a more free society without creating enemies. Most people outside NH in the larger libertarian movement don’t understand this, because the libertarian movement has virtually never been a threat to the status quo anywhere outside of New Hampshire, with the exception of Ron Paul. If you care about liberty, move to New Hampshire if you want to win. But prepare yourself for the anger and derision that will come with the success.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Gandhi
Free State Project participant Aaron Day of Bedford is again under attack. Unlike earlier this year, he’s not actually running for office, but that has not stopped the haters from spending big money to drag his name through the mud. Here’s a new attack flyer that was recently mailed to many households that likens him with NH senator Andy Sanborn (who is not a Free State Project participant). The flyer makes several claims and shows a pair of sad, dirty children, as if to suggest that Aaron, who has kids, hates children.
In case you need any more evidence that the Free State Project is making an impact like no other libertarian movement in the world, here it is:
As it’s said, you don’t take flak unless you’re over the target!
Please come observe in Concord on October 15th at 9:30am as heroic free speech attorney Jon Meyer takes on the NH Municipal Association and the City of Keene’s private attorneys in this critical case that will decide whether there should be limits on what can be said to bureaucrats while on-the-job.
On September 25th, 2014 myself and Lauren Rumpler aka Objectivist Girl set out to talk to local Manchester residents. We went to the local farmers market near downtown to discuss the idea of New Hampshire Independence. We brought with us Foundation for New Hampshire Independence flyers. Unfortunately it was a low turn out at the farmers market. We roughly passed out close to a hundred flyers in an hour and a half time. The goal of this activism was to build up the culture of a free Independent New Hampshire among the average person. There were multiple great conversations on the idea and many people were receptive. There is more outreach planned for the near future.
Thanks to reporter Meghan Pierce for this well-researched feature article that focuses on several Free State Project early movers in Sunday’s Union Leader. The front page, above-the-fold article is very detailed and lengthy. It shows the various viewpoints of the participants and how we’re united by the cause of human freedom. No haters are quoted in the piece, but of course there are plenty in the comments. The haters better get ready, cause more FSP movers are coming to NH every week!
