“Windham Watch” with State Rep Mary Griffin Features Ian Freeman for Governor

I had the pleasure of being a guest on “Windham Watch” with host Mary Griffin, a longtime state representative who is just about the sweetest little old lady anyone could imagine. She did her research on me and had some really great questions! This was easily the most fun I’ve had in my 2016 campaign for governor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet Mary and be on her show for a full episode!

We covered various issues including New Hampshire independence, drug prohibition, peace, and more!

Alleged Drunk Driving State Rep Runs for Re-Election, Pleads Not Guilty

DUI Poster Boy, State Representative Michael D Abbott

Abbott’s own laws didn’t stop him from allegedly driving drunk.

State representative Michael D. Abbott was charged earlier this year with “aggravated driving while intoxicated” after allegedly causing a multiple car collision on Route 9 with a BAC of 0.16 or more. Now his name is going to appear on the ballot for possible re-election.

Worse still, according to the NH Liberty Alliance’s 2016 ratings, Abbott ranks as “Constitutional Threat” the lowest, most anti-liberty rating possible. The Desert Lynx reports that Abbott’s votes are to continue the war against his fellow man:

He voted three times against legalizing, decriminalizing, and reducing penalties for marijuana use and possession. He also voted for increased fines related to breaking alcohol consumption laws…Icing on the cake: Abbott sits on the Transportation Committee.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident allegedly caused by the hypocritical prohibitionist. Clearly though, his precious “get tough” laws didn’t stop him. Interestingly, according to the filings at Keene District Court, he’s entered a not guilty plea and retained an attorney. Trial is set for 10am at Keene District Court on November 22nd. 67-year-old Abbott is out on $2,000 personal recognizance bond.

Of course, there’s no way to totally stop drunk driving, but maybe some different approaches instead of prohibitionist measures can affect the numbers and save lives? Start with eliminating zoning rules preventing neighborhood pubs or running businesses from inside a home and you’ll see fewer people driving to go drink if they can walk there instead. Plus, eliminating regulations restricting the transportation industry like taxis and ride-sharing will increase competition and bring prices down and availability up. When ride-sharing services UBER and Lyft were regulated out of Austin, TX this year, drunk driving went up.

I don’t know who is worth voting for in Cheshire District 1’s house race this November, but it’s definitely not Michael D. Abbott. Stay tuned to Free Keene for the latest on this case.

Freeman Rated as Top Democrat for Governor by NH Firearms Coalition & Granite State Taxpayers

New Hampshire Firearms Coalition Rated A

I’m the only democrat for governor to receive an A rating by the NH Firearms Coalition!

Though sidelined by much of the NH mainstream media, my campaign has not been ignored by various interest groups across New Hampshire. I’ve responded to a bunch of candidate questionnaires thus far, more than I was sent in 2014. As a result my campaign spending has increased from about $2.50 last year to just over $5.00 here in 2016. Some of the results are in!

Hopefully more ratings will come out publicly – if so, I’ll post them here as I find them! To learn more about my low-budget campaign for governor as a democrat, visit my page on the NH Liberty Party website.

New Hampshire’s Amazing, Unmatched Bitcoin Community

Manchester, NH Bitcoin Meetup

Manchester, NH Bitcoin Meetup

It’s not a coincidence that New Hampshire has arguably the highest concentration of bitcoin and crypto-friendly people anywhere. For more than a decade there have been active migrations of libertarian, voluntarist, and liberty anarchists moving to New Hampshire. Many of these movers are activists who are into alternative currencies and the bitcoin community here has exploded as a result.

The oldest migration of libertarians to New Hampshire is the Free State Project, which as of September 2016 boasts nearly 2,000 participants already in New Hampshire, with 18,000 more pledged to move by the year 2021. There’s also the more decentralized Shire Society which has been encouraging liberty-loving people to declare their personal independence and move to “The Shire” since 2010.

These early movers are not only users of bitcoin, but are also some of the key developers and creators of the bitcoin world. Liberty migrants to New Hampshire created the iconic, most-installed-in-the-world Lamassu bitcoin vending machine in Manchester. Some are developing the evolutionary “Open Bazaar” and “LBRY” software. Decentralized ride-sharing app “Arcade City” has also sprung up just this year, and within a week of it being announced, signed up 1000 drivers worldwide. Arcade City founder and liberty migrant Christopher David said, “With its libertarian leanings and an influx of free staters, New Hampshire is perfectly positioned to become a major hub for bitcoin and blockchain startups. That’s a big reason why I moved here.”

Cheshire Fair 2015

Bitcoin Outreach Booth at the Cheshire Fair

Here are some more fun facts about the burgeoning bitcoin scene in the Shire: Manchester is home to the world’s longest-running weekly bitcoin meetup, plus regular meetups are being held in Keene and the Seacoast. According to Overstock.com, the highest concentration of their bitcoin orders comes from New Hampshire. Plus, you can actually use bitcoin in real life here, at mom-n-pop businesses like “Corner News”, “Local Burger”, and multiple food trucks in Keene, plus “Pizza 911”, “Dancing Lion Chocolate”, and more in Manchester. It turns out that Keene, the Southwestern NH city of 23,000 people, even outdoes San Francisco in amount of bitcoin-accepting business per capita! Take a look at CoinMap.org to see the dozens of New Hampshire businesses that are taking crypto!

New Hampshire also boasts New England’s only public Bitcoin Vending Machines (BVM), connecting people with bitcoin from as far away as New York and Boston. (more…)

Andover Beacon Delivering NH Liberty Party Candidate Statement to All Households

Andover Beacon LogoI’m grateful to the staff of the Andover Beacon, a monthly local paper delivered to all households in Andover, NH. Thank you for inviting me to prepare a 250 word statement that is being included in their voter’s guide that is being delivered to mailboxes today! They asked me to talk about some key issues. Here’s the statement:

The biggest issue in New Hampshire today is drug abuse and the solution is simple – end prohibition. We know from history that prohibition is a failure and only makes the problems with addiction worse. Jailing and forcing addicts into treatment is not compassion. Prohibition should be ended for all drugs and addicts will feel safer to seek help when they aren’t afraid of prison.

Another big issue is the constant presence of the federal government. Its taxes and regulations are an ongoing burden to our people and businesses. They do not provide anything of value to us in return for our money and obedience and only put us in great danger with their war-mongering around the globe. It’s time New Hampshire ends our involvement with the United States and declare independence.

Of course, seceding from the federal government won’t solve all our problems in New Hampshire, but at least we’ll have more resources and freedom to make our own choices. One major change that should be made to the state government is to make all taxes consensual. It’s wrong to threaten our neighbors if they do not agree with supporting certain government programs. Making taxes voluntary is a huge paradigm shift and will instantly make all branches of government more accountable to the people. They’ll know their budget isn’t a guarantee unless they actually make taxpayers happy.

I’d also like to see ballot access made fair for all political parties. Thanks for reading! Visit NHliberty.info for more info.

Facebook Discriminates Against, Censors Women

Iimage was eating dinner with my boyfriend in our kitchen watching a Facebook live stream debate about guns on campus at the University of Texas when suddenly the video stopped. A pop up said something like, “Session expired.”

Someone reported a photo of me my friends at the beach as nudity, and Facebook responded by restricting my ability to communicate with you on their platform in two ways. I can not post on my wall or respond to messages using Messenger for the next 3 days.

I feel sad that I can’t use Facebook. It is the primary way I communicate with the world. Especially the Messenger app. An acquaintance I met at a conference asked me a question, and I am not able to respond. I am not even able to explain why I can’t respond. That is embarrassing and frustrating. I want to maintain a good reputation with this new friend, but I can’t respond to him, and he doesn’t know that I can’t. Fortunately I have been using Signal, Telegram, and other messaging apps, so I am still largely able to communicate. (more…)