GQ on the FSP: NH to Become a Yankee Hong Kong?

by | Jan 18, 2012 | 22 comments

GerickeGQ Magazine’s Reid Cherlin encounters the Free State Project’s president, Carla Gericke at a Ron Paul event:

Ron Paul’s rally today, in a hangar at the Nashua airport, was one of the most crowded and energetic events I’ve seen here this week—hundreds of supporters whooped and hollered, as the Texas congressman warbled on about freedom and what sounded to me like the arrival of End Times. At least I think he was talking about End Times: the air was too thick with cheers to hear much. Amid this sea of freedom-leaving fankids, one supporter caught my eye as particularly cheerful and exultant. Sporting blue hair, a camouflage hoodie, and peace sign earrings, she shouted “END THE FED” during a rare quiet moment—a striking illustration of the diverse strands of hippyism and ultra-right armageddonism that define this quirky campaign. (Excuse me: movement.) Meet Carla Gericke, happy warrior, secessionist, and President of the Free State Project.

GQ: Tell me about the Free State Project.

Carla Gericke: It’s a geopolitical movement to get libertarians to move to the state of New Hampshire so that we can concentrate in one area. We have about a thousand people who have moved, about 11,000 who’ve signed the pledge. When 20,000 sign the pledge, they have five years to move here. (more…)

More People Upset over “Bearcat”: Police Armored Destruction Vehicle

by | Jan 18, 2012 | 8 comments

BearcatMore Keeniacs are upset about the city council’s decision to do whatever the police suggest and approve a “Bearcat” armored personnel machine. As you can see from the photo, this move is a clear militarization of the police, and thankfully the people of Keene appear to oppose this intimidating monstrosity. The Keene Sentinel recently published more letters to the editor from concerned inhabitants:

(Please write to the city council at 3 Washington St. and encourage them to refuse the fed’s corrupt offer of the Bearcat.)

The recent flurry of letters regarding the City Council vote to approve the “free” offer of a BearCat assault vehicle shows the unease many of us are feeling these days about both the growing militarization of our local communities and the budgetary choices being made by our leaders at the national, state and local levels during these tight fiscal times.

Perhaps this issue has galvanized such a community response because it symbolizes the increasing emphasis on guns, so-called security and the “fear factor” that has occurred in this country in recent years, including the Monadnock region.

I have lived twice in countries that were dictatorships (Uruguay in 1975 and Chile from 1984-1989) and the truth is that as an average law-abiding citizen I feel the security apparatus presence more strongly in Keene than I ever did in Uruguay or Chile. (more…)

Slovenian Digital Media Paywalled

by | Jan 16, 2012 | 8 comments

In the eastern European nation of Slovenia earlier today, a paywall was erected engrossing many of the most prolific digital media distributors. Piano Media, a Slovakian paywall service corporation, has convinced nine publishers and twelve websites to adopt a shared paywall, which will cost subscribers €2 for a weekly pass.

The model for Piano’s cartelization of media is similar to that of television subscriptions. At present, more people are abandoning cable and satellite live programming for the boundless information frontier provided by the internet. Few subscription services have fared well in the purge caused by the internet, with a notable exception being the growth seen by Netflix. Piano’s model divides subscription profits with the companies participating in the paywall, giving 70% of the revenue to media distributors and keeping thirty cents on the dollar for itself. It measures traffic among clients and based on where more traffic is channeled, Piano compensates the company.

Delo, Slovenia’s largest publication, plans to put about 10% of its content behind the wall, keeping the remaining content free so as to keep constant its web traffic. In Slovakia, media giant SME has approximately 5% of its content paywalled at the moment. (more…)

Shire Society are First Responders

by | Jan 15, 2012 | 65 comments

Liberty Activist Cecelia Freechild is pulled over near the Keene Activism Center. Six Keene activists roll up with cameras to investigate the situation, hold the police accountable, and discourage aggression against peaceful people. Cecelia received a ticket but will NOT be taking a plea deal. She’ll contest the ticket and take it all the way in court, making the state prove its case beyond a shadow of a doubt. To find out why an average young woman like Cecelia would do something like this, click below to find out more.