The Real Activist Divides

by | Aug 8, 2010 | 93 comments

In the online world, there has been much discussion of a “schism” between the activists. The original perception was that the divide was between activists favoring civil disobedience and noncooperation vs in-the-system political activists. In real life, the so-called schism was barely visible. Most people in the liberty movement are friendly and helpful toward one another, and there is no firm dividing line in activist approaches. Many choose differing levels of those two categories of activism and also plenty of other things one can do for liberty such as outreach, education, media creation, internet work, software programming, and more. Sure, there are a few people who are intolerant of certain activist approaches, but that will always be the case with a spectrum of interest. The politicos who are generally intolerant toward those doing civil disobedience and noncooperation are known for their very public complaining about “poisoning the well”.

I finally understand what they mean.

These political activists frequently chastise (as do the bureaucrats and politicians) civdis/noncoops for not “working within the system”. Today I had a conversation on facebook that was quite enlightening. I’d like to share that here. Keep in mind as you read that Seth and I get along fine in the real world, but here we are clearly at loggerheads. He will appear in bold and I will add commentary between the block quotes:

Ian: Apparently working in the system means doing everything the government people demand of you. If they put up a hoop and you don’t jump through it, you’re poisoning the well!

Seth Cohn: Ian, this is quite disingenuous. You decided to hold a ‘drinking game’ at the meeting. You posted openly about it, and then get upset when they stop you from doing it in the first place. Stop being petulantly obtuse that somehow you ‘tried to get involved in the system’, it’s just not true.

Ian: Seth – we handed out fliers to all the councilors and media in advance alerting them that they could repeal the ordinance and citing the ordinances. We WERE working in the system. You just don’t like the method we used to get people excited about going to a BORING city council meeting.

FACT: At the start of that meeting, there were 15 people in the audience section of the council chamber. Eight liberty activists and seven others, at least two of which were city employees I recognized. Put another way, after years of mostly never attending city council meetings, the city council drinking game brought out more liberty lovers than anything I can recall from the past. It’s likely that the police crackdown on people with brown bottles will bring even more people to the next meeting, but only time will tell. This approach has clearly gotten people involved in-the-system, but the complaining political activists are still not happy. Why? Read on.
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Keene City Council Wisdom

by | Aug 7, 2010 | 13 comments

The Keene City Council has a whole code of ordinances that it utilizes to govern authorize violence against its subjects.  Whether it is prohibiting someone from peacefully drinking an alcoholic beverage on public property or making it illegal for its own employees to remove snow from the roadways in the winter…  the Keene City Council carefully crafts its “master plan.”

Yes, you read me correctly.  A Free Keene forum reader found an ordinance enacted by the Keene City Council making it illegal for anyone to plow snow off of its roadways in the winter.  No exceptions are made for government employees and it looks like you can get slammed with a $1000 fine for doing it!

Sec. 82-67.  Placement of snow and ice.

No person shall shovel, plow, put or place or cause to be shoveled, plowed, put or placed,within the traveled portion of any sidewalk, street, lane, alley, or highway, any snow or ice. However, snow and ice may be banked on the sides of public roadways incident to the cleaning thereof or banked on the sides of sidewalks incident to the cleaning thereof. The penalty for violation of this section shall be as provided in section 1-15 et seq.

Now that surely is a creative way for a municipal government entity to generate more revenue: hire people to plow the road in the winter and then fine them for doing it.  😛

Rich Paul’s letter from Jail: Libertarianism

by | Aug 7, 2010 | 8 comments

Libertarianism is a political philosophy based on the idea that no person or group of people has the right to aggress against the Life, Liberty, Property or Pursuit of Happiness of another, either by force or by fraud. Libertarians  know and accept that aggression cannot be eliminated from the world, and our philosophy does allow for the use of force in defense of self or others. The question which, for us, settles the issue of who is right or wrong in and violent conflict is a very simple one, probably familiar to readers from childhood: “Who started it?” The person who ‘initiated force’ is the person who is wrong, every time.

Simplicity is one of the great strengths of Libertarianism. It allows a person to understand the legal consequences of his actions without consulting high priced lawyers or studying huge tomes filled with their ever changing statutes. This is probably the reason that there are so few Libertarian lawyers. Simplicity is the enemy of any privileged class.

Some people believe that they should, in some cases, be permitted to do violence against people who do things they don’t like, even though these people are harming only themselves. They argue that a person who takes drugs, for example, might possibly someday do some sort of harm to someone else, so he should be punished before he has the chance. Of course, this belief is absurd. Punishing someone because they might someday aggress would require, if applied consistently, the punishment of every person, since any human might someday commit an act of aggression. The law, however, should punish only criminals, not potential criminals.

Still other people believe that a sufficiently large majority should be permitted to do violence against a sufficiently small minority, in the democratic tradition. The belief that numerical “might makes right” is the ‘moral’ basis of democracy. The idea that the majority is always right can be easily dispelled with a simple thought experiment. Imagine a true democracy which consists of 9 men and 1 woman on an island. The men vote that the woman must have sex with all of them. According to the democratic ideal, this is perfectly acceptable, since the men outnumber the poor girl, and should she refuse their demands, then she  is a criminal. This is why Benjamin Franklin described democracy as “Two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner,” and why America was founded as a Democratic Republic, not a democracy. Sadly, modern America is closer to the democratic than the republican ideal. (Note: Please do not confuse these words with the political parties similarly named. The connections are lost in the mists of time.)

Libertarianism is, in my humble opinion, the only truly moral political philosophy. Whether it is expressed through a minimal State–like that specified by our Constitution–or through anarchy–private arrangements in the absence of any State–it is the only political philosophy which can bring peace and harmony to our society. If you would like to learn more about this philosophy, please check out the short youtube video “The Philosophy of Liberty,” the Free State Project, the Libertarian Party, or meet some real live Libertarians and the 4:20 rally which occurs every afternoon on the Keene Common, or the Night Cap which occurs every night around 11:00pm in the same place. You may also write to me at the address below:

Rich “420 Guy” Paul
C/O Cheshire County Jail
Cell Block ‘D’
825 Marlboro Street
Keene, NH 03431

Keene Police Shut Down Little Girl’s Limeade & Ice Cream Stand

by | Aug 7, 2010 | 37 comments

What appeared to be the entire on-duty Keene police department was called out to threaten violence against peaceful vendors who’d set up tables at Railroad Square, including a young girl who had intended to sell limeaid and ice cream.

Keene’s enforcement agents claimed a “permit” was needed and that anyone who remained would be charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

Just doin’ their jobs. Protect and serve!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3T93gwn8-M (more…)

Constitutional Rights Were Violated in Keene

by | Aug 7, 2010 | 49 comments

It is no surprise to those of us who write here at FreeKeene.com that we have many readers from the Keene community and beyond that firmly disagree with various things that we advocate.  If you happen to be one of the aforementioned, chances are that you’re a supporter of the state and the constitutions that define how it can behave.  Hopefully, I can appeal to you through this brief article.

Two nights ago two of Free Keene’s contributors had their constitutional rights violated by government employees that they both are forced to fund.  The argument of whether Ian Freeman and Sam Dodson were looking for a confrontation is irrelevant and no excuse for the behavior of government officials that was initiated by government officials.  In this state and country the government is prohibited from interfering with peaceful free speech and protest.  The onus is on government employees to comply with the entirety of the state and federal constitutions, at all times…  even when confronted by people peacefully expressing their displeasure at the continued enforcement of a government policy.

Especially when confronted by people peacefully expressing their displeasure at the continued enforcement of a government policy.

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