Anyone who has debated politics for very long has had some flag worshiping authoritarian resort to that classic cop out that killed Socrates, "If you don't like it you can get out!" Indeed, few oppressed people in history have found freedom in their lifetime without picking up their life and seeking a better destiny elsewhere. This week a political project known as the Free State Project officially reached 10,000 participants dedicated to just such a proposition, and I am proud to be in that number. It's a movement of like-minded liberty loving individuals moving to New Hampshire to get active toward the creation of a free society.
The Free State Project began in 2001 collecting signatures on a Statement of Intent. Signers pledge to move to New Hampshire within five years of the project reaching 20,000 participants. Once there they will “exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property." The Free State Project has no political platform allowing individuals to define and pursue that goal as they see fit. It also has no political labels and is composed of conservatives, liberals, libertarians and even anarchists. It does not officially organize or advocate any specific kind of activism. It merely invites neighborly people who share their love of liberty to join them. Project founder, Jason Sorens comments, "This is a great milestone for us. It feels good to be half-way there. There's still much to do, but the project is continuing to grow."
Though the goals of the project are long term, an estimated 800 "Early Movers" have already taken bold action to reduce government intervention in the "Life free or die" state. These pioneers have literally crossed the entire country. The Liberty Caravan is a cross country road trip of multiple California families who left San Jose on March 6, 2010 intent on arriving in Nashua today, in time for the New Hampshire Liberty Forum this weekend.
Much of the activism has been directly political in nature. Many activists are members of the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, the organization behind "The Gold Standard," a weekly publication advising representatives of the liberty position on every bill. Representatives are then given a Liberty Rating based on their voting record. Four participants have been elected to the state house, and dozens more to local offices. But by far the greatest accomplishments of the Early Movers have been outside the system activism.
Media has been the activists' greatest tool. They have started media outlets such as nationally syndicated radio show Free Talk Live, YouTube sensations like The Ridley Report, and print publications like the New Hampshire Free Press. But media has also been the activists' greatest weapon. As Judge Napolitano said, "the camera is the new gun." They have created a rapid message distribution network known as Porcupine 411. Using this system activists can instantly be alerted of speed traps, check points, and improper police activity. They can even shoot out a distress call to other activists who show up in minutes with camera in hand. Instant video uploading from cell phones makes it impossible for renegade cops to delete the evidence, though they will try. The system is also used to organize social events, and impromptu demonstrations.
The defining characteristic of this movement is organized massive civil disobedience. Lauren Canario was arrested for driving without a license and jailed for refusing to co-operate with legal proceedings. Inspired by her, many activists now drive without licenses or vehicle registrations. They have organized into a voluntary Shire Society, that does not consent or co-operate with the existing system. Sam Dodson, founder of the Obscured Truth Network, was arrested for filming in a court lobby and held in jail for nearly two months for insisting upon remaining silent. Today very little happens amongst the liberty activists that is not documented and instantly accessible on the internet. Every time the state cracks down on an activist the other 800 participants galvanize around them. They hold candlelight vigils, swarm the court rooms, organize demonstrations, and pamphlet everywhere. And the rest of the 10,000 watch, write letters, and make phone calls. The more the state resists liberty the more are inspired to move, and more are inspired to sign.
The home page of the Free State Project presents 101 reasons to move to New Hampshire. Here are my top ten:
- New Hampshire has no general sales tax.
- New Hampshire has no general personal income tax.
- New Hampshire's constitution is one of only four state constitutions that expressly protect citizens' right to revolution (Section 1, Article 10).
- The NH Underground is an active, peaceful civil disobedience network.
- The Free State Project community is gold/silver currency-friendly, and a Shire Silver alternate currency is in the works.
- New Hampshire has been ranked #1 in the nation for quality of life and livability five years in a row by the Congressional Quarterly.
- New Hampshire is ranked 1st nationally in the index for child well-being by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
- New Hampshire enjoys all four seasons. Fall foliage; winter snow; spring wildflowers and greenery; and in the summer, outdoor festivals abound.
- New Hampshire offers many private/non-government schooling options, ranging from home schools, to Montessori schools, to religious schools, to boarding schools, to traditional private high schools.
- The New Hampshire population is among the most religiously tolerant in the country according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Comments
Very interesting. I wish they could do something like this in a slightly warmer state like florida.
This project will fail as all "Lazy Faire" movements fail because capitalism is cannibalism at its core. There may be enthusiasm amongst in these “early movers” but this is only succeeding so long as their efforts remain communal in nature. Soon a generation of home schooled brats will discover that they are unemployable. Then they will discover that their parents destroyed the safety net that could have helped them. When they turn to drugs they will discover that their parents destroyed the necessary laws to protect them. When they turn to crime the free staters will discover that the police force has no interest in defending them. The Civil War settled the question of succession. This with either end with the Federal government rolling in tanks, or in complete anarchy.
Woah, that is a lot of useful information in one article. I cannot think of anything to add.
Kiana,
The hosts of Free Talk Live actually moved from Florida to New Hampshire. There was much deliberation at the outset as to which State to choose. New Hampshire was chosen because it already had the smallest government and lowest taxes in the Union. It also has the most representative government with the highest ratio of person to congressperson. It also already had a very libertarian minded native population.
Infidel Castro, you're scenario sounds more like the result of government than liberty. Home schooled, and Unschooled kids consistently score way higher than public school kids. Indeed, sight reading in public schools is on the verge of producing an entire generation of functionally illiterate adults. Indeed, there is no shortage of drugs or crime in public schools today. And those police officers you're so fond of can't even keep drugs out prisons. What makes them think they are protecting you?
California is worst state in America. Great surf, great people, beautiful weather. But the government has destroyed the quality of life here. I need government permission to burn wood in my own house. Someone once said a democracy can only succeed until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public trough. We've reached that tipping point in California where the voters taking money out of the system outnumber the voters putting money into the system. They will always vote to take more money. It is unsustainable. Bankruptcy is the only possible outcome.
It's enough to make me leave. Take my business elsewhere. Maybe New Hampshire is for me... but I'll miss San Francisco.
I'm curious to know your take on the full body scanners now being implemented in airports.
I wouldn't do it. I would request a pat-down rather than subject myself to scanning.
I would ask that my wife be patted down by a female officer as well.
I will not voluntarily step into a body scanner. I'll take a pat-down, but even then it's under duress. My wife actually pats herself down. Some kind of loophole in the SOP. I don't know the details, but I guess in some situations if you ask they let you pat yourself down and then scan your hands for explosive materials. It's security theater. They aren't keeping anyone safe.
Davi - Please educate us on the policy which allows self-pat-down so I can have it fully referenced when my wife and I move back to the USA.
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