FSP News - July 2009

PorcFest 2009

A record-breaking number of freedom lovers attended the 6th annual Porcupine Freedom Festival last month, in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Despite a rainy forecast, an estimated 600 people packed Roger's Campground for a weekend of freedom, celebration, and camaraderie. Those who came to Rogers early were treated to a pancake breakfasts provided by Anarchy in Your Head's Dale Everett on Tuesday, and the annual hike of Mt. Liberty on Wednesday. Highlights this year included the one-pot cook-off (congratulations to Eve Whittaker of New Jersey for taking first place!), the Porcupine Olympics for the kids, and Soapbox Idol, where New Hampshire's own Seth Cohn emerged as ranter supreme! The Free State Project had a successful silent auction among the many vendors who came to PorcFest this year. Free Talk Live broadcast live from Rogers Campground from Thursday to Saturday, as well as Free Minds TV and the Motor Home Diaries crew parked and partied for a few days.

Thank you to all who participated--volunteers and attendees alike--and a special thanks to Carla Gericke, 2009 Porcfest organizer, for her enthusiasm and hard-work in making PorcFest a rousing success!

PorcFest 2010 date's have already been set. The main festivities will happen on June 24th to June 27th, 2010 at Rogers Campground. You can book your campsite or motel room now by calling 603-788-4885 and telling them you're coming for PorcFest.

101 Reasons to move to New Hampshire

It's finally here. Stock up on reasons to impress others on why you are moving to New Hampshire and why they should too. Topics covered are New Hampshire's government, politics, economy, geography, and quality of life. See all the reasons at 101 Reasons to move to New Hampshire

Merchandise

What's that loud chanting I hear? What do we want? - Shirts! When do we want them? - Now! What do we want? - Shirts! When do we want them? - Now! The protest can end. Now in stock the PorcFest 2009 shirts. Call off the hunger strikes, stop sitting in and go to the FSP store to get your terrifically cool, black FSP shirt. Finally a black shirt for the FSP. Many people have asked for a black shirt over the years and now we have one. Call in the sleeper cells, halt production of the WMDs (Whining Merchandise Demands). Here's your chance to cause a scene with the latest IED (Independent Expression Device). Show the world you want Liberty in Our Lifetime - and know how to get it with the Free State Project. We also have a new bumper sticker, a very eye-catching one, at that. It has a bright yellow background with large black letters spelling out one of our favorite quotes: Live Free or Die. Even better, these are free with any order, just add one to your cart before check-out.

Media Coverage of the FSP

Taking Liberty: Government, Political Activism, and the State of the Free State Project by Josh Eboch.

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The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire. We are looking for neighborly, productive, tolerant folks from all walks of life, of all ages, creeds, and colors who agree to the political philosophy expressed in our Statement of Intent, that government exists at most to protect people's rights, and should neither provide for people nor punish them for activities that interfere with no one else. freestateproject.org

This newsletter is a selection of news about the Free State Project (FSP), its participants and New Hampshire. The activities of FSP participants are not controlled by the Free State Project and should not be taken to represent the attitudes of the FSP or other FSP participants. Full Disclaimer

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In New Hampshire

2009 Legislative Updates

State House Successes

In the April newsletter, Jeremy Olson provided reports on numerous successes at the New Hampshire State House, some of which wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Free State Project participants. Here’s an update from him on the important bills:

HB312, a bill to stop law enforcement from abusing the wiretapping law to prevent citizens from recording them: Passed the House through the efforts of Rep. Joel Winters (D–Manchester), but died in the Senate.

HB383, a bill creating a primary-offense seatbelt law: Passed the House despite our best efforts to oppose it, but was tabled in the Senate due to the work of Keith Carlsen and Denis Goddard.

HB648, the medical marijuana bill: Passed both the House and Senate, thanks to Matt Simon of N.H. Compassion, but was vetoed by the Governor. It’s not dead yet, though, as the veto may be overridden in September.

HB436, HB310, and HB73, ending marriage inequality in New Hampshire and establishing State recognition of same-sex marriage: Passed the House and Senate, and signed by the Governor. Ryan Marvin of the N.H. Coalition for Equal Rights was pivotal in getting this legislation passed.

More details can be found in his blog post

NHLA 2009 Liberty Rating Released

The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance has released their 2009 Liberty Rating report card, which rates all 424 of New Hampshire’s legislators on how pro- or anti-liberty their voting record is. This year, the NHLA used forty-four bills in the House, and eleven bills in the Senate, to determine their scores.

The NHLA Legislator of the Year award went to Edith “Dee” Hogan (R–Nashua), who achieved a 98.77% score (A+) for her tireless support for liberty in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Activist of the Year went to Keith Carlsen, for his work on the seatbelt bill, medical marijuana, and more.

Free State Blogs

What's happening in New Hampshire with the Free State Project? Free State Blogs attempts to answer that question. Here's just a sampling of this month's blog entries:

• Dave Ridley writes a very powerful letter from jail
• Activist's stamped bills get some media attention
• FSP President's PorcFest wrap up
• more in Free State Blogs

The RidleyReport

Videographer Dave Ridley from NHFree.com is one of our Porcs on the scene in New Hampshire. See some of what's happening in the Free State on the RidleyReport.

Check the NH Calendars

The NH Underground Calendar lists liberty-oriented New Hampshire events. The NH Liberty Calendar also tracks NH events. Check the calendars before a visit or a move - you are welcome to attend NH events!

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FSP News Thanks & Statistics

FSP News circulation: 13,784. Back issues are available. Got FSP news? Please submit content by the 12th of the month. Thank you to all advertisers and contributors.

FSP Participants - here are some quick links:

• If you've moved to NH or otherwise changed your info, please update your contact info or send a message to Moved@FreeStateProject.org to let us know.

• Find NH job info on the website - post your resume & check the FSP forum for a job!

• Check out NH housing and other community & logistical information at NH Info

Are you ready to join the FSP, move to New Hampshire and work with us towards Liberty in Our Lifetime? Join here!

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Participants: 9,442
Participants in NH: 727
as of July 15, 2009