FSP News - June 2007

FSP News - June 2007

PorcFest! Come up to New Hampshire!

"Discover New Freedoms, New Communities, and New Beginnings!"

PorcFest begins this Monday, June 18th. If you are coming, please register ASAP. You can specify to keep your information from appearing on the We'll Be There List. Having this information will help us better plan various aspects of the festival, from how many people to expect each day, to how much food we purchase from the caterer, to who can be counted on to help out during the festival. If you're coming, please register today!

BBQ and Cookoff Tickets - It is important that if you plan to eat at the Friday BBQ or Saturday Cookoff, you purchase tickets in advance. If you don't have a ticket, you will not be served. There will be a limited number of tickets available for purchase at the festival. If you have already registered and would like to buy tickets, please email Rich.

Cookoff Participation - The Liberty Ladies are still looking for contestants and judges for the Cook-Off. Here's how it works. We have three categories this year. Soup/Stew, which covers everything from your favorite Chili and beef stew to baked beans or split pea soup. Salads, sides and etc. is where everything else that isn't a soup/stew or a dessert goes. Tossed salad, pasta salad, or tuna casserole goes here. Dessert will be the last category. Nothing but the sweets ma'am.

The entered dish needs to be fairly large, but remember, this is a tasting contest, not an all you can eat buffet. You'll need to make enough to give 175 people a couple bites. For soups and stews that's about one ladle. For desserts, cut small pieces. There should be more than enough food there that no one will go away hungry. Gunstock does not have a kitchen available, so you need to be able to bring a pre-made dish, such as brownies, or know how to make it over a campfire, unless you have a portable gas grill or are lucky enough to have a site with electricity. The dishes will be judged by popular vote. Tasters will go around the campsite with plates, a map and a ballot and they will rate their favorite dish in each category. They turn these back in when they are done and the tallies are done. There is no set route that tasters have to take, they are free to wander at will. We will have volunteers walking the site with baskets of bread to not only provide a glutinous snack, but to help answer questions and direct tasters. Awards will be in the form of cash and will be handed out the following day. Those interested in participating as cooks, or anyone with questions, please email Llalania.
Doers Meeting - Are you a current FSP "Doer"?- one who is actively promoting the FSP and working on its behalf. Perhaps you'd like to join with members of the FSP Board and leadership volunteers in what will be an annual face-to-face opportunity for dialogue. You are invited to attend, participate and offer your ideas and projects to help the FSP achieve its mission - be a Doer!Please email your interest or suggested agenda items to Lynn Pina. The meeting will be held Saturday night at 7:30pm at PorcFest prior to the FSP Town Hall Meeting.
First 1000- If you are a signer of the First 1000 pledge, you'll especially want to attend the panel of early movers we are having from 10am-12 noon on Saturday, June 23rd and the group photo shoot of First 1000 signers at 1:30pm.


Birds of a Feather (Flock Together) Events - There's still time to schedule a special interest group meetup. If you have a hobby, issue, background, or anything you'd like to gather attendees around, please send us an email with the topic, a preferred date/time, and a sentence or two description of the topic. We'll provide the venue.

PorcFest ChipIn - Based on the initial success we had with ChipIn, we have decided to extend this PorcFest fundraising opportunity until the end of the festival (June 24th). As before, all revenues will be used to cover the costs associated with making PorcFest possible (e.g. venue rental, advertising, etc.) If you can't attend PorcFest, this is a great way to show your support - Chipin is located on FSP Homepage. And, if you are attending and donate $500 or more, you will be invited to a special donor lunch on Saturday June 23rd at Gunstock with FSP leaders and VIPs.

Join us for the celebration of the year - the 2007 Porcupine Freedom Festival! Make a last-minute plan!


A Candid World documentary filmmakers are looking to profile serious potential movers during this year's PorcFest. If you will be attending PorcFest June 23-24th and plan on touring New Hampshire towns and/or real estate during that time -- or are free to schedule a tour -- please contact Marc Femenella. (Please note that any footage could be used in fundraising materials for the film as well as in the final film itself). For more information about the documentary, visit A Candid World.

Free-Staters coming to Gunstock - The Citizen of Laconia featured PorcFest in a news story on May 31st. (Note that while their coverage of PorcFest is correct, the article erroneously says the FSP has only attracted 450 people to pledge to relocate to the state, when in reality, we have 7,722 people pledged.)

When John Stossel was our guest at the FSP's Liberty Forum in February, he interviewed FSP Founder Jason Sorens and FSP President, Varrin Swearingen. The full interview is being edited, but there is a pre-release sample video available now.

Two new editions of the FSP President's Corner have been posted. Join Varrin Swearingen, FSP President, as he reports to us from Washington DC on May 10th on the Reason presentation, PorcFest, media coverage, and a new Health Freedom Liaison. Varrin also reports to us from Shanghai, China on June 1st - topics include our Volunteer Coordinator, PorcFest, the FSP Welcome Wagon and the John Stossel Interview.

New Hampshire ranks #3 in The Commonwealth Fund's new State Scorecard. The ranking of U.S. states "...assesses state variation across key dimensions of health system performance: access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, equity, and healthy lives."

Free Talk Live adds six nights a week in Boston on WBNW 1120 and in Cape Cod/Plymouth on WPLM 1390. There are now 26 affiliate radio stations across the country broadcasting FTL. The pro-liberty talk show originates out of Keene, NH, 6 nights a week from 7-10pm EST. Check to see if the show is on in your area, or listen to it through the website.

Other FSP members with new radio shows include Michael Badnarik, broadcasting via the internet on the We The People Radio Network from 7-9am CST. And, in Washington DC and on the internet, there's The Tom deSabla Radio Program, airing 1-3pm EST weekdays on WMET 1160 AM. Tune in and give them a call!

In February of 2004, the FSP was featured on the popular New England TV news magazine show, Chronicle. The show aired on WCVB TV channel 5 in Boston, just a few months after the member selection of New Hampshire as the target state. It features some of our earliest movers! Here's the link to the video if you haven't seen it.

Reason Magazine sponsored a "Meet the Free State Project" happy hour May 10th, in Washington, DC. Lots of Reason staff members and other folks stopped by to learn about the project, including NH Senator John Sununu (shown to the right with Varrin Swearingen). Check out the photos! More in the President's Corner. Also, note the Reason article on the FSP, Revolt of the Porcupines from December 2004.

Action of the Month - Local Groups . A successful politician once said, "All politics are local." That particular politician's view on politics notwithstanding, there does seem to be some truth to that saying. So it's a good thing the Free State Project has a number of local groups to help you live locally, and, well, act locally as well. Local groups are wonderful, dynamic places. Wonderful because of the like-minded individuals and dynamic because your time is split between saying hello to new faces that just heard about the FSP and saying goodbye to other faces as they leave for New Hampshire. (no cracks now,... darn) Local Groups come up with many activities, like having picnics, chalking sidewalks, tax day protests, moving parties, lunchtime gatherings, fancy dinners with speakers, or anything else that welcomes new people, attracts interested parties, publicizing the FSP and just enjoying themselves. What!?! You say there is no local group in your area? Well, then, I guess it's up to you to start one! You don't need some politician to tell you its OK to start one up, just do it! See how many Porcs are in your area, find out how many there are yearning to be free. - Phil Denisch

We have a new item in our merchandise store! An embroidered FSP "Don't Tread on Me" patch. Suitable for jackets, bags, hats, jeans, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Well, it might be a bit small for your thong, although it might look cool on your baggy boxers, whitie-tighties, or stretchie-meshies (maybe a little scratchy, though). One of the main purposes of merchandise is to advertise, so not too many people will see it there, unless you, well, we won't go there... We have plenty of other items in the store. Order now so you're all set to sport your o-so fashionable FSP gear at the PorcFest and the rest of the world. We have shirts from previous PorcFests available. Even if you didn't go then, it's OK (and encouraged) to show your support and get people talking the Free State Project and Liberty in Our Lifetime. - Phil Denisch

In New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy has been busy, announcing two new websites and releasing a newsletter (pdf). Reschedule Cannabis is an educational site, a portal for information on cannabis policy, anti-prohibitionist scholarship and the 2008 presidential candidates. The second website, Send The Right Message, is focused on effective activism - how to get involved in promoting marijuana reform issues to friends, neighbors, politicians and media. Matt Simon, the Executive Director, was interviewed on June 11th by NORML's Daily Audio Stash - play mp3. .

The New Hampshire Senate voted against a mandatory seat belt law for adults. It remains the choice of an adult in New Hampshire whether he or she wears a seat belt or not. Efforts against mandatory seat belt legislation will be carried on by New Hampshire Liberty Alliance.

What's going on in New Hampshire? Free State Blogs is a great source for activism information in the Free State. Some of the blog entries this month:

  • John Stossel Interviews the Free State Project President & Founder
  • Ron Paul Nation
  • Ron Paul Rally
  • Backlash on Civil Unions in New Hampshire?
  • Free Minds TV - episodes 22-24
  • Matt Simon on Free Minds TV
  • When they're not making laws
  • Hey, Minuteman, Wait a second!
  • One-woman pro-liberty lobbying force
  • The (un)surprising Relevance of New Hampshire
  • N.H. Senate Backs REAL ID Ban
  • Stepping Outside the Political Party Box for the Best Candidate
  • reichstag 911
  • Keene Weekly News

Concord #1, Lebanon #2, Claremont #18, Keene #26, Laconia #51. POLICOM examines and measures cities in the U.S. for more than 100 factors. Concord scored #1 for the third straight year!

The June 2007 print edition of the Keene Free Press is now available online in pdf format. The Keene Free Press is the free online and print news and opinion publication covering Keene and Cheshire County, New Hampshire

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!

FSP News circulation: 11,795. Back issues are available. Got FSP news? Please submit content by the 12th of the month, Thank you to all advertisers and contributors.

Are you ready to JOIN THE FSP, move to New Hampshire and work towards Liberty in Our Lifetime? Join, and make a last minute plan to come to PorcFest!

Participants: 7,722
Participants in NH: 458
as of June 15, 2007

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