FSP News - June 2010

PorcFest 7

The 7th annual Porcupine Freedom Festival is less than two weeks away! Join us June 24th through the 27th at Roger's Campground in Lancaster, New Hampshire. PorcFest 2010 is going to be the biggest one yet! Check out the schedule and start planning your weekend in the Free State. Be at the opening ceremony on Thursday evening with Stefan Molyneux, and stay afterwards for the 80's Dance Party! Also,

  • Don't miss live music Friday night with many talented musicians and headliner Jordan Page.
  • Exchange ideas with Larkin Rose as he discusses how to achieve freedom "for those few who WANT it!".
  • Get interviewed by Ernest Hancock of Freedom's Phoenix on Liberty News Radio and Republic Broadcasting Radio. On Saturday night, catch Ernie's speech before the start of Soapbox Idol.
  • Join former governer of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, at the closing ceremony Sunday morning. Stick around after the speech for the awards ceremony.
  • If you're interested in attending either Marc Steven's seminar or Michael Badnarik's Constitution class, it's not too late to sign up. Tickets are limited for both events, and there are fewer than 10 left for each, so don't wait until PorcFest to purchase yours.
  • Don't forget, theme camps are being encouraged this year. Decorate your campsite, and you could be our first ever Best Campsite winner!
  • PorcFest is also all about our in-state Porcupines.... Don't miss your chance to meet and mingle with the activists on the front lines of freedom... Bring your questions, and make the move!

Online registration for PorcFest is $25 (18 and under FREE!) and $30 at the door.

To book your accommodation, call Roger's at 603-788-4885 or visit them online at www.rogerscampground.com/. See you in June! Since the Free State Project relies on the generosity of freedom lovers such as yourself, please consider contributing to help support outreach events like the Porcupine Freedom Festival as well as effective advertising on liberty oriented sites. Your donation brings us closer to achieving Liberty in Our Lifetime.

Police Ordered to Return NH Dealer's Switchblade Inventory

Hot on the heels of New Hampshire's achieving total knife freedom, police have been ordered to return confiscated switchblades.

Abe Foote of Abe’s Awesome Armaments in New Hampton, NH, who was an unfairly prosecuted victim of New Hampshire’s former restrictions on switchblade sales, was reunited on Wednesday with some of the knives the police had seized.

Unfortunately, approximately one third of the knives seized by the police remain unaccounted for, having disappeared from the evidence room. An internal investigation has been launched by the County Prosecutor. Knife Rights attorney and Freedom’s Point award winner Evan Nappen got the court order for the knives’ return.

Details at this post on ammoland.com

Two Free Staters Honored at BLADE Show in Atlanta, GA

Source of article below: PGNH

New Hampshire State Representative Jennifer Coffey, a senior Advisor of PGNH, and attorney Evan Nappen, PGNH General Counsel and Director, were presented with awards at the BLADE show last week in Atlanta, Georgia.

The BLADE show included an awards breakfast sponsored by Knife Rights, Inc., with keynote speaker Alan Gura, the lead attorney for the landmark Heller case in which the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Second Amendment two years ago. At that breakfast, Jenn Coffey was presented with Knife Right's inaugural "Freedom's Edge" award, the first of an annual series. Per the Knife Rights press release:

The Freedom’s Edge™ Award is to be given annually to honor a local, state or national elected representative who has demonstrated their commitment to a Sharper Future™ by leadership in the fight to protect or enhance our knife rights.

Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, "Representative Coffey is being recognized for her courageous initiative and sponsorship of the New Hampshire Knife Rights Bill which will legalize switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos for New Hampshire citizens." With support from Knife Rights, at this time the bill has passed by unanimous consent in both houses and is on its way to the Governor for signature. [Note: the press release was written before Governor Lynch signed the bill on May 18.] This will make New Hampshire one of the most knife-friendly states in the country. Said Ritter, "The Freedom’s Edge™ Award represents a Sharper Future™ for all knife owners."

Evan Nappen, who took the stage to introduce Rep. Coffey, was surprised to be presented with another Knife Rights award, the inaugural "Freedom's Point" award, also the first of an annual series. Per a second Knife Rights press release:

The Freedom’s Point™ Award is to be given annually to honor a individual citizen who has demonstrated their commitment to a Sharper Future™ by leadership in the fight to protect or enhance our knife rights.

Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, "Evan Nappen is being recognized for two significant contributions during the past year. Last summer, when U.S. Customs was attempting to redefine what a switchblade was in a manner that would have adversely impacted 80% of the knives sold in the U.S. today, Evan volunteered to develop Knife Rights' official response to U.S. Customs. He put together an excellent legal brief clearly exposing the fallacies and inconsistencies of Customs' position in a matter of a few short days." That effort eventually resulted in Congress passing an amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act exempting assisted opening and one-hand opening knives."

Doug continued, "Every legislative initiative requires someone local to lead the charge. In New Hampshire, it was Evan who worked long hours to rally support for the Knife Rights bill introduced by Representative Jenn Coffey. It was Evan who spearheaded the fundraising effort. It was Evan who organized the testimony in front of the committees. We would not have been so successful in New Hampshire if it weren't for the leadership and hard work of Evan Nappen." The Knife Rights Bill passed in New Hampshire legalizes switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos.

Evan was further honored later at the BLADE show's dinner banquet, when he was awarded the show's coveted Publisher's Award for his many important contributions over the past year. These included not only the New Hampshire legislation and help with many other legal issues all over the country including Arizona's state preemption law, but most significantly his twenty-page legal brief which many believe was a critical factor in Congress's landmark legislation not to reclassify most folding knives as switchblades. Evan received this award as a representative of all the individuals and groups who fought for knife freedom throughout this year.

NH Liberty Radio

New Hampshire Liberty Radio has posted interviews with several Free State Project movers and activists. Recently, they've interviewed Carla Gericke to discuss the upcoming annual Porcupine Freedom Festival and Videographer David Ridley to discuss happenings in the Free State Project community. For an archive of past shows and to listen to future shows, visit nhlibertyradio.com.

Most Livable Cities

Forbes has listed the Manchester-Nashua area one of America's most livable cities. This is on top of NH being ranked #1 in the nation for quality of life and livability five years in a row.

Made the Move Interview: Jason Talley

Jason Talley, founder of Bureaucrash and traveler with Motorhome Diaries, has made the move to NH. See his interview here. For more interviews with movers and other cool videos related to the Free State Project, check out and subscribe to our YouTube page.

Merchandise

The sign on the door said "Mead Asps - Merchandise Detective". The sign on my bottle said "According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects." But as I wasn't a woman, and wasn't planning on getting pregnant any time soon - I took a long swig. I waited for my throat to stop burning and my eyes to clear then looked at the bottle again. It also said, "Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems" Well, I wasn't driving, the most dangerous machinery I was likely to operate was a stapler, and May has already come and gone. I took another slug and while I was at it, finished the bottle. A soft knock at the door mingled with the ringing in my head. Hoping it was the liquor store delivery kid with my dinner, I called out, "Come on in." Through my blurred vision I couldn't see details, but this dame looked like a shiny gold sovereign in a sea of dirty reserve notes. Even through my watery eyes I could tell she was the perfect blend of Ethel Merman and Daryl Hannah. Her lips parted, she hesitated for only a heartbeat, and with the sweetest voice this side of a purple finch said, "Mr. Asps, I'd like to hire you." At least that's what it sounded like, the blood rushing through my ears like congressmen stampeding toward a taxpayer funded buffet made it rather difficult to tell for sure. I put a calm, confident look on my face and replied, "Hire me for what? Loose your copy of the tax code?" That was the booze talking; it didn't like me very much and wanted to make sure I never had a girlfriend. "No, Mr. Asps," her voice now tinged with just a tiny bit of frost. "I want you to find me some merchandise... some Free State Project merchandise." This time the booze didn't talk; it walked over and smacked me upside the head with a blackjack. When I came to my senses, she was still there, waiting patiently with a hopeful look on her face. I stood up, brushed off my suit, walked around the desk and leaned against it in my most casual pose and said "FSP Merchandise, huh? That covers a lot of ground. Are we talking key chains, tee shirts, can koozies? Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" She looked me right in the eyes and replied with steely determination, "Yes, I do, Mr. Asps. I want the stickers, I want the books, I want the pins, I want the flags. I want one of everything. Are you the man to get them for me, or will I be paying someone else?" She pulled out a giant wad of bills, enough to buy a pack of gum with anyway. "I hope you have more, you know my time ain't cheap", was my snide reply. With a cocky bend in her neck she pointed a thumb and said, "My dump truck's out back, where do you want it?" Even the booze was speechless at this point. Our eyes met in understanding. And after a little self-composition I said, "Why don't we go down to the café around the corner and down a cup of joe while we plan this out. Tell me, have you ever heard of the FSP Silver Round..."
http://www.freestateproject.org/store


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

In New Hampshire

Free State Blogs

What's happening in New Hampshire with the Free State Project? Free State Blogs attempts to answer that question.

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!

FSP News Thanks & Statistics

FSP News circulation: 14,629. 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:

  • 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!

Participants: 10,192
Participants in NH: 825
as of 06/15/10

The Free State Project (FSP) is an effort to recruit 20,000 pro-liberty activists to move to New Hampshire, where 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 work of creating and sustaining such a society in New Hampshire is the job of residents, including project participants, not the Free State Project itself.

The FSP does not endorse any specific changes to government or strategies to achieve them. The FSP does not take positions on issues, candidates, legislation, places to move within New Hampshire, tactics or methods of action. The one stipulation the FSP does make is that people who promote violence, racial hatred, or bigotry are not welcome.

Reporting by the FSP on participant activity or NH events on the website, in the newsletter, or in any other place does not represent support or endorsement and may not portray the diversity of opinions and activities that exists among participants.