FSP News - October 2011

Liberty Forum Registrations Open

You have waited a long time for this..........Liberty Forum registration is NOW open!
We are pleased to announce Joel Salatin of Polyface farm as the Saturday night keynote speaker.
We have keep the prices the same as two years ago because we don't like inflation!
Sign up NOW.
www.freestateproject.org/libertyforum

Use code NEWS2012 for 10% discount.

You don't want to delay.
Get your hotel for the special liberty forum rate.

https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=5059499

Lots of new speakers that have never spoken to the FSP and Liberty Forum will be there..... you won't want to miss it.
Come see old friends, come make new ones.

Registration is NOW open.
www.freestateproject.org/libertyforum

Early bird pricing ends soon....

 

Free State Project now accepts Bitcoin! (and you get some for free!)

READ THE SEPARATE PRESS RELEASE HERE

Some Free Staters have been hearing about Bitcoin – the new digital currency that has been gaining momentum, especially within the liberty movement.

As of last week, the FSP is now set up to accept Bitcoin for donations as well as event registration fees (online store will soon follow). Additionally, everyone on the Free State Project mailing list (ie – anyone who received this newsletter) will be receiving a free Bitcoin donation tomorrow. Read on for more details…

What is Bitcoin? 

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency – it is not run by any company, organization, or government. It works using peer-to-peer technology, meaning transfers of the currency go directly between two parties instead of a central server. Its supply is strictly limited based on a predetermined algorithm, and there will never be more than 21-million Bitcoins in existence. Unlike fiat currencies, a Bitcoin’s value comes purely from supply and demand within an open marketplace. There is no central bank to inflate or deflate the money supply.

Bitcoins can be bought and sold at many online exchanges for national currencies, and can be used to purchase a growing number of goods and services all over the world.

Unlike gold or silver, Bitcoins can be sent between any two accounts anywhere in the world instantly, and you never need to use a name or any personal details to have an account. Bitcoins are private and generally anonymous. Bitcoins are held on your computer (or at an online “ewallet”) – and nobody can prevent a Bitcoin transaction from happening.

You may have heard earlier this year when Wikileaks’ funding sources were getting shut down by Visa, Mastercard, and Paypal. Bitcoin cannot be shut down in such a way, meaning Wikileaks now always has a source of private, anonymous funding.

Bitcoin and FSP

Some liberty advocates are extremely excited about the prospects of this currency, and that is why the Free State Project has decided to incorporate it as a payment method for donation and event registration. 

To help you get started with Bitcoin, the ghost of Frederick Bastiat has donated the funds for us to give each of you a tiny amount. You will receive another email tomorrow with instructions. If you wish to claim your gift, you will get a free ewallet account with BTCinch.com (ewallets allow you to store your Bitcoins if you don’t wish to keep them on your computer).

The more you learn about Bitcoin, the more this new currency may interest you as a tool for voluntary, free-market exchange. Feel free to join the “Free State Bitcoin Consortium” group on Facebook (run by Erik Voorhees). Or to investigate Bitcoin further, a good starting place is WeUseCoins.com

Watch out for the follow-up email tomorrow! 

Outreach Opportinities

The Free State Project is about 8000 signups away from hitting the 20,000 goal.
You can help!
The Rock the Revolution Tour:http://www.rocktherevolutiontour.com/#!locations
is playing all over the country in the next 3 months.  Imagine if we had 3-4 people at EVERY venue handing out FSP flyers.  We may even have a chance to have an FSP representative to speak at each event.  If you live near one of these venues  and are available on the night in question.... please email volunteer@freestateproject.org with the city that you can make it to.

This has the opportunity to be a HUGE outreach event for the FSP.

Don't live in one of those cities?

How about these cities?
http://www.nullifynow.com/jacksonville/
http://www.nullifynow.com/philadelphia/

Email us at volunteer@freestateproject.org  and tell us which town you can help out in.

You wanted another opportunity?
Great.
Peter Schiff is speaking in Southern California
http://www.europac.net/events/peter_schiff_speaking_irvine_california
http://www.europac.net/events/peter_schiff_speaking_los_angeles_california

Why not hand out FSP flyers before/after the event.  And stop in an hear a great speaker.
Tell your friends about it... they might learn something.
And note that Peter is giving away copies of his book to all attendees.

Do you know of other events that the FSP should be at?
Let us know.
volunteer@freestateproject.org

The Free State Project Community Comes Together in Boston

 

Several dozen Free State Project participants attended the 22nd Annual MassCann/NORML Freedom Rally in Boston on September 17th.  The MassCann Freedom Rally is one of the largest marijuana rallies in the nation.  Many of the folks wore FSP related shirts and many helped recruit new FSP participants.  The FSP table was in a great location and not far from the Libertarian Party table.

 

Read the rest of this blog post on FreeStateBlogs.net

 

New Hampshire is Richest State

From the article: "New Hampshire's status as the wealthiest overall state is the result of extremely low unemployment rate of 5.2% [4th lowest in the US] and the fact that it has the lowest poverty rate in the country."

The median household income is more than $65,000 in NH. CNN and the U.S. Census Bureau claim that the amount makes NH "the state with the highest median income in the nation."

Merchandise

Gather 'round the campfire beelz and ghouls and I shall regal you with a terrifying tarradiddle of FSP Merchandise. I was there alone, and rather at peace, preparing FSP Merchandise for shipment to liberty-lovers throughout the land. But then a gloomy pall seemed to spread itself across the room. The strains of Night on Bald Mountain began to thrum in the air. The bright blue colors of the PorcFest Koozie seemed to drain in front of my eyes. The normally crystal-clear puzzle key chains now seemed miasmic and blurred. A rustle behind me turned my head to face the specter of the gray FSP logo t-shirts coiling and twisting into the terrifying form of The Mummy. As it shuffled towards me, arms outstretched, I was forced back into a row of shelves. The clink and tinkle of the normally felicitous FSP Shiny key chains hanging on their lustrous brass hooks had changed. The gleaming edges now seemed sharp and dangerous; their tintinnabulation was one that now spoke of vivisection. I shrieked like a little girl and spun around, desperate for an escape. The door was blocked by a witch on her broom, whooshing into the room. She grabbed a Liberty in Our Lifetime tote bag, gave me a wink, and said, "For the severed heads, my sweet." She then leaned back her head, spurred her bristly steed, and cackled loudly and sped out the window. Stupefied by her fury and vehemence, and frankly her breath as well, I searched frantically for a place to hide. The racks of PorcFest shirts and boxes of FSP Gadsden Porc flags would make poor refuge. There, behind the PorcFest Poster, a closet. I hesitated only slightly as I grasped the cold, gnarled doorknob. I swung the closet door open, hoping to fling myself into the safety and isolation of the space beyond. But no, the Norns were not going to let me get away that easily. My face smacked into something hard and wide. As my gaze slowly rose up the front of my impasse, I saw what it was: The Monster of Frankenstein! The sickly green skin and flat-top coiffure turned my legs into gelatinous, worthless things; I fell to the floor. The monster leaned over me with menace burning in his once-dead eyes, then delicately picked up two round FSP logo magnets and stuck one on each of his electrodes that protruded from his thick, sinewy neck. He turned and lumbered from the room. My skin was cold and clammy, how much more of this could I take? I had reached the depths of my will, not even the wacky joyfulness of the Spazzy Porc sticker could raise my humor. A long, slow creak from the other side of the room invaded my psyche. Deep down I knew this would be the end. The lid of a crate ground opened, never mind that the label read soft, fuzzy, cuddly, stuffed porcupine puppets; what came out was none of those things. It was the worst nightmare of them all. It was... The Fiendish Vampupine! The slicked-back hair and quill-like teeth would surely send me to my doom. My resistance proved futile against this pestiferous apparition. As the fangs sank in and my life drained away, my only regret was that I hadn't bought more FSP merchandise. Boo! So beelz and ghouls don't let this happen to you. See the store page at http://www.freestateproject.org/store and Happy Porcoween!

Action of the Month

Every month at least a few new FSP participants mention talk radio as where they heard about the FSP.  Free Talk Live is the most frequently sited radio show but others are occasionally mentioned including Alex Jones and Neal Boortz.  Agree with a radio show host or not, some people listen to talk radio.  Perhaps you can stand listening to a show you disagree with long enough to get the message of the FSP out to a bunch of listeners.

Here is a handy list of 250 talk shows with information about them but feel free to contact any talk show.  Call a talk show and try to work the FSP into the conversation.

If you don’t think this method works, think again.  In October alone, new FSP participants mentioned that they heard about the FSP from four different radio hosts.

Feel free to make suggestions or comments on the FSP Forum.

Website of the Month

http://www.ridleyreport.com - Dave Ridley is a liberty loving videographer that lives and reports in New Hampshire.  Dave was called the best subversive journalist of 2008 by NH Magazine.  If you are interesting if learning more about New Hampshire or just watching silly commercials, Dave’s reporting style never fails to entertain.

Facebook Page of the Month

Liberty Activist Printing – Liberty Activist Printing is a New Hampshire based e-commerce print shop featuring premium quality printing at discounted prices. Consider supporting the NH based business with your printing needs.  See sample work and learn about specials on the facebook page.

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

From the Queen's Quill

This time of year, when New Hampshire is ablaze with reds, oranges, and golds, I’m reminded of Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”--except real physical gold in your grubby own paws, that is!

In the Spotlight: Please help send me to Libertopia in San Diego later this month. I will be doing a talk about the FSP, manning the booth, and will be working hard, hard, hard to get more people to move to the Free State. Every bit counts. Thanks for your support!

Liberty Forum (February 23-26, 2012): We are delighted to announce Joel Salatin will be one of our keynote speakers. Salatin, author of seven books, including YOU CAN FARM: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Business is know for his dirt-under-the-fingernails writing punctuated with mischievous humor. He passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. Stay up to date by joining the Liberty Forum Facebook group.

LibertyFest II: Whatta night! We joined hundreds of liberty lovers in my old stomping ground of New York City. We unveiled the new FSP marketing materials and banners. We hobnobbed. I gave a brief speech about the coming Zombie Apocalypse--hey, those New Yorkers need to be forewarned! Said one attendee in an email afterwards:

"Thanks for your awesome speech on Saturday. Even though Dan Halloran obnoxiously dismissed the FSP, I thought you presented the case superbly. It seems logical to grow and nurture infant liberty in the fertile soil of New Hampshire rather than start from scratch in the barren land of Mordor. I think people (even liberty folks) want to dismiss the FSP simply because the sacrifice of moving is too great. Of course they may have families and good jobs that keep them in place. However, I think the opposite - the sacrifice of living without freedom is too great to stay put. Thanks again for your courage, persistence and passion. Be there soon."

MassCann: More than twenty Free Staters hopped on the Porcupine Party Bus and crossed the border into Taxachusetts to spread some Free State love at the 22nd MassCann Freedom Rally. Thanks to Denis Goddard for organizing the booth, Sovereign Curtis for organizing the bus, and, of course, all who helped spread the good word. We snagged more than a dozen new signers!

Movers and Shakers Inaugural Appreciation Party: Not only did we get to thank the volunteers who keep the FSP ticking, we also met and hung out with many, many new movers. It was amazing to see so many new faces! Thanks to the Bardo Farm for letting us use their beautiful apple orchard. The Movers and Shakers party will become an annual event, one that celebrates the folks who choose to up-and-move, and those who continue to support our all-volunteer organization with their time and efforts. Not on the guest list? You know what you need to do!  

Support Structures: Did you know there’s an FSP job alert page on Facebook where you can find listings of jobs in the Free State and surrounding regions? Join today. Also, find the FSP on Facebook.

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 Liberty Calendar tracks lots of NH events. The NH Underground Calendar lists some liberty-oriented New Hampshire events. For Keene specific events, check out the Free Keene Calendar. Check the calendars before a visit or a move - you are welcome to attend NH events!

FSP News Thanks & Statistics

FSP News circulation: 14,691. 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: 11,177
Participants in NH: 958
as of 10/15/2011

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.