FSP News - September 2011

Liberty Forum is Back!

The 2012 Liberty Forum will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, NH Feb 23rd - Feb 26th.  More speakers, more movers, more doers... this event will be the biggest Liberty Forum yet.  We have changed things around due to YOUR requests  and the goal is to not have any repeat speakers so you can hear some fresh opinions and fresh ideas. You will NOT want to miss it.  Registration will be opening very shortly... Book early!!!
Watch www.freestateproject.org/libertyforum in the coming days for details on the hotel and speaker info!

The Free State Project at Ten: Part One

10 years ago Jason Sorens wrote the original article that started the FSP.  Jason covers the last 10 years with this follow up article.

FSP @ Freedompalooza

Free-staters Jack Shimek and Nick Ford displayed at a table at the first annual Freedompalooza festival and promoted the FSP to many of the 150-200 participants.

New Hampshire on Medical Policy

Two bills have recently become law in New Hampshire:

  • SB148 - "a resident of New Hampshire shall not be required to obtain, or be assessed a fee or fine for failure to obtain, health insurance coverage."
  • HB601 - NH has returned $666,000 in Federal funds for national healthcare implementation, with instructions to use the funds "for the purpose of reducing the federal budget deficit."

In addition, New Hampshire has established a commission that must approve any related new administrative rule changes, before any NH bureaucracy adopts such rules.

 

NH ranked best in U.S. to raise children

New Hampshire ranked first in the nation again last year as a place to raise a child, according to a survey by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Full story here.

Action of the Month

All around the country, college students are back in class.  Use this opportunity, whether you are a college student or just live in a city with a college to spread the good news around by posting FSP flyers on bulletin boards around campus.  Colleges students are one of the most mobile demographic in the US.  Additionally, younger people tend to support pro-liberty candidates for political office in higher numbers than most other demographics.  There are lots of good reasons to spend a few minutes by sharing the idea of liberty in our lifetime on a campus near you.

Here is how to do it:
1. Print flyers, sample flyers
2. Go to a campus
3. Optional, look up the rules for posting flyers on bulletin boards, walls, leaving them on tables and so on
4. Put up the flyers, you may need to use tape, staples or tacks to do this

Positives:
Proven to work
Gets the word out there
Can be done by just one person
Doesn't require social interaction
Can be done with almost no planning (just happen to be walking/driving by a campus)
Can be done in bad weather
Virtually no risk of punishment
Targets one of the more mobile demographics

Negatives:
Few confirmed recruits via method
Requires the use of a printer
Depending on college, may need to use tape, staples or tacks, which is an added expensive
Depending on campus policy, certain flyers posted in certain places may be against the rules so they may be quickly thrown away
The flyers must be replaced periodically

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

Website of the Month

http://www.mail-to-jail.com - Mail-to-jail.com is a great website to help liberty lovers, NH activists and sometimes others stay connected to the outside world while they are in jail, often for standing by their principles.  While it is O.K. to disagree with a liberty activist about why they are in jail, most of the people on Mail-to-Jail are good people that could use someone to help keep their spirit up.  Currently, Ian Freeman, founder of Free Talk Live and one of the top recruiters for the FSP is in jail.  Feel free to send him a letter via Mail-to-Jail, or even better, make a donation to the website.

Facebook Page of the Month

https://www.facebook.com/LibertyForum  - The New Hampshire Liberty Forum is back for 2012!  Chris Lawless and a great team of volunteers are already in the planning stages.  Find out all of the latest news by checking out the facebook page.  Here is the Facebook event if you want to RSVP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=269850146378022.

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: FSP News from da Prez

It has been a busy summer here in the Free State: festivals, conferences, and many, many new movers. Welcome home!

I thought it might be helpful for you to get updates straight from the horse’s mouth, so, herewith, my first blog post as president. First, though, let me address the whole “Queen Quill” thang. Yeah, you say, what’s up with this monarchy crap, Madam President? OK, I admit, it is an insider joke, but by way of background, when I organized my first Porcupine Freedom Festival in 2009, an FSP volunteer, Amy O’Brien made me a beautiful African quill crown. From that flowed the moniker “Queen Quill,” and it stuck. So, no, for those of you who are wondering, I’m not hellbent on creating a voluntary monarchy in the Free State, but if you want to get in on the joke, buy your “Long Live the Queen Quill” tee today! Funds go to support FSP outreach.

Speaking of the Porcupine Freedom Festival, man oh man! PorcFest 2011 was held in June, with record attendance. We estimate more than a thousand attendees spent a week at Roger's Campground in Lancaster.

One of the great things about PorcFest is you get to hang out in a casual environment with folks like Roderick Long, Stefan Molyneux, Jacob Huebert, Bob Murphy*, The Rose Family, Ernie Hancock, Adam Kokesh, Ian Freeman, Mark Edge, the Liberty on Tour guys, and Jordan Page. We hosted gun etiquette classes and shooting events. The Liberty Ladies cook-off was once again a great success. Congrats to first prize winner Gail Domenico for her yummy Tortilla Soup. The official film debut of the documentary Libertopia took place--well worth a watch! The crew from the Bardo Farm did their annual Pig Roast. Agora Valley was packed with free marketeers selling their wares. Thanks to Fr33 Aid, a non-profit mutual aid organization for their first-class medical assistance. Buzz's Big Gay Dance party was bigger, gayer and dancy-ier! UNCE, our first ever rave, was held on Saturday night after the third annual Soap Box Idol. Congratulations to SBI winner Emily Sandblade whose “Top 10 Reasons the Mafia is Better than the Government” was met with a standing ovation. The Porcupine Freedom Festival stands as testament to our ideals of personal responsibility and freedom. Thanks to everyone who came. Hope to see you again next year... and, bring a friend!

My heartfelt thanks goes out to the 2011 PorcFest organizers, Sovereign Curtis and his team. Their tremendous effort and hard work made PorcFest 2011 the most successfully attended Free State Project event to date. Curtis did a phenomenal marketing job, introducing new recruiting programs like the PorcFest convoys and the Bounty Hunters. He also launched PorcFest's first ever Kids Carnival, and the Celebrity Roast, where brave souls roasted Stefan Molyneux. Take a gander at the photo below to appreciate the growth PorcFest has experienced (use the vehicles at the top of the hill as your measuring stick). Who plans to bring another bus next year? Just make sure it is packed with new attendees!

Building on this growth, Jason and Sharon Osborne will be spearheading PorcFest next year. This husband and wife team will bring a balance of “fun" and "family” to PorcFest 2012, which will be held at Roger's Campground from June 18-24, 2012. Mark your calendars today!

Guess what? Liberty Forum is baaaaaaaaack! The illustrious Chris Lawless and his team will once again be organizing this amazing liberty conference. Save the date: February 23-26, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua, NH. Chris is already hard at work on getting a stellar line-up of speakers. Expect more announcements soon.

NH State Representative Mark Warden and I attended Freedom Fest in Las Vegas in July. Our booth was right next to Peter Schiff's! The FSP presentation “Liberty is Moving: Why the Free State Project’s Goal of Concentrating Activists in New Hampshire Is Working” was well-attended and well-received. I was surprised to discover there are still folks in the liberty community who have not heard of the FSP--there is always more work for us to do! We saw old friends and met many liberty luminaries, including Peter Thiel, Jim Bovard, Butler Shaffer, Doug French, Doug Casey, and others. We hope to cultivate meaningful long term relationships with them.

Over the next two months, the Free State Project will be heading to LibertyFest NYC in September and to Libertopia in San Diego in October. We will have speaking engagements and booths at both. We even redesigned our marketing materials for a fresh new look. Thanks to Linda Lagana, Mark Warden, and Adam Sloan for their help. Download it here.

I’m pleased to announce that the FSP has a new Treasurer. Seamas O’Scalaidhe, a longtime FSP supporter, takes over from retiring board member, Cathleen Converse. Thanks goes out to Cathleen for her years of work on behalf of the FSP. And a warm welcome to Seamas!

We are also hard at work on other projects: starting a local “Friends of the Free State Project” campaign, building a “booth-in-a-box,” overhauling our website (no more crashing when we're featured in the big leagues!) and even a pending bit-coin project. Thanks to the dedicated IT team for making this happen.

As you know, there's no such thing as a free lunch and good outreach has a price tag. We need your help! Your support means we can do more, which means more movers, and your chance at Liberty In Our Lifetime. Where does the money go? It covers things like printing, servers, postage, accommodation and travel expenses. Hate the TSA and got frequent flier miles you would like to donate? Contact me--thanks again to Ofer Nave for sending us to Vegas!

Your support is vital to our continued success. PLEASE DONATE to help us achieve Liberty in Our Lifetime. Want to stay involved? Consider VOLUNTEERING. Thank you!

Have an opinion? Got feedback? Email me: president @ freestateproject.org.

Catch y’all on freedom’s flip-side,

Carla Gericke
President, Free State Project

Free State Blogs

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

Dan on liberty has published a review of his experience in New Hampshire. Dan moved in 2009 and shares his thoughts on the project.

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: 14,693. 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: 11,124
Participants in NH: 947
as of 09/15/2011

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.