FSP News - July 2008

District of Columbia et al. v. Heller

By now, you've probably heard of the supreme court decision in District of Columbia et al. v. Heller, a.k.a the DC Gun Ban trial, but if not, allow me to be the bearer of good news. The court concluded, in part, that:

The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

What you may not know is that Rich Heller, who started that whole ball rolling, is a participant in the Free State Project. I look forward to seeing what project this principled (and effective!) activist takes on next.

Michael Hampton, over at Homeland Stupidity, has some additional discussion of the court decision and the reactions to it.

Freestaters at the Ron Paul Revolution Rally

The Free State Project was well represented at the Ron Paul Revolution Rally in DC on July 12th.  The rally was headed up by two Free State Project participants and was a great success, attracting thousands of liberty lovers.  20 Porcupines, half from the DC-area and the rest visiting from New Hampshire, handed out close to 2000 flyers to the crowd, got 133 newsletter sign ups and 8 new FSP participants. Varrin Swearingen, the past president of the FSP, also spoke during the rally and Ron Paul gave his praise to the over 40 Ron Paul supporters running for office in New Hampshire.  Some pictures of Porcupines at the rally have been posted to Flickr and a video from the event has been posted to YouTube.  A longer write up has been posted by Varrin at his blog.  If there are pro-liberty events in your area that you think the FSP should be present at, please email Chris Lawless.

The Next 1000 Pledge

If you wanted to sign the First 1000 pledge, but couldn't commit to such an early move, take heart. The Next 1000 pledge has been launched. If it's as successful as the First 1000, participants can be proudly responsible for nearly doubling the number of freestaters in New Hampshire.

PorcFest Wrap-Up

PorcFest just keeps getting bigger and better.  This year featured 8 local bands, over 50 exhibitors, a Sakal/CAI sponsored Fun Tent, professional bus tours, greater media coverage, diverse hikes, kids activities, and much more.  Thank you to everyone who traveled both near and far to attend, as well as the many volunteers and donors who made PorcFest possible.  For pictures from the festival, visit the PorcFest 2008 Photo Gallery.  If you have pictures that aren't there and would like them to be, email the photos to porcfest@freestateproject.org .   Similarly, please email that address if we are missing any coverage (blog posts, articles, videos, etc.) of the festival on our press page.  If you have suggestions/requests for PorcFest 2009, please email them to rgoldman@freestateproject.org.  Until next year, keep on advancing Liberty in our Lifetime. 

PorcFest was featured on two New Hampshire community television programs. They are also available on the web — enjoy!
Capitol Access
Free Minds TV

PorcFest also garnered an article in The New Hampshire Union Leader.

Action of the Month - Help porc, help

See porc run. Run porc, run. See porc run for office. See porc knock on door. Knock on door, porc. Knock porc, knock. Porc is alone. See porc knock on door alone. See porc knock again. Hear porc talk. Talk porc talk. Hear porc talk about freedom. Talk freedom, porc. See porc talk alone. See porc mailing letters. Mail porc, mail. See porc stamp letter. Stamp porc stamp. See porc stamp alone. See porc buy stamps. Buy porc, buy. See porc reach in pocket. Reach porc, reach. See porc has empty pocket. See empty pocket of porc. See empty yard. No sign in yard. See voters not see. Voters have not heard porc. Voters do not know porc. See voters pull wrong lever. Wrong voters, wrong. See country go to hell. To hell country, hell. See porc cry. Cry porc, cry. Too late porc. Porc, too late. No, not too late. See porc help. See porc help porc. See porc and porc help. Help porc, help.

The tone of this month's "action" is, of course, in no way a response to the e-spanking received concerning last month's rather circumlocutional "action".

Merchandise

They're mystical, they're magical, they're magnets! These things are really cool. They stick to metal. Don't ask me how. You just hold it close and thwp!, the next thing you know, it's stuck there. But not permanently. You can pull it off with a slight tug. And -make sure you're sitting down for this- you can stick it back up again. I'm telling you, these things are amazing. Why I bet if this were a couple of hundred years ago, we'd be burned as a witch for slapping one of these against a refrigerator. Well, I guess they didn't have... Anyway, these things are really cool. Now, how about this as a way to spread the news of Liberty in Our Lifetime. Stick one of these beautiful magnets up, you know, somewhere kinda public, and soon enough someone will come by, see it, and probably take it. Who knows how many people will see it then as they show it off their friends and family. (Hopefully their friends and family are a bit more morally advanced.) If it does stay up, think of how many people will see it. I was thinking of neat places to put these. Places where there are highly visible steel surfaces. Signs of all types are often made of ferrous material. Lavatory dividers might be an interesting place to display one of the eight different varieties of FSP magnets. That particular placement possesses the added benefit of the audience being rather...captive. Doors, cars, safes, chairs, railings, shelves, poles, benches, and many other things are likely targets for the always sticky, but never tacky FSP magnets.

Don't forget to check out all the other items in the store, and imagine ways to put them to good use. And never, ever, confuse the weber (Wb) with the tesla(T)

Walk for Liberty Gets Media Coverage

After only a couple of months on the road, the Walk for Liberty is beginning to attract the attention of the mainstream local media. On day 61 of the Walk for Liberty coverage, Will Buchanan discusses a positive article appearing in the Lewiston Tribune.

Jason Sorens On "Political Animals"

Jason Sorens, the founder of the Free State Project, was recently interviewed on the WBGU radio show "Political Animals." You can read a little bit about the show here, and listen to it here.

In New Hampshire

Recent Mover:Rene

Volunteers Needed for Live Free or Die Rally

The Third Annual Live Free Or Die Celebration Benefit Rally: Bands, renowned speakers, vendors, cannons, demonstrations, barbecues & more! Free secluded camping & facilities with mountain views 5 min. from main event. After-hours party, cannons, salutes, bands (mindsetx, dreamline and more.) Volunteers must attend a meeting on Aug 22, the event is Aug 23. You will receive a free tshirt and the tasks are simple. Please give a few hours of your time! Volunteers meeting on Friday, August 22, 7 PM at Dillon Lodge.Interested parties should contact: Caacp01@aol.com

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:

• FSP at the Revolution March
• Manchester NH: Cop questions me for videotaping police cars
• To Heller in a handbasket
• NH: Gun activist open carries into Manchester police station
• 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!

FSP News Thanks & Statistics

FSP News circulation: 12,389. 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

• 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!

Participants: 8,458
Participants in NH: 540
as of July 13, 2008