FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Free State Project offers safe haven for San Francisco gun owners
San Francisco, CA – Feb. 12, 2006 – San Francisco handgun owners
who are unwilling to comply with the city's new gun ban and confiscation that
goes into effect over the next two months have at least one promising
alternative: Join the hundreds of other Californians who have signed up for the
Free State Project and are moving to New Hampshire.
The Free State Project is a grassroots movement that seeks to attract
20,000 people who fervently believe in limited government to move to New
Hampshire, where individuals and businesses can flourish in a low regulation,
low-tax, small government state.
Gun laws in New Hampshire were a key reason for its selection as the Free
State. Any resident without a criminal record can openly carry firearms, and
permits for concealed carrying are available to any resident passing a
background check. New Hampshire is ranked as having the fourth lowest violent
crime rate in America, as opposed to California's ranking as 41st, despite
California's numerous gun control measures. (2005 rankings, based on "Crime in
the United States: 2004," the FBI).
Almost 10 percent of the project's participants are from California. Many
are leaving to escape the state's excessive regulation and taxation. Some are
leaving especially because of the repressive gun laws.
"Whether or not the court challenge on February 15 to the Measure H gun ban
is successful, I want to live someplace where my neighbors value tolerance,
freedom and personal responsibility," said Morey Straus, an active participant
of the Free State Project currently living in San Francisco. "California seems
to be in a downward spiral toward a police state."
Sandy Pierre, who left the Bay Area for New Hampshire last spring, agreed.
"A group of my girlfriends and I are going to take a firearms safety class
together in a couple of weeks. Here in New Hampshire, it's not considered
dangerous or wrong to be capable of taking care of yourself."
San Francisco voters approved the controversial gun control measure in
November by 58%. In addition to restricting handgun possession to law
enforcement and corporations, it also prohibits the sale of all firearms and
ammunition within city limits. Several civil liberties groups have banded
together to challenge the measure in court on February 15 on grounds that it is
unconstitutional. If those efforts fail, the sales portion of the ban will go
into effect on March 1, and residents will be required to turn their handguns
over to the authorities by April.
While the Free State Project has no official agenda other than encouraging
citizens who believe in individual liberty and personal responsibility to move
to New Hampshire, participants are expected to work toward reducing government
in the areas most important to them.
Since the Project's inception in late 2001, nearly 7,000 have signed the
statement of intent to move to New Hampshire, and an estimated 400 participants
are already there.
Other issues being championed by individual activists include lowering
taxes, decriminalizing marijuana, fighting the exploitation of eminent domain
by private interests, and repealing government regulation of marriage between
adults.
More information about the Free State Project can be found at
www.FreeStateProject.org.
# # #
Leaving O.C. for 'liberty'
Group touts New Hampshire as land of more freedom, self-sufficiency.
by Jane Glenn Haas • The Orange County Register • 11/28/03
|
| LEAVING CALIFORNIA: Philip Heath is part
of the Free State Project, which aims to move Libertarians to New Hampshire
MICHAEL GOULDING, THE REGISTER
|
CONCORD, N.H. – The "leaf peepers" have gone, turned away by near-freezing
temperatures and a dreary combination of leaden skies and rain-washed, brown
foliage. The state is left to the presidential candidates stumping voters
before New Hampshire's presidential primary on Jan. 27.
Philip Heath has never seen what's called "tween time" in New Hampshire - the
dreary period that precedes real winter. In fact, the student at Cal State
Fullerton doesn't remember anything of the state that he visited at age 2.
Yet Heath, 20, a native Californian, vows to move here when he graduates in
2005. He plans to "make a difference" in this state capital and in the New
Hampshire Legislature, where 400 House members, the third largest parliamentary
body in the English-speaking world, still struggle to find consensus on issues
long settled in other states, like mandating car seat belts for adults.
Heath is a member of the Free State Project, a national Internet-based effort (
www.freestateproject.org ) to
encourage 20,000 Libertarians and like-minded individuals to move to New
Hampshire to find "liberty in our lifetime."
So far, 5,055 people are committed to the political experiment. Their ultimate
dream is to transform New Hampshire by repealing state taxes, rolling back gun
control and drug prohibition, and privatizing utilities.
"We're going to get away from California's socialistic government," says Heath,
who is among 500 California residents - many from Orange County - pledging to
move.
They will find a lifestyle that combines rugged individualism with
self-sufficiency and a sense of community, says John Babiarz, chairman of New
Hampshire's Libertarian Party.
"The Free State Project will attract people of all political backgrounds who
believe we can do better for ourselves and our families and community than
government can," he says over lunch in the shadow of New Hampshire's state
capital building.
He dismisses recent New Hampshire contests in which Libertarian candidates won
25 percent of the vote but failed to win any city races.
Babiarz, 47, a computer consultant, works from his home in the small town of
Grafton but travels regularly to Concord to serve on Gov. Craig Benson's
efficiency committee. He moved to Grafton from Connecticut 11 years ago to
avoid state income tax.
This, after all, is the "live free or die" state. No helmet laws. No sales tax.
No garbage pickups in many communities. Instead, there are volunteer fire
departments, tollways instead of freeways and residents in many towns separate
their garbage, cans and bottles and pay a fee to cart their trash to transfer
stations.
Babiarz effectively sold New Hampshire as the destination state to Free State
Project members by emphasizing "freedom from oppressive taxes." New Hampshire,
with a population of 1.2 million, won a run-off vote among Free Staters who
also considered moving to Idaho, Montana, South Dakota or Wyoming.
Until the Free State Project multitude officially arrives in the state, in
about 2010, Babiarz acts as head of a clearinghouse to answer questions, help
pioneers find jobs, find places to move their businesses, make contacts, find
real estate.
Preferred cities and towns are Manchester, Claremont, Grafton, Keene and some
areas in the sparsely-populated White Mountains.
The Free State Project has sparked editorials - all negative - in New Hampshire
newspapers. Locals aren't impressed with the plan.
|
The Libertarian Party
The Libertarian Party is America's third-largest political affiliation.
Currently, more than 300 Libertarians nationwide hold elective office. The
following principles constitute the Libertarian agenda:
• Substantially reduce the size and intrusiveness of government and cut
all taxes.
• Let peaceful, honest people offer their goods and services to willing
consumers without a hassle from government.
• Let peaceful, honest people decide for themselves what to eat, drink,
read or smoke, and how to dress, medicate themselves, or make love, without
fear of criminal penalties.
• The U.S. government should defend Americans and their property in
America and let the U.S. taxpayer off the hook for the defense bill of wealthy
countries like Germany and Japan.
• Source: www.lp.org, official Web site
of the Libertarian Party
|
"There aren't no jobs here," says Verner Fuller, 48, as he eats a late lunch at
Dusty's Cafe on the square in Clare mont. Fuller ran a loom when mills in the
area were open. Now, poverty casts a pall over the town where even the Elks
Club's U.S. flag flies in tatters.
Fuller just turned down a job cleaning stables. Free Staters, he says, won't
make his job search any easier.
Babiarz disagrees. He envisions self-employed Free State migrants like himself.
Those moving to Claremont, he says, will be attracted by empty factory space
and will bring business and jobs.
At any rate, "20,000 voters can make a difference in this state," Babiarz says,
pointing out there is one legislative representative for each 3,100 New
Hampshire residents.
Heath agrees with Babiarz:
"Even if we don't accomplish all our goals, we'll still have more freedom in
New Hampshire than we do here in California."
Heath says the California government tramples his liberties, forces him to pay
for roads he doesn't drive, support social programs he doesn't accept, pay
taxes he doesn't believe in.
"You should be able to get a gun and carry it if you want to protect yourself,"
says Heath, who will earn his degree in accounting next year and plans to open
a business in New Hampshire. "I'll figure out what business that will be when I
get there," he says.
He refuses to be deterred by talk of snow and ice, insisting: "I'm prepared to
make sacrifices to live the kind of life I want to live."
Among his causes: shifting the burden of road maintenance to local government
entities and letting New Hampshire drivers pay for roads through tolls.
Like half the Free State members, Heath falls into the 20- to 30-year-old
range. So does Lauren Rahn of Orange, a student at Rutgers University in New
Jersey, who vows she's moving to New Hampshire after graduation.
"I'm kind of fed up with a system of government that should be more
representative democracy," she said. "Instead it's a bunch of people who have
the money and just do what they want."
Rahn, 21, views the Free State "as a kind of utopia." New Hampshire also fits
her career goal of historical preservationist.
"There are a lot of old cemeteries, things like that there," she says.
Vintage jukeboxes decorate each booth in Lindy's Diner in Keene, a local
watering hole that advertises itself a place where presidential hopefuls meet
and greet.
James Maynard, 35, hangs out here. The Web page designer is an early Free
Stater and committed Libertarian. New Hampshire representatives, he said, are
more inclined to work for the good of their constituents. The state Legislature
meets from January to May, and representatives earn $100 for their efforts.
"No one is in it for the money," Maynard said.
Maynard supports more choices in education, including a dollar-for-dollar tax
credit for parents who home-school. He also wants competition for
health-insurance policies for state workers and teachers.
"We need a more fiscally responsible, socially tolerant government," he said.
"Let's face it, government just doesn't work."
Jack Williams, 47, of Santa Ana absolutely agrees.
Laid off from his mechanic's job after 26 years, he worries that he won't find
similar work if he moves. But at least he knows he can pursue his hobby - gun
collecting.
"State government severely limits my enjoyment of my hobby here," he said.
Giving Williams the freedom to collect guns at leisure is one aspect of the
Free State Project, started by Jason Sorens, 27, a lecturer in political
science at Yale University.
"This comes up every 10 years or so - the idea to change things by moving,"
said Tibor Machan, who teaches business ethics at Chapman University and also
writes for the Register's commentary pages as a promoter of libertarianism.
Sorens' concept to influence a state is unique, Machan notes.
"And I'm not a prophet, but this could be a success if enough people decide to
pick up and go. It is possible they could promote their ideas and get them
accepted."
Despite his commitment to libertarian principles, don't look for Machan in New
Hampshire. California, he says, is not that totalitarian.
Drake Thompson thinks it's much too crowded, though. Born and raised in Buena
Park, Thompson, 40, and his family moved to Bedford, an upscale community just
outside Manchester, about three years ago.
His goal: a better quality of life.
He found a new, 2,800-square-foot house on an acre lot in the high $200,000s.
"No way we could have afforded this home in Orange County," says Thompson, a
surgical supply representative who specializes in spinal consulting.
"The kids have a better life here and we have a small-town, community
lifestyle. We run into people we know all the time at the stores, around town."
Wages are on a par with California in his field, Thompson says. Although he
misses year-round golf, he is learning to ski.
Thompson has no political agenda but adds value to the New Hampshire economy
and so will Free State Project advocates, proponents say. "In the long term, we
will enhance the New Hampshire economy," said Kelton Baker, 30, writer and
interim president of the project. "In our latest poll, about 40 percent of
those signed up said they will be moving in the next two years."
David Hanson of San Juan Capistrano will be among the first to leave
California. The retired pharmacist does part-time work in New Hampshire and
figures he'll easily find jobs in a new location.
More important, of all the Orange County Free Staters, Hanson knows what he's
getting into. He was raised in New York and enjoys hunting, fishing and
camping.
"California has been good to me, but the place is getting a little crowded," he
says. Hanson's only regret is the Free State Project chose New Hampshire
instead of Maine. Either way, "I expect I'll head south for the winter months,"
he said.
|
|
GETTING THE WORD OUT: Philip Heath, a member of Free State Project, works his
stand at Cal State Fullerton to promote the plan to move Libertarians to New
Hampshire. He'Gs definitely leaving California, he says, because it is "too
socialistic."
MICHAEL GOULDING, THE REGISTER
|
|
|
THE PLAN: The Free State Project, a national Internet-based effort, encourages
20,000 Libertarians and like-minded individuals to move to New Hampshire to
find 'liberty in our lifetime.'
MICHAEL GOULDING, THE REGISTER
|
CONTACT US: (714) 796-7987 or
jhaas@ocregister.com
More media articles about the FSP
These media articles are maintained on a non-commercial basis by
The Free State Project,
a non-profit organization, for historical, educational, scholarship,
and research purposes. (For information regarding "Fair Use", see
US Code Title 17,
Chapter 1, Section 107).
Fresnans join plan for Free State
New Hampshire holds chance for libertarian government, they say.
by John Ellis • 12/28/03
For 27 of his 29 years, Varrin Swearingen has called Fresno home.
The World Airways pilot lives in a nice house near Chestnut and Nees
avenues. He's a member of Northwest Church. His parents are here, as is his
wife's stepmother.
His two children were born here.
Next year, however, Swearingen will take his family, leave behind a
lifetime of memories and head east to New Hampshire, all for a political
movement based on his libertarian beliefs.
"This is a big deal," he says. "It is a hard decision to leave home,
there's no doubt about that."
Kelton Baker, 30, who recently moved from Fresno to Utah, plans to take his
wife and two children and join Swearingen in New Hampshire sometime next year.
Baker came to Fresno two years ago and had planned to stay long term. Then
he soured on California's political climate, which he feels is far from his
libertarian roots.
Swearingen and Baker are part of an Internet-based movement known as the
Free State Project. The idea: Twenty thousand "liberty-oriented people" will
move to New Hampshire, where they hope to "work within the political system to
reduce the size and scope of government," according to the movement's Web site.
Both men believe government has become too intrusive in areas such as
business regulation, zoning and education. They and most Free State members
loathe taxes. Swearingen believes taxes could be reduced to almost nothing if
schools were privatized.
Free State members are big on individual responsibility. That means no gun
ownership restrictions and an elimination of drug laws.
The group chose New Hampshire as the promised land by a vote. It won out
over states that included Maine, Wyoming, Idaho, Delaware, Alaska and Vermont.
Each of the states the group considered has a small population, which means
20,000 people have more of a chance to make a difference politically.
Once most group members are in New Hampshire, they plan to field candidates
in elections and become active in schools and community groups.
Already, the state has some built-in advantages: no motorcycle helmet laws
and no sales or income tax. New Hampshire is the only U.S. state without a
compulsory seat-belt law. And the populace already has libertarian tendencies.
It was 18 or so months ago that Swearingen first found out about the Free
State Project. He researched it, liked what he found out and signed on a year
ago. He and his wife have placed a deposit on a lot in Keene, a small city in
the state's southwest corner. Swearingen plans to move there in October.
"There are a lot of great things about California," Swearingen says, "but
the political situation has declined and shows no sign of dramatic improvement.
If we stay, we're going to be stuck with that."
Baker, in the meantime, has temporarily moved to Utah, where he is taking
care of some business. He plans to look for a job in New Hampshire via the
Internet. He works now about 20 hours a week as the group's interim president,
mediating member disputes and working with an ad director and membership
services.
"We need to get government to its most basic functions," Baker says. "We
need to let people make their own decisions about how [they want to live]."
Not everybody embraces the group's pending involvement in New Hampshire
politics.
Al Mascitti, a columnist for the (Wilmington, Del.) News-Journal, wrote
last month he was thankful "that the thousands of libertarian-minded people who
signed up for the Free State Project will see their dreams of low-government
utopia die in New Hampshire instead of Delaware."
New Hampshire's largest newspaper, The Union Leader, welcomed Free State
Project members to the state in an editorial, though it disagreed with some
specific libertarian ideas, such as legalizing drugs and favoring abortion
rights.
"We welcome people that want to protect individual liberty," says Andrew
Cline, editor of the Union Leader's editorial pages. "Those are the type worth
having in the state."
But the paper's editorial says the idea is unlikely to succeed. In a state
that gets 10,000 new residents a year, Cline says, 20,000 is not enough to make
statewide political change. The state's population is about 1.25 million.
University of Virginia government professor Larry Sabato agrees. "If they
think they can take over New Hampshire with a group that small, obviously, the
reality will be otherwise."
Free State members hope to have an impact beyond their numbers.
Swearingen says the group can "elect our own people or sway the existing
populace." He prefers the latter.
Both Swearingen and Baker are committed, as are -- as of now -- a little
more than 5,000 others.
They lament leaving California's weather behind, but not much else.
"This is not a secessionist movement, per se," Swearingen says. What it is,
he says, is an effort to "bring in people able to vote and be politically
active enough in a number to sway a single U.S. state."
The reporter can be reached at jellis@fresnobee.com or
441-6320.
More media articles about the FSP
These media articles are maintained on a non-commercial basis by
The Free State Project,
a non-profit organization, for historical, educational, scholarship,
and research purposes. (For information regarding "Fair Use", see
US Code Title 17,
Chapter 1, Section 107).
Attention Real Californians
A Proposal by J.J. Johnson • 05/27/03
This message is being written for the vast number of Californians who are
disenfranchised by the political process and/or are simply ignored all
together. We understand that much of the political bickering in that state only
produces a majority of politicians committed to limiting freedom and
squandering tax dollars. Despite all the efforts, some say that saving the body
politic of the Golden State is hopeless. Fortunately, there is a solution, but
we need your help and commitment.
If you live in California, and do not think you are taxed too much, stop
reading this letter.
If you think the State of California has 'reasonable' gun laws, ditto.
If you look forward to those clogged freeways whenever you have to drive into
the city as well as breathing in all that wonderful smog, then the Southland
and Bay Area is the place for you.
If you think that the federal government has the right to completely ignore the
will of the most populous state in the nation when it comes to medical
marijuana, and throw sick and dying patents in jail, then by all means - stay
there.
If none of the above appeals to you, and you are looking for a light at the end
of the Sacramento Tunnel, we have a proposition.
Okay, we know those California beaches and landscapes are to die for. And
despite all its other ills, it's a pretty cool place. But biting your nails
about what will be made illegal next, which neighbor is going to be shot by
police or some burglar can be reduced by looking into a concept known as the
Free State Project.
The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented
people will move to a single state of the U.S. pre-selected as already offering
personal freedom, where they may live in greater freedom now and work within
the political system to reduce the size and scope of government. The success of
the Free State Project would likely entail reductions in burdensome taxation
and regulation, reforms in state and local law, an end to federal mandates, and
a restoration of constitutional federalism, demonstrating the benefits of
liberty to the rest of the nation and the world.
Twenty Thousand People - Heck, that's just part of Northern California (a.k.a.
- you 'Jeffersonians').
Here's the catch: the over 3000 people that have signed up for this endeavor
will soon vote on which state to choose. Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming are near
the top of the list, but they are getting fierce competition from eastern
states like New Hampshire and Delaware. A conference was recently held to point
out the benefits of a Western State. Those Westerners sure could use a healthy
number of votes from the Gold Coast.
It's not like this is a new concept to you. Many of your neighbors, relatives
and friends have become ex-Californians, and now live among us westerners. Some
of you may know of the Free State Project, but are sitting back waiting to see
which state will be chosen, not wanting to make your decision until you know.
But without your help, that decision might be made for you, making the option
of those who go either a 3000 mile drive or a 5 hour plane trip to their new
home.
This can be avoided by signing up. It's free. We strongly suggest Californians
take a good look at the Free State
Project's Web Site. We know about all the bad stereotypes the nation has
about California and we know everyone doesn't share the same political beliefs.
We know there are a lot of rural and even urban Californians who's opinions
don't count due to the large majority of urban voters. Here's is your chance to
break free of those chains and make a difference in the coming exodus to a Free
State.
Join Us!
More media articles about the FSP
These media articles are maintained on a non-commercial basis by
The Free State Project,
a non-profit organization, for historical, educational, scholarship,
and research purposes. (For information regarding "Fair Use", see
US Code Title 17,
Chapter 1, Section 107).
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