For Immediate Release
August 24, 2004
SUBJECT: Libertarian Republicans Endorse Free State Project
Contact: Amanda Phillips, President
Email:
aphillips@freestateproject.org
Phone: 617-763-1996
Website:
www.freestateproject.org
Earlier this year, the National Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus
(RLC) unanimously approved the objective of the Free State Project (FSP) and
urged RLC members to support the FSP effort.
FSP President Amanda Phillips welcomed the endorsement. "We're very pleased
the Republican Liberty Caucus supports our strategy," Phillips said, adding,
"We welcome members from any political party who share our belief that the
maximum role of civil government should be the protection of life, liberty and
property." Phillips hopes Republicans will show support for liberty at the 2004
Republican National Convention.
William Westmiller, RLC National Secretary, supplied the text of the
endorsement: "The Republican Liberty Caucus endorses and supports the objective
of the Free State Project, to gather together liberty-lovers in a single
political subdivision of the United States, specifically New Hampshire, in
order to 'exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society
in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life,
liberty and property.' We urge RLC members to support the FSP effort and work
within the Republican Party of New Hampshire to reduce government power by
promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free
enterprise."
Tim Condon, FSP Director of Member Services, was also appointed the RLC
Assistant Charter Director. Condon welcomed RLC members to the FSP, saying, "We
encourage everyone who shares these aims to join the Free State Project and
join the migration to the Free State – New Hampshire – to help us
achieve Liberty in Our Lifetime."
The Republican Liberty Caucus, Thousand Oaks, Calif., is a grassroots
nationwide organization affiliated with the Republican Party. The goal of the
RLC is to elect pro-liberty individuals to office. Their website is
www.rlc.org.
The non-partisan, non-profit Free State Project
(www.freestateproject.org) currently has 6,000 members, and is
recruiting a total of at least 20,000 to move to New Hampshire.
PDF
version of this press release
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.
# # #
For Immediate Release
June 17, 2004
SUBJECT: Free State Project 1st Annual "Porcupine Freedom Festival"
Contact: Amanda Phillips, National Spokesperson
Email:
aphillips@freestateproject.org
Phone: 617-763-1996
Website:
www.freestateproject.org
Lancaster, New Hampshire – More than 300 participants are expected to
arrive in Lancaster, New Hampshire, for the Free State Project's first-annual
Porcupine Freedom Festival. The festival will run from Thursday, the 24th of
June through Sunday the 27th, with most events scheduled for Saturday the 26th.
The weekend's activities at Roger's Campground will include a hike up Mount
Liberty, food and fun, the sale of FSP souvenirs, speeches from FSP leaders and
libertarian notables, and presentations on issues such as gun rights,
home-schooling, taxes, and industrial hemp. The festival is named in honor of
the group's mascot, the porcupine. Their website explains, "Porcupines are
certainly cute and non-aggressive, but you don't want to step on them!"
Tim Condon, FSP Director of Participant Services, said, "Until now, the
Free State Project has been a virtual organization, with participants scattered
across the country and connected only by the Internet. For most of them, the
Porcupine Freedom Festival will be the first opportunity to meet their comrades
in person, and in New Hampshire."
FSP founder and Yale political science lecturer Dr. Jason Sorens commented,
"This will be seen as a major milestone in the history of the Free State
Project-the time when an abstract plan became a concrete reality, as hundreds
of libertarian activists visited their future home together, with a real hope
of making a difference."
FSP President Amanda Phillips commented, "Just by crossing the state line
into New Hampshire, we are achieving a greater degree of liberty than we had in
the states we leave behind. Some are joining us for the weekend, and some for
the rest of our lives; the Porcupine Freedom Festival is a chance to discover
what our society of libertarians might look like."
The Free State Project (FSP) is a plan for 20,000 or more liberty-minded
people to move to New Hampshire, where they may work within the political
system to reduce the size and scope of government. Participants pledge to work
peacefully toward a society in which the maximum role of government is the
protection of life, liberty, and property. The non-partisan, non-profit FSP
organization chose the "Live Free or Die" state as its destination, and several
dozen of its more than 5,800 participants have already moved.
PDF
version of this press release
For Immediate Release
November 2, 2004
SUBJECT: Free State Project Recruits Displaced New London Residents
Contact: Amanda Phillips, President
Email:
aphillips@freestateproject.org
Phone: 617-763-1996
Website:
www.freestateproject.org
Recently, the city government of New London, Conn. condemned most of its
Fort Trumbull neighborhood in order to give the property to a private
developer. The case has generated a lawsuit
and
national media coverage.
The Free State Project (FSP), which is recruiting advocates of property
rights, free markets, and civil liberties to move to New Hampshire, saw an
opportunity.
"New London residents displaced by this abuse of eminent domain power
likely appreciate the value of private property rights more than most
Americans. They're also now looking for a place to live," explained FSP
founder Jason Sorens, who lives in New Haven, Conn. "We'd like to let them
know that this event could never happen in New Hampshire; the state supreme
court has ruled that private property may never be taken for mere 'economic
development' reasons."
Pat McCotter, another Connecticut Free Stater, took a fact-finding tour of
the Fort Trumbull neighborhood. "More people than you might realize have been
affected by the city government's action," he noted. "Not only were property
owners dispossessed, but people who'd leased property and run businesses on
that property for many years have also been kicked out."
The FSP is running a month-long ad on the
New London Day's website in order
to increase the visibility of the Project among local residents. This ad
follows other successful "shadow ads" that the group has run in South Carolina
and Vermont, generating significant national attention for the Project.
The Free State Project, founded in September 2001, chose New Hampshire as
its destination in October 2003 through a vote of signed-up participants.
Currently, over 6,100 people have committed to move to New Hampshire within the
next several years, and over 50 people have already moved.
This page provided for historical purposes. Many of the phone numbers are no longer valid. Please see www.freestateproject.org for contact information.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jason Sorens, President
Phone: 203-432-5824
Email: jsorens@freestateproject.org
Website: www.freestateproject.org
Free State Project picks New Hampshire
·Group aims to recruit 20,000 liberty-minded individuals to move
·Membership vote selects NH out of ten candidates for planned migration
·Free Staters hope to reinforce, enhance "sphere of individual liberty" in the Live Free or Die state
·Project has earned backing of NH governor, some state legislators
·Trickle of early movers expected to start this year
Aiming to preserve one bastion of freedom in the age of intrusive government, members of the rapidly growing Free State Project (FSP) have made a crucial decision. Voting via mail-in ballot after months of feisty debate, Free Staters chose New Hampshire as their future home.
Founded in 2001, the FSP's goal is to concentrate 20,000 liberty-oriented voters in one state. There, it is hoped, they will work to enhance and extend its existing culture of liberty. But until this week, it was anyone's guess whether that state would be
Montana, Wyoming, Delaware, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Idaho, North
Dakota, South Dakota, or Alaska.
The membership election took place through the innovative Condorcet's Method, which allowed voters to rank all states and selected the state that received a higher ranking than each other state from a majority of voters. The runner-up state was Wyoming, which defeated every other state but fell to New Hampshire by the decisive margin of 55 per cent to 45 per cent. The vote was counted and certified by EEMBC Certification Laboratory, who also published a white paper on the results.
"New Hampshire is clearly the consensus choice of Free Staters," commented FSP President and Yale political science professor Jason Sorens. "New Hampshire won a plurality of first-preference votes from every region of the country except the West."
"It's not difficult to see the reasons for New Hampshire's victory," adds Vice-President Elizabeth McKinstry, who is originally from New England. "The state boasts the lowest state and local tax burden in the continental U.S., the leanest state government in the country in terms of government spending and employment, a citizen legislature, a healthy job market, and perhaps most important, local support for our movement."
Over 100 New Hampshire residents have signed up for the Free State Project already, willing to move elsewhere but hoping to bring the movement to their home state. Governor Craig Benson even pledged to support the aims of the FSP, and several members of the legislature have signed up as members.
According to FSP Director of Member Services and Florida attorney Tim Condon, Free Staters should also be a boon for the economy of New Hampshire. "According to a member survey conducted concomitantly with the vote, 50% of our members have at least a Bachelor's degree, with 18% having done postgraduate work. Seventy-five per cent are under age 50, with 38% between the ages of 18 and 34. Those earning $60,000 or more per year constitute 44% of all members. The clear picture that emerges is one of a largely young, well educated, upwardly mobile group."
Several hurdles still face the movement, which currently has about 4,500 members pledged to migrate to New Hampshire. These challenges include recruiting another 15,500 members and continuing to build support for their cause within New Hampshire. If current recruitment trends continue, the group expects to reach 20,000 commitments by 2006, after which point members have five years in which to move.
But as Condon notes, "The member survey shows that 53% of members plan to move within three years, not waiting for the 20,000-member benchmark. Early movers should help recruitment by building a record of success."
REGIONAL MEDIA CONTACTS:
Phil Boncer, California, phil@boncer.com, (619) 280-3410
Kelton Baker, California, freestate@keltonbaker.com, (559) 999-8572
Lars Hedbor, Oregon, lars@hedbor.org, (503) 722-3849 cell (503) 781-0227
Devera Morgan, Texas, bruce_morgan@direcway.com, (972) 636-7503
Keith Murphy, Maryland, keithrmurphy@comcast.net, (410) 358-6284 cell (443) 570-3162
Doug Hillman, Alabama, hei@starband.net, (256) 449-9261
Amanda Phillips, Massachusetts, amanda42@rcn.com, (617) 763-1996
Michelle Dumas, New Hampshire, mmdumas@attbi.com, (603) 743-4957
James Maynard, New Hampshire, jgmaynard@yahoo.com, (603) 358-5079
PUBLICITY PHOTOS:
Elizabeth — Black & White, Color
Jason — Color
Porcupines Gather in New Hampshire for Annual Freedom
Festival
(PRWEB) - Lancaster, NH, July 14th 2005 -- The Free State Project, an
effort to get liberty-minded activists to migrate to New Hampshire, will hold
its second annual celebration in Lancaster. It will attract upwards of 500
people. The Porcupine Freedom Festival, also known as "PorcFest", runs from
July 23rd through the 31st.
Attendees will have a very wide range of activities and excursions to
choose from, including classes and speakers on a variety of issues, a mock town
hall meeting, a full fledged rock concert, a tour of selected NH cities, an
introduction to the shooting sports, a hike up Mt. Liberty, and a number of
luncheons and dinners with various themes. Alternatively, guests may opt to
just take in the scenic beauty of the area and simply relax and socialize with
fellow activists in the campground. Free State Project participants are
sometimes referred to as "porcupines", after the group's mascot.
Speakers this year include 2004 LP Presidential Candidate Michael Badnarik,
author James Bovard, privacy advocate Katherine Albrecht, FSP founder Jason
Sorens and other members of the FSP leadership, as well as many other activists
from around New Hampshire.
Varrin Swearingen, PorcFest organizer, believes this may be the
best-attended libertarian event of the year. "We already have 333 people
pre-registered, a large increase over last year. Based on last year's
registrations and attendance, we expect between 400 and 500, making PorcFest
the premier pro-freedom event of 2005."
Roger's Campground, the largest camp facility in New Hampshire, will again
host the event. Roger's offers both motel rooms and camp sites with all of the
amenities.
There is no admission charge for PorcFest '05 although some
extra-curricular activities may have a small charge. For those who do not stay
at Roger's Campground, there is a small daily entrance fee charged by Roger's.
About the Free State Project The Free State Project is an agreement among
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 success of the Project would likely entail reductions in taxation and
regulation, reforms at all levels of government to expand individual rights and
free markets, and a restoration of constitutional federalism, demonstrating the
benefits of liberty to the rest of the nation and the world.
Who: All liberty lovers are encouraged to attend
What: PorcFest '05, the 2nd annual Free State Project gathering
Where: Rogers' Campground, Lancaster, NH & offsite events
When: 7/23/2005 through 7/31/2005
More Info: www.FreeStateProject.org/festival
Media Contacts -
PorcFest inquiries:
Varrin Swearingen, varrin at freestateproject.org
Phone: 603-499-4145
Seth Cohn, scohn at freestateproject.org
Phone: 603-738-8628
General media inquiries on FSP:
Amanda Phillips, aphillips at freestateproject.org
# # #
Free State Project
Seth Cohn
603-738-8628
This press release is also online at Yahoo!
News.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Elizabeth McKinstry, Vice President
Free State Project, Inc.
Phone: (517) 437-4341
Email: emckinstry@freestateproject.org
Web site: www.freestateproject.org
Free State Project Vice President Speaking in
Spokane
March 24, 2003 – Elizabeth McKinstry, Vice President of
the Free State Project, will be speaking in a forum hosted by The College
Republicans at Gonzaga University on Friday, April 4. Other speakers include
author Dr. James Payne, and Dr. John Beck, Gonzaga School of Economics.
The Free State Project is an effort to identify the best state
for advocates of strictly limited government to move to and live in, and to
obtain commitments from those willing to move. There are ten states being
considered by the Project - Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont,
South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Maine - and once 5,000
commitments have been obtained, the state will be chosen by a membership vote.
The Free State Project currently counts over 3,000 members committed to
moving.
"The Free State Project is the result of the long-standing
American traditions of individual liberty and limited government," says FSP
Vice-President Elizabeth McKinstry. "Whichever state we choose, we hope to
integrate fully into existing communities and work alongside longtime residents
to hold politicians accountable, and to make government smaller and more
responsive to citizens' concerns."
Elizabeth McKinstry has been Vice-President of the Free State Project since
its incorporation, and lives in Hillsdale, Michigan. She has spoken on behalf
of the FSP numerous times.
The event will be held in the Mock Court Room at the Gonzaga School of Law,
at 7pm. For more details on the event, contact Paul Schaefer at
pschafer@gonzaga.edu.
END
For Immediate Release
January 13, 2006
SUBJECT: The Free State Project Seeks THE FIRST 1000
CONTACT:
Varrin
Swearingen, FSP Director
Free State Project, Inc.
Phone: 559-709-8150
Fax: 815-301-9123
The Free State Project announced today the launch of The First 1000
program, a program designed to speed the migration of liberty lovers to the
state of New Hampshire.
The Free State Project, begun in 2001 as the brainchild of Dr. Jason
Sorens, is committed to getting 20,000 individuals to agree to move to New
Hampshire where they will work to bring about a society in which government's
maximum role is protecting life, liberty, and property. There are almost 7,000
signers to that commitment.
Already, over 100 individuals have moved to New Hampshire as part of their
commitment to the Free State Project. But signers are not obligated to move
until 20,000 have signed up. Now, the Free State Project is challenging its
participants and other freedom oriented individuals to move to New Hamsphire
sooner.
"We want to create a beacon for liberty in New Hampshire," said Varrin
Swearingen, FSP director and Vice President. "Those of us who have already
moved have seen what a difference just a few people can make. We want to see
for ourselves, and show the rest of the world, what 1,000 can do."
Ian Bernard, an FSP participant, long time supporter, and host of Free Talk
Live is promoting the challenge. Ian challenges 999 other freedom oriented
individuals to commit to a move to the Free State by the end of 2008. The
pledge terminates at the end of this year.
While the Free State Project has no official agenda other than encouraging
libertarian activists to move to New Hampshire, participants are expected to
work toward reducing government in the areas they care most about. Some
examples of issues being championed by individual activists include fighting
the exploitation of eminent domain by private interests, decriminalizing
marijuana possession, and increasing educational freedom.
More Info
For Immediate Release
October 31, 2004
SUBJECT: New Hampshire Reforms Nonresident Pistol/Revolver License
Rules
Contact: Evan Nappen, Vice President
Email:
enappen@freestateproject.org
Phone: 888-GUN-LAWS
Website:
www.freestateproject.org
The NH Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules approved
new rules – now, someone with a valid license to carry from
any state, not just their own home state, is eligible for a license in
New Hampshire. (Before, only home state licensee's were eligible). Here is the
link to the new "Chapter Saf-C 2100 Nonresident Pistol/Revolver License" rules:
www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/saf-c2100.html
For example: Florida offers a "shall issue" carry license to any
U.S. citizen. With any one of those licenses anyone can get a New Hampshire
carry license, even if one's home state does not issue (such as New Jersey).
The application for a "New Hampshire Non-resident Carry License" may be
downloaded from this link:
webster.state.nh.us/safety/nhsp/documents/dssp260.pdf
Gun Owners of New Hampshire (GONH)
www.gonh.org, the NRA, and individual Free State Project (FSP) members
working together can take credit for this change. Specifically GONH President
and State Representative Hon. Elbert Bicknell (R-73), GONH Director Sam Cohen,
and NRA Board of Directors Member Scott Bach, Esq. (NJ)
www.bachbio.com were the primary movers
of this important change and deserve our thanks. Free State Project Vice
President and Gun Rights Liaison Evan F. Nappen, Esq. also directly
participated in the request for the change. This change greatly affect FSP
participants who come from home States which do not offer a license to carry.
Important thanks and credit is also due to New Hampshire Department of Safety
Assistant Commissioner Earl M. Sweeney.
For more information on New Hampshire Firearm Laws and Rules go to this
link:
webster.state.nh.us/safety/nhsp/plu.html
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Eddie Bradford, FSP Houston
Eddie_G_Bradford@hotmail.com
(713) 213-0016
Freedom Movement Welcomed in Houston
Houston, December 19 - The Free State Project, brainchild of Libertarian
Jason Sorens (26, political science doctoral candidate at Yale University) is a
plan to enlist 20,000 "liberty-oriented individuals" to move to a state, where
they could reform everything from criminal codes to tax structure.
Since its founding in September 2001, the Free State Project has blossomed
into a full-fledged freedom movement with more than 2,000 members from across
the US and World. Local groups have been organizing, and Sorens will be
speaking at a local meeting in Houston on Tuesday, December 24th to promote the
Free State Project to area libertarians and to answer questions about the
progress and goals of the Free State Project.
Sorens graduated from St. Thomas' Episcopal School in Houston and is looking
forward to returning to his hometown. "There is a strong movement in favor of
individual rights and free markets in the Houston area," says Sorens. "It's no
surprise that the Houston chapter of the Free State Project is one of our most
enthusiastic and active groups."
The Free State Project was founded out of disappointment with the
libertarian movement's long-term lack of progress at the national level.
According to research published on the group's website, 20,000 political
activists could win statewide majorities in several low-population states
around the country.
The group is planning to meet at noon at Escalante's (Meyerland) restaurant.
For more information on the Free State Project, see the website at
www.freestateproject.org.
END
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