For Immediate Release
May 26, 2004
SUBJECT: Free State Project Attends the Libertarian Party National
Convention
Contact: Amanda Phillips, National Spokesperson
Email:
aphillips@freestateproject.org
Phone: 617-763-1996
Website:
www.freestateproject.org
Atlanta, Georgia – The Free State Project (FSP), the hottest and
fastest-growing libertarian and liberty-minded group in the country, will
attend the Libertarian Party National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia from
Thursday May 27th - Monday May 31, 2004 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel,
Peachtree Center. In addition to exhibiting at the Conference, Dr. Jason
Sorens, Founder of the FSP, Amanda Phillips, President, and Alan R. Weiss, Vice
President, will attend and speak at a special breakout session.
The FSP will hold its special breakout session on Saturday, May 29th, 3:00
p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in the Consulate Room of the Marriott Marquis Hotel Convention
Center. All are welcome to attend. Special consideration will be granted to the
Press for interviews.
The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented
people will move to New Hampshire, where they may work within the political
system to reduce the size and scope of government. Participants pledge to work
toward a society where the maximum role of civil government is the protection
of life, liberty, and property. The FSP recently chose the "Live Free or Die"
state as its destination, and began the migration.
While the FSP itself does not endorse any particular political party or
candidate for office, it clearly finds fertile ground amongst the Libertarians
attending this convention.
"The Free State Project will gather the energy of liberty-minded people in
one small state where we can make a big difference," said FSP President Amanda
Phillips. FSP Vice President Alan R. Weiss noted, "Libertarians are famous for
reasoned, impassioned arguments for liberty. The FSP is a chance to put those
ideas into action."
"We're here to light the beacon for those who want liberty in our
lifetime," said FSP Founder Dr. Jason Sorens. "The Free State Project
concentrates our resources so we may influence the political process toward
liberty in positive ways."
The Free State Project, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, currently
has 5,700 participants, and is recruiting a total of at least 20,000 to move to
New Hampshire.
PDF
version of this press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Elizabeth McKinstry, Vice President
Free State Project, Inc.
For Immediate Release
May 31, 2004
SUBJECT: Free State Project Participant Wins Libertarian Party
Presidential Nomination
Contact: Amanda Phillips, National Spokesperson
Email:
aphillips@freestateproject.org
Phone: 617-763-1996
Website:
www.freestateproject.org
Atlanta, Georgia – After three rounds of balloting in a close race,
the Libertarian Party (LP) nominated for its presidential candidate Michael
Badnarik, a computer expert, constitutional scholar, and enthusiastic supporter
of the Free State Project.
The Free State Project (FSP) is a plan for 20,000 or more liberty-oriented
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
toward a society where the maximum role of government is the protection of
life, liberty, and property. The FSP chose the "Live Free or Die" state as its
destination, and the migration has begun.
Badnarik writes, "Most people approve of libertarian principles, but they
are not convinced that those principles will work in practice. The Free State
Project will soon demonstrate that our principles not only work, but that they
are absolutely necessary to living in a free society. Freedom is not a
spectator sport. Please get involved!"
In fact, all three leading candidates for the LP presidential nomination
are supporters of the Free State Project. Michael Badnarik and Gary Nolan are
both signed participants, and Aaron Russo has given his strong endorsement.
While the FSP is not associated with any particular political party and does
not endorse any candidate for office, the FSP welcomes support from LP
candidates and party members.
LP member and FSP Vice President Alan R. Weiss gave a nominating speech on
Badnarik's behalf. Afterward Weiss said, "All three LP presidential candidates
are outstanding defenders of liberty. Mike Badnarik has supported the FSP for
well over a year, and we can't wait to have the Summer White House in New
Hampshire."
FSP founder and Yale political science lecturer Dr. Jason Sorens commented,
"Mike is a fantastic candidate. His passion and eloquence in favor of the
values Free Staters believe in won over the LP; I look forward to his winning
over many more Americans."
The Libertarian Party has for many years been the third-largest political
party in the US, and stands for freedom and responsibility, both personal and
economic.
The Free State Project, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, currently
has over 5,800 participants, and is recruiting a total of at least 20,000 to
move to New Hampshire.
PDF
version of this press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jason Sorens, President
Free State Project, Inc.
Phone: (828) 225-1951
Email: info@freestateproject.org
Website: www.freestateproject.org
Free State Project President Speaking in Delaware
March 7, 2003 - Jason Sorens, founder and president of the Free State
Project, will address the Libertarian Party of Delaware state convention
tomorrow. The Free State Project is an effort to identify the best state for
libertarians and other advocates of strictly limited government to move to and
live in, and to obtain commitments from those willing to move. Delaware is one
of the ten states being considered by the Project, and once 5,000 commitments
have been obtained, the state will be chosen by a membership vote. The Free
State Project currently counts over 2,800 members committed to moving.
The Free State Project (FSP) was recently featured in stories in the
Wilmington News-Journal and Baltimore Sun. "The Libertarian movement has
existed for decades and produced leading intellectuals and Nobel Prize winners,
but despite all that it hasn't had much influence on a national level," said
Sorens for the Sun story. "I think it's time we concentrate our resources in a
place where we have a shot at actually winning."
Delaware is known for its pro-business environment, but has been trending
leftward in recent years, with its statewide ban on indoor smoking,
Wilmington's "pre-crime" profiling database, and new gun registration proposals
in Wilmington. Many Free State Project members believe that Delaware retains
its heritage of economic liberty but is increasingly trampling on its citizens'
personal rights. On the other hand, two reports on Delaware on the FSP
website, freestateproject.org, are mostly positive, noting the favorable job
climate and compact area.
The Libertarian Party of Delaware will be holding its convention on Saturday
February 8th from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Smyrna Fire House Social Hall, 103 W.
Commerce St., Smyrna (opposite First Presbyterian Church).
END
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 Coeur
d'Alene
March 24, 2003 – Elizabeth McKinstry, Vice President of the Free State
Project, will be speaking in a forum hosted by Libertarian Party of Idaho at
North Idaho College on Saturday, April 5. Other speakers include author Dr.
James Payne, Dr. John Beck, Gonzaga School of Business, Mr, Bill Denman, an
economist and political activist in the state of Idaho, and Mr. Rob Chase, a
Washington state activist and Libertarian Party candidate for Congress.
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 attraction of Idaho for many members of the project is the fierce
independence of its residents, and its commitment to the ideals of individual
liberty. Idaho residents may find themselves a group of political friends and
allies in the Free State Project members, all of whom recognize the virtues of
self-reliance, individual freedom, and small state government.
"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 Driftwood Bay Room of the North Idaho College
Student Union Building, at 6pm. For more details on the event, contact Rob
Chase at Rchase340@cs.com.
END
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jason Sorens, President
Free State Project, Inc.
Phone: 828-273-8863
Email: info@freestateproject.org
Web site: www.freestateproject.org
Free State Project Reaches Membership
Milestone
September 3, 2002 – The Free State Project, a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented
people will move to a single state of the U.S. to secure there a free society,
this week reached an exciting milestone of 1000 members.
Since the FSP's founding in September of 2001, over one thousand people have
decided that this route represents the most viable strategy toward the creation
of a free state. According to Jason Sorens, the
project’s founder, "This exciting milestone is a confirmation that
we have a feasible solution that resonates with the politically
disaffected."
The membership numbers over the past year indicate that the project will
meet its self-imposed deadline of September 2006 for the beginning of the move.
The Free State Project has grown on average 25% each month; at this rate, the
ultimate goal of 20,000 will be reached by the middle of 2003. As long as the
membership continues to grow by at least 10% each month, the Project will reach
its goal by early 2005 at the latest.
The Free State Project, recently endorsed by respected economist Walter E.
Williams in a widely syndicated column,
is a new strategy for freedom. Founded by Jason Sorens, a Yale doctoral student
in Political science, the Free State Project aims at liberty in a single state.
The FSP membership favors cuts in state taxes and elimination of wasteful state
government programs, an end to collaboration between state and federal law
enforcement officials in enforcing federal drug and gun laws, the privatization
of utilities, and the abolition of inefficient regulations and monopolies.
For more information, please go to www.freestateproject.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Free State Project, Inc.
Email: info@freestateproject.org
Web: www.freestateproject.org
Phone: 888-532-4604
February 4, 2003 - The Free State Project (FSP) announced today that it has
reached the halfway membership mark on its way to choosing a single state as
the best location for libertarians and other advocates of limited government to
settle and live. The FSP attained 2,500 signed-up members on January 29, 2003,
putting it halfway toward its near-term goal of 5,000 members, whereupon the
membership will vote on which of the finalist candidate states will be chosen.
The Free State Project aims to marshal 20,000 politically committed members
who promise to move to the chosen state by signing a Statement of Intent. As
such, they agree to migrate to the "Free State" within five years after the FSP
attains 20,000 commitments. Part of the pledge is that once they arrive in the
Free State, they will work to reduce the size of government until its only
functions are protecting life, liberty, and property. If the Free State
"Porcupines" (thus called because of the group's logo) succeed, state and local
taxes will ultimately be reduced to a fraction of current levels, laws creating
"victimless crimes" will eventually be repealed, and property rights will be
rigorously respected.
"The Free State Project's growth rate has been increasing over the past six
months," noted president Jason Sorens. "If we maintain our momentum, we will
reach 5,000 and hold the vote before the end of this year, perhaps as soon as
this summer." Sorens, a doctoral student in political science at Yale, says
that research shows that 20,000 political activists could have a major effect
in all of the states being considered.
Which states are being considered? The ten final candidates are Alaska,
Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Vermont, and Wyoming. "We'd like to pick a state that already has a
freedom-oriented population," said Tim Condon, Free State Project Director of
Member Services. "That should enable us to migrate to the state and work with
an already existing movement to lower taxes, restore property rights, and
reduce state government bureaucracy." To that end the Free State Project has
been researching states on the basis of multiple factors such as voting
population and trends, dependence on federal monies, and taxation levels, as
well as cultural and "liveability" measures. The organization's website, found
at www.freestateproject.org, features in-depth models and research on the
candidate states.
The Project has been featured in publications such as "Reason" and
"Liberty" magazines, has received coverage in local newspapers in San
Francisco, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, and elsewhere, and has been
endorsed by many figures in the libertarian movement: author "Boston T.
Party," professor Walter Williams, writers Vin Suprynowicz and Claire Wolfe,
and the former president of free-market.net, Louis James. In addition, the
Libertarian Party organizations of New Hampshire and Maine have officially
endorsed the Free State Project and are lobbying FSP members to vote for their
respective states. Several other state Libertarian organizations are expected
to follow suit.
END
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Jason Sorens, President
Free State Project, Inc.
Phone: (828) 225-1951
Email:
info@freestateproject.org
Website: www.freestateproject.org
Free State Project Sets Vote Date, Garners Endorsements
June 1, 2003
The Free State Project, the effort to sign up 20,000 advocates of limited
government to move to a single state, passed the 4,000-member mark early this
month. The intermediate goal of the Free State Project (FSP) has been to reach
5,000 commitments, at which point members will vote among the ten "candidate
states," Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. Once the group reaches 20,000 commitments,
members have five years in which to move to the chosen state; however, some
members have already indicated that they will move as soon as the state is
chosen.
Because of rapid growth, the FSP has set a date for their vote. The deadline
to sign up to participate in the vote is August 15, by which time the FSP
should have over 5,000 members according to projections. The deadline for
members to return their ballots is September 8, and the winner of the vote will
be announced on September 15.
"Advocates for the states under consideration have begun compiling summary
arguments as to why their state should be chosen," says Jason Sorens, founder
and president of the organization. "These reports will be included with the
ballots so that all members can make an informed decision." Recently, boosters
of Western states held a conference in Missoula, Montana that drew
approximately 150 people, while promoters of New Hampshire held a "getaway
vacation" event in Lancaster, N.H. from June 21 to 29.
"All the candidate states are solid choices," says vice president Elizabeth
McKinstry. "We limited the selection to this group because they are all states
with traditions of individual liberty and resilient, inclusive, independent
cultures. They're places where most of us would feel at home."
The Free State Project has also attracted some prominent members of late.
Among those who have signed up recently are Art Olivier of Bellflower,
California, the 1998-99 mayor of Bellflower and 2000 Libertarian Party
candidate for Vice-President of the U.S., and Michael Badnarik of Austin, Texas
and Gary Nolan of Cleveland, Ohio, who are currently campaigning for the
Libertarian nod for President in 2004 and both of whom spoke at the recent New
Hampshire event. "The Free State Project is not affiliated with the
Libertarian Party and has members from all parties, but our political
philosophy - that at most government exists to protect individual rights -
could well be described as broadly libertarian," explains Dr. Sorens.
END
FSP Mentioned on Hannity & Colmes
Logan Darrow Clements was on Fox TV's "Hannity & Colmes" on 7/22/05
discussing the Lost Liberty Hotel, and gave a nice mention of the FSP.
Also appearing was a Weare resident who supported Clements.
Here are video clips:
Background:
In the wake of Kelo v.
City of New London, private developer, Logan Darrow Clements, has
applied to take possession of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Souter's New
Hampshire residence for the purpose of building "The Lost Liberty Hotel,"
featuring the "Just Desserts Cafe," and a museum dedicated to the loss of
American freedom. He hopes that Free Staters will be regular customers.
Other links:
As members of the media, if you can't find the information you need on this site, please don't hesitate to contact us directly. We will be happy to provide you with additional information or interviews. If you are a member of the working press corps, please e-mail or phone your inquiry to:
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