| Free State Project | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Free State Project |
|
| Motto | "Liberty in Our Lifetime" |
| Formation | September 1, 2001 |
| Headquarters | Keene, New Hampshire, United States |
| Membership | 10,000+ |
| Official languages | English |
| President | Varrin Swearingen |
| Website | freestateproject.org |
The Free State Project (FSP) is a political movement, founded in 2001, to get at least 20,000 libertarian-leaning people to move to New Hampshire in order to make the state a stronghold for libertarian ideals.
Those who join the Free State Project sign a statement of intent to move to New Hampshire within five years of the group reaching 20,000 participants. Those who move to New Hampshire in advance of the FSP reaching 20,000 participants are referred to as "early movers".
As of March 14, 2010, there were 10,000 participants, 797 of which had moved to New Hampshire.[1] The movement achieved a victory in 2006 when one of its participants, Joel Winters, was elected to the New Hampshire General Court. Winters ran as a Democrat.[2] In 2008, six Free Staters were elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, including Winters, according to group participants.[3]
Several project participants also belong to the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance.[4]
Contents |
The movement identifies itself as supporting free markets and constitutional federalism. The movement's mission statement, adopted in 2005, states:
| “ | 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.[5] | ” |
The Free State Project was founded in 2001 by Jason Sorens, then a Ph.D. student at Yale University.[6] Sorens published an article in The Libertarian Enterprise highlighting the failure of libertarians to elect any candidate to federal office, and outlining his ideas for a secessionist movement, and calling people to respond to him with interest.[7] The movement has, since then, come to emphasize secessionism much less strongly, with Sorens publishing a note in the journal to this effect in 2004.[8] Sorens has stated that the movement continues an American tradition of political migration, which includes groups such as Mormon settlers in Utah and Amish religious communities.[9]
The group movement began without a specific state in mind. A systematic review started by narrowing potential target states to those with a population of less than 1.5 million, and those where the combined spending in 2000 by the Democratic and Republican parties was less than $5.2 million, the total national spending by the Libertarian Party in that year. Hawaii and Rhode Island were eliminated from this list because of their propensity for centralized government.[10]
A ballot in September 2003 was held to choose a state to focus the movement's efforts on. The ballot used the Condorcet method to choose the target state.[11] New Hampshire was the winner, with Wyoming coming in second by a 55% to 45% margin.[11] Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Vermont, and the Dakotas were also on the list.[9]
The state of New Hampshire was chosen because the perceived individualist culture of New Hampshire was thought to resonate well with libertarian ideals.[2] The movement, however, has drawn criticism from some New Hampshire residents, mostly Democrats and those in towns with spending problems, concerned about population pressure and opposition to increased taxation. Republicans, on the other hand, have responded more favorably to the project, because of their espoused agreement on small government.[12]
The Free State Project is the official organizer of two annual events in New Hampshire:
There are many projects created by Free State Project participants, with similar ideas to the Free State Project, none of which have been officially endorsed the Free State Project, which remains strictly neutral on policy issues, electoral politics, and controversies about tactics.[13] Free Staters themselves often strongly disagree over whether means such as civil disobedience or electoral politics are appropriate or useful.[14] [15] [16]
Several Free State Project participants have taken part in acts of civil disobedience within New Hampshire. Lauren Canario was arrested for driving without a license, and then refused to co-operate with legal proceedings. She was arrested for a second time when she entered a court building without permission to retrieve a camera that had been taken from her.[citation needed]
On January 10, 2009, Andrew Carroll, an 18-year-old Free State Project participant, took part in an act of marijuana civil disobedience. Though he does not smoke it himself, he openly possessed marijuana, in order to demonstrate what he believes to be the stupidity of the drug war.[17] Carroll was arrested for this, and was found guilty - but is opting to spend eight days in jail and appeal the conviction rather than pay a $420 fine. [18]
In April 2009, Sam Dodson was arrested for filming in a court lobby. Because he refused to give his name (asserting his Fifth Amendment right), he was held in jail for nearly two months before being released for unknown reasons.[19]
Free Keene is an unofficial initiative to encourage people to move specifically to Keene, New Hampshire. The website lists "111+ Reasons to Move to Keene", and also documents activity already happening in Keene. Free Keene places a large emphasis on civil disobedience, rather than political activism.[20]
The New Hampshire Free Press[21] is published in Keene. Originally known as the Keene Free Press, the paper began as a web-based newspaper in November 2005, expanding to a twice a month print edition in February 2006. In 2008 the name of the paper was changed to its current form. The print edition has a printing volume of 5,000 copies.[22] The printed paper is available free at locations throughout New Hampshire.
The Free Press is edited by Russell Kanning, an organiser of the New Hampshire Underground website,[23] and is called the Free State Gazette by many of the residents of Keene.
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA)[24] is a New Hampshire non-partisan coalition whose goal is to increase individual freedom. The organization supports candidates for state and local office and lobbies the legislature from an individual-rights point of view. Founded by New Hampshire residents, many Free Staters who have moved to the state have joined the NHLA.
On August 11, 2009, William Kostric, a New Hampshire resident and Free State Project participant was seen wearing a holstered sidearm while attending a protest against universal health care at a town hall meeting in Portsmouth called by President Barack Obama. Kostric never attempted to enter the venue of the town hall, but rather stood some distance away with other protesters on private property. Open carry is legal in New Hampshire, and Kostric noted in interviews that other protesters were carrying concealed-carrying firearms.[citation needed]
Pam Martens, a free-lance writer for CounterPunch.org, claims that the organization's formation was due largely to a corporate agenda to increase corporate profits by limiting government regulation. [25] Various Free State Project participants have criticized her articles as factually inaccurate and poorly researched, while claiming that Martens' antagonism stems from a personal dispute with one of her neighbors who happens to be a participant in the Free State Project.[26] [27]
| Free State Project | |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Liberty in Our Lifetime" |
| Formation | September 1, 2001 |
| Headquarters | Keene, New Hampshire, United States |
| Membership | 10,000+ |
| Official languages | English |
| President | Varrin Swearingen |
| Website | freestateproject.org |
The Free State Project (FSP) is a political movement, founded in 2001, to get at least 20,000 libertarian-leaning people to move to New Hampshire in order to make the state a stronghold for libertarian ideas.
Those who join the Free State Project sign a statement of intent to move to New Hampshire within five years of the group reaching 20,000 participants. Those who move to New Hampshire in advance of the FSP reaching 20,000 participants are referred to as "early movers". As of August 2010, there were 10,300 participants, 838 of which had moved to New Hampshire.[1]
In 2006 one of its participants, Joel Winters, was elected to the state legislature, running as a Democrat.[2] In 2008, six Free Staters were elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, including Winters, according to group participants.[3]
Contents |
The movement identifies itself as supporting free markets and constitutional federalism. The movement's mission statement, adopted in 2005, states:
| “ | 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.[4] | ” |
The Free State Project was founded in 2001 by Jason Sorens, then a Ph.D. student at Yale University.[5] Sorens published an article in The Libertarian Enterprise highlighting the failure of libertarians to elect any candidate to federal office, and outlining his ideas for a secessionist movement, and calling people to respond to him with interest.[6] The movement has, since then, come to emphasize secessionism much less strongly, with Sorens publishing a note in the journal to this effect in 2004.[7] Sorens has stated that the movement continues an American tradition of political migration, which includes groups such as Mormon settlers in Utah and Amish religious communities.[8]
The group movement began without a specific state in mind. A systematic review started by narrowing potential target states to those with a population of less than 1.5 million, and those where the combined spending in 2000 by the Democratic and Republican parties was less than $5.2 million, the total national spending by the Libertarian Party in that year. Hawaii and Rhode Island were eliminated from this list because of their propensity for centralized government.[9]
A ballot in September 2003 was held to choose a state to focus the movement's efforts on. The ballot used the Condorcet method to choose the target state.[10] New Hampshire was the winner, with Wyoming coming in second by a 55% to 45% margin.[10] Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Vermont, and the Dakotas were also on the list.[8]
The state of New Hampshire was chosen because the perceived individualist culture of New Hampshire was thought to resonate well with libertarian ideals.[2] The movement, however, has drawn criticism from some New Hampshire residents concerned about population pressure and opposition to increased taxation. Republicans, on the other hand, have responded more favorably to the project, because of their espoused agreement on small government.[11]
The Free State Project is the official organizer of two annual events in New Hampshire:
There are many projects created by Free State Project participants, with similar ideas to the Free State Project, none of which have been officially endorsed by the Free State Project, which remains strictly neutral on policy issues, electoral politics, and controversies about tactics.[12] Free Staters themselves often strongly disagree over whether means such as civil disobedience or electoral politics are appropriate or useful.[13][14][15]
Several Free State Project participants have taken part in acts of civil disobedience within New Hampshire. Lauren Canario was arrested for driving without a license, and then refused to co-operate with legal proceedings. She was arrested for a second time when she entered a court building without permission to retrieve a camera that had been taken from her.[citation needed]
On January 10, 2009, Andrew Carroll, an 18-year-old Free State Project participant, took part in an act of marijuana civil disobedience. Though Carroll claims to not smoke marijuana himself, he openly possessed it in order to demonstrate what he believes to be the immorality of the drug war.[16] Carroll was arrested for this, and was found guilty - but he opted to spend eight days in jail rather than pay a $420 fine.[17] In September of the same year, people began having daily "420 celebrations" in Keene during which marijuana is openly consumed in public. Despite several arrests, people have continued attending them. Similar protests have also started occurring in other parts of New Hampshire.[18]
In April 2009, Sam Dodson was arrested for filming in a court lobby. Because he refused to give his name (asserting his Fifth Amendment right), he was held in jail for nearly two months before being released for unknown reasons.[19]
Free Keene is an unofficial initiative to encourage people to move specifically to Keene, New Hampshire. The website lists "130+ Reasons to Move to Keene", and also documents activity already happening in Keene. Free Keene places a large emphasis on civil disobedience, rather than political activism. Many residents of Keene consider this group as nothing more than wannabe hippies, welfare scammers, and lowlife crybabies.[20]
The New Hampshire Free Press[21] is published in Keene. Originally known as the Keene Free Press, the paper began as a web-based newspaper in November 2005, expanding to a twice a month print edition in February 2006. In 2008 the name of the paper was changed to its current form. The print edition has a printing volume of 5,000 copies.[22] The printed paper is available free at locations throughout New Hampshire.
The Free Press is edited by Russell Kanning, an organiser of the New Hampshire Underground website,[23] and is called the Free State Gazette by many of the residents of Keene.
It has been found that people using the Free Keene Gazette as liners in cat boxes, birdcages and housebreaking areas for dogs results in these pets not using their designated areas for toilet areas and prefer to use other ares of the home for these purposes.
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA)[24] is a New Hampshire non-partisan coalition whose goal is to increase individual freedom. The organization supports candidates for state and local office and lobbies the legislature from an individual-rights point of view. Founded by New Hampshire residents, many Free Staters who have moved to the state have joined the NHLA.[citation needed]
Pam Martens, a free-lance writer for CounterPunch.org, claims that the organization's formation was due largely to a corporate agenda to increase corporate profits by limiting government regulation.[25] Various Free State Project participants have criticized her articles as factually inaccurate and poorly researched, while claiming that Martens' antagonism stems from a personal dispute with one of her neighbors who happens to be a participant in the Free State Project.[26][27]
   | FreeStateProject.org - Free State Project Home [ Free State Project - Liberty in Our Lifetime ] |
| | FreeTalkLive.com - Free Talk Live : 100% Pro-Liberty Talk Radio |
| | European free state project - European Freestate Project - Home |
| | Free State Project - The First 1000 [ Free State Project - Liberty in Our Lifetime ] |
| | Mission Statement - Mission Statement [ Free State Project - Liberty in Our Lifetime ] |
| | What Can 20,000 Liberty Activists Accomplish in New Hampshire? - What Can 20K Liberty Activists Accomplish in NH? [ Free State Project - Liberty in Our Lifetime ] |
| | Free State Project - Participant Move Plans [ Free State Project - Liberty in Our Lifetime ] |
| | Free State Project cheers on one of its own in Winters - Free State Project cheers one of its own in Winters - The Boston Globe |
| | "Notification of Resignation of 'Membership'in Free State Project" - Notification of Resignation of "Membership" in Free State Project |
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