Education Freedom Accounts are on the menu! How much adequacy funds are currently being allocated? What’s up with the surprising pushback from homeschoolers? Isn’t it time for change? Let’s put problem solvers in charge, and stop leaning into past failures that have resulted in poor educational outcomes!
Last weekend, Free Staters gathered together to celebrate the Free State Project’s 5th Annual Porcupine Day. This sold-out event showcased the PBS documentary film about world-renowned economist Thomas Sowell, Common Sense in a Senseless World, and we were honored to welcome the president of Free To Choose Network, Robert Chatfield, as one of our speakers.
Porcupine Day holds great significance for me as a milestone because five years ago, under my leadership, we landed Edward Snowden to speak at Liberty Forum, and triggered the move, calling all principled libertarians home to the Free State of New Hampshire.
On Saturday, we celebrated the hard work necessary to take the musings of a graduate student in an online essay and turn it into a genuine, grounds-up libertarian movement, the one and only of its kind in the world! The reality of what we are building in New Hampshire is the global success story for libertarianism. Not only do Free Staters put the “move” in “movement,” we are not going anywhere, and, in fact, we’re growing like never before!
Vince Perfetto showed us some impressive numbers. In addition to significant measurable year-over-year growth between 2019-2021, Vince included a goal to increase the mover rate 50% in 2021, from 225 to 338. This is an exciting and aggressive goal, and he will need all of our community’s support to achieve this. How can YOU help activate a new mover?
You should support the brave vanguard that, frankly, every libertarian should be helping in some way, either by moving, donating, or telling a friend. Share our social media posts, sign up for the newsletter, get (and stay) involved!
Speeches were also given by some of our local allies. State Representative Herschel Nunez spoke on behalf of the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and Andrew Manuse of ReBuild NH gave us a run down of their ReOpen activities over the lockdown. Jeremy Kauffman of the Free State Project’s board floated a few new ideas for consideration, including what the definition of “free stater” should be now that we’re doing away with the formal pledge and pivoting towards simply marketing New Hampshire as “the best state for libertarians, period”. The FSP is also considering changes to our board structure and bylaws to create a more “shareholder/membership” based model to reward doers and donors more effectively. Want a greater say in the organization? Contribute to our success!
I spoke briefly about the history of Porcupine Day, the ridiculous year we had in 2020, and how totalitarianism helps us grow by allowing us to sell New Hampshire as a “libertarian safe space.” I plugged my recent appearance on The Tom Woods Show, thanked Porcupine Day organizer, Stephen Nass, for his excellent work putting together a successful event, and told folks about PorcFest XVIII being spearheaded by Dennis Pratt. I also unveiled the new Free State Passport, a unique initiative to help the groundswell of new movers we are expecting. The passport includes “visa” prompts inside to direct new movers to network more efficiently with the existing community. The goal is to have a scaleable way to assist new movers in order to better integrate into the existing community. I will post more information about this “Passport to Freedom” in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
You can read the full speech I delivered back in 2016 to announce that the move had been triggered in my collection of award-winning work, The Ecstatic Pessimist, but you can catch some highlights from this post, A Free State: An Idea Whose Time Has Come. As I said in 2016, the ability to freely use the internet has always been crucial to our success, and back then, I told the Statists to keep their grubby little paws off OUR internet… At the time, I never thought de-platforming and cancel culture would become the norm we see today. It is clear to me (having just come off my own 30 day Facebook ban) that we are losing the battle for free speech, and need to push back even harder. On the plus side, as government overreaches more and more, more and more people are waking up, and we already know, you can’t put the liberty genie back in the bottle once you know what liberty looks and feels like…
So… long-term, we will win, but I fear it is going to get worse before it gets better, and it’s going to take time and treasure, and reinforcements… It is going to take… YOU!
Come join the fun! Not ready to move quite yet, but curious? Come to the 18th Annual Porcupine Freedom Festival, aka PorcFest, taking place June 21-27, 2021 in the White Mountains. Join thousands of like-minded people for a weeklong celebration, with confirmed speakers like Tom Woods and Jeffrey Tucker. This year, we are putting ourselves front and center, and showcasing our incredible community of incredible free staters doing incredible things. Learn more at PorcFest.com. It’s going to be the greatest year ever, so don’t miss out! Get your ridic cheap $30 tickets TODAY because prices will go up! You also need to book your accommodation with Rogers, and sites are selling out. Don’t wait. This year is going to be BANANAS!!!
“Carla Gericke of the Free State Project updates us on what’s happening in New Hampshire and gives us ideas for how liberty-lovers can support each other and keep each other sane during these difficult, even insane, times.”
UPDATE 2/11/21: If you think my claims about totalitarianism is far-fetched, check this out: “In Ep. 1829 we did together last week, someone asked in the comments, ‘What was the source for the ‘no increased death rate for 2020′ in NH? Just glancing at the CDC data shows a 10% YoY increase between ’19 and ’20, but maybe NH’s own data is different.’ Four times now, FOUR TIMES, I have added the source link only to have it disappear moments later! #JustSayNoToBigBadBro”. HERE is the source material (compiled by my husband, Louis Calitz, using the data made available by the state).
I sent the following message to Martha Stewart’s agent yesterday. I’m a huge proponent of “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” something Martha appreciates, as I know from reading her books. I used her mug shot because unlike a lot of people, I admire her for fighting The Man, and as someone who has their own mug shot, I feel a kinship on that front too. (What’s the saying? “All my heroes have FBI files”?)
To agent: “Martha is a personal hero of mine. In fact, people often call me the “Martha Stewart of the liberty movement,” and I referenced this in my last NH Senate campaign ad. (I lost by 5% to an 82 year-old, 12-term Establishment dude. Meh.) I represent the Free State Project, an educational nonprofit that works to concentrate libertarians in New Hampshire. I am hopeful you can pass this message directly on to Martha so that she can make her own informed decision about my request. Thank you. “
Dear Martha:
What is the weirdest thing happening in New England right now? How about the Free State Project, a movement to encourage thousands of liberty activists to move to New Hampshire to Live Free and Thrive!
We are the most successful mass-migration movement for liberty since the closing of the American frontier. We are apple-pie baking agorists, hippies and hipsters with guns, farmers with the internet, techies, and sustainable food freedom fighters. Let’s just say, Free Staters are not huge fans of zoning either! 😛
The Free State Project, a 501c3 educational nonprofit, hosts a summer festival, the Porcupine Freedom Festival, AKA “PorcFest,” which attracts up to 2,000 people to the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. The 18th Annual Porcupine Freedom Festival will take place from June 21-27, 2021, and we could accommodate you at your convenience any time during that week.
At PorcFest, held on a rustic campground with several grand old hotels nearby, budding entrepreneurs run “free trade zones” where you can buy homemade ice-cream, bacon weaves, grass fed beef, BBQ, CBD products, and other goodies. Vendors accept gold, silver, barter, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, with greenbacks being the least favorite mode of exchange. We encourage children to “free-range” and put their best entrepreneurial efforts forward.
On the Main Stage, where you would appear, experts talk about their passions: what makes them tick, what matters to them, why? Smaller ‘villages’ offer workshops and informal talks on anything and everything: politics, homeschooling, cryptocurrencies, off-the-grid living, civil disobedience, policy, farming, etc. As one professor put it, “PorcFest is Burning Man for rational people.”
I’m the Chairman of the Free State Project, and an author, activist, and attorney. I’m a decent cook, passionate foodie, and a big fan of your work and drive. I’m confident you would have a remarkable and memorable experience with us, and we would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have you. I also know having you as our headliner would encourage more women to attend, something we need for our movement to grow and flourish.
We Free Staters are pioneers and mad dreamers, but ultimately, pragmatists who are voting with our feet to build a better future without so much government meddling into every aspect of our lives–we are building our very own Wild, Wild East. Come see for yourself!
I can be reached at cgericke@freestateproject.org or on my cell at XXX. I hope to hear from you. Thanks for your time!
Sincerely,
Carla Gericke
PS: Feel free to bring Snoop, too!
More about the Free State Project: https://www.fsp.org
More about PorcFest: https://www.PorcFest.com
More about Carla Gericke: https://www.carlagericke.com/about/
Happy Porcupine Day! Know what accelerates the growth of a “libertarian safe space”? 😛 Totalitarianism and tyranny. Know what the future holds? Yep: More totalitarianism and tyranny, double-scooped and ice-f*ing-cold.
Five years ago today, a former version of myself stood before our consent-based community at a press conference in downtown Manchester to announce the Free State Project, a movement to attract thousands of libertarians to New Hampshire, had been triggered, and that it was time for people to start their exodus home.
Thousands answered that cry! Thank you!
You can read, “Triggered: Free State Project Reaches Its Goal, Tells Everyone to Move to New Hampshire And Do Something” in my book, The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly), but here are some highlights from my 2016 speech:
Look, the Free State Project is not everyone’s cup of tea, not everyone wants to LIVE their principles, but a large number of people are dissatisfied with the direction this country is heading—71% according to a recent poll cited on Politico—and 49% of those people expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government, 29% going so far as to say they were “angry.” Some people just want to sit around and complain—or, apparently, vote for Bernie or Trump. Others seek solutions. They want to DO SOMETHING. And that’s ultimately what the Free State Project is about: ACTION. Upping and moving to one area to concentrate principled liberty activists together to affect change. As our slogan says: Liberty in OUR Lifetime…
As more people awaken to the reality of a dystopian present, more people will seek answers and solutions, which is what life in New Hampshire as part of the Free State offers—in the future, we will see the expansion of personal and economic freedom here. People seem wary of the notion that freedom works, but what if New Hampshire can lead the way? Provide the example to show others, it’s not that scary? If autobahns work in Germany, why can’t they work here? If pot legalization works in Amsterdam and Colorado, why can’t it work here? If gambling works in Monaco—or, apparently, as long as the government runs the gambling racket like the Lotto—why can’t it work here? If deregulated markets keep Hong Kong competitive, why can’t we see more of the same here? If unfavorable tax burdens are forcing people and companies to leave certain states, why not welcome them to New Hampshire and build the Silicon Mill Yard right here?
In ten to twenty years, if we continue to embrace the principles of liberty and limited government, I know New Hampshire will stand as a wealthy, prosperous, autonomous example—a beacon of liberty—for the rest of the world to emulate. The future for the Free State Project in New Hampshire looks bright… First New Hampshire, then the world!
Finally, I have always believed, and continue to believe, if we build it, they will come. As we continue to build on our early, impressive successes in the Granite State, the federal government will continue its brazen overreach, whether it is police state tactics like national surveillance, police militarization and lockdowns, or the unconstitutional wars taking a toll on millions of innocent lives across the world, or them trying to get their grubby little paws on OUR internet...
After 2020, who can deny how prescient my words were? It is now abundantly clear to any thinking human being that government thinks we are their property and slaves, that they can dictate our every move, and even tell us if and when to leave the house and what to wear when doing so. If I am not free to decide for myself what steps to take in my own life, am I really free? Who owns me? Who owns YOU?
Can we stave government overreach in New Hampshire? I firmly believe we can (and are). I remain 100% OPTIMISTIC about our prospects in the Free State of New Hampshire… But we need reinforcements… We need YOU!
As the boot of the state smashes down more and more, as they grab more control, as they manipulate more media and minds and spread more fake news, as they call us more and more alarming names, and try to silence and even de-platform us, we will continue to grow…
“Nothing else in the world…not all the armies…is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.”
–Victor Hugo
Our time has come. We will continue to attract like-minded, well-informed, brave, proud INDIVIDUALS who are willing to bandy together and say, Look, there are 49 other places in America you can go play ‘Socialist and Commie.’ Here in New Hampshire, we’re not playing. We are living. We are living our lives in freedom because Liberty Lives in New Hampshire! Join us!
Dear Honorable Committee Members,
My name is Carla Gericke, former Republican state Senate candidate in District 20. I live in Manchester, am an immigrant from South Africa, and am an author, activist, and attorney. I am writing today to ask you to SUPPORT HB63, and I ask that this email testimony be submitted into the permanent record for this bill.
I have been following the outlandish unconstitutional response by New Hampshire’s governor to the COVID situation with much alarm, having seen this sort of government “emergency power” overreach as a child growing up in a police state, where the little guy always got bamboozled by the all-powerful, unconstrained state.
What I saw over the past year should never be repeated in our great state, and I ask you to SUPPORT HB63 to help reverse the harmful, unnecessary, unilateral, and unconstitutional actions taken by one man acting like a king.
Governor Sununu spent the last year issuing scores of executive orders based on an incorrect reading of the situation. According to the state’s own data NO EMERGENCY has existed in NH because the All-Cause Mortality Rate remains on trend, meaning there is no discernible pandemic death rate spike.
I further submit that even if an “emergency” exists, no Governor has the authority to suspend the US and NH Constitutions, which, shockingly, is what Governor Sununu’s executive orders claimed to do by eliminating the right to assembly, worship, and free speech. Even more shockingly, and, as an attorney, tragically, the Courts played along. Executive Order #65, which institutes penalties and fines against people trying stay in business, is especially egregious, as is the arbitrarily enforcement of this order by the AG’s office against some businesses.
HB63 aims to right this wrong by voiding or reversing such fines and penalties.
Now that President Biden has said there’s “nothing we can do about COVID,” it seems time for our legislature to follow suit and SUPPORT HB63 to get New Hampshire back on track and stop punishing people for trying to make a living.
Mistakes were made, but now that we have a better sense of the actual risks, where they lie, and whom is most vulnerable, let’s work together to fix the problems that were inadvertently created by the governor’s orders. This starts with SUPPORTING HB63 to reverse the penalties and fines instituted arbitrarily against productive Granite Staters.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Carla Gericke
West Manchester
Copied below is my testimony submitted in support of HB481 to establish a RTK Ombudsman.
Dear Committee Members,
Please support HB481 to establish a Right-to-Know Ombudsman.
My name is Carla Gericke, former Republican state Senate candidate in District 20. I live in Manchester, NH, am an attorney, and serve on several nonprofit boards, including Right-to-Know NH (RTKNH), a nonpartisan, statewide citizens’ coalition that works to improve government transparency and accountability.
RTKNH supports this bill and will be submitting testimony in support, so I am testifying in my personal capacity as a citizen.
Sadly, despite strong language in the NH Constitution regarding a citizen’s right-to-know, New Hampshire ranks very poorly for open and transparent government.
In 2015, the Center for Public Integrity found in the category of “Public Access to Information,” New Hampshire earned a grade of F, and ranked 49th out of 50 states. In the category titled “In practice, citizens can resolve appeals to access to information requests within a reasonable time period and cost,” New Hampshire received a score of 0. [Report HERE].
Surely with the NH Constitution stating that the government should “at all times” “be open, accessible, accountable and responsive,” we can do better than zero?
Why is it that Granite Staters do not have access to public information in a reasonable time frame and/or at a reasonable cost?
(1) Because the burden on citizens to resolve Right-to-Know complaints is very high. When state departments, for whatever reason, deny a RTK request, citizens are forced to file a lawsuit in Superior Court. This is intimidating, expensive, and time consuming.
(2) Municipalities seem mis- or ill-informed and/or lack proper training about citizens’ Right-to-Know. They now regularly, as a matter of course, deny requests without any solid legal footing, forcing citizens into the courts. Some departments are even on record as saying filing Right-to-Know requests is regarded as a “hostile act.” This view is unacceptable.
In 2017, a task force was convened to try to rectify New Hampshire’s lack of open government. After months of meetings, stakeholders from different sides unanimously agreed that citizens need an easier, cheaper, faster grievance resolution process which reduces cost for all parties. As a result, establishing an independent Right-to-Know Ombudsman position was recommended. (Final report HERE.)
Initially, I was against this notion, thinking, “Here we go again, instead of fixing a problem, we’ll just end up growing government.” But in the past four years, as I have struggled with my own open record requests, been denied access to police body camera footage (did you know police body cam footage is secret in all but a few situations? Yeah, me either!?!), and watched high profile and expensive cases wend their way through to the NH Supreme Court, I have changed my mind.
We need a Right-to-Know Ombudsman ASAP. Even though there is some expense to hiring this position, which will be borne from the Secretary of State’s office, the savings from expensive lawsuits and attorney’s fees should easily counteract this. Also, sometimes we have to incur an expense to fix a problem, and with the courts overwhelmed, and slow, an Ombudsman seems like a reasonable compromise to increase government transparency, which in turn increases accountability.
Speaking of accountability, this legislative body has now had several years to pass this bill, and transparency is getting worse, not better. Please don’t make it almost thirty years, like with Fenniman, before we start to fix what is clearly a growing problem.
Let’s move in the right direction. Let’s establish a cheap, fast, easy, streamlined, credible, and impartial way for citizens’ to ensure our government is “open, accessible, accountable and responsive” to us.
This bill also includes a sunset clause, so on the off-chance we find the Ombudsman is not serving Granite Staters well, we can change course. Let’s give this a try in the meantime!
I ask that you support HB481. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Carla Gericke
West Manchester
I was looking for something else, but ran across this thesis dissertation Q&A from a few years ago, and thought I’d share.
From “Third Parties in the U.S. Political System: What External and Internal Issues Shape Public Perception of Libertarian Party/Politicians?” by Jackie Fiest.
Fiest: First question would have to be if you are okay with my using your name in this thesis?
Gericke: Yes
Fiest: Early on, what prompted interest in first politics and then libertarianism?
Gericke: It would be fair to say, I was always a bit of a rebel. My father was a South African
diplomat, so I was raised in a home where current affairs was always a topic. I first got involved
in politics as a small-time anti-apartheid activist, mostly through creative endeavors like writing
articles critical of the regime for an underground newspaper I founded with some friends at
University, and writing and performing in a play at the Grahamstown Arts Festival, the largest
arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. I did attend some marches, and was present at Nelson
Mandela’s historic inauguration in 1994. While I was completing my law articleship–a 2 year
“intern” requirement after you finish your law degree to be admitted to the South African Bar–I
also started taking Legal Aid Board cases, representing underprivileged defendants in townships
around Pretoria. I was shocked by how cruel the system was, and that has always influenced my
libertarian views on criminal justice. After winning a green card in the lottery and immigrating to
America, my husband and I settled in Silicon Valley, and after the Internet Bubble burst, and we
both lost our jobs, I was forced to explore why this had happen (like, WTF???) and studied
theories about how the economic bubble had started and why it crashed and burned… and this
led me deep into libertarian thought and Austrian economics (the rabbit-hole of the Internet was
new and minty-fresh back then in 2000), which in turn led me to the Free State Project, and the
rest, as they say, is history… I was a staunch Ron Paul supporter in 2008 and 2012, and here in
NH, he came second in both the Republican and Democrat primaries both times (double check
this, but I think it’s accurate). Libertarianism, simply put, makes sense to me. It is the only
rational, logical explanation I have found for the best way to organize society, with the nonaggression principle playing the core part for me.
I believe we are the neo-peace movement. Government is the world’s biggest bully, and we have
a duty to stop the violence. That is what I am dedicating my life to.
Fiest: What made you want to run for office? Had you run for any local or state offices before
running for senate?
Gericke: I’m a strong supporter of states’ rights, and would likely never run for federal office. I
ran in 2016 and 2018 for NH State Senate in District 20 as a Republican against a now 11 term,
80 year old Democratic incumbent. I hadn’t run for any political office before.
Fiest: I know that you’re very involved with your local libertarian community. I’m familiar with
your battle all the way to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on the right to film police. And your
entanglement with the Concord, NH police of their attempting to buy a Bearcat saying
libertarians were domestic terrorists. I truly believe that you walk the walk when it comes to
being a libertarian. What prompted you to run as a Republican despite this? Did running as a
Democrat ever enter your mind?
Gericke: I ran as a Republican because I wanted to win. The duopoly, and the corruption that
goes with it, is too strong to win as a Libertarian candidate. The NHGOP’s platform is fairly oldschool Republican, so is still fairly libertarian (although there are some dumb stuff on there too).
Many Free Staters and prestaters in NH identify as Republican, and we’re building a strong
liberty caucus within the party. I would not be surprised if the NHGOP becomes the most
libertarian GOP in the US (if it isn’t already).
Running as a Democrat is something I vaguely considered but decided against… mostly because
in NH, the Democrats vote party-line, with very little deviance or independency, and while my
principles align with them on a lot of issues, like criminal justice reform, drug policy reform,
ending the death penalty, anti-crony-capitalism, etc., I don’t agree with them on economic policy
at all (taxation IS theft!), and the NH Democrats HATE free staters, so I doubt I’d be welcomed.
My district is strange in that it encompasses a big part of Manchester, our largest city, which
swings heavily left, and Goffstown, which is rural and +8 Republican. In this 2018 race, my
district had a swing of 10-15% to the left, but, despite this, I increased my take by 2%, which to
me means my message must have resonated with some of the voters, regardless of their party
affiliation.
My opponent can’t live forever, I don’t have a strong sense of “party affiliation” (being a
libertarian immigrant), and I may either run again as a Republican, switch to Democrat if it
makes sense, or, most likely, run as an Independent in the future. Most Granite Staters are
Independents, and as the two party system continues its death swirl around the swamp drain,
more opportunities will present themselves for people to take new and perhaps radical
approaches.
Fiest: How did you plan to apply your libertarian principles in your role as senator of NH?
Fiest: Principles means sticking to what you believe, so I would have voted to shrink the size and
scope of government, and to increase personal liberty. In NH, we have an organization called the
NH Liberty Alliance that was started by free staters and philosophically aligned locals who
provide a weekly “Gold Standard” to advise pro-liberty legislators how to vote on upcoming
bills. I would have used that as baseline guidance.
Being a state senator also provides a more legitimate platform to spread the ideas of liberty and
individualism. I was looking forward to being that voice!
Fiest: Can you tell us about your time as president of the Free State Project and what this project
is about?
“NH Magazine, May 2011
She traveled the world as the daughter of diplomats and went on to practice law in South Africa
and California, but Carla Gericke’s life changed when she heard the call of the Free State
Movement for like-minded people to flock to N.H. and promote greater liberty and less
government. She helped organize two recent Porcupine Festivals – the Free State equivalent of an
Old Home Day – even earning the title “The Quill Queen” (note quill crown, left), and was just
chosen as the movement’s new leader. In this exclusive interview, we found her not to be at all
prickly.
How does one become the leader of the Free State Movement? Are fisticuffs involved? Duel at
dawn, actually. I’m afraid the truth is rather more mundane: the Free State Project’s board votes
on candidates and someone wins.
What do you think is your primary qualification for the post? My royal lineage, replete with quill
crown. The porcupine is our mascot – porcupines are peaceful creatures you want to leave alone –
and after I organized the last two Porcupine Freedom Festivals in Lancaster, I received the
moniker of “Queen Quill.” As the first queen of the movement, I was the perfect candidate to
take over. More seriously, in a decentralized organization like ours, you have to be able to
balance folks’ differing viewpoints and strong personalities, fondly referred to as “herding cats.”
Iz good catz herder.
Since the Free State movement is not political, does that mean you always get to give straight
answers? Er, em, uh, yes.
So give it to me straight. How’s the movement going? This is an exciting time for us. We have
crossed the halfway mark to recruiting 20,000 liberty lovers to pledge to move to New
Hampshire to create a more free society. I appreciate this sounds scary to some, but think of us as
localization on steroids, as wanting to create an even more prosperous state than New Hampshire
already is–a Yankee Hong Kong, if you will. More than 800 activists have already moved, and
we are hard at work in our communities to create a society based on voluntary exchange, free
from state coercion. As government grows and becomes more intrusive, I believe we will
continue to gain momentum. We also have strong local support, with Friends of the Free State
signing up all the time.
Any particular high and low points over the past few years? As an organization, the Free State
Project does not take positions on what participants do once they get here. It’s more the vehicle,
the “bus” to convince liberty-leaning individuals to move. Once in New Hampshire, people
exercise individual activism in different ways. They run for office–twelve participants are now
state reps–they do localized outreach like volunteering at fire departments, they form non-profits
like the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance that rates representatives according to their voting
records, they manage successful businesses, and they practice civil disobedience in the spirit of
Gandhi and Martin Luther King. The media tends to focus on the latter because it is by its very
nature more controversial, but rest assured Free Staters are good neighbors who like ice-cream
too.
Any second thoughts about choosing New Hampshire as the Free State? Absolutely not. I have
lived all over the world, and I love it here. New Hampshire has so much to offer: a ready-built
individualist culture–Live Free or Die, Baby!–and it is consistently named one of the best places
in America to live. With its low crime rate, favorable gun laws, healthy living, buoyant economy,
low taxes and no personal state income tax (which I view as a form of slavery), it is the perfect
place for productive people to settle
Seems like the Free State Movement could use an anthem. Is there a song that you always play at
rallies? We’ve played the Super Secret Project’s “Granite State of Mind” at functions and it
always goes over well. How can you not love lyrics like: “I’m the new Salinger/Cuz I could live
anywhere/But I choose to live here.” This really resonates with me.”
I’m being lazy, but here’s a good resource about the FSP (from 2014, so probably a bit out of
date, but should be good starting point for you):
Fiest: Why do you think they are so few women in libertarian politics? What do you think we
can do to bring in more?
Gericke: I will answer more comprehensively in a sec, but when a reporter from the New York
Times asked me something similar, I retorted: “Well, you are asking an IMMIGRANT WOMAN
who is running a 20K strong libertarian organization made up mostly of men that…maybe we
should just start by acknowledging I exist, and that it’s not such a big deal one way or the
other?”
Libertarianism appeals to logical, rational people. Few men, and, frankly, fewer women, are
logical and rational. So that’s one (BIG) hurdle. Also, mal-education is now built into statist,
government-run schools, so less people can think critically, which makes our jobs harder.
In a speech in NYC years ago, I explained the M/F composition this way: “We have a lot of
Spocks, we need more Captain Kirks.”
I am both of these things, but definitely more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-it-will-all-work-out
Kirk. We need to make our messaging less Spock-like, less about “being right” (logical and
rational) and more about feelings and emotions… YES, we need to learn to appeal to emotion
(without fraud, of course), because we can actually win this way. For example: An average mom
might actually like the message of libertarianism if it’s explained in a way that makes it clear the
government is bad, and personal choice is good… through something like food freedom… like
how bad the Standard American diet is, and through explaining the distortion of ingredients in
our food (making them less healthy) because of sugar and corn subsidies… At the heart, it’s an
economic argument, but you can make it without sounding like a Nobel Prize winning
economist, yanno?
Women may traditionally also be less good at self-promotion or less comfortable in a public role.
Certainly for me, I had no idea how toxic the online asshole libertarian environment could be.
E..g. We banned Chris Cantwell in Fall 2013–years before he became “the crying Nazi”–and
I took the flak, I was the problem, even though I was right, and I’m still waiting for
someone to be like, ‘Good fucking call, Carla.’ 😛
We need more women thought-leaders to step up. We need more women role models. We need
to celebrate and encourage the ones who put themselves out there. We need to be pushier about
getting speaking slots. We need to demand equal treatment and perks on the speaking circuit. I
LOVE IT when new women movers come to NH, and tell me I inspired them to move. I need to
finished my goddamn book. 😛 [I did, and you should buy your copy of The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly) today! On Amazon or directly from me.]
Fiest: Another person I’m interviewing has talked a bit about steps that some Democrats and
Republicans have taken to keep libertarians off the ballot in the state of Arizona. Having to
obtain ungoldly amounts of signatures, and things along those lines. Were you met with any of
these roadblocks, and, if so, how would you have handled this?
Gericke: The NH Libertarian Party regained ballot access in 2016 for the 2018 election… and
then lost it again. In NH, you have to get 4% of the governor’s race to retain ballot access.
Unfortunately, in 2018, the LPNH didn’t do the work, or field feasible candidates. They failed to
fundraise in any significant way (which, sadly, is an important metric). The person who worked
the hardest in 2016 to get ballot access, Max Abrahamson, switched back to Republican in 2018,
which certainly couldn’t have helped. Until the LPNH becomes more professional in their
operations and takes themselves more seriously, it’s going to be an uphill slog.
Fiest: According to the LP website, there are 177 Libertarians (or small government
conservatives, if you wish) holding some kind of public office in the U.S., but they are all local
positions. Various school boards, utility boards…but very little at the state level and there are
currently no Libertarians in Congress. Why do you think that is?
Gericke: The Leviathan hates freedom, grows and thrives under socialism like the parasite it is,
and they will do everything in their power to stop our message of individual liberty. It’s that
simple. Unless there is a radical overhaul of how the system works (and there are some
interesting things cropping up, look at this, fyi:
https://www.facebook.com/RepresentUs/videos/410253132875542/), only efforts like the FSP
will be viable. Most of us have already given up on the federal government, and we’re here to
make a difference on a state level. I serve as president of the Foundation for NH Independence, a
501c3 nonprofit that educates Granite Staters on the benefits of more independence from the
federal government. As I have been saying for years: Make America States Again! It’s for the
children! 😛
Yesterday, several bills relating to police accountability and YOUR right-to-know what your government is up to were heard remotely via Zoom before the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sharon Carson of District 14, who is rated a C+ by the NHLA.
I sat in on on more than four hours of testimony on three bill, which I will break down for you below. Fair warning, don’t freak out at the summary headings. I pulled these from the bills themselves, and they are framed to improve the chances of a bill passing (know your audience–statists–as they say).
You can read RTKNH’s positions HERE, my submitted written testimony HERE, which I summarized in my oral remarks, while also trying to address some of the issues and questions the committee raised, while also trying to comply with the arbitrarily imposed “three minute” rule, which was not equally applied to state agents and the public.
Guess which side was consistently given more time? Hint: Public hearings about government transparency and openness where the public is marginalized at the expense of the state. Say it isn’t so!?! To be fair, I have attended other committee meetings that were even more egregious with their time allocations, so hopefully, if we continue with these kind of remote sessions, we can actually just apply the rule equally to all… with a timer. Easy-peasy!
Currently, LEOs will trick unsuspecting drivers into “consenting” to searches where they don’t have probable cause or a warrant, thus allowing them to go on fishing expeditions which often end up with an arrest for non-violent, recreational drug use that had NOTHING to do with the original traffic stop. This bill aims to rectify this subterfuge by compelling officers to “expressly inform the operator of the motor vehicle that:
(a) The operator has the right to refuse to consent to a search;
(b) Any refusal to consent to a search shall not constitute a basis either for probable cause to arrest the operator or reasonable suspicion to detain the operator;
(c) The operator cannot be charged with any crime or violation for refusing to consent to a search; and
(d) The operator cannot be further detained for refusing to consent to a search.
II. If the operator of a motor vehicle refuses to consent to a search, the law enforcement officer shall cease any further questioning concerning consent to a search.”
Introduced by Senator French (B rating from the NHLA, the best we can do in the Senate until you elect better candidates, ahem :P) and followed by testimony in support from the ACLU-NH, Rights & Democracy, defense attorney Penny Dean, law professor Buzz Scherr, State Representative Leah Cushman, and others. Everyone from the private sector spoke in support of this bill, many commenting on the fear and nervousness most people feel when they get pulled over.
Several law enforcement officers also testified (Joseph Ebert, Marc Beaudoin, David Goldstein), claiming to be “neutral” or “take no position,” but also making several suggestions to change the bill in various ways. One of proposals is to add the word “solely” in the sentence, “The operator cannot be [solely] further detained for refusing to consent to a search.”
Another suggestions was to create a standard form that must be signed before a roadside search without a warrant can take place. A concern raised in response is that non-English speakers are often advised by legal assistance organizations to not sign forms they cannot read, understand, and thus provide “informed consent” to, so it is possible that some people will be negatively impacted, whether through signing something they didn’t fully understand (probably an issue for a large portion of folks in such a frightening situation), or by refusing to sign the form.
My take: There seems to be an appetite to pass something, codifying what appears to be general practice already. Some towns in New Hampshire already have forms like this. Promoting informed consent is always a good idea, but we’ll have to see if that is really the result.
Again, don’t have a brain-melt at that summary. These proceedings are currently ALL SECRET, so this bill will actually improve transparency and accountability by setting the default to “open,” with the option to “close” some parts. The bill language: “Police Standards and Training Council; Powers. Amend RSA 106-L:5, III to read as follows:
III. For the purposes of a disciplinary hearing, subpoena and examine witnesses under oath, take oaths or affirmations, and reduce to writing testimony given at any hearing[. Any] provided that any person whose rights or privileges may be affected at such a disciplinary hearing may appear with witnesses and be represented by counsel, and further provided that any disciplinary hearing shall be public, but a party may petition to close a portion of the hearing to the public if the party seeking closure proves that such portion of the hearing would disclose confidential information and that the disclosure creates a compelling interest outweighing the public right of access.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.”
Senator French introduced the bill. Afterwards, Senator Carson rightfully asked who gets to decide about “the compelling interest” that “outweighs” the public right to access. I agree there is a problem with the current wording, and that it should be clarified. Some suggested “the hearing officer,” “a neutral party,” and “the council.”
Several people brought up the especially egregious case of MPD racist cop, Aaron Brown, who was ordered under arbitration to be reinstated, and, after Chief Capano rightly refused, Manchester taxpayers got saddled with a $200,000 settlement payment. (<— And people wonder why there is no trust?!? LOL)
My take: This bill is long overdue and a crucial step to maaaaaaaaaybe restoring trust in law enforcement. The default should be for more openness and transparency. In order to close down any portion of the hearings under this bill, I’d like to suggest the determinations should be part of the Right-to-Know Ombudsman’s duties. The RTK Ombudsman bill (which is a bill that RTKNH has been championing for several years, since Sununu’s last “Let’s Pretend to Do Something Task Force”) is again up to be heard this year. Maybe tying some of these issues together will give the Ombudsman Bill a better chance of finally passing?
I can’t lie, I was deeply disappointed that Senator Carson would introduce what must be the most galling, in-your-face, fuck-you-guys, anti-liberty, anti-transparency bill that I have seen in a long time. Frankly, it’s shocking to me, given the current climate regarding much-needed police reform, and given the fact that it took twenty-seven years to overturn the wrongly decided Fenniman decision (during which time Granite Staters have purposely been kept in the dark about state agents’ malfeasance, compounding problems that will take years to reform) that Senator Carson would attempt to pass this bill, which did not have any co-sponsors.
This bill flies directly in the face of the police reform measures suggested by the LEACT Commission, which, go figure, was made up 50% of law enforcement, so you know those recommendations are already pretty watered down. During SB39’s hearing, LEOs gave confusing and contradictory testimony about whether this bill would actually support the LEACT Commission’s recommendations or not (it sounded to me like it did not but that they didn’t want to admit that, even when Senator Whitley asked in different ways several times).
In my oral testimony, I pointed out that police reforms is happening because we are now able to record police officers (in part due to my landmark 1st Amendment court case affirming the right to film police officers in the execution of their public duties). Video recordings mean there is finally PROOF of bad cops. Beforehand, LEOs would just lie, deny the truth, falsify reports, etc. and the courts and the Regime would play along, nothing to see here, until you start to SEE it. Seriously, do yourself a (dis)favor… spend an hour on Youtube clicking through police brutality videos. You may come away with the right impression that there is an “epidemic of isolated incidences.”
I tried to address some of the red herrings proffered by Carson, including:
1. Not hiding police personnel records would result in a “chilling effect” on hiring and retaining officers. How about this: If you’re concerned about that, maybe don’t become a police officer in 2021. We want honest, good cops, thanks.
2. Concerns about “doxxing” or exposing private information like “blood types,” “home addresses,” and “medical records.” This is an absurd example, and can easily be dealt with through redactions of the portions of private information not needed to be shared publicly.
3. Officers will get swept up in “unfounded or unfair” accusations… Well, let’s see, your jobs are literally to investigate shit, so either you are competent at your job and we can dispel with this concern, or you are incompetent at your job, in which case more transparency is 100% warranted.
I also pointed out that as written, this bill violates several provisions of the NH Constitution (including Article 10, by creating a special “class of men,” and Article 8, our Right-to-Know) and that it would not stand up to legal scrutiny. I ended with an impassioned plea to not push New Hampshire back thirty years again by returning to darkness. Instead, let’s choose sunlight, openness, and love.
ACTIVIST ALERT! We need to KILL THIS BILL. Based on the testimony in support of this bill, all from state agents, they’re taking the “oh-so-reasonable approach” of, “well, of course we need to address your concerns, and carve out a few exceptions for you,” and “oh, we should totally make this apply to all government agents and municipalities, not just police” but that is THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what needs to happen. This bill MUST die if transparency is to live.
I will post some suggestions about what we can do, but it starts with informing the public that the NH Senate is trying to reverse progress on police reforms by writing a law to hide ONLY law enforcement personnel records, internal investigations (you know, literally, their disciplinary stuff) and pre-employment info (where it might tell you a cop got fired from his previous gig). So, tell people you know, track the bill, sign up to testify at future hearings, write your senators now to demand they kill this bill, write local Letters-to-the-Editor, call radio shows, etc. Together, Granite Staters from all walks can say, NO! This is NOT good enough!
Union Leader: “Secrecy with respect to law enforcement decisions and agencies is no longer acceptable,” Sullivan said. More…
NHPR: “At a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, members of the public testified on Senate Bill 39, which would bar public access to police officers’ personnel files.
Senate Bill 39 would directly exempt any information in an officer’s personnel file from becoming public under the New Hampshire right-to-know law, which allows citizens to request and receive government documents. Currently, police personnel files can only be disclosed if there is a compelling public interest, a determination that can only be made by a judge.” More…
InDepth NH: “But opponents of the bill, which outnumbered supporters two-to-one, said it would harm the state’s push for greater transparency and accountability for law enforcement after George Floyd was killed last year by a police officer in Minnesota.
“This would be a perfect avenue for bad cops to be protected,” said Ronelle Tshiela, founder of Black Lives Matter Manchester and a member of the governor’s Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency. “This bill is an enemy to both accountability and transparency.”
The bill could negate a recent state Supreme Court decision that the Laurie List for police officers with a history of dishonesty, excessive force or instability is a public document.” More…