Thank you to everyone who attended the 8th Annual Porcupine Day at the Millyard Museum in Manchester. Watch this video to get the real insights into these CERTIFIED EXTREMISTS!!! lol
Video
This week, Manch Talk is in the new studio and bugs are still being sorted. We cover the moves towards more secretive government and censorship, with Carla uncovering some startling revelations from Grok on X, including “#FreeAssange” being banned.
I will upload the Grok screen grabs here later.
HB 1002 is a REALLY bad bill. I don’t understand how it made it out of committee with an OTP–colluders!
The Union Leader op-ed desk and stalwart reporter Mark Hayward agree with me, and Right-to-Know NH, when we say this bill will destroy what’s left of the media in New Hampshire.
Think you don’t know what your government is up to? Imagine if they can drag their feet for 9 hours and then start charging you a service fee to provide Constitutionally required information? As I often say, incentives matter, and these incentives are aligned with a lack of transparency, places an unnecessary burden on citizens, and is not needed.
Here is a document prepared by RTKNH’s president Katherine Kokko. She and I will be distributing them at the statehouse this morning before the session starts.
Heading to the NH state house this morning to stave off one of the worst bills I've seen in a while (HB 1002).
— Carla Gericke, Live Free And Thrive! (@CarlaGericke) February 1, 2024
Activists & independent media like me use RTK requests to figure out what's happening & keep government accountable.
Now Municipalities want to charge a service fee… https://t.co/b55i97OvMu pic.twitter.com/W1DpdljyeK
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW ABOUT THE MOST INSIDIOUS NH HOUSE BILL BEING HEARD TOMORROW!!!
They’re creating a tax for open record requests. We HAVE TO KILL HB 1002!!!
Here’s the documents created by Right-to-Know NH regarding HB 1002. HUGE SHOUT OUT to Katherine Kokko of Right-to-Know NH for the incredible work she did on this issue, including the Q&A below. Right-to-Know NH is a nonpartisan group working together to keep NH government open, transparent, and ACCOUNTABLE to the people.
HB1002: Frequently Asked Questions
How does HB1002 impact the public’s Right to Know?
HB1002 imposes labor, retrieval, and redaction costs on requestors under RSA Chapter 91-A (NH’s “Right to Know” Law). HB1002 constrains a citizens’ right to know to what can be learned in 10 hours or less in a 30-day period, while charging for additional details within that time period.
A ten hour limit on requests sounds reasonable on paper. Why is this a problem?
The limit hampers the public’s ability to understand and scrutinize complex government operations thoroughly, setting conditions for opacity in government. HB1002 targets, and discourages members of the public from performing the public service of assuring transparency in government, jeopardizing public access and government transparency in New Hampshire. There are other ways to address the problem of “burdensome requests” as presented to the House (See inside).
What else is wrong with HB1002?
By defining the reasonableness of a request as a time limit, HB1002 contravenes the intent of the RTK Law repeatedly affirmed by the courts – to define reasonableness of a request in a manner that provides the greatest information, consistent with statutory and constitutional objectives.
Furthermore, high labor estimates for responding to a request are likely to be issued due to issues like poor record retention practices or the use of overzealous redactions. Those are the responsibility of the public body, not the fault of the requestor.
Why is it important for the public to have unfettered access to public information under NH’s Right to Know law?
NH’s law is entirely and uniquely reliant on private action by individuals for enforcement, giving the public a statutory role in ensuring transparency in NH. There is no oversight body to ensure that NH’s Right-to-Know law is enforced.
Any investigation, even by the RTK Ombudsman, must be instigated by private action. HB1002 erects financial barriers to the public and perversely incentivizes public bodies to increase their estimated labor in responding to RTK requests.
This bill appears to have lot of support from local communities, public bodies and their lobbyists. Who is opposing this bill?
Because this bill would severely harm government accountability and transparency in New Hampshire, it is opposed by a broad Coalition of stakeholders, including the Right-to-Know NH, the ACLU-NH, the New England First Amendment Coalition, the N.H. Press Association, the N.H. Union Leader, the N.H. Bulletin and Americans for Prosperity.
WHY VOTE NO
ON HB1002?
It sounds like “burdensome requests” are a big problem for public bodies/communities? Does RTKNH agree?
The bill’s sponsor Katelyn Kuttab (R-Windham), the NH Municipal Association and Right to Know NH have all confirmed that the large, problematic requests at issue are infrequent. In testimony, examples of “burdensome requests” were anecdotal and not placed in context. Most labor-intensive RTK requests come from commercial entities who are likely willing to pay.
By contrast, the average citizen will likely abandon their RTK request when faced with potential fees for a public interest inquiry, serving no public good. The impact on the average citizen request will be far more profound than the impact on burdensome commercial requests.
If this bill is NOT passed, how will public bodies/communities deal with these “burdensome requests”?
HB1002 addresses a perceived issue that is already addressed by the Right to Know law and existing State and Federal case law. HB1002 disincentivizes public bodies from understanding the existing parameters of the RTK law and the court’s definitions of “reasonableness”… at the public’s expense.
Finally, public bodies always have the option of communicating with the requestor to try and clarify the scope of the request. Many do not do this and choose a legalistic approach instead.
Are there other ways to address these “burdensome requests?”
Yes. Public bodies, including elected officials, should be trained on Right to Know. There is no training requirement. Relying on legal counsel or trying to base decisions on in-house interpretations – instead of training public employees on the front lines – exacerbates issues. When a community spends an inordinate amount of time on Right to Know requests, it is often due to this lack of training and/or reliance on overly legalistic responses.
• What else could be done to assist public bodies?
Multiple stakeholders have asked the AG’s Office to update its 2015 Memorandum on NH’s Right to Know Law so that public bodies can appropriately apply the many precedent-setting decisions made since 2015. The AG’s Office has not done so (claiming that it is in process) while failing to provide a timeline for completion. Meanwhile, it has endorsed HB1002 and specifically the proposed fee structure. This is an unacceptable abdication of its own role in assuring the integrity of the application of the Right-to-Know law.
• The House Judiciary Committee voted this bill OTPA. Why should I disagree with their recommendation?
With only 2 business days between the hearing and Executive Session, the House Judiciary Committee voted HB1002 OTPA 12-8 along evenly split party lines (6D/6R to 4D/4R), without:
(i) Investigating examples, or the origin and root causes of, burdensome requests that are being cited anecdotally to justify this bill
(ii) Considering more targeted proposals to limit excessive requests.
(iii) Investigating the role that RTK training and public guidance (including from the NH Attorney General’s office) could have in resolving this issue.
• How will this bill impact the “average” RTK request?
HB1002 reinforces the use of problematic practices like unnecessary redactions, use of outside contracted support staff and “data dumps” of large volumes of unnecessary documents by allowing billing for such labor. It will also have a “chilling effect” on anything but the most simple request, discouraging the public from researching and understanding issues of interest because they are “too complicated” to warrant paying for the public interest.
Developed and Funded by Committed NH Citizen-Advocates through Right-to-Know NH
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I will be speaking at Anarchapulco again! Last time I went, was 2020, right before Covidmania set in.
I will be speaking on intentional communities, of which the Free State of New Hampshire is the most audacious and successful example. Here’s my bio for 2024:
Attorney Carla Gericke has spent 15+ years building a libertarian homeland in the Free State of New Hampshire, consistently ranked the #1 freest state. Carla is an outspoken advocate of the principles of liberty and self-ownership, understanding we lead by example by being awesome. After being arrested and facing 7-years in federal prison, Carla fought back, and in 2014 won a landmark First Amendment lawsuit affirming the right to film police officers in public and removing their claims of qualified immunity. This case positively affects the rights of 13 million residents of the First Circuit. Carla is the author of “The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly)” and was recently featured in a collection of autobiographies of prominent libertarians, “LIBERTARIAN AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: Moving Towards Freedom in Today’s World”. She has appeared in mainstream outlets like The Economist, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Fox, CNN, BBC, and was recently featured in the Emmy-nominated NBC docuseries, LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. Carla’s life motto is: Live free and thrive! Learn more: CarlaGericke.com.
Below is my Main Stage talk from 2020… still one of my favorite talks ever!
Tammy and Carla discuss New Hampshire’s FITN Primary results, where Trump trounced Never Nikki and Biden got a bunch of write-ins, but man, lame-oh, lame-oh. Also, we discuss the strangeness around Keith Murphy’s assault case, for which he was found NOT GUILTY last week.
The Free State of New Hampshire, despite national Democrats attempts to marginalize, is still in business for the First in the Nation Primary next week. With Vivek dropping out and Nikki destroying an entire forest in paid-for junk mailers, and of course, Trump and DeSantis, no one seems to know what is about to happen. Join Tammy and Carla for their takes on what’s coming up on Tuesday!
In this video, Carla Gericke testifies in support of HB 1130 to create a study commission to explore whether NH should secede from the Union. Supporters and opponents of independence, rightfully, have questions! Let’s get the conversation started!
HB 1130: STUDY COMMISSION
Honorable Chair and Committee Members,
Thank you for your time today. My name is Carla Gericke. I am the chairwoman and president emeritus of the Free State Project, a movement that is concentrating tens of thousands of liberty lovers in the state of New Hampshire. I am a naturalized citizen, originally from South Africa, and an author, activist, and attorney.
I was the Republican nominee for NH Senate in District 20, and received 46% of the vote in 2020, and in 2022 I ran for NH state house in Ward 11 in Manchester, and lost by about 200 votes. I am a proud Granite Stater because more than 15 years ago, I consciously picked NH as my forever home because of the “Live Free or Die” ethos of our great state.
I am here to testify IN SUPPORT OF HB1130.
Last year, pro-independence supporters caught a lot of flack… we heard your feedback and drafted HB1130 in order to try to address concerns expressed by the legislature.
It is fair to say, we don’t have all the answers yet. But we should start having the conversations. It’s worth letting our imaginations soar…
Let’s say,
As an independent nation state, NH will be prosperous and peaceful, along the lines of small, successful countries like Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, or Switzerland. We would have four times the size of Iceland’s population. We would easily be able to work with our neighbors to trade, much like the countries do in the Schengen Area in Europe. Many American retirees already receive their social security pensions in foreign countries like Mexico.
A study committee would create a SAFE SPACE to explore the ideas of NH sovereignty. Could we run on nuclear and export energy? Could we have competing currencies? Could we become the crypto capitol of the world? Could we be the Switzerland of the North? The only thing stopping us from becoming even more awesome is the federal government destroying our wealth.
This study committee would be a good compromise between the two positions. I know you all want the idea of peaceful secession to go away, but here’s the reality. It isn’t going to, and the urgency is going to become more and more pronounced.
Why? Because $40 TRILLION DOLLARS in debt is NOT sustainable. The federal government’s hamfisted response to Covid showed us all, they have NO RESPECT for you as an individual or as an American, and definitely not as a Granite Stater–to them, we are the equivalent of District 12 in the Hunger Games. They claimed they owned your body and could force you to do things against your will.
I say NO. I say reclaim YOUR RIGHT OF CONSCIENCE, and support this bill so that we are not caught flatfooted or rushing around in a mad panic when the time comes.
Let us PLAN. Let us have hard discussions now. Let us start to grapple with the very real risks for what a future yoked to the federal government looks like: more harm, more poverty, more decline in our standards of living.
We can do better.
We demand better.
We know there are better options.
It starts with an appetite for change.
It starts here today.
It starts with you.
It starts with the bravery to do the right thing for Granite Staters and start the conversation. I implore you to support HB 1130. My great-grandmother was imprisoned in a British concentration camp during the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, where 25% of Boer women and children died. She always talked about the 5 Ps: Proper preparation prevents poor performance. Let’s prepare properly for our futures together, please.
I’d be happy to answer any questions.
NH is considering a Constitutional amendment, CACR 20, to peaceably secede from the US if the national debt reaches 40 trillion dollars. This is my testimony in favor of the bill on January 12, 2024 before NH’s State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee.
My testimony for CACR 20: Secede if national debt exceeds $40 trillion
Honorable Chair and Committee Members,
Thank you for your time today. My name is Carla Gericke. I am the chairwoman and president emeritus of the Free State Project, a movement that is concentrating tens of thousands of liberty lovers in the state of New Hampshire. I am a naturalized US citizen, originally from South Africa, and I am an author, activist, and attorney.
I was the Republican nominee for NH Senate in District 20, and received 46% of the vote in 2020, and in 2022 I ran for NH state house in Ward 11 in Manchester, and lost by about 200 votes. I am a proud Granite Stater because more than 15 years ago, I consciously picked NH as my forever home because of the “Live Free or Die” ethos of our great state.
I am testifying today in SUPPORT of CACR 20, which is similar to last session’s CACR 32, the original independence bill put forth, except, this time, the sponsors added a qualifying event, a trigger, stating that if the Federal Government’s debt reaches 40 TRILLION DOLLARS, NH can proceed to PEACEFULLY secede.
Remember, the decision SHOULD AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN THE HANDS OF ORDINARY GRANITE STATERS.
FORTY TRILLION DOLLARS.
Let’s stand still with that insurmountable and almost unfathomable number for a second.
FORTY TRILLION DOLLARS.
Million seconds = 11.5 DAYS
Billion seconds = 32 YEARS
Trillion seconds = 31,000 YEARS
The federal government has failed us.
It no longer follows the Constitution.
Ushers in Undeclared, unconstitutional wars.
Ushers in inflation, devaluing our money by almost 100%. If you feel like you are getting poorer, you are. If you feel like you can’t get ahead, you can’t, and this is SQUARELY the fault of the federal government’s monetary policy.
Look at the Coivdmania response. The farther the center of control is from the people, the worse it is for people. A smaller, more responsive government accountable to Granite Staters is what CACR20 will give us.
Granite Staters are being abused by DC. What do we advise victims to do when they are being abused?
TO LEAVE.
Last time I was here on this issue, I spoke about a NATIONAL DIVORCE. Since then, this issue has started trending.
But more troubling, you are starting to see the idea of CIVIL WAR trending too. This is a problem.
We who support NATIONAL DIVORCE DO NOT SUPPORT VIOLENCE. In fact, we are here today, and will continue to work on this issue because
VIOLENCE is the tool of authoritarians, tyrants, and control freaks. In other words, it is the tool of the federal government and bad people who support killing people they disagree with.
Instead of telling us you will punch us in the face or lock us in the basement if we try to leave, let’s start having open and honest discussions about what needs to take place.
We have the right to ask for a DIVORCE. This is all today’s proposed amendment is: an opportunity–a DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY–for Granite Staters to decide whether our relationship with the federal government is worth salvaging.
I say it is NOT, and everyone should know, we would ALL be better off if we went our separate ways.
What are we taught about abusers?
They will tell you, you can never leave.
They will tell you they will change.
They will tell you it’s your fault.
We all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. It is insane to place your trust in a government who is creating this much debt. Imagine if you ran your household like this?
As an elected official, it is YOUR duty to at least create an OPPORTUNITY for Granite Staters to DECIDE our own destinies.
We have a right to decide, as enshrined in the New Hampshire Constitution, whether to stay with this sinking ship, or chart our own, new, better and brighter future.
No future challenge related to independence is insurmountable: Where there is a will, there is a way.
Today, your ONLY duty is to democracy, which every single one of you claims to support. YOU need to vote in favor of this OPPORTUNITY because it is NOT up to you. It is up to individual Granite Staters.
We are called the live free or die state. When we become independent, we will also be the Live Free and THRIVE state. Afford us the opportunity to TRY. Thank you for your time, I’d be happy to answer questions.