FSP News - September 2005

The Life of Freedom

Whenever I think of freedom I think it looks a lot like New Hampshire. Because of all the freedom loving people who live here, this state becomes freedom. With the colors of the great outdoors, the free-thinking can do anything as long as it follows the two fundamental laws: do all that you have agreed to do, and do not encroach on other persons or their property. The taste of it is as sweet as a violet lollipop on a stick. Sappy and piney, the smell has a natural scent to it. Liberty has a way of making persons want to change the all-powerful government.

FSP Participants affected by Hurricane Katrina: FSP Participant and Friend networks are in place all around the U.S. If you need temporary lodging or help, or if you are ready to re-locate to NH now, please contact us.While we are not set up to handle disaster relief, many have expressed the desire to help. Call the FSP general number - 888 532-4604 if you have a return phone number, or email us. We will do our very best to put you in touch with Porcupines with the ability to offer assistance to you and your family, whether in your area or in NH.

We have a new Volunteer Coordinator, Nik Ludwig, and a new Assistant Volunteer Coordinator, Tim Bauman. Nik and Tim are working on setting up the structure to facilitate the involvement of many, many new volunteers for the FSP. In the meantime, to get involved go to the FSP Volunteer Center and watch the FSP Home page for the posting of many new ways for you to help out.

Nik announces the first important opening for your consideration:

Position open - DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Achieving Liberty in our Lifetime takes all kinds of resources, including money of course! The FSP is currently seeking an individual to lead and direct our fundraising efforts. As a purely volunteer organization, the FSP operates totally via donations. Are you a persuasive communicator? Enjoy hobnobbing with the rich (and not so rich) and famous? Have some experience in organizing and managing fundraising events? OK with asking folks to dig in their pocketbooks for the cause of freedom? If so, this job is made for you!

Your mission will be to lead and direct all the fundraising of the FSP. You will work with the FSP Treasurer and VP of Operations to meet the needs of the FSP and to initiate new fundraising events and projects. You will manage a fundraising budget and have access to volunteers and resources to help you in your efforts. If this sounds like just what you’ve been looking for, then please contact Nik Ludwig or Tim Bauman for more information, and thank you for helping bring about Liberty in our Lifetime!

New to the FSP? Or, maybe you've never run across this yet; The FSP Timeline is an up to date chronology of notable events in the brief history of the FSP, beginning with Jason Soren's original article published in The Libertarian Enterprise on July 21, 2001 and continuing to today.

PorcFest 2005 Wrap-up

Report from PorcFest - by Varrin Swearingen, PorcFest Czar 2005

Kate Rick is the Freedom Festival Coordinator for 2006! Dates and location for the next PorcFest will be announced soon...

PorcFest 2005 Reports by Bill Walker and Chris Lopez have been posted.

PorcFest 2005 merchandise is still available.

The LIAISONS CORNER is new on the FSP website and features interviews with our Liaison Leaders - Participants who are members of, or associated with a particular community or group. The first interview is with Marc Cohen, Liaison for the Jewish community. From the interview with Marc, "We have the ability to become a nation of upright citizens who take responsibility for their own lives and local communities instead of waiting for our "Nanny" to take care of us."

Free Talk Live (FTL), the syndicated radio show, which is run by Porcupines and partially sponsored by Porcupines, continues to draw in new FSP Participants and Friends. In June, 6.5% of new sign-ups were attributed to FTL. In July it rose to 10.8% and in August it was up to 11.1%! The show was also voted the #1 Podcast for August and September - listen in online or on the radio and then vote. This top status earned FTL press from the Chicago Tribune and London's Financial Times. FTL announces three new affiliate stations; 1440 KMLB Monroe, LA , 960 KGWA Oklahoma City/Enid, OK. And, 980 KBBO Yakima, WA is scheduled to be added this month as well.

Lots of new photos in the FSP Photo Gallery!

The FSP is full of activists that stand up for liberty in new and innovative ways, as evidenced by the individuals referenced throughout this newsletter! FSP Participants, both inside and outside of NH, have recently been involved in issues such as eminent domain and civil disobedience. There is a new section of the website called Issues in the News that examines these issues in more detail.

The New Pilgrim Chronicles: One man's story of the trials and rewards of moving to the Free State by Brian Wright has just posted week 6. Have you been keeping up with Brian's New Hampshire saga?

News In New Hampshire

Eminent Domain in NH update: From the New Hampshire Union Leader - House Committee seeks to restrict eminent domain powers, August 26, 2005. "The House committee voted to recommend that the Legislature define the words 'public use' clearly and narrowly. It would then substitute 'public use' anywhere the term 'public purpose' appears in state law." The NH House committee is seeking to strengthen the state's language concerning the use of eminent domain. Also see the Castle Coalition's most recent overview of NH law covering the period 1998-2002.

NH loves its VNTYPL8s - 17.7% of New Hampshire's registered passenger vehicles have vanity plates. NH vanity plate fees are among the lowest in the country. NH culture from The Hippo, Manchester.

Keith Murphy made great, longstanding contributions to the FSP while he was a part of leadership. In January of this year, Keith moved to NH, where he's been active with the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance and is a candidate for Selectman in Manchester's Ward 3. Keith has some insightful thoughts about NH in a recent Union Leader Guest Commentary.

Free State Participant Karl Beisel, of the Concerned Taxpayers of Manchester, works to get a budget limiting charter amendment on the Manchester, NH ballot! The charter amendment would limit Manchester's spending to the rate of inflation measured over the three previous years. Related Union Leader article.

The NH Liberty Calendar lists the upcoming events of 30 liberty-minded organizations.

New Hampshire News Reporters needed for the FSP News - contact the editor
Content submissions are welcome at any time.