Carla joins Porc Report to discuss recent news that Donald Trump and RFK are both speaking at the upcoming Libertarian National Convention, and other topics. There’s something for everyone who loves liberty here in the Free State!
RFK comes to Porcfest, members partake in the nude Olympics, a new secession bill is voted on in the House, board shakeups bring a new Executive Director: These are just a few big moments from this past year in the Free State Project. We check in a year later, in the 20th anniversary of the birth of the Free State Project, to see how much progress the libertarian migration has made.
What is the fate of free staters who were charged with money laundering using cryptocurrency? The FBI and US Attorney’s office explain their investigation of the case and two of those dubbed “The Crypto Six” share their perspectives from prison.
Sprouting from a graduate student’s thought experiment in 2001, over the last 20 years, the Free State Project has made a significant impact on the state of New Hampshire by gathering like-minded, liberty-loving folk who share a passion for freedom and independence. At this year’s New Hampshire Liberty Forum, Matt Kibbe sits down with Carla Gericke, president emeritus of the Free State Project, to discuss the history of the project, where it is today, and where it’s going in the future. In addition to making substantial legislative changes in the state, the Free Staters are also attracting the attention of major figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, indicating that the real gains for liberty are yet to come. Subscribe to Kibbe on Liberty everywhere you get podcasts. The revolution is here. A movement of people free to live, work, and choose. We won’t tell you what to think, we just demand that you think for yourself.
Read the whole article HERE…
“Carla Gericke is acting president of the Foundation for New Hampshire Independence and a spokesperson for the Free State Project (FSP), a movement which encourages libertarian-leaning individuals to ‘move to New Hampshire for liberty.’
To join the FSP, which it claims more than 20,000 people have already done, individuals are required to ‘state my solemn intent to move to the State of New Hampshire’ then ‘exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of individuals’ life, liberty and property.’
Justifying the policy, the FSP states: ‘By concentrating our numbers in a single state, we are maximizing our impact as activists, entrepreneurs, community builders, and thought leaders.’ While not all FSP activists support outright independence for the Granite State, Gericke certainly does, telling Newsweek: ‘It’s an idea whose time has come and a reflection of the frustration everyone on the political spectrum is feeling.’
On January 3, Representative Jason Gerhard, a Republican in the New Hampshire legislature, introduced a bill stating that should the federal debt ever reach $40 trillion, around $6 trillion more than at present, the state “shall declare independence and proceed as a sovereign nation.”
Even as someone who despises the federal government enough that I think we can do better on our own, I’ve learned to appreciate the First in the Nation Primary in NH… It’s been described as the “Superbowl of politics,” but this time round, it’s just not what it used to be…
With Grandpa too senile and The Party too demented to bother to put Biden on the ballot, the circus element from the left is somewhat lacking.
#sad
— Victoria Sullivan (@VictoriaSul21) January 23, 2024
He’s not that into you. pic.twitter.com/rTnrL4Z0f6
Add to that, DeSantis and Vivek dropping out, and the circus on the right is also hamstrung.
If FITN is our Bread & Circuses, this Primary reflects more bread lines, less ringmasters.
That said, there are always opportunities to be seized.
FSP founder Jason Sorens, our new executive director and Maine Senator Eric Brakey, and I did a walk-and-talk segment with Lawrence Jones from Fox & Friends in downtown Manchester yesterday.
By happenstance, Andrew Sylvia of Manchester Ink Link was on a corner and snapped a pic of the crew following me to Hanover Street.
.@CarlaGericke has a media entourage near Amherst and Elm #NHPolitics pic.twitter.com/rjnd3uaiBd
— andrewsylvia (@andrewsylvia) January 22, 2024
The 3-minute segment airs today and is a profound gift to spread the message of the Free State Project to a massive new audience. 
After the shoot, we stopped for lunch at the DoubleTree, where in years past, Radio Row was buzzing, and TV news trucks would be lined up in front of the hotel.
On Sunday, Eric and I did sit down with Granite Grok to discuss our views on the upcoming Primary and the future of liberty in New Hampshire (see OP pic of Eric, who got pulled into a second interview with students from Franklin Pierce School of Law), but compared to the past, on Monday, Radio Row was bleak and there were no news trucks.
But, Andrew Yang showed up (he’s behind Jason in the photo), then Lily Tang Williams popped in to say hello, and I had a good conversation with Federation of Republican Women stalwart, Augusta Petrone, whose fantastic “pinkie up” High Teas at her beautiful mansion are always worth attending.
While I was talking to Augusta, I had my parking ticket in my hand but somehow lost it on the way to the car.
I was unnecessarily angry at myself about this, mad because my “pre-planning” (having the tix out) had backfired and now I’d have to pay a gazillion bucks for a quick lunch stop.
Me to parking attendant: “I lost my fucking ticket. But if it helps, I parked at 12:08.” He never said a word or acknowledged my statement but I only paid $8 not $22. Grateful!
Then I stopped in at the Quill and met with comedian and podcaster Andrew Heaton. Eric and Joshua Holmes sat down for an interview and I headed home to help clients who are in the market for a house.
Here’s Heaton and co at a podcast recording over the weekend.
Right now in New Hampshire —@JustinRYoung, @MightyHeaton, and @JenBriney up for the NH Primary, recording a live podcast episode of “We’re Not Wrong” at @ToShareBrewing in Manchester, NH. pic.twitter.com/43zvuFwmkP
— The Free State 🦔 (@FreeStateNH) January 21, 2024
As I drove home, I thought how thankful I am that our movement has arrived.
That Free Staters are now an embedded part of NH’s political landscape. That what we have accomplished, and will accomplish, is undeniable.
That the community we’re building is growing.That our human action is making the Live Free or Die state more better. 
Our time has come.
Let’s not squander it on a strategy of being assholes. Let’s leverage it to become the people other people want to be like!
Let’s emulate our principles in a way that ATTRACTS not repels. Marcus Aurelius said: “Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if you will ever dig.”
Let’s live free… and thrive!
Coverage of CACR 20 and HB 1130 from Manchester Ink Link.
“For Carla Gericke, Chairwoman and President Emeritus of the Free State Project, one of the primary reasons is a fear of the United States dollar losing its status as the world’s reserve currency, which would drastically harm the U.S. economy if it occurred.
Both Gerhard and Gericke believe that the separation would be peaceful with Gerhard stating that the move would emulate portions of the New Hampshire Constitution already in place such as Part 1, Article 10, which guarantees the “right of revolution.”
Gericke told the committee that the state should have the right to peacefully secede from the United States through democratic means and felt that the violent is a tool of authoritarianism, something she believes this legislation is meant to circumvent. Following the hearing, she stated that if federal response to secession was violent then it would serve as proof that secession was needed, comparing it to a domestic abuse victim blaming themselves for being abused.
“If the answer (to secession) is that (the federal government) is going to murder us because they don’t agree with our positions, then it’s probably a good time to leave the relationship,” she said. “When someone is abusing you and then tells you, ‘You can’t leave or I’m going to kill you,’ that doesn’t seem like a healthy relationship.”
She added that with the ability for people to “vote with their feet” making it easier for many to reject the values of governments in places where they might currently reside, Gericke agreed with Gerhard that the move toward greater local autonomy of some sort everywhere is inevitable.
“I think we’re just so caught up in these fear paradigms and in these little boxes that we just look at the world and we’re like ‘this is how it was and this is how it must be’, but I’m like ‘no, what can we do?’” she said.
Rather than scholarly works, the book contains eighty personal essays written by libertarians of varying degrees of prominence worldwide, from the legendary to those deserving wider recognition. The purpose was to convey their mindset before embracing libertarianism and how it has impacted their personal and professional lives. Block and Cavallo assert libertarianism is the ‘last best hope for humankind with regard to economics, liberty, justice, prosperity, peace, and thus even survival’… Block and Cavallo have edited a magnificent collection of autobiographies that convey what it means to be a libertarian regardless of where you live, and everyone should read it.
Tony Senatore
Read the full “Review of Libertarian Autobiographies: Moving Toward Freedom in Today’s World”…
Free State Project Names Maine Senator Eric Brakey as New Executive Director
[Manchester, November 30, 2023] – The Free State Project, a political migration movement dedicated to attracting liberty-minded individuals and libertarians to New Hampshire, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Maine Senator Eric Brakey (35) as its new Executive Director, effective December 1st.Senator Brakey, who will finish his third term in the Maine Senate next year and not seek re-election, brings a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to the principles of liberty, making him the ideal choice to lead the Free State Project into its next chapter.
“After twenty years, the positive impact of the Free State Project is undeniable. New Hampshire stands today as a granite fortress of freedom as other states succumb to the siren songs of socialism ,” said Senator Eric Brakey. “I am excited to join the Free State Project to help achieve liberty in our lifetimes with a homeland for all who wish to live free.”
In 2003, supporters of the Free State movement chose New Hampshire as their destination. Today, more than 7,000 live in the state. The Free State Project hosts two annual events to showcase the NH Advantage: Liberty Forum, an intimate, 300-person winter hotel conference, and the Porcupine Freedom Festival (aka “PorcFest”), a summer camping event with about 3,000 attendees.
Over the past two decades, Free Staters have been elected to office, served on school boards and civic committees, run independent media sites, and have started businesses, private clubs, and charities. Free Staters have been instrumental in expanding liberties in many different areas, from jury nullification and craft brewing, to cryptocurrencies and First Amendment activities. In 2023, NBC Boston broadcast an extensive, 11-part docuseries about the Free State Project called Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire.
“New Hampshire was just ranked Number One by the Cato Institute as the freest state in the nation overall,” said Free State Project founder and current board member, Jason Sorens, who worked on the report. “With our low tax burden, natural beauty, and policies like expanded school choice and Constitutional Carry, New Hampshire is becoming difficult to beat in terms of overall quality of living.”
As the new Executive Director, Senator Brakey will play a pivotal role in promoting these advantages to help attract more liberty-minded individuals and libertarians to the ‘Live Free or Die’ state.
Eric Brakey began in liberty politics as the Maine State Director for the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign. Elected shortly thereafter to the Maine Senate, Brakey became the youngest state senator in America at the age of 26. Across three terms, Senator Brakey authored Maine’s Constitutional Carry law, negotiated significant welfare reforms, enacted Right to Try legislation, legalized over-the-counter birth control, and oversaw market-based reforms to the state’s medical cannabis program. In 2018, Senator Brakey served as the Maine Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. Between terms of office, Eric Brakey also worked as a national spokesperson, growth strategist, and policy advisor at Young Americans for Liberty based in Austin, TX.
“Eric is a big ‘get’ for us,” said Carla Gericke, president emeritus and chairwoman of the Free State Project. “Getting a senator from another state to join the Free State Project represents, in very real terms, the value proposition of our mission, which is to concentrate the best and brightest, the smartest, solution-driven thinkers of our time, in one place: the Free State of New Hampshire. I left Silicon Valley and NYC to come build something new. I can’t wait to see what Eric does.”
In his role as Executive Director, Senator Brakey will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Free State Project, working closely with the Board of Directors, the organization’s staff, and its large, dedicated volunteer community. Brakey’s tenure promises to be a dynamic period of growth and outreach, as the Free State Project continues to attract individuals who share a commitment to individual freedom and limited government.
“Eric’s passion for liberty, coupled with his experience in public service and his time at Young Americans for Liberty, makes him an outstanding choice to lead the Free State Project,” said Gericke. “We are confident that under his guidance, the organization will continue to grow and that he will embolden a new wave of Free Staters to come help build the brightest beacon of liberty in the world, right here in New Hampshire.”
About the Free State Project:
The Free State Project is a 501c3 educational non-profit dedicated to promoting individual liberty, limited government, and free-market principles in New Hampshire. Founded in 2003, the organization encourages liberty-minded individuals and libertarians to move to New Hampshire, where they can live, work, and play while advocating for a freer society. Learn more at fsp.org.