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NH Blockchain Conference Hit with New Form of Censorship on Facebook?

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Get this… I posted a reel on FB and used a song from their library–Jesus Jones’ “Right Here Right Now”–on a post about a blockchain conference that took place in the Free State of New Hampshire this past weekend…

This morning, after I shared it to an FSP group last night, I notice the privacy setting had changed to “locked”–my posts are generally public–so I went to investigate…

My post now has a copyright ding from Warner Music on it… BUT, if you want to submit a dispute, the SUBMIT BUTTON DOESN’T WORK…

When you factor in I literally told my husband last week that this will be the next way corporatists censor speech (I used to do IP law in Silicon Valley, mind you), I don’t know what to think…

Is it a simple issue, like I have used that song on a reel before (I have)? If so, WHY DOESN’T THE DISPUTE BUTTON WORK?

Is it something more nefarious? When you consider how many times in how many ways I have been censored on social media, I’m pretty sure this is a newfangled lawfare approach to censor speech…. Note how looks like the song is OK almost everywhere, but not in the USA?

When Facebook started the practice of providing the music I thought, Huh, wouldn’t it be interesting if they use copyright infringement claims to take down dissident content in the future… I don’t know for sure that this is where we are, but something is mos def sus…

Image

The Free State Blockchain Digital Asset Conference was amazing. More details to come!

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Gate Rape: Your Government’s TSA Molestation Program

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

This is my post-TSA gate rape face.

Why? For about a decade, I opted out of the scanner, but a few years ago, I had such a shocking experience–the female agent literally stuck her finger into my lady parts–that I started to “obey.”

My last defiance is doing a double bird–FU fingers in the air–in the scanner.

This has resulted in interesting verbal exchanges.
TSA agent: “I saw what you did in there.”
Me, leaning in: “Good.”

Today? They claimed my nether regions–ensconced in leggings–“alerted”.

Total bullshit.

Probably retaliatory.

I’ll keep zapping the bird, but if I get another “random alert” resulting in another traumatic gate rape experience, I **will** sue.

Rights not asserted are lost.

I have the Constitutionally protected right to flip off Big Bro. And they don’t get to stick their dirty statist fingers up my cooch in retaliation. (As I’m writing this, I recognize that there is deep-rooted trauma this experience has exposed. I will try to write a more comprehensive essay later.)

Then you see stuff like this, and it makes you go, Hmm.

This post generated a lot of social media interest.

I decided to make some GROK art… let’s call it a new category: TSA MOLESTATION ART. I didn’t have time to tweak these to perfection, but you get the gist.

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If We Can’t Agree on What Words Mean… (Manch Talk 06/12/24)

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

What is the point of communication? Well, either you use words to talk to get what you want (persuasion = good), or you use force to take it (coercion = bad). As a society, the government has compromised our ability to speak clearly to each other by changing the meaning of words online real-time. This is what Orwell warned us about. Also, Carla gets super-excited about her first muskrat sighting!

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Who Is Fear-Factoring YOU?

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

The US government sows fear. Its intelligence agencies sow paranoia. Politicians exploit both to stay in office. The Deep State feeds off this dark energy to grow.

Manufactured fear is running–and ruining–the world.

One prevailing geopolitical theory is “everyone is blackmailing someone”.

I have questions:
1. What are ppl doing in their everyday lives that is so grossly heinous? Might want to reflect on that and reform your ways?
2. With the advent of “deep fakes” the “blackmail model” of statecraft will soon be rendered obsolete, or at least lose much of its power to plausible deniability, which is where shady players are going to make their AI-generated bread & butter.

If “perception is reality” but we have evolved to a point where you cannot “believe your own eyes,” what have we wrought?

Living through the past few years persuaded me this confusion is not accidental.

Control Freaks are turning our streets and public spaces into insane asylums by making up shit on the internet and scaring people into literal MINDLESSNESS. Brain-dead zombies unable to discern truth from bullshit.

Where do we go from here?

Get HEALTHY so YOU can control your own mind!

Control mind > Mind control

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Right-To-Know Updates with AG’s New Memo

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

If you catch this week’s Manch Talk, you’ll hear me discuss the latest developments regarding Right-to-Know in New Hampshire. Long story short, the NH AG’s office finally, FINALLY released the new RTK memo, nine years after the last one in 2015.

[PDF]

Since last week was Sunshine Week, when we typically celebrate or highlight national open government efforts, and as a RTKNH board member, I submitted an op-ed to the Union Leader, which got pulled last minute because the memo was released. I’ll take it! Stay tuned for an in-depth delve into the 158-page document, coming soon!

Here was the op-ed that was NOT published:

Dear Editor,

It is Sunshine Week, our annual reminder that if we don’t want more government corruption, we must demand transparency. What is hidden in government is what is rotten in government, and with distrust in government institutions at an all-time high, the need for open government has never been more critical. 

I serve on the board of Right-to-Know NH, a statewide, nonpartisan group of open government advocates. We are from different walks in life, different political parties, religions, and backgrounds, but what unites us is the understanding that without open, transparent, accessible, and accountable government, local politics won’t work. 

And, sadly, the trend in New Hampshire suddenly seems to be towards darkness, not light. For example: An insidious bill, HB 1002, would introduce a use fee for RTK requests, thereby introducing a new tax. Imagine the impact this would have on the press’ ability to investigate stories, or the chilling effect due to costs that this will have on open government activists. 

Over the past few years, open government advocates have seen some successes. The RTK Ombudsman office finally opened last year, but already suffers from too complex rules, and a backlog. Several NH Supreme Court cases were found in favor of more open government. The Fenniman case was even overturned after almost three decades, significantly broadening our right to view government employees’ personnel files.   

And yet, in the past decade, the government has also managed to seal the names of law enforcement officers who should have appeared on the Laurie’s List, they have arrested Right-to-Know activists, they have spent millions of your tax dollars fighting open government requests, and the NH Municipal Association has lobbied against common sense legislation to help broaden the press and Granite Staters’ Right-to-Know. 

Last year during Sunshine Week, I implored the AG’s Office to update the 2015 Right-to-Know memorandum. We have now formally requested this update at least 5 times in writing, to no avail. The failure by the AG to act, especially when such failure shrouds in secrecy the incredible gains that have been made in favor of more open government, breeds suspicion. 

In the words of Justice Louis Brandeis, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Let us, therefore, redouble our efforts to shine a light on the inner workings of our local government. It starts with that updated memo. To the NH Attorney General’s Office: Stop undermining public trust.

Sincerely,
Carla Gericke


Carla lives in West Manchester, and serves on the board of Right-to-Know NH. She is an outspoken critic of big government. 

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BlogConferences

FLASHBACK: Snowed In at Liberty Forum 2016

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Above is what Edward Snowden saw at Liberty Forum 2016. (Get your tix to Liberty Forum 2024 with Tulsi Gabbard today!)

Right after he saw us all put up masks of his face to drive home the point, “We are all Edward Snowden now.” I remember during the sound check having to warn him about the masks because I thought it might be strange to be confronted by such a visual unexpectedly. He was embarrassed, flattered, and gracious.

Still think the whole Snowden package–from getting him to speak, to getting the announcement that he was speaking on the front page of hundreds of newspapers worldwide, to the masks, to the incredible interview with Nick Gillespie of REASON–was one of our coolest “Only in the Free State” moments!

Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. Feel free to add your recollections too.

***

I ran across this post that Liberty Forum Producer Angela Harris made soon after the 2016 event:

WOW, what a weekend! If you had told me a year ago that Emmett and I would be organizing the next Liberty Forum, and that not only would we have Edward Snowden as our keynote speaker, but that we would have already Triggered the Move weeks before, I would have told you were crazy – optimistic and cute, but crazy. Now my head is reeling from the reality of it all – I need a pinch! Or a drink! (Ask me about my Emergency Nip if we get a chance –this may become an essential part of my packing routine in the future.)

I kept watch over the course of the four days, and almost everywhere I turned, I saw smiling faces and heard excited voices – people greeting old friends, enrapt in conversations in the corridors, laughing together as they headed off to the next gathering. It was truly humbling and invigorating to play host to such a diverse and passionate group of people.

An event the size and scope of Liberty Forum does not come together overnight, and it does not happen at the whim of one, or even two, people – it takes a small army of dedicated volunteers to pull it off and make it look effortless and seamless, and each of our volunteers devoted untold amounts of time, talent, and treasure to make Liberty Forum 2016 one for the record books. My sincere, heartfelt thanks go out to everyone on the entire team, especially:

Amy Day for pulling together a million threads to make one cohesive, impressive schedule – your talents amaze me and I thank you for dealing with my billion-and-one emails every day;
Sandy Pierre for wrangling libertarian cats into speaking slots and ensuring they all had the information they needed;
Kyle Laura Bennett for stocking and managing a kick-ass VIP suite – it truly felt like home away from home (but much nicer!);
Chip Spangler for running back and forth between four salons to keep the A/V machine humming so that everyone could see and hear what was going on;
Liam Enael for sending the signal to the universe, designing and printing the printed matter, and pulling my bacon out of the fire more than once;
Samantha Leane for keeping the Registration table running smoothly and making sure everyone got where they needed to go – oh, and for having an amazing collection of pretty paperclips;
Hershel Nunez for reaching out to and wrangling not 10, not 20, but 40+ exhibitors – you are a gracious host and have great vision;
Nicholas Buroker for not breaking the Internet during the Snowden talk; 😉
Carolyn Albert for going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure speakers got here and home again, and had lodging in between;
Rachel Goldsmith for liaising with our sponsors and making sure their needs were all met;
Jessica Love for envisioning and creating Porc Family Connection, giving parents a place to take their kids and where they could have fun while interacting with other parents – I don’t think there is any other conference in the world that has anything close;
Christine Mizer Butler for outstanding creative vision for the Liberty in Action Awards dinner – you and your team knocked it out of the park!;
Andre Rosa for a fabulously funny story and spectacular performance – what a show!;
JJ Epic for filming Snowden’s talk and the Liberty in Action Awards – wonderful eye, beautiful work!;
Jon Lts for putting on a hilarious comedy show to start the weekend off on the right foot;
Theresa Eudaimonia for keeping our relationship with the hotel on good footing and other various and sundry important deeds of helpfulness throughout the weekend;
Tara.טארה פאוול for deescalating situations (and de-icky-fying situations) like a PRO!;
Chris Lopez for being an amazing ambassador for Manchester by arranging ten spectacular off-site tours for the weekend;
Glenn Bailey for always being ready with some muscle when needed;
Dawn Lincoln for keeping the salons running smoothly and ensuring our speakers and attendees had what they needed for the talks;
Kari DePhillips and Brinck Slattery for being the bestest PR team on the planet;
Tennyson McCalla for being everywhere, tirelessly taking photos of everyone and everything, and putting up with my self-critical eye;
Jeremy Harris for being an awesome Man Friday and happily filling in where needed;
and last, but by no means least, Carla Gericke and Matt Philips for being an outstanding resource for all things Organizer, and for landing some pretty phenomenal speakers!

My deepest gratitude to all! And this is only the tip of the iceberg; many of these team members had a team of their own, each and every one of them working to ensure that Liberty Forum 2016 went off without a hitch, that each attendee had an enjoyable time, and that folks would want to come back for Liberty Forum 2017. I would say they were totally successful! I am exceptionally proud to have worked with this outstanding group of folks; they are the reason Liberty Forum happened at all. Please give them a pat on the back if you see them. 😃 ❤

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