On Ep 2, I am joined by my favorite human in the whole wide world, my husband, Louis Calitz. He walks us through his nerdy upbringing, explains his favorite quote and how he is contributing to building a better consent-based society in the Free State.
I sat down to chat to Eric Cervone of the Honest Offense Podcast where we cover a lot of ground: growing up in apartheid South Africa, to the impending medical apartheid people are clamoring for in America and globally. We talk about my book, The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly), life in New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project, and much much more!
This morning, hundreds of protesters showed up at St. Anslem in Goffstown, NH, to raise our voices against the un-Constitutional mandates coming from DC. We reject DC’s authoritarianism, mandates, and madness.
The NH Executive Council is set to vote on whether to accept federal funds to create a vaccine registry in NH, which was the last state to create such a registry. Because we value privacy (see this NH Constitutional Amendment that passed in 2018: [Art.] 2-b. [Right of Privacy.] An individual’s right to live free from governmental intrusion in private or personal information is natural, essential, and inherent), there are ways to opt-out, but now, seems this “opt-out” list IS a list, and this needs to be addressed.
Honestly, I have not paid a huge amount of attention to this issue in the past. I vaguely knew “other activists” were working on health freedom/vaccine issues, and I have had my hands full with a myriad of other “loss of liberty” issues (police accountability and militarization, open/transparent government and Right-To-Know, 1A, 2A, 4A, 10A, etc), but now I will get to work to get up to speed so I can help answer questions Granite Staters have going forward.
Watch my quick take live video from the rally HERE.
See how big the crowd was HERE, and hear me say, “We are NOT sheep on your Pharm.”
See photos HERE.
What can YOU do to help? Come to Concord on Saturday, 10/2 from Noon to 3PM. March starts at the State Library and then heads over to the State House. Pack a picnic, bring the whole family, and come celebrate freedom and camaraderie!
If you listen to people like me back then, where would you be right now?
In New Hampshire.
With a thousands-strong community of like-minded people who believe in self-ownership.
Probably owning some property or saving to buy some soon.
If you switched to Ancestral living like I have, your health would be vastly improved.
If you’d bought $100 worth of Bitcoin on Porcupine Day, February 3, 2016, you would now have more than $8,000.
Maybe you should stop listening to people who tell you you are weak and a victim and that only they can save you, and start listening to the people who embody their principles, who live fulfilled and healthy lives, and who think YOU can be and do whatever YOU set your mind to. Come over to the growth mindset! It’s awesome over here!
Watch this VIDEO to see “the farm that freedom built. Where the pigs are fat and the libertarians are happy.”
This video is five years old and, as I said on Facebook when I re-shared it recently:
Wow! This is actually extremely p.a.i.n.f.u.l for me to watch from a “Holy hell, I was not well, AKA ‘what the fatty fat???'” perspective, but the principles of liberty and freedom I express are still spot on.
The reality is: If you don’t like something about yourself, CHANGE. It is UP TO YOU. No one else can do it for you. Only YOU are responsible for your health and wellbeing. (That realization is Step #1.)
I was unhealthy and anxious, and several years ago, I decided to do something about it. I changed my diet (ancestral/keto/low carb), quit alcohol, reintroduced my yoga practice, made sleeping a priority, started fasting, and through meditation and mindful journaling, learned how to evolve past an unmoored childhood to become someone *I* like and respect. I wanted to return to the person I was: healthy, sporty, ambitious, effective, and happy (with a little “wild and beautiful” thrown in for good measure!). So I did.
You can read about my journey here, but watch this clip to learn more about what Free Staters are trying to accomplish in NH. Our message is even more important NOW–as medical tyranny arises around us–than it was 5 years ago!
Join thousands of libertarians in New Hampshire: Where liberty lives! Learn more at the Free State Project. #LiveFreeAndThrive
CLICK HERE to watch my recent interview about The Ecstatic Pessimist (buy yours directly from me now), the Free State Project, my activism in New Hampshire, and more!
This expansive interview covers many of the essays in the book, including a 420 rally gone wrong, growing up in South Africa under apartheid, issues like police accountability, libertarianism , and more!
The 18th Annual Porcupine Freedom Festival ended yesterday, but lament not, tickets are already on sale for 2022. Get yours TODAY! Why come to PorcFest? Because if you’ve ever wondered what the Free State Project is about, there’s no better way to get a flavor of our growing and thriving community than spending a week camping with us in the woods.
Over the years, PorcFest has often been described by attendees as “a gateway drug for the liberty curious.” PorcFest draws people who sense something is unbalanced in our world and are seeking answers–whether it is to the violence we see, the pain and suffering caused by the state in the name of control, the destruction of our purchasing power through inflation and unsustainable monetary policy, or, well, frankly, whatever the f*ck 2020 was–PorcFest is the place where free-thinkers come to share their visions for a better world.
After almost two decades, we know that mingling our community’s “porc power” with the “liberty curious” turns attendees into movers. We also know the more like-minded, peaceful people we can gather together in New Hampshire, the stronger our chances of building the “prosperity-for-all” future we seek.
We are on a mission to create a peaceful free state based on voluntary human interaction and consent.
This year, we sold more than 2,500 tickets. We had scores of intellectuals and academics speaking about a myriad of socio-economic topics, including feminist writer Naomi Wolf (read THIS) and antiwar spokesman Scott Horton. For the first time, both the Anthem Film Festival, and Gene Epstein’s SOHO Forum were present. We were also delighted to welcome back some of our favorites, like economist David Friedman, podcaster Tom Woods, writer Jeffrey Tucker, and comedian Dave Smith.
PorcFest XVIII had 15 main stage sponsors and 10 facilities sponsors. About 500 decentralized events were hosted by smaller hubs, villages, and individuals across the campground. Topics ranged from knitting and knives, to body positivity and health freedom, to tiny homes, off-the-grid living and how to raise chickens, to school choice and unschooling, to teaching newbies gun safety and how to shoot.
Hundreds of free-range children spent the week playing together. Some sold printed programs, knickknacks, and walked dogs for cash. Drones flew over drum circles. A Thriller flash mob appeared on the field before the Bardo Pork roast on Saturday, which took place opposite a Shrimp Boil. [Aside: I had incredible #freedomnomnom noshes all week long, including authentic bánh mì sandwiches and phở. I’ll do an entire foodie post later!]
PorcFest epitomizes the best of the Free State movement: individualism, team work, selling and buying things, crypto and other alternatives to the coercion of the state, sharing ideas, agreeing, disagreeing, growing, thriving, teaching and learning, all always, always PEACEFUL.
Reporters often ask me, “Explain who Free Staters are,” and, after I have a good belly laugh, I explain that as individuals, we are all different, but if there’s one thing you might say unites us, it’s the ethical stance of the non-aggression principle. As one of PorcFest’s sponsors, Free the People’s t-shirt says: “Don’t hurt ppl; don’t take their stuff.” Easy enough!
I’ve been doing this “Liberty lives in New Hampshire” thing for a good long time now. I attended my first PorcFest in 2005, and moved to New Hampshire in 2008. I organized PorcFest in 2009 and 2010, doubling attendance. In 2020, I proceeded with PorcFest XVII as a First and Second Amendment protected assembly, with no negative outcomes.
This year feels different, like we’ve arrived. PorcFest XVIII’s Chef de Village, Dennis Pratt, somehow managed to take the picture I’ve had in my head for years and years and made it appear before my eyes. I am in awe of what Dennis accomplished.
By engaging and energizing hundreds of others to bring their best and brightest, to bring their ideas and passions, to bring their swagger and game, i.e. by decentralizing and trusting one another, we had the biggest and best PorcFest yet!
A HUGE, SPECIAL THANK YOU to Dennis Pratt and the entire volunteer team, especially the core heavy lifters, Chris Lopez, Constance Spencer, Shawn Grissom, Pete E, Scott S, Frans Honer, Katie, Aureus H, Zoe Noctum, Anie, Stephen Nass (and their relevant partners!), and all the other amazeballs, incredible, awesomesauce Free Staters who worked hard to make PorcFest a smashing success!
As totalitarianism grows around us, so too does interest in the opposite: self-respect and human dignity through self-ownership. As I jokingly said throughout PorcFest XVIII: “2020 was good for those of us in the freedom business!” The more the boot of the state stomps down, the stronger our movement grows.
Remember: There is safety in numbers.
Think of the Free State movement as creating a “libertarian safe space” where we can choose to “Live Free and Thrive!” Surely we too are allowed to exist somewhere? In many ways, Free Staters are refugees, seeking safe harbor from the exploitation of a corrupt, immoral, unrestricted, and unaccountable federal government.
We seek one place to exist, and we come in peace to New Hampshire in order to preserve and expand the liberties we find here.
If YOU are liberty curious, I encourage you to follow the Free State Project, PorcFest, and me personally (Twitter; Facebook; Insta; MeWe; YouTube–where I host a weekly political show and have a cooking show called #Freedomnomnom). The FSP will be hosting more events as we grow, so stay tuned for more info, but in the meantime, buy your PorcFest XIX tickets TODAY for June 20-26, 2022.
I will be writing more pieces about PorcFest in the coming days, and encourage you to seek more information online (see #porcfest on social media). I will update here on The Art of Independence with news pieces and other speakers media and social media posts as I gather them.
Thank you to everyone who attended, love ya, and see YOU next year, if not before! My heart is full.
The more things change the more they stay the same!?! PorcFest is happening next week in the beautiful White Mountains of the Free State of New Hampshire.
We’re SOLD OUT, and expecting more than 2,500 people, of which 2/3 are from out of state. That’s a LOT of potential movers, people seeking a better life, which is what living in liberty in NH offers!
As the rest of the world moves towards more top-down control and totalitarianism, I encourage all peaceful liberty lovers who believe in private property and self-ownership to join us!
I am doing several talks at PorcFest, including “Make America States Again”; my future vision; police accountability; and the how and why of the Free State Project. I am looking forward to talks by speakers like Naomi Wolf, Tom Woods, Jeffrey Tucker, Gene Epstein, Stephen Kinsella, Scott Horton, and more!
On Saturday at 6PM, we are again hosting SOAPBOX IDOL, which is YOUR opportunity to do a 3-minute rant about whatever you are most passionate about. Don’t miss the auditions 11A most days in the Upper Picnic Tent.
If you haven’t looked at the schedule yet, it’s bananas! On top of the main field, there are HUNDREDS of programs, from knitting to newbie shoots, being offered by individuals. Be sure to walk around the campground and enjoy each others’ company. We are all here to learn and share!
A reminder, PorcFest is about personal responsibility, i.e. how YOU are behaving and showing up in the world. We want YOU to have the time of your life, while also being considerate of others. Attendees run the gamut from singles to great-grandparents, with a lot of families with young ‘uns in-between. Quiet time is 11PM. Tomorrow is another day; pace yourself. 
Take photos, record talks, and use this PUBLIC link to upload pics: https://dropevent.com/PorcFest. Live tweet, and help us create buzz and capture memories. Use #PorcFest and #LiveFreeAndThrive. I can’t wait to meet YOU.
Come say “hi.” Plan to buy my book, The Ecstatic Pessimist for $20 and/or support my Carla Gericke for New Hampshire efforts. Liberty lives in New Hampshire! Come join the fun!
(PS: I’m pretty sure the whip was a prop. The gun and crown are real. 
)
One of my favorite interviews ever! Michelle and I discuss the Free State Project, which offers the best solution against statism, why NH is awesome and how we can keep it that way, COVID-madness, self-ownership, transformations, my Origin Story, and, unbelievably, more!