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Stick a Squat, No Topple: A Metaphor for Life

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Today, during my yin practice downstairs, I nailed my malasana for the first time ever without reaching for support or toppling over towards the end. In yin, you work meridian lines, and you have to hold poses for longer than in the more active and sweaty yang. Don’t ask for how long. I’m not sure. I said 3 minutes, Louis says one. Louis is obvi wrong! ? I’m grateful that my health has improved to where I can do these things again!

Learn more about steps YOU can take to improve your general health and wellbeing. It starts with the DECISION THAT ONLY YOU CAN MAKE. That decision, choice, is TO CHANGE.

Yes, it takes work. Yes, it’s challenging at first to prioritize yourself. Yes, cooking from scratch is an adjustment if you are used to eating junk and carbs. Yes, excuses are all around you. But know what??? YOU ARE AMAZING! YOU ARE WORTH IT. YOU CAN DO IT! YOU just have to do one simple thing: Choose YOU.

Forget about anything beyond your direct control. Forget about sad stories from lands far away. Forget about the things you cannot change. Newsflash! There’s only one thing within your direct control… and that’s how you treat YOURSELF first and foremost. Your duty to society is to be well and free of self-inflicted chronic diseases. That’s the only equitable social contract.

Here are 10 steps I personally implemented in my life to improve my wellbeing. Try it… I’m certain over time you will like it! Join me on this journey to your very own betterment. Don’t you want to live your life fully, happily, and healthy? You know you do. If I can do it, so can YOU! 😀

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“OK Boomer,” Hahaha

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

I made a bunch of Statists on WMUR quite spittingly cog-dissed earlier this week. On top of the many tinfoil hat memes (Primer for Argumentation 101: the way to counter an argument is by addressing the facts presented, not by calling names, but m’kay), one of the profound counter-arguments presented to my position that I own myself, was literally, “OK Boomer.”

For the record: I’m 49 and squarely Gen X. Who, what, why?!? What’s Gen X? Remember when the Weather Channel forgot New Hampshire off the U.S. map? Gen X is like that.

We’re the Most Awesome sleeper generation. We’re Breakfast Club and CyberPunk and Fuck-Your-Wars. We drove without seatbelts and lived to tell the tale. We might even have been a little drunk!

We think this world, and its “Safety Instead of Living” mentality is mad, mad, mad. Life should be grabbed by the scruff and shaken like a 007 martini because when you get down to it, life itself is a “slow-moving emergency” careening us towards death, so LIVE!

Seize every day. Live YOUR life. Love YOUR life. Embrace YOUR life. Improve YOUR life. Cherish YOUR life. FFS, LIVE! What are you waiting for? Get outside! Raise your open, smiling face to the sky! Raise your fist in the air and yell, Today, and every day, I LIVE! I live on MY terms! I AM THE BOSS OF ME!

Safetyism is a disease that is slowly destroying the very fabric of American life. Children have been coddled into fat, sluggish, sick, mindless automatons. Stop buying into this awful world the Statists are trying to enslave you into! Learn how to live: Here are 10 steps you can immediately take to start improving your life!

A boomer responds:

“From my end-of-baby-boom perspective, it seems like most of the Karens out there are Gen-Xers. ? (But I have really never thought about it because I don’t like to look for generational differences. Just another version of identity politics and dividing people unnecessarily. (Although maybe I feel that way only because my own generation is the most maligned…)”

To which I say:

Yeah, after I posted this, I started wondering who is likely most responsible for “safetyism” and the coddling of minds, and my guess is it IS probably Gen X. Maybe because I don’t have children, I didn’t fall into the trap? It is a pretty trap, one that looks benign at first glance, after all, who doesn’t want to “protect” their kids? But we are now seeing, the best you can do for a balanced world is to teach people about self-ownership, personal responsibility, and consent-based interactions. Instead of cultivating fear mindsets, we should strive to give kids a healthy dose curiosity, and let them be!

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Time Flies! 13 Years+ in Free State

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Wow, a baker’s dozen (and a hat trick)! This memory popped up in my FB feed this morning, so I wanted to share. I started working with the Free State Project in 2008 as a volunteer producer of the Porcupine Freedom Festival, and started serving as President to the Board in 2011. I now serve as Chairman of the Free State Project board, and have personally organized PorcFest three times.

I have been arrested for my activism, won a landmark 1st Amendment case affirming the right to film police encounters, written op-eds and LTEs to persuade my neighbors to give liberty a chance, testified on bills, organized scores of rallies against endless wars, against police militarization, against our slow and steady slide into enslavement.

I have been called names and vilified by the progressive left, even though we share many concerns, and I have been marginalized by the obedient NHGOP establishment. Despite this, I have now run for NH Senate three times because no one else is willing to go up against the self-proclaimed “lion of the senate.” In 2020, I got 45% against this 82 year old, 12-term incumbent dude, which, considering there’s an investigation pending on a local 6% election fraud spread, means my time will come…

My time will come because I am supported by tens of thousands of liberty-loving, liberty-LIVING friends and fellow Free Staters. Tick-tock, ladies and gentlemen to a real FREE STATE, tick-tock…

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When Your Hairdresser Is Worried About Wheelbarrows of Cash, It’s Time to Move Home to the Free State of New Hampshire

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Usually at Starbucks, my order of two coconut lattes and two sous vide egg bites costs $19.84, which I remember because it always tickles my anti-authoritarian fancy. Today, that same order was $20.93. That’s a 5% increase.

I was returning home from my hairdresser, let’s call her “J,” who, as a mom supporting 2 young kids, has been struggling during the government-induced lockdown, because, like most hairdressers, she makes the bulk of her income from events like proms and weddings. I noticed her prices had, understandably, also increased.

While J was cutting my hair, we chatted, muffled and repeating ourselves through government-mandated face coverings (mine might have been a loosely draped silk scarf).
J: “You should hear what clients have been saying in that chair.”
Me: “Folks finally over it, or they still think this crap is good?”
“So over it! People just want their lives back! Seems like more and more clients are questioning the whole narrative. How dangerous they claimed it was. Whether any of this was even necessary. I just got back from Florida, no one is wearing a mask!”

We chat on, she mentions “money printing” and “inflation” and “a wheelbarrow of money” to pay for stuff. Now, mind you, J is an ordinary working mom, not some monetary supply guru. I mention a true crime series about the Hotel Cecil in downtown LA., because I was struck when the narrator said, “It cost a million dollars in 1924 to build. That was a lot of money in those days.”
Me: “Why does no one stop and question WHY money was ‘worth more’ in the past? Or wonder, when magazine articles say things like ‘in 1980 dollars,’ what that actually means? Why don’t more people wonder, ‘What happened? Why is my money worth less now? Where did the value go?'”
J: “What do you think happens next?”
Me: “I hope it’s not a dollar collapse, but it’s hard to imagine what else is coming with this extra $4+ TRILLION in debt and counting. This past year, the feds have put close to the amount of all previous money in circulation, in circulation. It’s not sustainable. My best guess is it’s not going to end well for us, the little guy.”

Inflation is an invisible tax on us all courtesy of the US Federal Reserve colluding with a corrupt, immoral federal government driving us deeper and deeper into unimaginable debt and decline. Over this year, you will notice prices eking up, then possibly even skyrocketing. Know this: your government is ACTIVELY MAKING YOU POORER WHILE PURPORTING TO “CARE.”

America is bankrupt. Withdraw your consent.

Stop believing in the myth. Stop believing their criminal bullshit. Start thinking for yourself. Turn off your TV, especially the “news”! Start putting your extra cash into crypto, and hard metals like gold, silver, and lead. If you can, buy a gun and learn to shoot. Start cooking your meals from scratch. Get healthy. Like real health: where you have clarity of mind, energy, and the stamina to help others. Learn new things. Curiosity is the antidote to statism. Tell a friend what you know. I helped turn on J to some of these ideas through years of chit-chat in that chair.

As more people grasp the truth through their own experiences (after all, the sky didn’t fall), we can build better lives free from government overreach. I am building a community based on my values, that includes looking people in the eye and making your word count. So… If you are a free stater not living in New Hampshire, get your butt home! It’s time to #MakeYourMove in order to #LiveFreeAndThrive! We’re waiting to welcome YOU soon with your very own “Passport to Freedom!”*

*Want to know more? Move! ?

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Stop Obeying Big Bro’s Harbingers of Darkness

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

They admit they don’t know what they are doing. WHY is anyone still listening to these harbingers of darkness?

Here is the reality: Nothing any government official mandates changes anything anywhere. The virus curve is the same shape and size across the globe despite different places trying different things, with some variation for the overall age/health of the population–countries with older, fatter, sicker people are hit harder… Maybe a question Americans should be asking ourselves is why do we have so many old, fat, sick people? Hint: it’s SAD… it’s the Standard American Diet!

Here’s another hard truth: The powers that be could have spent the past year trying to help make people healthier. They could have advised you start taking care of yourself. That you start taking Vitamin D and Zinc. That you get outside in the sunlight for some daily exercise in fresh air. That you stop fueling your body with junk and start cooking whole foods from scratch. That you get enough sleep, since sleep deprivation is a recognized form of torture. But see… They like you like this… they like you fat and slow and obedient. They like being able to literally terrify you out of your mind.

For the past year, the people who purport to have your best interests at heart, instead of choosing life and health and vitality and hope, chose darkness, tyranny, control, isolation, snitching, and force. They chose to terrify you into submission without solid justification for their actions.

They have spent the last year changing your brain’s neural pathways, priming you to live permanently in fear and unable to think for yourself, which, in case I have to spell it out for you, is a lot worse for your health and wellbeing than a case of Covid.

Stop listening to these people. They 100% do. not. have. your. best. interests. at. heart. Trust your instincts! Peace and love to y’all!

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Blog

End Drug Prohibition: Let Freedom Reign

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Alcohol prohibition ended on December 5, 1933. Now imagine if we ended the prohibition of drugs, as we sensibly did with alcohol.

Imagine if we told people the truth about how harmful each substance is based on science, not peoples’ “feelings” or indoctrinations.

Pot and heroin? Not the same at all. Alcohol? Like, super bad for you even though it’s legal. If you want to improve your health, you should quit using this neurotoxin regularly. I quit alcohol entirely on December 26, 2017. The improvements in my life are remarkable. Try it, you might like it!

We can #LiveFreeAndThrive as long as we are free to make informed decisions about our own bodies. Prohibition doesn’t work, leads to more harm than good, and rewards bad actors. Let’s get the government out of the way, and let the free market reign!

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BlogElection 2020

Calling Small Business Owners!

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Small businesses like yours have been unnecessarily negatively affected over the past 6 months. Let’s put ourselves back in charge!  

My name is CARLA GERICKE and I am running for State Senate against Democrat Lou D’Allesandro (83), who has now served 11-terms in the NH Senate, meaning he has spent the past 22 years reducing your liberties and increasing your taxes. It’s time for a fresh start!

Together, let’s restore the NH Advantage and return to our “open for business” roots. With YOUR support, I can win. Lou is the past. I am the future. Why wait? 

  • In 2016, as a relatively unknown Republican, I received 40% in Goffstown and Manchester (3, 4, 10, 11).
  • In 2018, I ran as a Republican/Libertarian fusion candidate and got 42%, going UP two points even though District 20 swung 12-15% left in the “Blue Wave.”
  • In 2020, I CAN crush my opponent but YOU have to PICK me, CARLA GERICKE.

Learn more about CARLA GERICKE:

Hit the reply button with a “Hell Yes!” (OK, a simple “yes” will do, too :P) if you would like your name to appear on the forthcoming “Small Business Owners for Carla Gericke” page on my website. 

Interested in supporting my candidacy? DONATE today and together, let’s Live Free and Thrive! 

You can reach me at 603.865.7140 or carla@carla4NHSenate.com with any questions and concerns.

I, CARLA GERICKE, ask for your vote as the Republican candidate on September 8th in the primary, and again on November 3rd.  

Let’s end 2020 on a positive note… with CARLA GERICKE in the Senate! Thanks for your time!

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BlogElection 2020

25+ Years of Real-World Experience as Author, Activist, Attorney

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post originally appeared on my old Carla4NHSenate website in October 2018. It has since been updated to include awesome new stuff like publishing my first book! 🙂

I finished high school when I was 16 years old, and law school when I was 21. My first “job” was when I was eight-ish, when my sister, our best friend, and I would go–with our parents’ permission–to a neighborhood grocery store in Pretoria, and offer to push customers’ shopping carts and unload their bags into their cars for tips. We spent our “mad money” on Fantas and chips. In high school, I worked as a waitress at Giovanni’s Pizza, and in college, my summer jobs entailed making fibre glass bar stools by hand (ouch!) and working as an intake registrar/cashier at a local college.

Daughter of a South African diplomat, I’ve lived on 4 continents and remain an avid traveler, having visited 40 countries (and counting!). I won a green card in the Diversity Visa Lottery in 1994 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

I’m a writer, foodie, cook, gardener, photographer, amateur painter, hiker, Scrabble player, and documentary film buff. I practice yoga and shooting. I own a home in West Manchester with Louis Calitz, my husband since 1994, where we live with our new puppy, Obi.

I blog regularly here at Carla Gericke: The Art of Independence.

You can read more about the activism I have done to keep all Granite Staters free on Wikipedia.

On Manchester Public TV, I host The Carla Gericke Show and co-host Manch Talk TV. In the past, I co-hosted the Told You So and Free State Live podcasts, both currently on hiatus. I have appeared on C-SPAN, BBC, CNN, been quoted in the New York Times, The Economist and more, and have been a guest on a variety of news shows and podcasts.

I’m passionate about voluntary interactions, individual liberty, and am proud to call New Hampshire my chosen home. I believe all human interactions should be based on consent. My life philosophy is: Live free and thrive!

Copied below is my professional resume, which highlights my 25+ years of real-world experience and skills.

Carla Gericke

497 Hooksett Rd No.134, Manchester, NH, 03104
home: 603.865.7140 | email: carla@carlagericke.com
www.CarlaGericke.com

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Former attorney with 20+ years legal and executive non-profit experience
  • Charismatic and visionary leader with strong community support
  • Self-starter who excels at successfully completing projects
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and public speaking skills
  • Strategic/creative/independent thinker: Law degree and M.F.A. in Creative Writing
  • Named one of NH Magazine’s 2014 “Remarkable Women”
WORK EXPERIENCE

Candidate for NH House of Representatives (2022)

  • Running as the Republican candidate in Ward 11, Manchester (Hillsborough 22).
Civic Leader (2008+) and Candidate for NH State Senate (2016, 2018, 2020)
  • Won landmark 1st Amendment case affirming right to film police encounters and eliminating the claim of qualified immunity; Gericke vs. Begin is widely cited and positively affects the rights of 13 million residents of the First Circuit
  • Strong, independent voice on liberty issues, including internet freedom/censorship, government accountability/transparency/overreach/privacy, and health freedom
  • Ran as the Republican candidate for NH State Senate in District 20 three times, going from 39-45%. Due to redistricting, I am now running for NH House in Ward 11 of Manchester (Hillsborough 22).
President, Free State Project (March 2011 – March 2016, volunteer since 2008)
  • Managed operations: budgeting, fundraising, board and media relations, online/social media
  • Drafted strategic plan with measurable outcomes and improved reporting and tracking systems
  • Grew two major annual events (+50% over 3 years) and recruited iconic speakers like Edward Snowden
  • Managed geographically dispersed team of 20+ volunteers and independent contractors
  • Sought-after speaker at national and international conferences, podcasts, radio and television
  • Quoted in The Economist, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, New York Times, Playboy, GQ, and elsewhere, appeared on CNN and WMUR
  • Devised marketing campaigns to promote NH as an appealing destination for liberty activists
  • Met organization’s overall mission of recruiting 20,000 participants 2 years ahead of schedule
  • Organized the Porcupine Freedom Festival x3 times (2009, 2010, 2020)
Acting Executive Director, New Hampshire Writers’ Project at SNHU (March 2008 – Oct 2013: Acting Executive Director; 2013, Program Director 2010-2012; Program Manager 2008-2010)
  • Managed daily operations including events planning and Writers’ Day, budgeting, grant writing, fundraising, and staff
  • Liaised with NHWP members, board, other NH non-profit arts organizations and businesses
  • Taught writing workshops and judged local writing contests
  • Managed media relations, online presence, website, and social media
  • Implemented CRM system to track progress and measure successes
Adjunct, City College of New York (Fall 2007)
  • Taught Freshman Composition while completing M.F.A. in Creative Writing
Writing Lab Tutor, 826NYC (Dec 2004 – Sept 2006)
  • Provided intensive one-on-one tutoring and mentoring to at-risk children ages 6-18
  • Edited “Nine Novels by Younger Americans” with author and 826NYC founder Dave Eggers
Management Consultant, eFormation Africa (Sept 2002 – May 2003)
  • Provided consulting services to South African educational non-profit
Sabbatical (December 2001– 2002)
  • Backpacked with husband on $15 daily budget through India, Asia, and Southern Africa
In-House Counsel, Scient Corporation (1999 – 2001)
  • Provided legal support to sales and marketing teams
  • Drafted, evaluated, negotiated and executed contracts, including IP licensing
  • Worked with Finance on risk management, including revenue recognition and pricing
  • Implemented company-wide best practices procedures and standardized forms
  • Managed paralegal and worked with team of 4 lawyers
  • Lead attorney on $30M Japanese subsidiary management buyout
In-House Counsel, Logitech Inc. (1998 – 2000)
  • Provided legal support to sales, marketing, and development teams
  • Drafted, evaluated, negotiated and executed contracts with private and public sector
Paralegal, Borland (1997 –1998)
  • Recruited by Associate General Counsel at Apple Inc. to Borland based on performance
  • General contract support: NDAs, Sales/Purchasing, Sub-Contracts, Consulting, Licensing, Independent Contractor, Master and Distribution Agreements
  • Corporate/SEC compliance and due diligence
Paralegal, Apple Inc. (1996 – 1997)
  • Worked as paralegal while taking the California Bar Exam, passed first attempt
  • Provided legal support and contract management assistance to sales/support teams
  • Worked on due diligence of NeXT acquisition
Stegmanns Attorneys (1994 – 1996)
  • Attorney licensed to practice in Supreme Court of South Africa
  • General practice with focus on Legal Aid pro-bono work serving the underprivileged
Anti-Apartheid Activist (1989-1994)
  • While completing law degree, involved in various anti-apartheid activities, including producing underground Zine called The Third “I” and writing for and acting in a banned play called Die Klein Krul Swart Haartjie
  • Attended Nelson Mandela’s public inauguration at the Union Buildings in 1994
CURRENT EDUCATIONAL NON-PROFIT BOARD POSITIONS
  • Free State Project, President Emeritus (2011+)
  • Foundation for New Hampshire Independence (President 2016-2021, now Board Member)
  • Right-to-Know NH, Secretary (2017-2020) now At-Large (2020+)
AUTHOR AND CREATIVE WRITING EXPERIENCE
  • “The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly),” a collection of award-winning short stories, essays, and opinion pieces now available in paperback and Kindle (2020)
  • “Ghost of a Dream” in Lumina (Spring 2009)
  • Translation of acclaimed South African author Eben Venter’s short story “Gabriel” (Winter 2008)
  • “The Ecstatic Pessimist” short story in Bonne Route No.19 (anthology, Winter 2007)
  • “Father Let Me Walk With Thee” in Ep;phany (Fall 2007)
  • “The Vitiation of John White Junior” at Lew Rockwell (Spring 2007)
  • “Duck, Duck, Goose” at Word Riot (Winter 2007)
  • “When We Talk About Words” in Dog Days (anthology, 2006), reprinted in Promethean (Fall 2007). Winner of $1,000 award for Best Student Fiction
  • “The Silent House of Noble” in Inkwell (Fall 2006)
  • “Blue Inked” at Rumble (Fall 2005)
  • “Double Happiness” in HerStory (anthology, Fall 2005)
  • “Perfect Timing” in Better Non Sequitur (anthology, Fall 2005)
  • “Holding Down a Dream” at Underground Voices (Winter 2005)
  • “The Devil in Her Eyes” at Pindeldyboz (Fall 2004)
  • “Victor/Victorious” in Wild Strawberries (Summer 2004)
  • Editor and contributor at Shire Liberty News
  • Editor and contributor at fsp.org
  • Founding editor and contributor to The Free Stater magazine
  • Essays and blogs at various online outlets
EDUCATION
  • The City College of New York, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, 2008
  • University of Pretoria, South Africa, Baccalaureus Procurationis, 1993 (J.D. equivalent)
  • Pretoria High School for Girls, South Africa, 1988 (Form Prefect, Squash Captain)
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In the MediaPodcasts

Guest Appearance on The Survival Podcast: Episode-2710- Carla Gericke on Strategic Relocation to New Hampshire

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke
Episode-2710- Carla Gericke on Strategic Relocation to New Hampshire

Carla Gericke (JD, MFA) is an advocate of liberty specializing in localized voluntarism, self-determination, and how responsible human action can lead to peace and prosperity. She is president emeritus of the Free State Project, and lives in New Hampshire with thousands of fellow freedom fighters. In 2014, Carla won a landmark case affirming the 1st Amendment right to film police encounters.

She has appeared on WMUR, CNN, and Fox News, been featured in GQ and Playboy, been quoted in The Economist, and has discussed libertarianism on the BBC. She has visited more than 40 countries, hiked to the base camp of the 10th highest mountain in the world, lost a shoe in a taxi more than once, had her passport stolen in Goa, got kidnapped in Vietnam, and has noshed on more “mystery meat” street food than she cares to admit.

Carla once spent an entire summer while working as in-house counsel at Logitech eating tuna fish sandwiches with Doug Engelbart (the Mother Of All Demos dude), she worked on Apple’s acquisition of Steve Job’s NeXT, and bought her first Bitcoin for $6. Carla co-hosts the Told You So podcast, and co-chairs Manch Talk TV. She serves on several non-profit boards, follows a Keto lifestyle, practices yoga and shooting, and plays a mean game of Scrabble.

Carla enjoys cooking, gardening, painting, reading, and watching documentary films. She has twice run for New Hampshire Senate, garnering 42% of the vote in 2018 against an 11-term incumbent, and believes in 2020, third time will be the charm! DONATE to her race TODAY!

Carla’s first book, a collection of award-winning short stories, essays, and speeches, The Ecstatic Pessimist is now available on Amazon. Says Nick Gillespie, Editor-at-Large of Reason Magazine: “It is a fantastic package of writings that veer from fiction, to autobiography and memoir, to political polemics. It’s great, mixes stories about substance abuse, lack of focus, historical wrongs and utopian attempts to remake the world as a better place in a very pragmatic way. I highly recommend The Ecstatic Pessimist: Stories of Hope (Mostly).”

Resources for today’s show…

Carla’s Links

Sponsors of the Day

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