I agree that this might take generations. I don't think it really matters where we start. All that matters is that we stand up and assert our freedom. Success will not be determined by where we happen to be when we do so.
Palindrome,
I respect your opinion and the logical analysis that you consistently bring to this forum, but I must respectfully disagree here. I think that location is vital to our chances of success.
I've posted a lot of comments on other threads here ("NH Should Not Be Picked," "Montana and Wyoming," etc..., so I don't want to badger people with the same old thing out of the old jello mold.
I'll summarize my objections to the eastern states (particularly to NH and DE):
These states are far too close to Washington, NY and the whole socialistic east coast megalopolis. Politicians view this area as their own little world, and the media empire that ever so consistently sustains them is also based here. They care very little about what lies between the east and the west coasts, so long as it does not immediately impact them in Washington, NY, etc...
Also, see the articles that I posted in "Maybe we *should* pick an inland state." These articles demonstate the clear consistency with which the government views the large population centers with regard to terrorism, etc. They are tightening security and increasing scrutiny of the population in these areas. If we come along trying to create a state built upon ideas that are diametrically opposed to this philosophy, we risk a greater possibility of interference from the feds, backed by the fear-inspired populations of those areas.
We also cannot afford to discount the fact that most of these high population areas are some of the most government-dependent areas in the country. Liberals are very good fear mongers, and we would have our work more than cut out for us in one of these locations. If we come along suggesting that schools be privatized, welfare roles be capped and decreased, etc..., we are doing so in an area where people depend more upon those things and will fight us tooth and nail, backed by their leftist political representatives and their friends in the media. A state like Wyoming, on the other hand, has approximately .2% of the population on the welfare roles.
I would much rather start out in an area that is easier to handle for several reasons, but most noteably this one: we are loose-knit and inexperienced. We have yet to put even so much as a tentative strategy into place for tackling reform, nor can we realistically do so until the state is chosen. For this reason, we have yet to build a strategy for functioning effectively as a team, or handling the execution of a basic political gameplan. I'd much rather see us win a few games against smaller teams, and thereby gain experience and wisdom, before we set out to challenge the SuperBowl champs of statism on their own home field.
The issues of security and scrutiny also reach beyond the major cities. In fact, border crossings and ports are under the highest scrutiny of all. That's why I'm beginning to wonder if they can really be considered practical assets to a fledgling liberty movement like ours.
And there's very little realistic chance of us getting the Waco treatment, IMO. For one thing, we're not going to be living in a compound somewhere, we'll be scattered all over the state, so there's really no way we could be surrounded like the Branch Davidians were. The people at Waco and Ruby Ridge were separatists. We'll be blending into our communities, and I hope, making ourselves indispensible to the well-being of our state, not separating from the public.
Also, another factor that worked against Koresh and friends was the fact that their isolation prevented them from talking to the media. They never got their side of the story out. If the government comes down on us for some reason, I think they'll be likely to go for the leadership. That would leave thousands of screaming-mad porcupines to vent to the press, which, despite their statist leanings, will cover the story in-depth because they like a good story even more than they like statism.
Now, it could be said that the press would be of better assistance if we were closer to their home bases in the big cities. But this is where Waco, as well as the Freemen, teaches us another valuable lesson. Lay siege to it, and they will come. The media would show up wherever we were and set up a tent city if they had to. In such an instance, they would be valuable exposure for us. At other times, the exposure they would provide by being so close would probably be harmful to us. Media exposure, like the sun, can either give you a nice, light tan, or it can burn you to a crisp...all depending on how much you are exposed to it.
