Will post this around the net as soon as I can. really need help i can't get these messages out fast enough...
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From Concord Monitor 6/5/05
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/06052005/news/46059.htmLibertarians push limits of law
By Daniel Barrick
Concord Monitor Â
CONCORD - This Saturday, Russell Kanning will attempt to board a flight from Manchester to Philadelphia, carrying nothing but a Bible and a copy of the Declaration of Independence. He doesn’t expect to get very far.
In what he calls an act of civil disobedience, Kanning, a 35-year-old accountant from Keene and a staunch libertarian, will refuse to show identification to airline officials or submit to a security search. But even if he’s barred from his flight, Kanning hopes his actions will highlight what he considers overly burdensome state intrusion.
"They’re not going to be happy I’m doing this," Kanning said. "But people shouldn’t have to go through all the hassles we have to go through. They just want to control us."
Kanning’s performance at Manchester Airport will be the latest in a series of public protests that libertarians here and elsewhere are using to promote their belief in individual freedom and limited government.
Last month, a Newmarket man spent a night in jail after he filed a friend’s fingernails without a license from the state cosmetology board. The man, Mike Fisher, made sure to reap maximum publicity for the stunt, telling police, state officials, and local news outlets about his plans ahead of time. Unlicensed manicuring is a misdemeanor in New Hampshire.
"Normally, we would like to handle this kind of situation with a warning," said Lt. Jay Brown of the Concord Police Department, which handled Fisher’s arrest. "But this individual was asked to stop and when he did not stop, we arrested him."
Other planned demonstrations include starting a private mail service, to call attention to the federal government’s monopoly on first-class mail delivery, and selling bottles of liquor, in defiance of state liquor laws. A crew of libertarians in Kentucky plans to serve alcohol to an underage military veteran next month, letting local police know ahead of time for maximum exposure.
"Libertarians have spent so much time complaining about government, but civil disobedience is a path to actually fixing things," Kanning said. "Who knows what this might inspire?"
But enthusiasm for such public displays isn’t shared throughout New Hampshire’s libertarian community. Some libertarians dismiss protesters like Kanning and Fisher as publicity hounds who risk turning people off with their stunts.
"This kind of protesting is non-productive, counter-productive, and in my opinion is quite sophomoric and egotistical in its approach," said Don Gorman, a former libertarian state representative from Deerfield. "Individuals can pursue the cause of liberty as they see fit, but the way to accomplish those goals is by working with the establishment."
Increasingly visible protests come as libertarians of all stripes seek a more prominent platform in New Hampshire. The Free State Project earned national headlines last year when its members settled on New Hampshire as the setting for its experiment in coordinated pro-liberty living. The project’s leaders hope to move 20,000 like-minded libertarians to the state in the next few years, fostering an environment of limited government. They say hundreds have already made the move.
New Hampshire "is really where it’s happening," said Fisher, who moved to the state a year ago as part of the Free State Project. "We’ve all come here to take part in this. More and more, we are starting to translate our ideas into reality, and people aren’t going to be able to ignore it anymore."
John Babiarz, chairman of the New Hampshire Libertarian Party, said such an approach represented a generational shift in libertarian thinking.
"A decade ago, we tried to make changes by lobbying politicians and talking to people, and we got nowhere," Babiarz said. "The newer breed of younger people are making the same arguments, but instead of through the State House, they’re doing it in public by creating a public spectacle. As long as it’s done peacefully, it makes for great political theater and it brings the issue into the news."
Like all political parties, Babiarz said, the Libertarian Party includes both purists and pragmatists. The two sides may disagree over tactics while still sharing the same goals.
Critics in the movement say libertarians can have a bigger impact by working with the existing power structures. Gorman, for example, leads tours of the State House for libertarians who want to see government from the inside. He encourages his students to meet their local representatives, observe the lobbying process and submit their own legislation. He said he’s already grooming potential candidates for next year’s elections.
Staged protests might make sense in oppressive police states, Gorman said. But in New Hampshire, the relatively relaxed political environment make such displays unnecessary.
"This is not a closed society where it’s difficult to reach your elected official, as it is in a lot of states," Gorman said. "If you want to talk to the governor, walk into the chamber at the next council meeting and do it."
His advice for frustrated libertarians: "Your first job is to be a good citizen. Get involved in the Boy Scouts, in local boards and committees, in the volunteer fire department. Seek political office, if you like, and bring your philosophy into the realm of government."
Such advice holds little attraction for Kanning. He claims not to have paid federal income tax since 1998 and drives without a valid driver’s license because he thinks it’s a nuisance. He’s considering burning his Social Security card. The idea of speaking before the Legislature disgusts him.
"I wish there weren’t things like government because they just get in the way of us living our lives," he said. "I don’t want to have to deal with it at all."
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