Ready To Vote With Their Feet

The Baltimore Sun ^ | 01 Oct 2003 | staff

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Ready to vote with their feet

Originally published October 1, 2003

THIS CENTURY'S first potential large-scale political experiment takes its next baby-step today. The 5,400-some folks in the Free State Project will find out which of 10 low-population U.S. states their majority picked to conquer by persuasion. If the Free Staters can swell their ranks to more than 20,000 by 2006, all have pledged to move in (but not live together) across the favored state by 2011.
The goal for this small-government-loving cadre is classically American: to get their voices heard by tipping the political scales in their favor. Active and activist members across the chosen state would support like-minded candidates for the legislature. Their candidates wouldn't win, though, without the backing of many of the natives. Their expected tactics would be less like an invasion and more like a revival meeting.

This yearning for a place of one's own is eternal. Pilgrims tried to set up their own utopia in the 17th century, as did Mormons in the 19th. Just 30 years ago, Vermont attracted scores of back-to-the-soil types.

The message, too, is classic. Free Staters base their creed - to promote "a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life, liberty and property" - on the theory and phrasing of 17th century constitutionalist John Locke.

The postmodern twist is the composition of the faithful, and how they heard the call. People leading the movement live in Connecticut, Michigan and Nevada; the best-represented states among the signatories are California and Florida. The message came to most of them via the Web musings of then-grad student Jason P. Sorens in 2000, and was debated and refined via chat rooms and e-mail - and at e-speed.

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From the Baltimore Sun, so excerpted. Worth checking the original in its entirety before it disappears down the Sun's *memory hole.*

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PorcuPing! Another FSP state choice election results report worth a look, IMHO.

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[agitator]

They made the mistake of picking NH because they were weenies. Let's see.... let's move to a state surrounded by commies on 4 sides where 20,000 commies will be moving from the People's Democratic Republic of Taxxachusetts next year because it will be easier to get a job and I won't be so far from my mother.

What a waste. I hope I'm wrong but I'd put money on this one.

[archy]

They made the mistake of picking NH because they were weenies. Let's see.... let's move to a state surrounded by commies on 4 sides where 20,000 commies will be moving from the People's Democratic Republic of Taxxachusetts next year because it will be easier to get a job and I won't be so far from my mother.

What a waste. I hope I'm wrong but I'd put money on this one.

I think you will be; I certainly hope so. Note that one reason the Dems are whining is because they're already at the #3 spot in the ranking of registered voters. The FSP effort could put them another rung down the ladder, in fourth place, pretty dreadful for them in a state where the primary elections are of national public interest.

It'll be interesting, at least!

NH State voter registration, September ’02 2001
[after list purge]

REPUBLICANS 245,791/ 37.3%
UNDECLARED 242,028/ 36.8%
DEMOCRATS 170,405/ 25.9%

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[agitator]

I hope I'm wrong and further, I'll be glad to celebrate a continuing chorus of "We told you so!" *if* I'm wrong. On the other hand, southern NH is development city and they're by and large commies moving out of occupied territory and bringing their bad habits and attitudes with them. Seems to me it's not smart to move to a location surrounded on 4 sides by overwhelming enemy forces.

On top of that, for all of those FS'rs celebrating the "Live Free or Die" license plates, with all due respect to the holdouts north of me, that plate is the worst public joke in the country. Pay your tribute to the extortionists in the state capitol so you can move about in your daily lives or they'll Waco you and your house. By the way, here's a metal plate you can put on your car to advertise the fact that we just shook you down; or if you prefer, rolled you like a drunk in the park - the joke's on you.

I hope those folks living free or dieing will let me know when they adopt Vermont style carrying or driving.

[WOSG]

But refugees from communist autocracies have always made the best freedom-fighters :-)