Hippo Press coverage of MVP meeting

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Porcupines value political liberty
From Pg 5 April 29 - May 5, 2010 issue of The Hippo, www.Hippopress.com
by Jeff Mucciarone
     It's low pressure. It's informal. And it's all about liberty. The Merrimack Valley Porcupines are serious about liberty.
     The Manchester-based political discussion group formed several years ago and meets the first Saturday of every month at Murphy's Taproom. It is geared toward the activist community. The group typically invites activists or politicians to speak at each meeting. During election time, more politicians look to address the group, even if they don't stand for exactly what the group does. Republican state Senate candidate Jim Forsythe was a recent speaker, said Glen Dickey, the group's moderator.
     And by "liberty,"  Porcupines mean they don't want the government demanding they wear a seat belt or creating regulations that take away from an individual's ability to make personal decisions.
The Porcupines sort of sprung from the Free State Project getting off the ground in 2003 in New Hampshire, Dickey said. The Free State Project is a group organizing an effort to move 20,000 "liberty-loving" people to New Hampshire. The tally stands at 10,086 people as of last week. Free Staters worry about new taxes, more regulations and new costs.
     There's plenty of socializing and political discussion at meetings. Dickey said the group is laid back. Participants range from Free Staters to Constitutionalists to general liberty-minded folks. Many members aren't New Hampshire natives. There are also liberty groups in Concord and Nashua. The groups have been formed by people who moved to New Hampshire, but they're all Granite Staters now, Dickey said.
     Coming from the West Coast originally, Dickey said it has been refreshing to be in New Hampshire, where he said the state's libertarian streak is still very much alive. Dickey said other areas of the country are less willing to discuss matters of liberty.
     The idea of people walking around carrying guns doesn't cause the same uproar in New Hampshire as it did on the left coast, he said.
     "It's nice to have some fellowship," Dickey said. "You don't have to start off by explaining what liberty is. You get to meet people in the area who are interested in these topics. We learn a lot from talking to other people about these topics."
     Additionally, Dickey appreciates the accessibility of government in New Hampshire. No matter the political bent, Dickey said the accessibility of government in the Granite State embodies the best of politics. He said individuals can call a politician and actually get a response here. In other states, politicians only give you the time of day if you represent a large constituent group.
     "It's a great place to live and work," Dickey said.
     Still, Dickey would like to see government move more in a libertarian direction.
     It's hard to know whether interest is growing in the area on liberty-centered topics, as meetings vary greatly in size. Dickey said he doesn't know what to attribute it to.
     The Merrimack Vally Porcupines will meet next Saturday, May 1, at 11 a.m. Visit the Porcupines on Facebook.com Send e-mail to glen.dickey@comcast.net.

[Russell Kanning]

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