Shire Liberty News

[Tom Sawyer]

Sandy's well considered article in the latest e-mail from Shire Liberty News

Are You an Activist?

by Sandy Pierre



I have long considered myself to be a liberty activist.  And as someone who lives in New Hampshire and interacts with other Free State Project early movers on a regular basis, many of the people in my social circle consider themselves to be activists as well.  But are they really? Am I?  What constitutes "activism"?



Activism - the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, sometimes by demonstrations, protests, etc.



Activism



Implementing legislative change on the local level is activism.  I say this because, while philosophically I consider myself an anarchist, in the real world we find ourselves in right now, anything that makes it less likely to get fined or arrested for a victimless crime is a good thing. 



Writing a pro-liberty bill that gets passed (or that has a good shot at passing) counts.  So does shooting down an anti-liberty bill. Working to get such a bill passed by speaking to a committee, writing to/calling local legislators, writing effective Letters to the Editor that get published and read... these all count as activism. Running for local office, winning, and then actually showing up, counts too.



Changing someone's mind in a pro-liberty direction is activism.  This can be done via face-to-face conversation, writing a book, blogging, podcasting, writing music, handing out flyers.  However, the number of books, blogs, podcasts, songs and conversations that actually achieve this (i.e. change someone's mind in a pro-liberty direction) is a small fraction of the total. In activism, unlike gift-giving, it's NOT the thought that counts!  It's the effective communication of an idea that counts.



Not Activism



In my opinion, trying to reform the federal government is not activism. Such endeavors are worse than useless, because they consume time, energy and money on things that might actually make a difference!  The same goes for voting in federal elections (note: I actually still do this myself... but I'm not sure why. Tradition?).



Running for office when there's not a snowball's chance in Hell that you'll win - That's just stroking your own ego and/or trying to prove a point which eludes me.  Now, some people do seem to run for offices they know they have no chance of winning on the grounds that it gives them a platform from which to promote the principles of liberty.  If a campaign actually does give them an opportunity to participate in a debate with the other candidates, get significant media coverage, etc., then perhaps there is some value there.



Starting a blog, a podcast, a cable access TV show, etc. - These activities, in and of themselves, do not count as activism.  They may count, if they successfully perform one of the activities in the Activism section above. I don't consider my personal blog to be activism; it's just an outlet for creative expression and a way to amuse myself and my friends.



Publicity – Some claim "any publicity is good publicity".  I respectfully disagree, and will stoop to using a distasteful recent example to make my point.  A liberty activist (not in New Hampshire, thankfully) recently admitted to molesting a young girl on his Facebook wall.  His post has garnered over 100 shares, over 2000 comments, and presumably thousands of views.  That is a lot of publicity! This man is (or was) associated with pro-liberty organizations such as CopBlock and C4SS.  Do you think that either of these organizations are grateful for the spotlight this self-confessed child molester has shone on them this week via his association with them?  Um, yeah....



Running an "agorist" business – As far as I can tell, the definition of an agorist business seems to be refusing to comply with laws regarding business licensure and taxes.  While it may be laudable to refuse to "feed the beast" by refusing to pay taxes, this is not promoting or expanding liberty any more than simply being unemployed would be.  Please don't misunderstand: I'm not saying that there is no value in running an agorist business! I've made use of several myself over the past few years and am grateful for their existence. But it's not "activism".



Anti-Activism



A minority of self-described activists do things that actually drive potential converts away from the ideas of liberty.  If you engage in any of these pastimes, please, stop!



Insulting/namecalling/engaging in flame wars – You may be right.  You may be smarter than the other person.  But if you call him names, or put him down, or act condescending, you are not doing positive activism. On the contrary, you're doing negative activism.  Calling people names, or cursing at them, will not convince them that you are right and they are wrong.  It will anger them and put them on the defensive, which makes them much less likely to actually hear any valid points you might have been trying to make.



Being a deadbeat/mooch – Self-ownership is one of the foundational principles of libertarianism.  Owning yourself includes being responsible for yourself, taking care of yourself.  It boggles my mind how many self-described activists are seemingly unable to feed and house themselves and their children without relying upon the charity of others. Some even go so far as to renege on contracts they've voluntarily entered into for housing or basic services.  Please, if you haven't got the bare minimum self-supporting aspects of being an adult down yet, stop calling yourself an activist.



Metrics



Action that doesn't achieve the desired outcome is a waste of your precious limited time (and money, if you're spending any on your project).  It's not enough to just "do something"; you need to do something that achieves your goal, or at least gets you part of the way there.  Ideally, you need to do it efficiently.  As an example, spending a million dollars on a futile political campaign may result in turning X number of people on to the ideas of liberty.  But was that the most effective use of that million dollars?  If the money had been spent another way, might X have wound up being a larger number?



Good feedback – People writing or speaking to you, saying they got something out of your article/video/podcast/etc. They may write to say they agree with you. They may disagree.  But if you can maintain a respectful dialog with those who disagree, you may accomplish something.  Even if you don't succeed in changing their mind, if you can end the debate in a civil manner, with mutual respect, then at least you've left that reader with positive thoughts about you and your position.



Indeterminate feedback – Number of social media friends/followers.  People who follow you on social media and/or read your articles because you're so outrageous they just want to see what you'll say or do next are not a valid measure of how well you're promoting liberty.  I'm not going to name names here, but I have been told by a number of friends that certain high-profile "celebritarians" are followed/read for just such a reason.  They are the human equivalent of a gory highway accident.  Not all of your followers may be fans or supporters; some of them are simply rubber-neckers. Others are just people who, for whatever reason, will follow/link to anyone who follows/links to them first. 



I've noticed this myself on Twitter, which I only started making use of in the last several months for purposes of promoting Shire Liberty News.  I've been systematically following people who identify themselves as "libertarian", and many of them have followed me back.  But I can tell by some of their tweets that, well... to paraphrase the immortal words of Inigo Montoya "I do not think that word means what they think it means".  If many of them actually took the time to read what we publish in this newsletter, they'd probably disagree, some of them angrily.  This is not to say that linking to them on Twitter serves no positive purpose at all.  Due to Twitter's rules, you need to have X number of followers in order to be allowed to follow Y users yourself.  So in that sense, every single follower does help, albeit indirectly.  But I have no illusions that, because SLN has over a thousand followers on Twitter, that equates to a thousand Twitter FANS, or even readers.



Negative feedback – If you're so abrasive or obnoxious that even your allies unfriend/unfollow you, block you, ban you from their events... you might want to take a moment of quiet reflection and assess the efficacy of your activism.

[Russell Kanning]

am I an "activist" if I slightly disagree with her article

[Tom Sawyer]

am I an "activist" if I slightly disagree with her article

I'm in trouble according to the article as well. 

But, I like her overall tone. Plus have you seen she can kill you with her brain as well! Shhh... don't make eye contact.

[Russell Kanning]

i worry about the fist of death mostly

[Free libertarian]

I really appreciate that Sandy wrote this piece, although I think Agorism can be Activism.   Not only does it not feed the beast, it helps to build / establish / illustrate that a consensual and voluntary relationship is what is needed when transacting business, that the proverbial gun is the turd in the punchbowl.  Noncompliance with a coercive authority is ultimately what must happen if peace is to be achieved.  Plus who likes shitty punch?

[Tom Sawyer]

Activist or Advocate?
A long time friend that I respect because he's been around the world many times, had lots of adventures and accomplished many things including changing the world some, told me, "I'm not an activist, an activist agitates for change. I'm an advocate. An advocate helps build the things that faciltate change."

I'd say agorism fits that. People that can do business without the hinderance of the state. Without feeding the state. It's small potatoes now, at least compared to the huge unfree market, but it allows a parrallel culture to grow.

Does participating here make someone an activist? I don't know if activist is the term for that kind of participation. However it is of value. Building a community is a valuable thing. Giving a place that others will feel they are among friends, in this world that doesn't want you to feel free, has a value.

I know you through participating here, that is of value to me. You had one of the moments that I tell folks is one of the best victories I've seen so far in this movement. And you didn't just get devoured by the state without others knowing and showing support.

I love you man. 

[Russell Kanning]

one thing I think about
if everyone in the world did what I am doing .... how would the world turn out?

[Tom Sawyer]

one thing I think about
if everyone in the world did what I am doing .... how would the world turn out?

Russell, we can't all be truckers...

Although I really like your style, you shaped my views some. "What would Russell do?" thoughts have tried to make me a nicer person. Obviously, I need to work on it some. 

[Russell Kanning]

well I am thinking in general
like if you temporarily use the government to get what you want ..... if everyone did it ... we would have a disaster.
but if you do agorism .... and everyone else did it .... wow

the means are the ends as a few wise men have said

[Jim Johnson]

Sunday, July 5, 2015

by Sandy Pierre

May 26th marked the ten-year anniversary of my moving to New Hampshire as a participant in the Free State Project.  I'm a bit abashed to admit that, aside from a short Facebook post on the subject, I haven't yet marked the occasion in any particular way.  There are several reasons for this.

One reason is that I had been unemployed for quite a while and was getting near the bottom of my savings barrel. It seemed irresponsible to spend money on a big party, a new tattoo, a weekend adventure, an all-I-could-eat extravaganza in one of the numerous fine New Hampshire restaurants I still have yet to sample...

Another reason is that (and this is a bit awkward to admit to the world) I am extremely loath to throw a party because I have a serious fear that no one would attend. My rational mind knows that's ridiculous; I have friends who care about me and would make time for me, if I asked. Plus, I have somewhat old-fashioned views about party-hosting; I think if you're going to host a party, you should, you know.... HOST. Provide the food and beverages.  So at a bare minimum, I should get at least a few attendees to show up for free beer.

Also, I myself generally don't enjoy parties.  I'm extremely introverted and usually find parties very stressful and uncomfortable. I only go when either a) a good friend would be offended if I didn't show up or b) the stars are in a certain alignment that overcomes my natural state of inertia and social antipathy and motivates me to bathe, put on pants, leave the house, and actually make it to the destination. (I'm spelling out that whole chain of events because, on more than one occasion, I have actually gone to the trouble of getting dolled up for a social event, got in the car, started driving there, then changed my mind, turned around and went back home).

Another reason is that I still haven't decided what the best way to mark such an occasion is.  (But perhaps that's scarcity thinking and I shouldn't try to limit it to just one of the options under consideration.) I'm not even sure what to call the occasion.  It's an anniversary, clearly, but of what?  Just arriving at the state of New Hampshire in and of itself isn't the important part.  It was an ending of a former phase of my life, and the beginning of a new one.

Freedom is not a destination. Freedom is a journey, one that I've been on for a good while now, longer than my involvement in the FSP. My beliefs have changed over the years, from starry-eyed idealistic environmental activist, to big-L Libertarian, to minarchist, to anarchist, to... not even sure what the term is for where I seem to be heading at the moment. I increasingly think that freedom has little to do with who is in office or what laws are in effect, and much more to do with what is going on inside your own head and heart, and how you choose to express that to the world. (Liberty Taoism?!) My journey has had more than one detour through vales of disappointment, burnout, disgust, and just plain ignoring the whole thing for a while.

In any case, I'm so grateful to have stumbled across an online reference to the Free State Project back in 2002. It took some personal sacrifices to get myself relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to New Hampshire in 2005. I'm not going to lie, I occasionally think about that "road not taken". But I cannot imagine how different my life would be now if I hadn't taken the road I did.  The people I've met, the ideas to which I've been exposed, the experiences I've had have changed me in so many ways. To continue the Robert Frost reference, "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

Literary aside: as noted by the Super Secret Project in their brilliant song/video Granite State of Mind, "Robert Frost, he's our most famous poet/ It was actually written up in Vermont, but it's associated with the 603".  Frost is buried in Old Bennington, VT and has the loveliest epitaph on his tombstone: "I had a lover's quarrel with the world".

Is the liberty community in New Hampshire perfect? Oh GOD no.  We have our share (some days it feels like more than our fair share) of assholes and imbeciles, charlatans and skanks, malcontents and moochers.  There's a percentage of people who seem unclear on the difference between libertarianism and anti-authoritarianism, which are not the same thing.  At all.  To me, libertarianism means self-ownership, and self-ownership includes an implicit requirement, whether you like it or not, to take full responsibility for yourself.  Then again, I'm no paragon in that regard. I've developed a few bad habits, and let a few good ones fall by the wayside, over the past ten years.

I fear that, lately, I've become almost obsessive about focusing on the negatives and the minority of individuals who disappoint me in some way, or simply make choices different from the ones that I would make. I sense some cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy with that.  I profess to believe in a "live and let live" philosophy, but in my head there's been a running stream of criticism, judgment and silent shrieks of "you're doing it wrong!" at some of my fellow activists. Not only does that accomplish nothing, it makes me feel, by turns, grumpy, smugly superior, and isolated, none of which are pleasant or productive emotional states in which to dwell.

I temporarily lost sight of the positives and the many people that I am, frankly, honored to call friends. Good, kind, loving, generous people quick to lend a hand, or an attentive ear, or a shoulder to cry on (or to help shove your car out of a snowbank).  Brave people, willing to openly and honestly express their minority political viewpoints, even when it results in antagonizing or even permanently alienating family members and long-time friends. Intelligent people (the number of certified Mensa members residing in and around my small town is uncanny). Knowledgeable people, on every topic under the sun. Heroic people, in the truest meaning of the word, who have gone to prison for their beliefs, made significant financial or personal sacrifices for their beliefs, knowingly risked government surveillance and getting-put-on-a-"list" for their beliefs.  People who put countless hours into campaigning, blogging, podcasting, YouTubing, choosing to put themselves in the public eye and dealing with the inevitable "haters" who seem to take pleasure in tearing down those trying to create something.

I don't know what's going to happen here in New Hampshire, politically or economically.  I have grave concerns about the condition of the U.S. economy after years of "quantitative easing" (could the Fed possibly come up with a more Orwellian term for "excessive money printing"?), underfunded pensions, bloated government... And I worry that the inevitable backlash from the choices that this nation has made will inundate the fledgling creation a handful of us are trying to birth and grow in the granitic little corner of the country in which we've planted our Porcupine Gadsden flag to stake our claim.

But I need to stop focusing on the negative, because that is no way to live. I need to focus on the positive, on the beautiful, on the aspects of life in New Hampshire that have made my Grinchy heart grow three sizes over the past decade.

My heart is full to bursting with admiration and affection for so many of my fellow "Porcupines".  Thank you, truly, to so many of you who have worked with me, taught me, helped me to grow, shown me love and friendship, shared laughter and beers, heartache and tears. Welcomed me into your homes on holidays. Honored me with invitations to your weddings. Allowed me to share in your children's lives. A few have died during this journey, but you are not forgotten. More than a few have chosen to leave, which hurts sometimes. But each of us has to do what's in our own best interests. And as a wise friend has pointed out, "New Hampshire's not supposed to be a penal colony".

In a very real sense, the New Hampshire liberty community is a family (and PorcFest is the annual family reunion). My big fat hilarious demented liberty family spread across the entire state.  And yeah, it may have a crazy aunt or two, and a pervy uncle, and an alcoholic cousin who turns into a real ass when he's had too much to drink, and a condescending brother-in-law, and a step-sister who's never satisfied. Families are like that. You take the bad with the good.

I look forward to seeing what my big fat liberty family will look like in another ten years.

[Tom Sawyer]

Dang it, hell of a way to start my day. Teared up before my first cup of coffee.