Problems with the Free State Project

[Mark D. Jacobsen]

Anyone have anything to say about the FSP itself? Maybe mention things you didn't know before you moved, constructive criticism etc etc.

What I have noticed is that the fsp is full of statists. It's better here than the Seattle area, but I was hoping for more anarchists.

[MTPorcupine3]

The problem with the Free State Project is that it is composed of people.

[Russell Kanning]

keep reminding yourself that this is the biggest collection of anarchists around.
I have known more than one self proclaimed anarchist that left the Shire ... now they probably don't know any

[Jim Johnson]

A great percentage of Freestaters see something wrong with the Government and want to change things by being in charge.
These people equate freedom with being in charge, and they will tell you that that's a good thing.

Being free and being in charge are not the same thing.

Wanting to be free makes you an anarchist... wanting to be in charge makes you a statist.

[Russell Kanning]

in other good news .... once you are in the Shire, you don't have to deal with the FSP directly, and can choose cool friends.

[Jay]

What I have noticed is that the fsp is full of statists. It's better here than the Seattle area, but I was hoping for more anarchists.

You can largely avoid statists anywhere by choosing your peer group. Those in the FSP seem to be a lot more insidious, judgmental, and exclusionary. And a lot of them are literally employed by Republican crony capitalism front organizations.

[Russell Kanning]

we could have a big percentage of paid troublemakers

[Jay]

we could have a big percentage of paid troublemakers

It's not even a conspiracy theory, you can actually prove there's financial incentive to steer things a certain way.

[Tom Sawyer]

The primary purpose was the political activism. That brings a certain mindset along with it.

"The problem is not the stick, but who wields it."

Although I think it has not been proven that the anarchist model can replace the stick at providing the common protection for a community.

The other point I would make is that the whole of the FSP participants are not represented by the board or any other subset of folks.

All the whining about what the board does, or some of the political operatives, or any other subset is a distraction of actually getting things accomplished.

"I'm mad at the FSP Board for banning someone, so I know, I'll cut my nose off to spite my face and wish for PorcFest to fail!"

Both approaches are using destruction as a tool. It's easier to teardown then build up.

Libertarian's biggest flaws are

1. Being a bit of a dooms day cult i.e.. 'Nothing will work." look at all the ways the government will thwart anything you might try.

2. Let's look for the 1% we disagree on and blow the other 99% up! (That Gary Johnson fella is Satan and we should work to see him fail!)

3. To be contrary for contrary sake. (Really tired of this trait.)

4. Not being able to work as any kind of team and being really proud of the fact (Can't herd cat!)
To a person, that I've experienced, on this point, they have never worked as a team before and don't understand the huge benefits that can be attained.

[Russell Kanning]

now we know what "triggers" Tom Sawyer

[Tom Sawyer]

now we know what "triggers" Tom Sawyer

"Yeah, and ya'll need to make me a special place on campus so I feel safe!"

Oh, what a minute that was what the privileged kid graduating  Brown said during her speech at the lavish school. 

[Russell Kanning]

to the FSP politicians .... it must blow their mind when anarchists complain about THEM in the FSP.

[Jay]

I realize that there's just a tiny percentage of us that find a problem with setting for "good enough", thus we remain practically alone on our journeys.

[Free libertarian]

 
All in all, I'm glad there is a free state project, conceptually anyway. 

I might have named it something different and a little less oxymoronic, but I'll confess that's hindsight on my part.

[Dave Ridley]

Mark it seems like when I discovered this movement they were dragging me from being a conservative to a libertarian, now I find that I'm in the most purist 20% "zero aggression" faction of the movement. I'm worried about the others accidentally or even intentionally growing government...as they try to shrink it.  That's mainly because many bills have a mix of pro and anti freedom stuff in them...and often only the anti freedom part gets followed by the government.   The free staters have a reputation of submitting a lot of bills.