Civil Disobedience

[AlanM]

the more they hurt him the more they make his point for him; it's just a matter of how much punishment he can absorb and how well we can back him up

As long as he gets enough publicity it should be possible to maintain a base of support for him.? And the more they go after him the more publicity they generate.? ?With any luck this can generate new business for him too.

Keep the ideas coming about how we can handle what's likely to come our way over the next couple weeks.? Letters to editor aplenty would be good; feel free to use this guide to NH media:

http://freestateproject.org/about/essay_archive/BeTheMedia.php

Agreed. Just wanted to make sure Mike knew what he was up against.
Mike, I will back you all I can. Will protest this thing as long as it lasts.
Thinking the PTB are getting VERY nervous about their lack of moral legitimacy. 
Did I just seem like Dave Mincin?

[Dave Ridley]

 Oh also Mike I am so impressed with the response you've gotten on this so far I am going to send you (or hand you) $100.  Wish i could do it in silver.  I encourage others to do something similar to show Mike some early support.   email me your new snail mail addie if you would mike... 

Any chance of getting Mike lined up with an attorney ?   Do you want one Mike?   

Something worth noting here is that as this develops it should serve to help heal the rifts that have formed among free staters, uniting us against a common opponent.  being attacked is the best way to be united.

[Michael Fisher]

the more they hurt him the more they make his point for him; it's just a matter of how much punishment he can absorb and how well we can back him up

Exactly.

Oh also Mike I am so impressed with the response you've gotten on this so far I am going to send you (or hand you) $100.? Wish i could do it in silver.? I encourage others to do something similar to show Mike some early support.? ?email me your new snail mail addie if you would mike...?

I'm not going to ask for donations because the Attorney General's office will once again warn me about "soliciting donations while failing to register as a charitable organization" like they did when we started the scholarship fund.

But I will say this much... my address is:
Mike Fisher
7 Lamprey River Park
Newmarket, NH? 03857

Any chance of getting Mike lined up with an attorney ?? ?Do you want one Mike?? ?

Nah, I'll be fine(d).? ?? I'm not going to pay an attorney to plead guilty for me.? ?

This must not be seen as a game played with the New Hampshire court system in order to force constitutional or other judgements that change the law, because it is NOT.  This is an honest attempt at gaining public support to end all licensing restrictions.  If the public does not support me, then nothing will change, and most people believe that's the way it should be.

I personally believe that an individual's rights must be respected regardless of the will of the majority, but many people disagree with that view, so it is very difficult to approach this issue from that direction.

Something worth noting here is that as this develops it should serve to help heal the rifts that have formed among free staters, uniting us against a common opponent.? being attacked is the best way to be united.

Yeah, I apologized to them the other day for some earlier criticism.? It was not my place to criticize their efforts when I had been focusing on other efforts.

[Russell Kanning]

Yea we don't want to have a bunch of lawyers and a bankroll for these kinds of actions.....Mike is showing the moral bankruptcy of the system...fighting in court only murkies the water.
This is going great so far Mike.

[Kat Kanning]

Mike, you're a dangerous individual....endangering the health of NH citizens by clipping their nails!!        

[Russell Kanning]

On the topic of punishment, I previously said that I would refuse to pay the fine in order to be jailed.? However, if they're going to jail me regardless, as they have recently threatened to do, then I'll probably pay the fine in addition to serving a few days in jail in order to avoid the chance of significant jail time of up to a year (which would destroy my family and my business).? My willingness to pay the fine will depend on the punishment the judge returns and the potential punishment of not paying the fine.? Perhaps the initial punishment will be sufficient to prove the point that the law is wrong.

This is what makes the whole civil disobedience thing hard....they will ratchet up the punishment to see if we cave. We need to decide ahead of time how much we can take....can we outlast them.

[Michael Fisher]

This is what makes the whole civil disobedience thing hard....they will ratchet up the punishment to see if we cave. We need to decide ahead of time how much we can take....can we outlast them.

There's no question whether or not I'm going to do this.  The only question is how severe the initial punishment will be and whether I'll opt for more.

The more severe the punishment is for the initial manicure, the more support we will have to end licensing.  I have complete faith that all people, including the Board and the Judge, will see the brutality in this law when confronted with such an extreme case.

[Michael Fisher]

Sent this story to my contact at the Boston Globe from the prior article they created about the FSP.

Will call her on Monday or Tuesday.

[mvpel]

I posted the link and invitation on Free Republic.

[Dave Ridley]

I just sent this LTE to the Citizen (Laconia)

Attorney General threatens arrest over manicure

For those of you who run small businesses and are fed up with the excessive regulation loosed upon you by state authorities, Monday May 9 is your opportunity to do something about it.  At noon that day, Newmarket entrepreneur Mike Fisher will stand in front of the state Board of Barbering (2 Industrial Park Drive, Concord, NH) and defy one of the many unjust laws it enforces.  Regardless of the legal risks, he will administer a manicure without a license.

Fisher's planned civil disobedience has already triggered an arrest threat by the attorney general's office, but Fisher is undeterred.  His goal is to draw attention to the many "commerce-prevention regulations" that affect *all* businesses in New Hampshire.

However he needs your help.  I urge you to do what I am doing.  Attend the event and spread the word about it. No one will expect you to violate the law or risk arrest; we'll just be glad to have your company.  We are also low on video cameras, so if you'd like to come videotape the event that would be of special value.   For more details and a fuller explanation of Fisher's reasoning, just drop by NHfree.com.  Let's roll!

[Dave Ridley]

I've now posted the "national" version of the press release to the following heavily trafficked web forums:

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/listarticles.cgi?104#A93887
http://politicsandcurrentaffairs.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?p=110033#110033
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1394621/posts
http://www.bearpit.net/index.php?showtopic=3843
http://www.debatepolitics.com/showthread.php?p=17544#post17544

Here's how it reads if you want to distribute it yourself:

---

NH Attorney General threatens arrest of Free Stater

Concord, New Hampshire, April 30, 2005

Granite state entrepreneur Mike Fisher doesn't look the part of a manicurist - or an outlaw. But he's about to become both.

Invoking the patron saint of civil disobedience, Fisher plans to violate New Hampshire's cosmetology laws - right in front of the officials who enforce them. And representatives of Attorney General Kelly Ayotte have already threatened him with arrest.

Fisher, 23, of Newmarket, is one of the 100+ "Free Staters" who have moved to New Hampshire since it was targeted for migration by a libertarian group, the Free State Project. In general, New Hampshire has fewer regulations and taxes than most states. But Fisher says there are still too many controls on small businesses, and the time has come to openly defy them.

His plan is to show up in front of the New Hampshire Board of Barbering, Cosmetology and Esthetics, a bureaucracy that regulates nail salons. There, he says, he will administer an unlicensed manicure - for profit - "regardless of what they threaten me with."

After deciding his course of action, Fisher sent the Board a note informing them he would appear before their office to break the law they enforce. That triggered a call from the Attorney General's office; one of their investigators informed Fisher police would be present and he would be arrested immediately if he attempted to perform an unlicensed manicure.

"After explaining this to me," Fisher recounts, "she asked why I would do such a thing.  When I told her why, she did not know what to say, but she became very cordial with me..."

Fisher says he got the idea from watching the movie "Gandhi."

"The British government (In India) had salt licensing laws," he says. "You could not make salt without a license. Now we cannot cut nails without a license, and I really don't see the difference."

In Gandhi's case, the famous Mahatma chose to make salt without the license, suffered arrest and eventually had the pleasure of seeing the British leave India outright.

A computer repairman, Fisher admits that until April he didn't know first thing about manicuring but has now learned the basics. He points out that anyone who *does* want to work as a manicurist would not be able to stand up to the Board the way he is doing. "They could lose their ability to get a license." he says.

It's the principle of the thing that bothers Fisher and a desire to see a rollback of state restrictions on most industries. "In a free country," he growls "people do not need permission to start a business."

As in most states, it is a misdemeanor in New Hampshire to administer a manicure without a license. An increasing number of other small business activities also require licenses. Fisher believes these simply provide a barrier to entry for young entrepreneurs like himself without effectively protecting the consumer or the public. "Private institutions and competition are more effective protectors of the customer," he adds, "and these are both weakened when government tries to do the job."

Supporters are invited to attend, join the fun and witness Fisher's act of civil disobedience. But you do not have to disobey the law yourself unless you wish to man the tweezers! The event will be on Monday, May 9, at noon, at or near the NH Board of Cosmetology at 2 Industrial Park Drive, Concord, NH 03301.

Summary:

What: Civil disobedience against small biz. licensing
Why: To call attention to state govt. overregulation of small business
How: By delivering a manicure without a license
Where: At or near the enforcing bureaucracy: NH Board of Barbering, 2 Industrial Park Drive, Concord, NH 03301
When: Monday, May 9, noon
Who: Mike Fisher, supporters from NHfree.com, whoever wants to join us. Expected turnout: 10-20

Source: New Hampshire Underground, www.NHfree.com

[Dreepa]

Also posted here:

http://www.itsallpolitics.com/here-vp64397.html#64397
http://www.politicalforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=128917#128917
http://www.uspoliticsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=359114#post359114

[Russell Kanning]

So Mike how do you feel one week until the first big event?

[Michael Fisher]

So Mike how do you feel one week until the first big event?

Good!?

I'll probably be spending my birthday, May 11th, in jail.? May 9th was my sister's birthday, but she committed suicide 8 years ago.? May 9th is also my father's birthday.? May 6th is my wife's birthday.? lol

As long as NOBODY bails me out, I'll be in court within 48 hours!

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks!?

[Michael Fisher]

Of course, I will refuse bail, so it doesn't matter if you try to bail me out or not.