Free Staters Behaving Badly

By on January 8, 2013 in

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Back story: a Manchester right wing talk show host put a poll up on is web site for people to vote on who should be the person of the year for greater Manchester. A Manchester police officer, Dan Doherty, who was badly wounded but survived a shooting in 2012 was nominated, as was a free stater whom I’ve never heard of. A facebook page was put up for the free stater, vote for Amanda Bouldin for person of the year, encouraging people to vote for her. This all happened over the weekend – the same weekend that the Union Leader gave front page coverage to the case of right wing viral pneumonia that hit Rush Limbaugh and others over comments made at BH by Rep. Cynthia Chase – comments that I thought were over the top, because, like them or not, the free staters are here, and they do have a right to live here.

Some of comments made by free staters on the face book page  were ugly, and vicious. Much as I have hoped that we can find some common ground with free staters,  these comments – and the failure of anyone on the web site to denounce the comments – make me wonder if there is a reason to try.  One person, identified as Daniel Cuevas, called a murdered Manchester police officer a “pig”.  Another, David Crawford, called Officer Doherty a “statist brute”, and referred to the website where the poll was posted as a “statist website.” The latter comment drew a response from Ms. Bouldin: “It’s not a statist website”. Oh, referring to a right wing talk show host as having a statist website is worthy of rebuke, but not  calling a wounded Manchester police officer a brute?  Are you kidding me?  When someone else asked why Officer Doherty was nominated, a Mike Lorrey said, “he arrested kids who had done chalk on the side of a building.”  Another comment, referring to the number of people voting, mentioned ”the pigs, the piglovers, the sheeple….”

The free staters had a field day with Rep. Chase’s comments, making it a giddy national extreme right wing story d’jour for the Rush Limbaughs of the world.   However, the silence of the free staters over this mean spirited, juvenile garbage about people who risk their lives for our safety and security every day in Manchester has been deafening.  Shame on them, shame on all those free staters who did not say one word in protest of the idiocy spewed by their colleagues in the free state project. If they are going to live in our state, it is not too much to expect that they show some level of civility and respect.

What about the Republicans?  They have welcomed the free staters into their party with open arms. No press release from Wayne McDonald? No ire from elected Republican officials? Craig Benson invited the free state project into our state – no criticism by the former governor?  Rush Limbaugh?  Will the Union Leader give this the same front page treatement?

 

 

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  • cblodg

    As far as I’m concerned, “Free Staters” are like parasites. I really hope more and more of this stuff comes to light and we might be able to purge NH of these parasites.

    • Kathy Sullivan 2

      cdblog, they have a right to live here. I think our task is to let people know what the free staters stand for, and when freestaters attack, as they have done with the Manchester police, to get the word out to the public. Name calling or suggesting that we deprive them of their right to live here doesn’t help us accomplish those tasks.

      • cblodg

        Yes, Kathy, you are correct. They have a right to live here. What they do not have is the right to re-make this state in their image. I believe we have the same goal in shining a light on these people. However, we differ in how that light might effect current and future FSP people coming to this state.

    • BobRobertson

      I’ve looked at some of their materials, and I think “parasite” is exactly the wrong word.

      A parasite lives by taking from its host.

      The Free Staters obviously go in the opposite direction, objecting to public services, rejecting the idea of wasteful competition, and such.

      • susanthe

        It’s amusing that you’re pretending not to be one of them, Bob. That your arrival at BH coincides with the latest epidemic of FSP attention whoring is one hell of a coincidence.

        If the FSP is the wonderful thing that you claim – why so reluctant to admit to being part of it?

        • BobRobertson

          I came to NH for work. The “Free Staters” were great to find, and a good group of people. You should meet them.

          And no, my arrival on BH was long before this latest cycle of FSP bashing (since, if you look, Cynthia Chase is not a Free Stater, so she could hardly be accused of “attention whoring” for the FSP).

          It was my hope that my opinions might be judged on their merits, rather than having to be lumped into group-think. It seems that is not appreciated by people such as Susanthe, who has chosen guilt by association as her method of avoiding what she doesn’t like.

          So what is it, Susanthe, about being left alone that you find so abhorrent? Why do YOU hate the idea of a government that protects your life, liberty and property?

          • susanthe

            Cry me a river, BobBob. You weren’t any sort of a visible presence here until the FSP launched their attention whoring attack on Rep. Chase.

            You can hope for anything you like – but this isn’t a blog for Free Staters BobBob. It’s a blog for progressives. Free Staters are not progressives. There are a zillion blogs for people who share your views. Coming here is an act of passive-aggressive trolling.

            Tell me, Bobsquared – what is it about living in a fantasy of the past that you find so appealing?

            • BobRobertson

              “It’s a blog for progressives”

              If you find differences of opinion so reprehensible, then I’m sure the administrators would like to hear that you want me banned, and take appropriate action.

              I want to learn. I want to understand why the “progressive” position is correct, how what I may know now is not correct, and learn from those who believe other things.

              If your only reaction is to insult, to hate, to tell someone with a different opinion to go away, how am I supposed to decide that “progressive” is a good thing?

              • susanthe

                You’re awfully emotional Bob. Where did I say that I wanted you banned? I’d like the exact quote, or I’d like a retraction. After all, you don’t want me to be able to call you a liar, now, do you BobBob?

                As for the rest of your post – I think you’re a guano faucet, stuck in the on position. Your interest is in propagandizing, trolling, and promoting the Free State Project. It’s a shame you lack the integrity to be honest about that upfront. I don’t like Seth Cohn at all, but at least he’s not trying to pretend to be anything he isn’t.

                • BobRobertson

                  The exact quote?

                  “but this isn’t a blog for Free Staters BobBob. It’s a blog for progressives. Free Staters are not progressives. There are a zillion blogs for people who share your views. Coming here is an act of passive-aggressive trolling.”

                  As to your calling me a liar, the rest of your post does exactly that so it seems your mind is already made up.

                  • susanthe

                    Oh, I see. A quote that doesn’t use the term BAN anywhere in it is me calling for your banning?

                    Hyperbole and hysteria.

                    • BobRobertson

                      Susanthe, I’m very sorry that I have so easily rubbed you the wrong way.

                      Please try to get past your hostility.

            • BobRobertson

              Oh, and the Free Staters didn’t launch an attack on Rep. Chase.

              Go look it up. She attacked the Free Staters. Really. The comments are still there for all to see and check the time-stamps.

              • susanthe

                Free Staters haven’t been attacking Rep. Chase? Liar.

                • BobRobertson

                  Ah, yes. Your mind is already made up.

                  I’m sorry. I expect you’re not anywhere near so abusive in person.

                  • susanthe

                    I have little tolerance for bullshit Bob – that much is true. You might want to put down your shovel for a while. Your arm must be getting tired.

                    • BobRobertson

                      For someone with so little tolerance, you sure do dish it out.

                      You are welcome to the last word. I look forward to discussing issues with you in the future.

  • Herb

    The few Free Staters I know to seem to want NH turned into the “Wild, Wild, West” where anything goes. Their response to criticism is “Move back to Massachusetts” which tends to irritate me as my family’s been here since 1730. I’ve mentioned the fact their popularity can’t be that great because they lost control of the Legislature but they attributed their loss to the “thousands” of out-of-state students bussed into the various towns by the “Democrat” Party. I find it downright tiring to carry on a conversation with them.

    • BobRobertson

      Herb, Free Staters are not Republicans. The Republican party certainly lost control of the legislature, but I don’t think the Free Staters ever had more than a handful of state reps anyway.

      It’d be interesting to compare that number to how many PITA advocates are state reps.

      • susanthe

        Well, what you think is incorrect. There were more than a dozen – all Republicans.

        I’m unfamiliar with the advocacy group for flatbread. Can you provide a link?

        • BobRobertson

          Yes, I can see how 12 out of 400 is dangerous. Now, there is at least 1 Democrat.

          Not flat-bread, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

          Or how about the ACLU? Or NRA? ASPCA? Would you prefer everyone having to list all of their affiliations or preferences?

          I paid dues to JPFO once. Make of that what you will.

          • susanthe

            Did I use the term dangerous? I don’t seem to recall doing so. Perhaps you could point to the exact quote.

            You wrote PITA, so I assumed you meant flatbread. I didn’t want to put words in YOUR mouth.

            Neither the ACLU or the ASPCA have published a manifesto that announces their intent to invade NH, take over, and dismantle the state government – so there really is no comparison between these organizations and the FSP. In fact, given that the FSP is the only group to ever make that declaration, there is really no comparison between them and ANY other group, unless you want to play the false equivalency game, and you wouldn’t want to do that, now, would you Bobsquared?

            • BobRobertson

              No, I have no interest in playing the guilt by association game. I prefer dealing with individuals.

              Since you don’t know, there was just such a project in the past. Vermont was chosen as a destination for, for want of a better term, “hippies”, back in the 1970s. It was successful.

              If I may ask, how is “defense of life, liberty and property” dismantling the state government?

              • susanthe

                I’m waiting for the quote where I called the FSP dangerous. I’m sure that ignoring my request was just an oversight on your part.

                • BobRobertson

                  “I’m sure that ignoring my request was just an oversight on your part.”

                  No oversight at all. I used the word dangerous, not you. Nor did I imply, state, accuse, or assert, that you used the word “dangerous”.

                  As to avoiding the question, “how is “defense of life, liberty and property” dismantling the state government?”

                  • susanthe

                    Perhaps now you can point to the quote where I said that the defense of life, liberty, and property, is dismantling the state government.

                    You keep putting words in my keyboard, Bob. It’s not attractive, or honest.

              • cblodg

                My I ask you: from what source do the FSP get the right to tell the citizens of NH how they should be governed? Where does that power come from?

                NH has had a set of codified laws that has served it well for we’ll over 200 years. I call any group who’s stated intent is to take over and dismantle that government dangerous.

                So again, I ask you, where does the FSP Devine the right to tell NH’s citizens how they should be governed?

                • BobRobertson

                  “where does the FSP Devine the right to tell NH’s citizens how they should be governed?”

                  cblodg, I believe it’s called “voting”.

                  Do you believe that there are things that should not be up for a vote? I know I do.

  • The Money Magician

    “the free staters are here” ???

    No, they’re not. Not in any significant way. How many are here now? 500? Suppose half of the members actually come here. That’s 10,000 (families excluded) — 20 times as many. This was why I wrote my original post – you ain’t seen nothing yet!

    How we protect the House and local boards? Is there money to send multiple mailers out in all the House districts where there is a stealth Free Stater candidate?

    I’ve no idea how to protect local boards – I think they may be at highest risk, at least in the short term. Witness, for instance, the creationist takeover of the Merrimack school board back in 1994-5, when they outlawed teaching Shakespeare, among other things. I don’t mean to say that Free Staters would support such a measure – it’s just an example of how a fringe group can get control in local elections where there’s little advertising or mass-media, and name recognition is not a factor. On the other hand, this story is also a source of hope – Merrimack threw them out in the next election, once the voters understood their folly.

    I also wonder if social media have changed the rules in smaller communities, so that it will be harder to get elected stealthily. I’m thinking of the influence of people like Lucy Edwards. In Manchester, it seems not to matter so much, at least with the current social media topology. Maybe that can change.

  • Aahz

    Kathy,

    Thank you for pulling those quotes and calling out the FSP hate-mongers by name. Unfortunately, most of those FB posts have been pulled down at this time so they can point their fingers at the (left up, thus verifiable) posts by police officers acting in the same poor manner.

    However, there was (and still are) several people arguing against such juvenile rhetoric. Any group of people is going to have some bad apples: Democrats, Republicans, Police Officers and Free Staters. The solution is to target the individuals, not to categorize all of their associates as sharing the same thoughts.

  • SethCohn

    Kathy, I agree with you about the action of certain individuals, and the names above don’t surprise me… I’ve had issues in the past with the expressions of each… And it hasn’t been silence… there were plenty of ‘Hmm, I think this is inappropriate’ comments made and often THAT is why those posts disappeared, because folks WERE told they were wrong… I witnessed it more than once. Isn’t that what should be happening? You can’t stop the original poster from deleting the message, after you just told them how wrong they were for posting it in the first place.

    And to be clear, I’m trying to figure out where you really stand on this issue, as I feel that your current stance doesn’t jibe with your own past expressions (see NYT article from 2003 for example) so I’m trying to understand how much is political positioning… and how much is truly “Ok, I’ll accept they aren’t going away…”

    As for the entire ‘attacking cops’, I watched as this went down, and that’s a bit of a slant. The cop “lovers” went after freestaters perhaps more viciously than the reverse, and of course, once it went nuclear, it was far too late to stop the trouble makers on all sides.

    Cynthia opened a big can of worms with her original comments, and perhaps she ended up with some hate mail… but that wasn’t from FSPers… it was the Rush crowd, who didn’t even use the word Libertarian in his story… he’s no FreeStater, and his audience isn’t either.

    • Kathy Sullivan 2

      There was way too much “vote Bouldin, she’s a free stater” out there not to (1) categorize her as a free stater, and (2) her more ardent supporters on line as free staters. Had there been some objections, I might have said, oh, just a few bad apples, but these folks got a free pass, except for a couple of comments that finally popped up on free Keene that I saw yesterday afternoon (after I started posted about all of this). Even then, it wasn’t criticism of the statement that Officer Doherty is employed by a gang of thugs, etc., but that Officer Doherty acted bravely despite being employed by a “monopoly”.

      • http://livablemht.org FrankLloydMike

        And we can’t forget the real meaning of “a few bad apples.” People often say, “Oh, it’s just a few bad apples”, but the full proverb, “A few bad apples ruin the bunch,” reveals the real truth: a few rotten members taints the whole group. It’s true of fruit stored for winter, and I’d say it’s true of extremist groups like the Free State Project.

        Sure, there may be some truly good members of the group, and we can certainly find common ground on certain issues. But through their extremism, through their stated goal to “take over” the state, through their ignorance of local history and the actual views and needs of people in New Hampshire, through the hateful rhetoric of some members, and through the wholesale failure to disavow that rhetoric or the members spewing it, the entire Free State Project is now tainted by what may (or may not) be only a few bad apples. Given the recent election and public sentiment, it seems that more and more New Hampshirites are beginning to see that, a few bad apples or not, the Free State Project is not some benign group of idealists, but a radical group bent on taking over state government and remaking it in some anarchist fantasy.

        Of course the Free Staters have as much right as anyone to move to New Hampshire; they have as much right to speak freely; to vote for candidates and policies they believe in… but they are also entitled to as much criticism and disdain as they are offering to others; and as much rejection at the polls and in public sentiment as anyone else who, as a group, would show such flagrant disrespect for the customs, views and people of the place they seek to take over.

        • Aahz

          FrankLloydMike – Excellent post. And a pretty clear answer to the oft-repeated question here at NH regarding why some FSP members may not want to broadcast their membership.

          They would rather stand on their personal ideas then be lumped together with a group of people they may not fully agree with (or even like) just because they share ssome of the same beliefs.

          • http://livablemht.org FrankLloydMike

            That may be true of some members, but the issue here is that there are members of the Free State Project who do not mention it when they are running for office. Now, that may not seem like such a big deal, but when you’re a member of a group with a state goal of “taking over” governance of a place, and that group represents your (extreme) political views, then I’d say that you have an obligation to disclose that information. And if Free Staters hold those beliefs (and if they have disagreements with the larger group), they should freely discuss them with voters. Part of running for office is having a conversation with constituents, and trying to persuade them if they don’t share your views. When the Free Staters run without disclosing their membership in or discussing their beliefs shared with the organization, then it just seems like they have something to hide. And with good reason, since most voters don’t take kindly to the idea of their state being “taken over” or the radical (and juvenile) political philosophy espoused by the Free State Project.

      • Aahz

        Kathy – I’m not a Free Staters (despite the arguments of many here otherwise), but I do know quite a few of them personally, and the majority of those I know rarely, if ever, post in the FB groups.

        Those most active on the FSP FB groups tend to be those most interested in argumentation and inflammatory comments. I just ask that you bear in mind that no more than a few dozen people commented on the FSP v Police threads, but the FSP has more than 10000 members with over 1000 in NH at this time. So, you’re looking at a small sample of the most vociferous of the group.

    • Kathy Sullivan 2

      Still getting used to the new site; my first reply was to Ahz. this one is to Mr. Cohn:

      You are a former state representative. You, and other free staters, could have issued a public statement, or posted something on line. I just checked the freestatenh twitter feed – nothing from anyone other than a passing reference to a WMUR story.

      Do I wish the free staters had chosen another state? Yes. Do you have the right to be here? Yes. Do I wish we could find some common ground – yes, and once in a while some free staters have the right idea, such as marriage equality. But, unfortunately, the pseudo anarchist/ we’re so cool we carry guns/let’s go read more Ayn Rand novels attitude that fosters the atmosphere that creates and/or tolerates the ugly comments about Officer Briggs and Officer Doherty makes it difficult to want to find common ground.

      • Aahz

        A great place to find common ground would be to try and look past the controversy and at the poll itself.

        Officer Dan Doherty was nominated because he was shot in the line of duty.
        Amanda Bouldin (a Free Stater) was nominated because she founded an organization that feeds needy families and provides supplies to the area’s homeless.

        While many members of the FSP may disagree with the average Granite Stater on the former nomination, surely common ground can be found in the second. Can’t we all agree that organizing volunteers and raising funds to hep those most in need in our community is a good thing?

        • Kathy Sullivan 2

          Sorry, I have a problem with someone whose only difference of opinion with the ugly comments on the elect Boudin facebook site was her admonishment that Girard’s webstie was not a “statist” web site. Ms. Bouldin lost whatever credibility she could have had when her friends went off the deep end and she said – nothing. Not a word. Not a peep. Not a sentence. She could have shut it down very easily with one statement: stop it. She didn’t. And look at what you just said – a comment that echoes the freestaters on the websites: that Officer Dohery was nominated just because he had the misfortune to be shot while he was working. Give me a break. WADR, risking your life on a daily basis for your community and nearly paying the ultimate price is a bigger deal than starting a charity to duplicate the work of existing charitable organizations such as New Horizons, the Food Bank, etc. BTW, what is her problem with these organizations? Too “statist” for the freestaters?

          • BobRobertson

            Officer Dohery lost whatever credibility he could have had when his friends went off the deep end (on the MassCop web site) and he said – nothing. Not a word. Not a peep. Not a sentence. He could have shut it down very easily with one statement: stop it. He didn’t.

            • Kathy Sullivan 2

              Mr. Robertson, I just looked at the Massachusetts site. Officer Doherty did not post there. Ms. Bouldin posted on the elect Bouldin web site. She chose to ignore the garbage being posted, such as referring to a murdered officer as a “pig”, etc. Also, while there were a couple of unnecessary and crude comments, I think the comparison to calling a murdered officer a “pig”, and using terms like “pig lovers” and “statist brute”, and calling the MPD a gang of thugs is not apt. But I get it – freestaters think they are always right, and that the rest of us are dumb deluded sheeples. Whatever! :)

              • BobRobertson

                Thank you for taking the time, I appreciate it.

          • Aahz

            Kathy,

            I was repeating the reasons Girard (who created the poll) gave for the Officer’s nomination. If he had not been shot, it is unlikely he would have been nominated. Or do you believe he is the only Manchester Police Officer “risking their life on a daily basis”?

            And I wasn’t suggesting Amanda is more worthy than Dan. Just trying to help you find the common ground you claimed to be seeking.

            As for New Horizons, the Food Bank, etc, I can’t speak for Amanda, but I know that I helped those organizations as well as Shire Sharing because Shire Sharing was filling the holes missed by those other organizations. If they were meeting all the needs of the community then there would have been no one for Shire Sharing to feed.

            How can you be opposed to a group of people with food sharing it with those without food? Shire Sharing is a true non-profit in that NO ONE profits financially from its existence. What’s the problem with that? Too “generous” for democrats?

            • Kathy Sullivan 2

              No opposition to anyone’s non-profit work; my problem is w/ Ms. Bouldin’s failure to step up to the plate to confront the ugly comments of her colleagues and supporters. Also, while her charitable efforts may be laudable, her failure to tell her friends they were out of line – except for inferring that Girard is a “statist” – most definitely takes her out of the person of the year category! Someone interested in being a community’s person of the year should object when another member of the community is trashed on her behalf.
              You can have the last word if you want.

              • Aahz

                Why thank you, Kathy. How about I take two: I agree.

    • susanthe

      What a pantload, Seth. I’ve read comments all over the place from freestaters, and it’s not at all difficult to imagine that they’d threaten Rep. Chase.

      It’s also rather ironically amusing to read you slamming GOP spokesperson Rush Limbaugh, given that you’re a Republican – or at least you briefly held office as a Republican.

      To your credit, at least you don’t keep your FSP affiliation a secret, unlike the majority of your fellows. It does call into question how benign the FSP is, when even those who are part of it are too ashamed to own up to it.

      • BobRobertson

        I, too, would like to see whomever made threats be held accountable for those threats.

        Ms. Chase should publish them.

    • mevansnh

      I thought the FSP and the Rush crowd were one and the same. You learn something new every day.

      • SethCohn

        Almost completely different in fact. Perhaps you need to learn more about Free Staters. Always open to that discussion.

  • MikeLorrey

    Gee, Kathy, so mean. You may claim to “not know who I am”, but my bio is here on BlueHampshire, I’ve been a member for quite a while and have been involved in NH state politics. I do want to inform the readers that you seem to have intentionally misquoted me in order to misrepresent my meaning. (Don’t worry, I’m not angry, nor am I surprised, because lefties like you always lie about people you don’t like, I’m just thankful you haven’t accused me of being a racist or misogynist or something nasty that has been your stock in trade in NH politics). What I actually said in my comment on the Facebook event that *I* set up to promote Amanda’s candidacy in the online poll, was that Officer Doherty was known for arresting kids who had done nothing but create chalk art on the side of a building. You seem to have removed the “art” word from the comment, perhaps so you could portray the kids in a negative light and Officer Doherty in a positive one? Do try to quote more accurately if you don’t want to get called on it.

    • Kathy Sullivan 2

      Mr. Lorrey, I don’t know where I claimed not to know who you are, but since you raised it – no, I don’t know who you are. Haven’t read all the bios here at BH (I have a life!), don’t know all people involved in politics in NH (again, I have a life!) You are correct, I have checked the screen shot I have of the web site and you did say “chalk art” – it was not an intentional omission but an oversight , but it does not change the fact that in response to the question why was he nominated, your response was not an acknowledgement that he had been severly injured in a shooting, but a flip statement that he arrested kids for doing chalk art.

    • susanthe

      Oh, boy: “lefties like you always lie about people you don’t like.”

      For staters, to come to a place where you’re being treated very graciously and make that kind of blanket statement just isn’t smart or polite.

      Also – Kathy Sullivan is not a lefty. Only a rightwing nutcase would call the very, very centrist Democrat known as Kathy Sullivan a “lefty.” She supports the GOP tax pledge, for cryin’ out loud. That’s about as far from lefty as there is in the state of NH.

      This just shows that you’re braying t terms you don’t understand at people for the sake of attempting an insult. Given how kindly you’re being tolerated here, you might want to stop writing with your jerking right knee.

  • Pingback: Flowers Sent to Cyntha Chase, Thanking Her for Boosting FSP Recruiting - Free Keene

  • Aahz

    David Crawford (quoted above) has been unable to register here to comment on his being called out due to the site redesign. Instead he posted the following in a comment on FreeKeene.com and I thought I’d do him the favor of moving it over here to a more relevant spot.

    ————————–

    davidinkeene • 4 hours ago

    I wish someone would tell miss Sullivan(of the bluehamshire link above)that I’m not really a “freestater”. Perhaps then she could direct her ire at ME as a individual : I like the idea of being called a free stater and do feel a great alignment with freestaters, but am not technically a free stater because I moved to nh before the free state project started. And if I could get a account on bluehamshire I would post that ,yes I am very much a advocate of the people who are the victims of the police; the people she would deny the existence of;people she would say must have caused it, in the same way a rape victim causes the rape. To her all cops are heros and the people beaten and smashed by the cops brang it on themselves. She is the reason there needs to BE the small voice that advocates for the subjects of police brutality. Though she tries to squelch even that SMALL voice, in relation to the tide people who praise the police.

    Miss Sullivan there are victims of the police: i will speak for them,I will not shut up. Miss Sullivan,Amanda Boldin of shire sharing gave food baskets out at holiday time for people in need. Not once did she ever bash anyones door in.

    • Kathy Sullivan 2

      Truthfully, I’m not interested in anything that Mr. Crawford has to say. Not after he referred to Officer Doherty as a “statist brute” and a “corrupt cop”.

  • Aahz

    BTW, you can see the comment for yourself via the “Flowers Sent To Cyntha Chase” trackback below. That’s how I came across it as well.

  • Amanda

    Um, what? I personally know Girard and in my opinion he’s not a “statist” nor is his website. I don’t know Doherty, why would I defend him? The only time I think I’d ever ask someone to stop name-calling is if my 6-year-old did it. Otherwise it’s not my concern. Seriously, I’d like to hear a logical argument for why I am responsible for ending all naming-calling on the Internet, ever. If this is the worst you can say against the FSP, I think we’re sittin’ pretty.

    • susanthe

      If you’re so unworried, what are you doing here?

      • davidinkeene

        Miss Sullivan’s critique is persnickety “why didn’t you support other charities instead of creating your own” omg Paleeez where does one begin with that one…

        • http://bluehampshire.com/ Blue Hampshire

          David you have ben blocked from further comments here

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Jankowski/100000702021060 Tony Jankowski

    I most certainly called out some of my fellow free-staters for their speech in that thread. You must have missed that. I know of a few others that also spoke out about the speech directed at the Officer who, to my knowledge, wasn’t even involved personally with this vote (as with Amanda). Of course, you have no reason to believe me. Further, it probably would harm your arguments if you saw a dreaded “free-stater” doing something you call for without being prompted by Blue Hampshire to do it. I was happy to vote once, and I voted for Amanda because she actually changed the lives of many people by leading a movement of evil free-staters to deliver food to those who needed a helping hand. She wasn’t paid. She wasn’t doing this as employment. Far too often we praise people for the jobs they get paid to do and forget about those who have to hold down gainful employment and use their spare time to help others. It’s sad for all of the candidates that the vote turned into such a worthless popularity contest. It’s sadder for those who voted by using bots on both sides. It’s saddest for those of you that are continuing to comment on it looking to demonize the other side. I’m happy that, in the end, those people got a great meal from the backs of hard working people (free-stater, native, and otherwise).

  • davidinkeene

    ( this is David Crawford,referenced above,I’m just cutting and pasting what I already wrote,when I couldn’t get a account ,though no i CAN post)

    I
    wish someone would tell miss Sullivan(of the bluehamshire link
    above)that I’m not really a “freestater”. Perhaps then she could
    direct her ire at ME as a individual : I like the idea of being called a
    free stater and do feel a great alignment with freestaters, but am
    not technically a free stater because I moved to nh before the free
    state project started. And if I could get a account on bluehamshire I
    would post that ,yes I am very much a advocate of the people who are
    the victims of the police; the people she would deny the existence
    of;people she would say must have caused it, in the same way a rape
    victim causes the rape. To her all cops are heros and the people
    beaten and smashed by the cops brang it on themselves. She is the
    reason there needs to BE the small voice that advocates for the
    subjects of police brutality. Though she tries to squelch even that
    SMALL voice, in relation to the tide people who praise the police.

    Miss Sullivan there are victims of the police: i will speak for
    them,I will not shut up. Miss Sullivan,Amanda Boldin of shire sharing
    gave food baskets out at holiday time for people in need. Not once did
    she ever bash anyones door in.

    • susanthe

      You’re a perfect illustration of why people don’t like the FSP. You’ve been given the opportunity to post here, and what do you do? You are rude, insulting, and you’re putting words in other people’s mouths. Tacky troll behavior.

      • davidinkeene

        It seems you didn’t read my post:I am not part of the fsp. What particularly did I say that you have issue with? I make no apologies for defending those that have been victim of police brutality. Brute,as quoted by Miss Sullivan, is the root of “brutality”. And I will unabashedly promote Amanda Bouldins great work to help the disadvantaged in the holiday season. The great work of a wonderful FREESTATER!

  • http://www.facebook.com/timothy.horrigan Timothy Horrigan

    Kathy Sullivan strikes me as one of those people who attribute no particular emotional or moral significance to the word “statist.”

    • Seth Cohn

      Tim, that’s quote worthy. :)