Dear Friends,
I would like to try to pour some oil onto troubled waters, if that is still an acceptable idiom in these enviro-whacko years. My purpose here is to try to soothe ruffled feathers and persuade people to work together rather than to draw apart.
We all know what Free State Wyoming is. It is a project, much like the Avery Lawrence Free State Project that sent abolitionists to settle the Kansas Territory in 1854, intended to use human migration for political purposes. Specifically, the goal is to encourage freedom oriented people to move into Wyoming to be a part of the freedom culture there, and to vote in elections there, and generally be near each other to help out in a huge number of ways.
Why does Free State Wyoming exist? It exists because Ken Royce, also known as Boston T. Party, called it into existence. It exists because he told people after the vote for Free State Project that he thought Wyoming was better than second best, and because he was going to make it happen. It also exists because in 2004, a bunch of us showed up to the first jamboree. I was there. And in 2005, I was there, and got wet with everyone else. And in 2006, I was there. And, now that my various court cases have settled, in 2007 I plan to be there.
Free State Wyoming exists because more and more people have joined up, have come out, have learned about the effort, the people involved, and the enthusiasm has been inspirational. This forum exists because Ken wanted some way of communications for people involved in the effort.
Now, it has not all been smooth sailing. This forum didn't used to exist, and there was an FSW group on Yahoogroups for a time. I was on that forum, and you can read the archives as easily as me, and you can sure tell that there was some fur flying. That forum system, by the way, is very linear, and not very flexible. The tool you have before you on your screen is much more flexible, allows for threads to be separated, often widely, and is valuable in other ways. I won't go into the virtues, but suffice it to say that I am deeply impressed and very grateful to Joseph Hodge and all the administrators and moderators who keep things moving forward. It is really orders of magnitude better.
Some years ago, I signed the statement of intent. I agree to move to Wyoming. I am now, this year, finally, in the process of making that move. I am really, really looking forward to my new life in Wyoming. I paid my $25. And, from time to time, I've done a little more. The amounts involved are nobody's business.
And what is the money used for? Where is my audited financial statement on FSW? Why have I never received an annual report? Let me say right here, right now, I do not wish to know. I have repeatedly searched for a good way to express ambivalence in the English language without seeming to be uncaring or unfeeling, and it isn't available. I've even postulated a new word, like korg, which would be applied to this particular purpose.
Do I not care? Absolutely, I care a great deal. I want to see FSW succeed. I want to see FSW blossom further, and be able to sustain its doubling rate, and accelerate that rate.
But I do not wish to know how the money is spent, because I know the people involved. I have, at some expense and considerable trouble, gone out of my way to meet Ken Royce, to attend the aforementioned jamborees, and to visit Lady Liberty in ... her home state. In attending the jamborees, I met Paul Bonneau, Joseph and Penny Hodge, Richard H, Rich H, and many others on this forum. As far as you new folks go, there is nothing better than attending a jamboree, to find out what these people are like - how great they are, how sincere, how dedicated, how decent, how hard working, how honest, how courteous, how determined, and how sensible.
So, it comes down to trust. The people involved in FSW have earned my trust. I know that they can be trusted with money. I've seen them doing things with paltry sums of money, hardly anything, and getting results. So, I know that they are dedicated and worthy of trust and able to do a lot with a little, and therefore worthy of more money whenever I'm able to send some along. (Now that my legal battles are done, I should be able to do more, soon.)
How do things work, then? They work the way that Ken organizes them, and the way the people involved choose to do them. How does the money get spent? According to the ideas that Ken has and the best ways he and his team can figure out how to fulfill them.
There are a lot of metaphors, some of them better than others, about this sort of situation. I would liken FSW to a ship. We are on a vessel that is headed through some very rough weather, to a destination we have each been seeking all our lives. Some of us have chosen to climb aboard and some have chosen to climb the rigging. Some are in the galley working on the next meal, others are trying to patch the leaks in the hull, and we're all doing whatever we can to bring in more passengers, make the vessel seaworthy, and accommodate the divers interests of sundry newcomers.
When I got on this ship, it had a captain, and his name is Ken Royce. He's still captain. There are some crew, too, and I've gotten to know many of them. As above, I admire and respect them, I appreciate the stand they have taken for freedom, their diligence is incredible, and there is not one person alive who should not reflect on what this effort may mean, and thank those involved. Thanks, guys.
Why were some threads moved so only members of FSW could see them? Because that seemed best to those running the forum. Why have some people chosen to distance themselves from this group? Because that was the choice those people took.
How is the captain chosen? He isn't. He was captain when I climbed aboard, he's captain now, and I daresay he's doing an admirable job. And I wouldn't wish his tasks on anyone, from what little I've seen.
How is the treasury filled? By people who agree that they want to see this project work trusting those involved with some money. Through contributions. Maybe through some fundraising projects - MamaLiberty is spearheading the cookbook project. I've still got a real estate project that could throw some significant funds simmering on a back burner. The treasury gets filled by you choosing to put up some money.
How is the money spent? What, you thought web pages were free? Web hosting is free? Not on any of the servers I bother to use. Recently, there was quite a bit of clamoring for fixes to the web site, and talk about other things that needed doing. I know that I didn't send in any money at that time, being rather preoccupied with various charges against me, but I didn't see an overwhelming outpouring of wealth from those demanding change, either. And, as above, I really don't want to see the sausage being made. People involved are doing what they can with the little resources that are available, and are working hard to make T-shirts, books, silver coins, promotional literature, and resources like this forum available. I'm not about to raise a concern about money. (And, if it comes up again, I'm happy to help produce an annual report. My company has done that work for many start-up ventures, and it can be useful.)
The Why of the FSW is simply this: The United States is suffering from tyranny. The American people are being subjugated by tyrants. I want that to end. I want to live free. I know that I am not going to go out into space and settle on Mars until I'm free to do the things that I need to do to get that done, and I am determined to leave this planet. So, I need free countries in which to operate. Having been all over the planet in pursuit of my business interests, I think Wyoming is one of the few decent prospects. It might be the harbinger of great things, and turn around the whole country. But if it is a pocket of freedom and resistance to tyranny, so much the better.
The How of FSW, for me, is however. However it gets done. What we are up against, in the form of tyranny, is so broad, so diabolical, and so deeply rooted, that it just does not bother me how the FSW treasury gets spent. I really have no reason to concern myself with any of those choices. I know the men and women involved in FSW, I admire and respect them, I have trusted them with money, and I'll continue to do so.
What about censorship? I'm against it. Right. Censorship is bad, and being against it is easy. But, I'm also aware of the world in which we live, and the people involved in making it a much worse place. I have suffered a great deal as a result of information getting out in the wrong way, or at the wrong time, causing controversy. At times, as in December 1990, my best efforts to get the right information out at the right time failed, and that also caused problems.
So, if some threads are moved around, relax. Rigging on a ship gets run in different directions all the time, as the wind blows, as the ship needs trimming, as the choices taken by various crew members require it. Just because some threads are moved about does not mean anything diabolical.
People are dying. Right now, this week, in this country, people are dying for lack of freedom. An amazing seven million Americans are incarcerated or on probation or parole or otherwise restricted in their liberty. Today. Thousands of Americans have given their lives in a war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Somalia which appears to have been in some parts based on lies and deceit, and has included some really heinous torture and other not pretty stuff to think about or look at. And there is corruption in high offices, there is graft and greed, there is brutality and murder, there is a clear effort to enslave the American people, there is injustice galore.
So, please have a bit of perspective, folx. We're all on the same side here. Contentious arguments about various ideas or personalities are not helpful, and if those threads get locked, good. Some threads are about things we don't want everyone on the planet to read about. If threads get moved, good. If you want in to see those threads, the membership fee is a very low hurdle, and the cause is just, and I vouchsafe the honesty and integrity of the people involved. And if you still don't want to pony up the bread to be a part of the team, then don't expect free cake. Review the fable of the Little Red Hen and figure out where you fit in that scheme of things.
If you've read this far, thank you for your attention. I would like you to have a nice day, but over half of what you spend on anything goes into paying for some sort of tax or fee, some regulatory compliance, and some large amount of useless gov't paperwork. I'd like you to have a nice day, but there's a war on American liberty, so it isn't easy for you to have one. I'd like you to have a nice day, which is why FSW was organized.
Because, whether it produces less government or none, whether it forms the core of a future resistance, or whether it simply brings good people together to help each other live better lives, FSW is part of the solution. We aren't going to have many nice days while we suffer from tyranny. If you have no idea how much tyranny there might be, Aaron Russo's film America: Freedom to Fascism is available for free to watch on Google video, and gives you some glimmer of the extent of the depredations, violence, brutality, and thuggish behavior on offer.
I need FSW to succeed. I won't have good days if it fails. I want you to be a part of it, if you are reading this post, and if you are sincerely interested in individual liberty, private property, and the human condition.
If you want FSW to succeed, then put your complaints to one side, grab a line, and haul. There's work to be done, money to be raised, people to be seen, places to go, things to do, and I really have no time for the quest for who's wrong, why they did it, or who gets to run things. If you have not yet realized how stormy the seas ahead might be, then get a grip and look around. If you are concerned because the captain ordered hatches battened down and some thread you were following got battened down in the hold, then put that in perspective. You may not see the need to move the conversations around or lock them, but I do. We live in a world of spies, intrigue, and thoroughly unconstitutional invasions of privacy, with extraordinary levels of brutality for those who are victimized by their own government. In that perspective, give me a break, and get on with your life.
FSW is worth having. I'm dedicated to its success. Please be a part of the team.
Thanks.
Regards,
Jim
