I'm introducing myself, since I've lurked here from time to time … but mainly, because I'll be visiting NH over the first week of May. The plan is to be in Keene for Social Sundays on May 2. I'll be driving out of Minneapolis and carpooling along the way with my cousin who lives in Wisconsin, who's of the same mindset as I. In a nutshell, we both read the Tannehill book last summer… it made sense, and we now consider ourselves anarcho-capitalists.
I'd first heard about the FSP back in 2003. But the lack of news for a while & the slow uptick of the counter seemed to indicate that the movement was fizzling. Then a couple years ago, a friend introduced me to Free Talk Live, where I learned that the FSP is not only alive & well, but gaining momentum. I've considered myself a libertarian for many years, and lately I've become more active, joining our state Libertarian Party & helping at various outreach events. But it's becoming clear that we just do not have the critical mass here to turn things around. You know what I'm talking about. Sales taxes for stadiums. Cellphone-while-driving bans. Smoking bans. Forced health insurance by the feds. Warrantless searches at airports. City bureaucrats out-of-control (such as when the city decided to steal my car & hold it for ransom this winter, even though it was legally parked). Swarms of police harassing people for anything and everything (as I was reminded of just last week, when a cop ticketed me for driving without headlights at the break of dusk, fine $118). While I realize some of these may be true for NH as well, the prospect of enough liberty-minded people being able to turn the tide sounds tempting indeed. The way things are going, NH may be the only viable option to have liberty and still live in America.
So we're both excited to finally come check out NH. Our goal is to get a feel for the state, see a few sights, and of course, meet some activists. Our main focus will be Keene and Manchester. Some questions: Any suggestions on landmarks or things to see? Also, what forum is used by the Manchester activists (we'd like to show up for Taproom Tuesdays as well)? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
P.S. - I'd like to take this opportunity to applaud those involved in the peaceful civil disobedience. A person can really feel powerless against the almighty power of the state and its police, and it takes real courage to stand up and say "I am not afraid". Generating news, causing others to think, and trying to set the agenda from a pro-liberty perspective can only have a positive long-term outcome. While I've been more of an "in the system" kind of guy, I think the civil disobedience may be the smartest innovation in the liberty movement in decades. And it sure worked for Gandhi. So, kudos!
[quote author=Brill Blackburn link=topic=2964.msg32819#msg32819 date=1271035928]Some questions: Any suggestions on landmarks or things to see?[/quote]
Stop by Social Sunday when you're in Keene.
[quote]Also, what forum is used by the Manchester activists (we'd like to show up for Taproom Tuesdays as well)?[/quote]
To my knowledge, there isn't a Manchester-specific forum. Seems like there should be. There will be some activity on forums like NHLA, I imagine. I very rarely check that forum since it's primarily political activism.
Taproom Tuesday is pretty reliably every Tuesday so you can just show up.
[quote author=Brill Blackburn link=topic=2964.msg32819#msg32819 date=1271035928]
So we're both excited to finally come check out NH. Our goal is to get a feel for the state, see a few sights, and of course, meet some activists. Our main focus will be Keene and Manchester. Some questions: Any suggestions on landmarks or things to see? Also, what forum is used by the Manchester activists (we'd like to show up for Taproom Tuesdays as well)? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
[/quote]
The FSP forum is the main forum for most of the state for people posting about visiting.
http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?board=59.0
See my post about something similar to what you are talking about, http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=19654.msg233406#msg233406
Welcome and congrats on your decision to escape to NH!
As far as the Manch contingent, there are a lot of people out there, but as of yet they have no dedicated forum. There are some Manch subforums at http://nhteaparty.org and http://forum.nhfree.com . FreeKeene's forum is the busiest activist forum in NH.
Lots of the Manch crowd are good people, but no other area has-it-together all in one place like Keene. I have occasionally ribbed the other activists for not doing "FreeManch" and other places and tried to encourage it, but clearly no one feels inspired to imitate us. Mackler did register freemanch.com but never did anything with it.
Be sure to check the calendar at http://calendar.freekeene.com for things to do here in Keene. And of course there is 4:20 every day in Central Sq.
[quote author=Dalebert link=topic=2964.msg32831#msg32831 date=1271077444] Stop by Social Sunday when you're in Keene. […] Taproom Tuesday is pretty reliably every Tuesday so you can just show up. [/quote]
Yes, we'll definately be at Social Sunday on May 2. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the folks out there! Social Sunday & Taproom Tuesday are my two "must do" activities while in NH.
[quote author=To the Moon link=topic=2964.msg32846#msg32846 date=1271089072] The FSP forum is the main forum for most of the state for people posting about visiting.
http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?board=59.0 [/quote]
Ok. I had just heard somewhere that those who've already moved often use other forums than FSP's.
[quote]See my post about something similar to what you are talking about, http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?topic=19654.msg233406#msg233406 [/quote]
Yes, I suppose it'd be nice if there were a "one stop shop" link to see a list of popular things to do. Having never been to NH before, nor knowing anyone there, it's a bit of a challenge to figure out where to start & how to make the most of my time. (Usually when I visit a new city, I know someone living there who can recommend "you need to visit this museum" or "you should check out that restaurant" and so forth. Of course, that might be tough in this case, since everyone has different interests and tastes.) Well, I'm guessing that just driving & walking around, plus meeting a few activists, will give us a pretty good sense of things. But I'll definately pursue FSP's welcome wagon, thanks for that link.
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=2964.msg32870#msg32870 date=1271101807] There are some Manch subforums at http://nhteaparty.org and http://forum.nhfree.com . FreeKeene's forum is the busiest activist forum in NH. Lots of the Manch crowd are good people, but no other area has-it-together all in one place like Keene. [/quote]
That's the sense I'm getting. I feel like I "know" who many of the folks in Keene are already, from their visibility on FTL and the various articles & videos. But I have no idea who any of the Manchester people are. Thanks for those subforum links, I'll check them out.
[quote]And of course there is 4:20 every day in Central Sq. [/quote]
Heh, we'll likely stop by Central Square. I'm not sure that I'll "partake", but I don't mind showing some solidarity … and it'll be well worth a few photos so I can brag to my friends that I was there! 
BTW, Ian … I sure appreciate all the work you do on FTL. Your message is exactly what people need to hear, I really enjoy it! (The day I found FTL was the day I finally stopped flipping angrily between the liberals on NPR & the cons on Conservative Talk Radio.)
Hello Brill, welcome to the forum!