On August 9th, there will be a special election in Strafford County District 3. The seat was originally held by a conservative extremist Marty Harty, who believed in the principles of Eugenics, and advocated relocating New Hampshire’s mentally challenged citizens, who are among society’s most vulnerable, to Siberia. Harty is a Tea Party enthusiast and, like most Tea Partiers, is not empathetic to those in our society who might need a little support in order to achieve the quality of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness that comes easily to those born with certain advantages. Harty was forced to resign because his extremist, outdated, beliefs are not welcome in New Hampshire. New Hampshire’s citizens do not believe in a society that only favors certain classes, certain religions, or certain values and beliefs. The New Hampshire spirit, born from a strong sense of pride in the society we have created here, believes in the worth and value of every one of our citizens. We are all in this together. We work and pay taxes to support our government and institutions that protect our land, air, and water. We pay our taxes to support our public schools, so all our children can get an equitable and quality education. We pay our taxes to support police and firemen, so that we can feel safe and protected in our homes, in our jobs, and on our streets. These things, for us, are what it means to live free. And, as our state motto says, we would give our lives to protect the diverse and caring society we have developed. Our strength lies in our value and support of each other as we build our society together, and progress toward our future.
But now, another candidate threatens our society and way of life. Honey Puterbaugh is the Republican candidate for the District 3 seat vacated by the ousted extremist, Marty Harty. Though not well publicized, Puterbaugh is a member of the Free State Project. Her and her husband specifically moved to NH in 2006 to take part in that project. The Free State Project is an organization whose main objective is to infest a state with a small population, take over it’s government by getting its members elected into the legislature, slash the state and local budgets, reduce the regulations that enable us to have clean air, water, and land, and eventually eliminate federal interference by refusing to accept federal funds that support our infrastructure. The project is funded by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. The Mercatus Center is funded by the Koch Family Foundation and is a high powered “think tank” for the promotion of policies that remove governmental regulations from corporations, essentially allowing them to do as they please. Originally, the project strongly advocated secession of the state in an attempt to create a libertarian nation, in which no real society exists, but rather a loose cohort of people who don’t want to pay taxes to support programs or regulations that promote a truly free and diverse society, such as public education, social security, and affordable and accessible healthcare. New Hampshire was selected as the target state for this project, because of our low population, ease of access to state government, and limited state revenues. Members of the project have to sign a pledge in which they promise to eventually move to New Hampshire and begin the process of working within our political system to gain elected offices and begin to reshape our society to one of their liking. As a member, Honey Puterbaugh must have signed such a pledge. She is not the candidate most qualified to represent District 3 and she does not have the interests and needs of our District 3 citizens at heart. If elected, she would not serve the needs of her constituents, but be servant to the objectives of the Free State Project, which she pledged to uphold.
District 3 has another candidate running for office. Bob Perry, is a former representative from District 3. He has lived in this district for 39 years. Bob has successfully sought two terms in the New Hampshire legislature (2006 - 2010), and served on the House Election Law Committee for both of them. During his tenure in the legislature, Bob achieved many accomplishments that enriched our New Hampshire society and way of life. As a State Representative, Bob Perry co-authored HB 285, establishing a Ballot Counting Device Advisory Committee, to facilitate the design of an electronic ballot-counting device that cannot be hacked. He also co-sponsored SB 491, a NH jobs bill, which establishes a legal preference to NH vendors in the awarding of certain contracts for services, and co-sponsored SB 422, a NH green jobs bill, which would allow small, alternative power producers to sell energy to users in environmentally contaminated areas and economically depressed locations.
Please vote in the August 9th special election, and consider your candidate very carefully. This is an important election for everyone in New Hampshire. I urge you to make voting in the August 9th special election a priority, and I urge you to vote for the only candidate that is truly qualified to represent District 3 in the New Hampshire Legislature, Bob Perry. The only pledge Bob has taken is to serve your best interests, and the interests of New Hampshire. The citizens of New Hampshire already enjoy the liberty and freedom of our rich and diverse society. We don’t need a project to tell us how to live free. Help Bob restore much needed civility to our state government. Make a choice you won’t have to regret. Vote for Bob Perry on August 9th.- Stan Freeda, Farmington, NH
Note: An abridged version of this editorial appeared in the July 7th Edition of the Rochester Times
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110707/GJOPINION04/707079829/-1/ROCNEWS
References
Source Watch provided information on the supporters of the Free State Project and the Mercatus center
http://www.sourcewatch.org
Free State Project website
http://freestateproject.org/
Free State Project Forums - read what free staters are talking about
http://forum.freestateproject.org/
The Free State Project Announcement
Sorens, Jason. Libertarian Enterprise. Number 131. 23 July 2001
http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2001/libe131-20010723-03.html
Radical Right Free State Project has Chosen New Hampshire for a Revolution on ThinkProgress
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/04/13/174973/new-hampshire-radical-right/
Moving to NH - Part 10, Todd in Barrington
posted by the Ridley report on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEOc4mOkiXI&feature=youtu.be
