Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Porcfest 2010 - An Optimistic Report on Liberty

Alex R. Knight III attended Porcfest 2010, which was hosted by the Free State Project.  The event was held in Lancaster, New Hampshire, and Knight writes about his experience in a piece at the Center for a Stateless Society.

Knight came away from the event optimistic, which is evidenced by the title to his post on the event, We Can and Will Achieve Liberty: A Review of Porcfest 2010, and the following excerpts.

Another observation was the crowd demographic: At least half of those in attendance were on the younger side – mostly under 30. In many cases, there was little distinction in appearance between Porcfest attendees, and the flower-children who were at Woodstock over 40 years ago. The big difference now, however, are the ideas. And as events like Porcfest grow and grow, that will become increasingly important. Witness that the hippie movement of the 1960s withered because of two cardinal flaws: One, that Marxism is good and moral, and capitalism bad and evil. Two, that it was perfectly okay to use those college degrees they earned in order to get elected into the system of government so as to change it from within. Comforting is the thought that such gross misperceptions will not apply this time around. And the energy and enthusiastic, inquisitive nature of these twenty-somethings is encouraging. My experience showed that they were interested in asking real and relevant questions and getting practical answers in return. Just maybe, this generation is learning, and has something meaningful and rational to say. (bold by ed.)

Here’s Knight on the technology angle and its use as a weapon for liberty.

And the technology, of course, is different. A lot of computer, Internet, and media savvy was in evidence at Porcfest. Far from having to rely only on live speeches, underrground newspapers, and pirate radio stations, we now have through the Computer Revolution a means of communicating with each other and the world such as has never yet been realized in human history. The ramifications of this for the dissolution and collapse of government are staggering. By making ever increasing use of alternative media and its accompanying technology, it is now within the grasp of anarchists to form a significant enough population minority to seriously threaten the continued power of the State. Once the landslide starts, I don’t see much of any lasting effect that can stop it. As Henry David Thoreau said, “When the subject has refused allegiance, and the officer has resigned his office, then the revolution is accomplished.” I am of the opinion that we are, at long last, on that very road. (bold by ed.)

Though I do not necessarily share Knight’s optimism for achieving liberty, since it has been willingly voted and given away since the founding of the United States, it is encouraging to read that there appears to be a spark of liberty being husbanded and fanned in the hopes of creating a blaze of freedom

Posted by John Venlet on 06/29 at 12:47 PM
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