Free State Observer

On Saturday, April 22, over 150 New Hampshire residents gathered in the plaza at the steps of the New Hampshire Statehouse to show their support for HB1582, a bill that would have New Hampshire opt out of National ID legislation scheduled to take effect in 2008.  The rally, which lasted approximately 1 1/2 hours, featured several speakers, and attendees willing to brave the cold and blustery day received free popcorn, beverages, buttons, balloons and signs.  The rally was organized by the GraniteStateID coalition, a group composed of representatives of several New Hampshire activist organizations spanning the political spectrum, joined in their common cause of getting HB1582 passed into law. 

The rally was MC’ed by Joel Winters, President of NHCASPIAN, the New Hampshire affiliate of a national consumer privacy organization.  One of the primary coordinators of the event, Jenn Coffey, is President of the state affiliate of the Second Amendment Sisters, a national women’s gun rights group.  Both Winters and Coffey are members of the Free State Project and moved to New Hampshire within the past two years.

The first speaker was State Representative Elbert “Bick” Bicknell, the recent President of the Gun Owners of New Hampshire.  The second speaker was Katherine Albrecht, founder of CASPIAN and reknowned expert on RFID chips.  She spoke soberly of the implications of a surveilled society, referencing the Nazi regime as well as the well-documented and lengthy historical record of governments all over the world abusing and killing their own citizens.  Albrecht was followed by the Reverend Garrett Lear.  Dressed in full colonial-style garb, Lear gave a moving and impassioned speech on why Christians should oppose National ID on biblical grounds. Quoting from the Bible, the NH Constitution, and Emerson’s “Concord Hymn”, he exhorted the crowd to remember the blood that our forefathers spilled to defend the freedom of their posterity, and to not let it be in vain.  The next speaker was Carol Shea-Porter, a Democratic contender for the U.S. Congress from New Hampshire, who still honors the Bill of Rights and honestly acknowledges that no government can make its citizens completely safe.  The final speaker was State Representative Neal Kurk, sponsor of HB1582, who reminded the crowd that New Hampshire may be the first to stand up to the Federal government on this issue, but will most likely not be the last.  Passage of HB1582 will be a “shot heard around the nation” and may well result in a chain reaction in other states.

To vividly demonstrate the potential ramifications of requiring all Americans to carry microchipped ID cards linked to an enormous national database of their personal information, NHCASPIAN constructed a checkpoint booth, complete with razorwire and barrier gate, near the arched entrance to the Statehouse plaza.  Volunteers dressed as guards resembling Nazis, only with “Department of Homeland Security” badges on their arms, stopped passersby and demanded to “see their papers”.  Other volunteers dressed as police officers wandered amongst the crowd, jokingly questioning attendees for such activities as taking photographs “without a license”.  Representatives of the group NHFree, many of whom are Free State Project members, stood on the sidewalk with signs, banners and a Gadsen flag, drawing the attention of Main St. traffic. 

The rally was filmed by two independent film crews and covered by a representative of the Concord Monitor, all of whom received press packets.  Photos of the event are available at NHCASPIAN and NHFree.