The Concord Monitor recently published a letter to the editor which referred to the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire as an organization created by Free State Project members and supporters “to weed out moderate Republicans.”
RLCNH chairwoman Carolyn McKinney responded, saying her organization is not “officially allied or linked” with the Free State Project and only opposes Republicans who do not adhere to the party platform.
And that sent Republican state Rep. Lee Quandt over the edge. Quandt pointed out — as only he can — that the two groups “seem to be made of the same people.”
So now that they are being brought out into the open, [they] are running for cover.
Aren’t these, along with the free stators, the same group that is reducing health insurance coverage for you and your families? Aren’t these the same people who are wiping out your consumer protection coverage that protects you from unscrupulous predatory business practices, like pre-buy oil contracts? I think they are.
These are the same people who attack Republicans who do not agree with them or their out of control agenda. They openly brag about attacking Republicans who disagree with them to force their will on those who disagree. These people are the true RINOs, Republicans in name only; they are not Republicans and are in NH to take the state over politically and institute their psycho anarchistic philosophy.
Libertarian and former Free State Project champion Tully Fitzsimmons disavows his support and says he has been “horrified” by the direction the movement has taken. He explains why.
First, their full embrace of a right-wing, Randian Conservative brand of libertarianism. Libertarianism does not necessarily have to be right-wing; there is a strong ‘strain’ of libertarianism that evolved from the anti-royalty, anti-mercantilist Socialists in the French revolution. This aspect of libertarianism is virtually absent from the crew that has moved here: absent from their writings comments, votes, and personnas. Their lock-step marching with the O’Brien junta shows them to me more politically aligned with Mississippi Republicans than any native New England version of individual liberty. …
Second, this bunch has confused two different concepts: wishing to be left alone to carve one’s way (which is MY preference) is NOT the same as condemning someone else to carve their own way when they can’t. There is a fundamental selfish mean-spiritedness towards, and implied condemnation of those who need assistance: the poor, the disabled, the unemployed, the sick. It is a re-birth of the hyper-Calvinist idea that ‘you get what you deserve.’ …
Republican state Rep. Lee Quandt gets wind of a “nasty letter” about him being signed by House representatives from the Free State Project. “Bring it on,” he says.
I have been asked two or three times to stop writing or commenting on what they are doing in Concord but; just couldn’t do it. People need to be informed and transparency is the new catch word in politics.
Make no mistake these can be very nasty people who are hell bent on taking over NH politically and stomping on anyone who show them up for what they are and that is anti-government anarchists.
After the next election when we clean house and throw these people out of office the “closed” sign will go up in NH and this social experiment gone awry will end and the Free State project can go to a good old boy southern state and try to impress them with their ideas for a new order.
GOP state Rep. Lee Quandt describes a nasty split in the Republican party between “old guard Republicans” and supporters of the Free State Project.
We have a republican party that is [in] disarray with at least one republican town chairman attacking republican senators and two free stators sending out letters doing the same.
The outspoken Quandt hits Free State supporters for “an agenda to take over and remake” the state but says Republicans and Democrats are now joining in opposition.
Part of the problem is the free stators tried to hard and fast to take over and they have been heavy handed in some regards. Now we have union republicans working with democrats to fight back and they don’t seem to understand why.
Quandt repeats his prediction that the Republican party will suffer major losses in 2012 as a result.
The voters are starting to rebel and you can see it in the special elections; this rejection is a trend, not just a fad. I have said in the past I expect to see about 125 Republicans lose their seats in the next election, some insiders told me it was wishful thinking that we would lose about 40, now they’re saying up to a hundred.
Honey Puterbaugh, the Republican candidate in Strafford District 3, can’t hide her association with the Free State Project any longer — but she sure is trying to downplay it:
When we asked her about the Free State connection, Puterbaugh said she had planned to move here to be close to family anyway when she heard about the Free State movement and its pledge.
That’s not how her husband, Todd Puterbaugh, tells the story:
“One of the things that did influence our move here was my wife and I both felt that the loss of liberty was occurring at an accelerated pace and we didn’t want to sit by and let that happen.”
Honey Puterbaugh, the Republican candidate in Tuesday’s special election for a Strafford District 3 state House seat, says social programs like Meals on Wheels should not receive public funding.
Puterbaugh says in an ideal world people should take care of themselves, but this does not always happen. She believes that state and county government costs should be kept to a minimum. Asked if, for example, she approves of taxpayer funding for a program like Meals on Wheels, she replied, “Ideally, individuals would donate. Sometimes it sounds cruel to cut a charity, but it may be the way to go at that time.”
Meals On Wheels provides well over one million meals to seniors who need them each day. Nearly six million U.S. seniors face the threat of hunger.
Over 800 participants in the Free State Project have moved to New Hampshire with the stated goal of taking over state and local governments, slashing budgets and eliminating federal “interference.”
At least a dozen Free State Project movers have been elected to the state House and many more to local office. Most successful candidates were elected without the voters even being aware of their Free State Project affiliation.
That may be about to change. In today’s Union Leader, Beth LaMontagne documented the Free State Party associations of two candidates for Manchester alderman.
Manchester got a taste of the liberty-minded Free State set in June when eight people were arrested for protesting outside the Manchester police station. … Now at least two who identify with the movement have filed for local office.
Ward 5 Alderman Ed Osborne is facing a challenge from Mike Segal, … one of the protesters involved in the Manchester police station incident. Ward 2 Alderman Ron Ludwig is facing a challenge from Craig Haynie. … Both are featured on Free State websites.
The next state House special election will be on August 9, 2011 for the Strafford District 3 seat previously held by the infamous Republican Rep. Martin Harty. Harty, you may remember, resigned after publicly expressing support for eugenics. In a letter to the editor, Stan Freeda warns that the GOP candidate, Honey Puterbaugh, also has an agenda that is extreme and appalling.
The New Hampshire spirit, born from a strong sense of pride in the society we have created, believes in the worth and value of every citizen. We work and pay taxes to support government and institutions that protect our land, air, and water; public schools, so all our children can get a quality education; police and firemen, so that we can feel safe and protected in our homes and on our streets. These things, for us, are what it means to live free.
Puterbaugh is a member of the Free State Project, whose main goal is to infest a state with a small population, take over its government, slash the state and local budgets, reduce the regulations that protect us, and eventually refuse to accept federal funds that support our infrastructure and eliminate federal interference.
If elected, she would serve to advance the Free State agenda, which she pledged to uphold. …
