#6: 04.12.17=5: Secessionism #3

Secessionism #3: (1) Free State Project: http://www.freestateproject.org/ http://www4.fosters.com/December_2004/12.11.04/news/ap_nh1211b.asp "" "Free State ad campaign targeting unhappy Connecticut homeowners", by BEVERLEY WANG, Associated Press Writer. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Free State Project is hungry forrecruits andis again casting its net in troubled waters. Through December, the libertarian group is running onlineadvertisements in The Day, a daily newspaper in New London, Conn.,where a group of homeowners has taken an eminent domain dispute to theU.S. Supreme Court. Homeowners in New London's Fort Trumbull neighborhood say thecity'sattempt to seize their land to build tax-rich properties isunconstitutional because it does not adequately demonstrate "publicuse," a condition of eminent domain. The New London DevelopmentCorporation wants to build a hotel, health club and offices on thesite of the homes, bringing in more tax dollars. On Friday, an ad for the Free State Project appeared on thepaper'sWeb site next to an article about the land dispute. "Taking away private property to give to a large corporation is likeRobin Hood in reverse. Come with us to where this doesn't happenandhelp us win even more freedom," the ad read. A click on the ad takes Web surfers to a press release on the FreeState Project site. It announces the group's intention to recruit"displaced" New London residents. That site links to the Institute forJustice, a libertarian public interest law firm representing the sevenhomeowners involved ."Most people recognize that eminent domain is one of the greatestabuses of government power in this country," said James Maynard, aFree State Project spokesman. "It does upset a lot of people, and wewant to give them another option. "The New London homeowners so far have not lost their homes. LawyerScott Bullock says it's not likely his clients will join the FreeState Project, which aims to recruit 20,000 freedom-minded people by2006. The ad has gotten 200 hits since it started running, said FreeState Project President Amanda Phillips. "It's nice that the Free State Project is supportive of the FortTrumbull homeowners, but right now we're focused on keeping theminFort Trumbull and New London," said Bullock, who said the instituteand the Free State Project are not affiliated. "These people don't even know us, and they're inviting us tolivethere. It's kind of refreshing," said Fort Trumbull homeowner MattDery, who said he has no intention of moving. This is the third time Free Staters have sought recruits from towns inturmoil. Earlier this year, the Free State Project ran print andtelevision ads in Killington, Vt., where town officials proposedseceding from the state and joining New Hampshire for tax reasons.Free Staters also advertised in South Carolina in the aftermath of ahigh-school drug raid. The Free State Project chose New Hampshire as its promised landbecause of the state's lack of a personal income and sales taxand its"Live Free or Die" motto. The group supports restricting government tothe protection of life, liberty and property rights. Individualmembers support a grab-bag of issues including home-schooling, secondamendment rights and the legalization of "victimless" crimes likemarijuana possession. It's unlikely the group will make its goal of 7,000 members bythe endof 2004, said project founder Jason Sorens. There were 6,250 memberson Friday, 317 in New Hampshire, according to its Web site. Sorens said the group is experimenting with different recruitingtactics to bring up numbers. "If we don't get things moving faster, then I guess we'll have to reevaluate the 20,000 goal," he said. A splinter group, known as the Free Town Project, sparked a panic insparsely populated Grafton, N.H. Rumors surfaced that group memberswanted to take over the town. "" (2) Institute for Justice, "the nation’s premier libertarian public interest law firm": http://www.ij.org/index.shtml "" IJ litigates in courts across the country preserving freedom of opportunity and challenging government’s control over individuals’ lives. "" (3)