Forum Post: OWS & FSP Are Not Domestic Terrorists [in your face, fascists]

[The following is from the latest FSP newsletter. Looks like NH has some committed activists.]

Free Staters Are Not Domestic Terrorists [OWS is mentioned below] Standing room only at the BEARCAT hearing.

In a recent grant application for $258,024 in federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to receive a Lenco BEARCAT armored vehicle, the Concord, NH, Police Department justified their need with the following statement:

“The State of New Hampshire’s experience with terrorism slants primarily towards the domestic type. We are fortunate that our State has not been victimized from a mass casualty event from an international terrorism strike however on the domestic front, the threat is real and here. Groups such as the Sovereign Citizens, Free Staters and Occupy New Hampshire are active and present daily challenges. Outside of officially organized groups, several homegrown clusters that are anti-government and pose problems for law enforcement agencies.”

In response, the Free State Project demanded a retraction of the false statements and amendment to the grant, list of specific “daily challenges” FSP participants have presented, and an apology. None of the requests have been met. The story has been covered by the Washington Times, Mother Jones, NHPR, Reason, Political Outcast, and the Ron Paul Institute.

On August 12, hundreds of peaceful Free Staters and supporters attended a Concord City Council meeting where the BEARCAT grant was discussed. They filled the room and spilled out onto the lawn, and after two hours of public testimony (four spoke in favor of Concord acquiring the BEARCAT, forty-eight spoke against), the council tabled the vote until next month. More activism by participants is being planned, and the FSP is exploring its options, including possible legal action.

FSP President Carla Gericke’s testimony can be read here [Not]. Many NH residents wrote Letters to the Editor in opposition. Reports on the City Council meeting have been published by the Concord Monitor, WMUR [tv], and Concord Patch.