[...] to a wider audience, to split the statist crowd and erode their support for the state (see the Free Me Project’s principle number one). Instead of divide and conquer, I would call it unite for liberty and unconquer them from the [...]

Most of us simply do not care to advertise our individual private lives that way.

I understand and respect this. I just don’t understand why it took so much back and forth for you to say it.

Kyle, a newspaper is cheap. A radio station, maybe make it pirate and multiple transmitters?

Great idea on the transportation network!

Opportunities abound. When did you say you were going to get here? [laugh]”

Oh, yer killin’ me. I’d be doing it today if I was there. This is exactly the kind of thing I’d be working on, I got me a knack for logistics, and I’ve already got a good start on the books. I’ll be there as soon as I am free to go, gotta serve out my self-imposed sentence here first, so long as doing so remains within my power. That’s step zero.

Great! When can you get started? LOL

We do tote things around for each other on our various rambles, just nothing organized. I’ve introduced the idea at the forum (and others have) but most of us have privacy issues that keep it out of the public area.

The bottom line is that any and all of these things will take some individual with the vision, ability, capital and time to do it. Even if a group of individuals decide to take it on, someone has to take the point and make it happen.

Opportunities abound. When did you say you were going to get here? [laugh]

There’s two ideas that popped into my head that fit the broader topic here, and also have beneficial secondary effects. First, a bookmobile. One weekend in Newcastle, next weekend in Lander, that kind of thing. Return what you borrow when the bookmobile comes around again. It could be done out of the back of a pickup truck at first, or from a cheap used box van. I’ve always wanted to buy one of those anyway.

The other comes from the idea that there seems to be a lot of travel around the state, FSWers visiting each other. This could be co-opted as an ad-hoc transportation network. Jones in Lander is going to ride his motorcycle into Casper this weekend, via Thermop. He puts the word out that he can carry some things people need transported – a small stack of books, some elk-jerky, or that gold ounce that Smith owes Johnson for services rendered. At some point, if people are willing to pay for this, someone could be a weekend courier, make a circuit of the state picking up and dropping things off.

The bookmobile could serve the same purpose secondary to its book lending, and in either case, a resource is created that helps make trading a little more efficient, and also helps make the entire community a little more socially cohesive.

That’s not to take away from the other ideas. I love the cafe idea and the branch library idea, and those have a lot of secondary benefits as well. They also would have add-on effects in combination with the above.

I loved that movie “The Postman”. I could see myself being that guy.

Well, it’s not much more than an idea looking for a place to happen at this point. With the folks so spread out, a central location wouldn’t help much and sending books by mail is expensive.

The ideal we’ve talked about is the establishment of reading room/cafe’ type businesses in various parts of the state where books would be available for reading by anyone, but could only be checked out (except core research material) by members. The businesses would have to be self supporting, of course, and strictly private with a “franchise” type connection to the FSW library.

Some of us (those with broadband) are also downloading the freely available cyber copies of books and material that would be valuable in a SHTF situation. So, these library/cafe’ places would also have computers and internet connections.

Some see the cafe’ part selling sandwiches, etc. And some see numerous other enterprises being available, including classes in various things – and not just for kids.

That part has already started with various seminars and instruction being given at the annual camp out each year. We now have a world class instructor giving wilderness survival classes and I’ve offered a basic pistol class there for several years already.

We have also talked much about a freedom oriented newspaper, radio program/station, or other such outreach. These would require purchase of an established outlet, or a new startup. Obviously, the initial investment would be a major thing and nobody has put their money and time on the line to get the ball rolling so it’s all just speculation now.

All of this has been discussed at some length at the FSW forum, though some of it is in the “founding members only” section. Do a “search” and you may be surprised.

Cool. I wasn’t even aware of that. I’ve been saving books, too, for the same reason. When I move, the majority of the U-Haul will be books – I’m somewhere over 1000 right now (after donating ~200 to a local homeschoolers’ association). I figured when I got up there, I’d start a lending library. Nice to see something like that already going on.

One of the entrepreneurial ideas I’ve been kicking around is some kind of school, or just freelance teaching, aimed primarily at homeschoolers for supplemental education in history, science, math, computer science, etc. I’d never go for any kind of accreditation, and wouldn’t teach to any state curriculum, but I think it could be valuable to parents who want their kids to have an education and don’t care about the official piece of paper.

Which, I think, fits very nicely with agorism in general, and even the topic of this thread. It’s another one of those things that dilutes state power, builds resources – both for myself and the young ‘uns – helps create trust and trading networks, and is open source, resilient, replicable, etc.

This isn’t a new idea, of course. We’ve had people post at the forum urging this and all sorts of activism, publicity and so forth. Most of us simply do not care to advertise our individual private lives that way. And that is why we tell people that the best way to get to know who we are and what we are doing is to visit and see for themselves.

Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s just the way it is here. [smile]

Membership is open to anyone who wants to pay the small fee, but right now I think mostly FSW folks are members. The books are kept, many or a few, in the homes of the members and loaned by mail or as folks travel. The forum is a vast help in this, of course.

Many FSW members homeschool their children, and we’ve talked about doing some “apprenticeship” type things so young people can learn skills their parents can’t teach them.

But again, this is between individuals and is not any formal part of the FSW unorganization. [grin]

Ridley Report, Free Keene, the open carry litter pickups and all that other stuff done in NH also is NOT “official”. But lots of people here about it anyway and it attracts them to NH.

Well, let me try it again. Kyle said it pretty well, but let me emphasize… The ONLY activity done “officially” as FSW is the annual camp out, and that is organized, put on and paid for by individuals in a completely voluntary and more or less random manner. It is chaos and unorganization to the max that somehow magically WORKS to produce exactly what everyone wants or can live with. It’s true anarchy in motion.

The campground and new shooting range are other examples, in a way. Both are the private property of an individual who has made these facilities available to FSW – and other folks as he wishes. It has been the pleasure of those involved to work with him and donate time/materials to help make them a reality. It isn’t an FSW “project – the owner and some of those participating just happen also to be FSW members.

And so it goes. I could tell you some of what the FSW individuals choose to do to improve their lives and community, but the fact that they are FSW members isn’t really central to it. They’d be the same good neighbors if FSW vanished tonight.

And, for us, that’s just exactly the way it should be. If “quality” people are not attracted by that, then I don’t know what to say.

Foundations are invisible above ground, but without them, nothing of lasting value can be built.