It was an exciting and productive summer for Philadelphia freedom lovers. We have an amazing, diverse group of freedom activists. This is a brief summary of some of our activities.
"Suspicionless Checkpoint Nullification"
On June 15, members of the Valley Forge Revolutionaries began an important community service project. Volunteers set out to protect travelers by warning them about dangerous suspicionless checkpoints being conducted by heavily armed men in blue costumes.
Under the guise of public safety, scores of police from multiple agencies assembled to harass thousands of travelers. They blocked a major thoroughfare, and the operation filled an entire Best Buy parking lot. The fire department was on hand with generators and flood lights, and a massive donut station was erected to fill the maws of this tax-fattened legion. The Valley Forge Revolutionaries had eight volunteers with some reflective signs.
Jeff Pelurie and Will Duffield nullify a suspicionless checkpoint
The launch of this operation was incredibly successful. From 10pm to 4am, hundreds of cars were successfully warned about the checkpoints and were safely diverted. Sources indicated that they went for over three hours without a single arrest. If we had kept one person out of jail, the effort would have been a success, but our efforts reduced their overall catch by 10 or 15 victims.
Our second attempt to nullify a checkpoint was less successful. Once they knew we were coming, they were forced to relocate and postpone their operation. We are pursuing additional means of identifying these checkpoints in the area and have established a "minuteman" response model, were volunteers are ready to respond on short notice when a checkpoint is discovered.
This is a proven technique for protecting the community that can be replicated anywhere suspicionless checkpoints are used to harass travelers. The cost is extremely low compared to the rewards.
TFP Live!!! (www.TFPLive.com)
A new series was launched by Mike Salvi, founder of Truth, Freedom Prosperity. TFP Live is a monthly live event featuring music, comedy and an activist interview. Underground Arts (http://undergroundarts.org) is the ideal location for for this series. This 12,000 square foot facility features two performance spaces, high quality adult beverages and even free parking. Crowd response has been excellent so far. Featured guests have included Adam Kokesh, Tatiana Moroz and myself. For those that can't make it to Philly, each episode is streamed online and archived.
Mike Salvi, founder of Truth, Freedom, Prosperity and host of TFP Live!!!
Lemonade Freedom Day (www.lemonadefreedom.com/)
August 18th was the second annual Lemonade Freedom Day, organized by Robert Fernandez. Freedom loving folks across North America organized events and individuals all over the country set up stands and sold lemonade or raw milk without licenses or permits. Philly activists set up a popular stand in Rittenhouse Square, and happily served lemonade and treats, nullifying local restrictions on voluntary exchange.
Lemonade Freedom Day 2012 in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
End-the-Fed
Philadelphia End-the-Fed parade
Since 2007, Philly has been the host of numerous End-the-Fed rallies. Our demonstrations have been some of the biggest and most visible in the country, featuring parade floats, live music and hundreds of participants. Our rally on September 22, 2012 was organized by Mike Heise. It's great to see young activists like Mike rise to the occasion, grab the baton and run with it. I look forward to participating Mike's future events.
Mike Heise (with megaphone), organizer of the 2012 National End the Fed Rally
Jury Nullification Outreach
Many of our activists participate in jury nullification outreach, distributing pamphlets from the Fully Informed Jury Association (www.fija.org). The legendary Julian Heicklen has inspired many of us. Our public outreach just "by coincidence" happened to coincide with the "trial" of Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion (www.NJWeedman.com) in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Ed was forbidden by the "judge" to mention the juror's right to nullify a bad law. Luckily, signs were on display and FIJA pamphlets were distributed to the public entering the courthouse. Ed admitted to possession of one pound of cannabis, but the jury failed to reach a verdict on a distribution charge. Ed's retrial is October 10th, 2012. We are hoping for a similar result. A victory for Ed will be a significant blow to prohibition in New Jersey. Win or lose, Ed has done an amazing job raising awareness of jury nullification.
James Babb and Ed "NJ Weedman" Forchion
We Won't Fly (www.WeWontFly.com)
Our campaign against the TSA has reached it's two year anniversary. It's hard to believe that we still need to protest nude photography, sexual assault and radiation by the blue-shirted goons. The endless stories of theft, corruption and abuse coming from this agency are astounding.
An interesting angle of attack has emerged as a result of the TSA's defiance of a court order. The law requires them to allow all of us an opportunity to publicly comment prior to their adoption of x-ray and millimeter wave body scanners at airport checkpoints nationwide. The TSA has arrogantly refused to cooperate.
TSA Comment
Since the TSA doesn’t want to hear or respond to our concerns about the health, privacy or security implications of their decision to use body scanning technology in American airports, George Donnelly has created a website (www.TSAComment.com) to accept these comments and share them publicly. Please drop by and leave your comments about the TSA.
National Opt-Out Week, November 19 to 26, 2012
Join the nationwide demonstration at your local airport.
"Vote for Nobody" Campaign (www.anti-politics.ws)
Frustration with the corrupt, immoral electoral system has created a huge opportunity for agorists and anarchists to present solutions. The nationwide Vote for Nobody campaign is modeled after traditional political campaigns, but encourages people to withhold consent and abstain from participation in the corrupt process. Philly activists are even participating in traditional candidate forums representing the non-compliance option on election day.
These are just a few of the recent activities that our Philly freedom activists are participating in. If you've been considering a move to New Hampshire for the strong freedom activist community, but you prefer mild winters, a diverse culture or major metropolitan attractions, Philly may be the place for you.
