Jewish Libertarians booth
The Porcupine Freedom Festival is now over, and it took a day to recover from the sleepless nights, the cold, the dirt, and the general depletion of energy. Along with attending events, hanging out, and selling snacks, I tabled for and represented Jewish Libertarians. Despite an almost complete lack of preparation, throwing things together at the last minute, I managed to make a mark.
Bostonians tarring and feathering a tax collector.
Earlier today, the director of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue and an associate came to PorcFest to check whether food vendors were collecting the meals tax. New Hampshire has no sales tax, but does have a tax on meals and lodging. Ian Freeman of Free Keene, who is well known for filming police and government agents, quickly arrived on the scene to film and interrogate the two suits. He was joined by an effective militia of attendees armed with regular cameras and cell phone cameras.
Before I start, I have to disclaim that what follows is complex and difficult. I need to make clear that this is the writing of conflicted thought. In college, I was an African studies minor (I did not graduate) and took a few semester of Swahili, as well as other cultural courses. I have enjoyed the great musical contributions of blacks in Western countries from Louis Armstrong to Nico and Vinz. Whether soul and gospel, or jazz, or blues, early rock and roll, funk, hiphop, rap, and more. You almost cannot find music in America that does not have massive influence from Africa. I have supported and continue to support black nationalist and black separatist movements, which some of my SJW friends see as racist (nevermind that they do the same). If I were to do the same for whites, people would be offended and terrified. I obviously support Jewish nationalism and separatism, which also gets mixed reviews in the world.
Well it actually has been more than a week, but I have been a bit busy (thankfully) with meeting people and looking for a job. In any case, if you didnt realize it before, I have relocated from the insane tyrannical reich of New Jersey to the free state of New Hampshire. Just off the bat, I no longer have to pay sales tax (except at restaurants, and its 2% higher) nor income tax. I can now open carry a firearm, which I havent done yet and probably wont for awhile. My cost of living has dropped around 15-25% from my rough estimates. I can cross a street without worrying about getting run over (New Yorkers and New Jerseyans may be jealous), however, it is more difficult to walk out of town or even around town.
No sales tax in New Hampshire!
After much planning and lack of planning, as well as events being hosted by other people, I am able to finalize and publish the schedule for Jewish Libertarian events at PorcFest XII 2015. Jewish Libertarians will be located at Agora Valley #37 – ‘ohel Herut. Times and locations are subject to change, but updates will be available at AV37.
Ever since Mother Jones, Salon, or whatever communist rag published a screed trying again to discredit libertarians, there has been talk about whether libertarianism has enough women. It has been noted that there is a gender imbalance. There are a lot of important questions to ask in a specific order, and facts to present.
I have been reading this blog and have previously read another one, both of which promote a concept known as the traditional city. If you have ever lived in an old world city, town, or village, you have almost certainly been in one of these. In Israel, two of the most prominent examples are Old Jerusalem and Sefat. A lot can be said about this way of building settlements, but the one main motif is small streets. They generally say about 8 to 20 feet is the range for the basic street, with 12 to 14 as the best area. And this means frontface of a building to frontface, no lawns in between. Everything else does not really matter, it can be scaled to any size, made of any material, painted any color. What it does is create a “sense of place”. You feel like you belong.
Tools of the trade (Taken by Travis Wheeler)
I was asked to talk about this awhile ago, so here we go. This is only going to be about male circumcision, as female circumcision is not practiced in Judaism.
Circumcision is a major symbol of Judaism, just like avoiding pork (despite the fact that shrimp and rabbits are also not kosher). Indeed, in ancient times when Jews came into contact with Greeks and Romans, it was used as a sign to determine who was Jewish. Circumcision became more popular in the West in the 1900s, especially in the United States, and notably, Korea. Additionally, it is very common in religious countries, such as most of the Muslim world, Israel, Central Africa, and the Philippines. Australia also appears to have had a flirtation with the practice in the mid to late 20th century, but it is declining heavily. There is a divergence in when the procedure is performed. In the United States, Israel, and possibly Korea, it is performed at or near birth. In most other religious contexts, it is performed around puberty, where it can be more controversial and painful (explicit video).
As I begin to promote PorcFest, I have received some concerns about antisemitic incidents in the past. Claims of slashed tires, epithets thrown, and a climate of fear have dissuaded a few Jews from considering attending the great festival. Naturally, since I am planning open events and a visible tent, it was important to investigate these claims. When I went last year, I experienced nothing but friendliness. Contrary to even claims by the media, I never smelled “odors of marijuana”, let alone (ooga booga) ANTISEMITISM. In fairness, I wasnt visibly Jewish, but there are a number of known Jews there.