a free new england's topics - tribe.net

NH - Free State Project

Tom — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:48:56 GMT

A good idea, A smaller start would be a good place to begin ... for those interested there is an active start towards "Freedom" in New Hampshire. Search "Free State Project" in tribe and the web

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

New to this site... Is anyone still around, all these posts are pretty old

Logan — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 00:30:15 GMT

So, I've been thinking along the lines of seccesion for a while now and It seems a wonderful idea, with and economy revamped along some sort of socialized bio-regionalism a Neo Anglican Republic could be the model for sustainible development for the world. A new take on the beacon on a hill the puritans intended. Unfortunetly, It seems highly unlikely, there is no legal means of secession in the united states, the international system has as one of it's highest priorities maintaining the territorial integrity of states, and we can' realy make a legitiamate claim to a need for self determination as we supposedly have internal self determination with in the United States, albiet it seems like less and less all the time. On the other hand Violent insurection, dispite what romantic images might be floating around my mind, is just a bad idea... likely to get no where, and leave us with very poor relations with the US if we were to win independence....

Does anyone have any idea how much support there actualy is for indepenence... certainly New England has a high degree of regional (or national) consciousness but how many people take that in a direction of secession from the usa, probaly a great deal will hinge on 2008 as far as that goes. I wonder if it would be possible to arrange a gallup poll on the topic, that would serve the dual purpose of guaging support and raising awareness of the issue...

anyway... lets all just drink some moxie, have some chowder and watch which ever boston team just happens to be on NESN at the moment.

posted in a free new england - 7 replies

Other People same goal

Logan — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 02:08:28 GMT

http://www.geocities.com/freenewengland/

posted in a free new england - 1 reply

Has something died in here?

victor ibo vinderloo — Tue, 20 Jan 2004 14:12:17 GMT

I don't think it's necessary to defend why a forum about new england is worthwhile. In that case, none of us would be here.

So to put it simply, why is nothing happening? And why if does, is it only the same few people?

Let's get this party going.

posted in a free new england - 9 replies

I didnt see the "should New England secede" question on the ballot?

Theophrastus — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 14:21:59 GMT

but i think its about time for it. i dont care, Kerry can be our president. or nader, whoever.

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

THE NEW ENGLAND CANON

victor ibo vinderloo — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 10:35:34 GMT

Both in terms of the smoking cannon and a amalgamation of that particular imagery.

Halloween, slender bare trees, the Woods that resist being a Forest. Fear, persecution and guilt; yet, despite that a joy in the knowledge that there is a limit imposed. The difference from a limit-breaking drive. Lonely figures wondering in the night on a path towards the realization that all the efforts to make good were to hide a basic inconsistency, a founding evil act. The lack of the traces of Indians, Witches and Animals that still haunt the strange meandering of New England out of a event that cannot be remembered into a role suited for something else.

What kind of texts would make up this canon?
nathaniel hawthorne's 'young goodman brown'?
edward gorey?
dr suess's design for the Naragansett Brewing Co.'s advertising in the 1930's?
what about edward hopper?

Let's come up with some ideas. I have in mind putting it together in the sense that the texts do not necessarily have to (and better not to be) conscious attempts to represent new england, but rather the results of an effect unaware.

I don't even know if anyone still looks at this site, but maybe this could reinvigorate things a little.

posted in a free new england - 1 reply

Ok, now spring is REALLY here!

JD — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 03:44:32 GMT

Hey folks, new to this tribe, but I like it.

Of course, now that it's almost summer, it feels like spring is here. Nice!

I'm in Boston(ish), and grew up in NH. I love it here, but I'm not ruling out living elsewhere SOMEtime.

So, my "get to know this tribe" question is this: why do you personally give a crap about the six tiny little states tucked up in the corner here? Creativity counts... =^D

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

spring is here...let's talk!

Wed, 10 Mar 2004 15:35:16 GMT

it has been a long, long time here in our new england discussions that anything has been posted.
i apologize myself for lack of contributions.
so now that the equinox is almost here and the ground is thawing, and spring is coming, i know that everyone must be bursting with more energy. and while you should definitely be outside using this energy, save just a little bit of it for posting here!
so start thinking, start writing, and i look forward to hearing from everyone!

posted in a free new england - 3 replies

How does the organic movement respond to new engladn capital flow revitalization?

victor ibo vinderloo — Tue, 03 Feb 2004 14:23:41 GMT

(Please refer to the responses made to the last post first.)

All this said and hopefully communicated, I'd like to discuss whether the organic farming movement in new england is a strategy to resist this capital flow revitilization or if it is a symptom of it. What about the green movement in general? Are there parts that are useful for political strategy? Are the parts that are not?

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

What is the aim of this?

victor ibo vinderloo — Mon, 02 Feb 2004 13:47:53 GMT

What i was hoping to provoke was a discussion towards a strategic response to the increasingly popular process of revitalization that works only in that capital is attracted to the city, and then, only certain parts of it. I think this matters because it plays a significant role in the loss of a culture that refers to 'rhode island' and one that refers more to the 'united states', which really means a simulated point of reference found in representational modes such as television or narrative. It makes providence different in a way that makes it 'hot' or sellable in a market context, as a place to bring corporate interest such as the firm moving in downtown. However, the illusion of embracing the providence identity as unique really is saying that it is now a comprehensible apart of the American City rising out of so many cities.

i think if we are going to talk about new england, we need to decipher what we mean by the not-new-england. i assume this not to be a matter of seperating objects. this is new england, but this is not. but rather, as a project of disentagling a totalistic process occurring throughout the us, and beyond, that creates certain relationships and contexts that benefit the continuing life of that totality.

this can't be about how special new england is, but rather a way of devising a strategy that can work in any 'place', whether the south or california or the maritime.

therefore, we need to discuss new england in this light, and not only embrace it as a 'home'. of course it is important to appreciate, but i don't see how that has any ground in devising something that can work as a practice. this isn't neccessarily for 'new englanders'; this isn't nationalism. this is working from the particular situation instead of applying an abstract idea as an organizing principle.

i'd really like to explore these ideas.

posted in a free new england - 2 replies

RI demographics report...

annajohnson — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 22:44:47 GMT

An interesting report on Rhode Island was just published. It's an enlightening read, especially to an expat like me... certainly dovetails with my growing up experience there.

xxxx
aNNa
xxxx

Karen Lee Ziner, Staff Writer, Providence Journal-Bulletin, 29 January 2004
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20040129_glbt29.345cfd.html

Report portrays diversity of RI gay community:
The Rhode Island Foundation's project offers the first informed look at the communities of lesbians, gays, bisexuals & transgender residents in the state

PROVIDENCE - Gays, lesbians and people with different gender identities form a significant demographic within Rhode Island's magnificent mix. They live in nearly every city and town, are generally well-educated, hard-working, and charitable with their time and money, a new report states.

They appreciate Rhode Island's progressive politics, the capital city's openly gay mayor, its large gay community, its beaches and culture. They are ethnically, racially and religiously diverse. They are parents, partners and soldiers.

And yet, the report states, they endure frequent harassment and discrimination -- at work, at school, on the street, in doctors' offices, in public places and in their places of worship. Some have experienced physical violence, or fear it, because of their sexual orientation.

The "Meet the Neighbors" report draws what is considered "a full-length portrait of Rhode Island's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited (a Native American reference), queer and questioning individuals."

This marks the first major project by Equity Action, a permanent financing initiative established two years ago by the Rhode Island Foundation to support equal rights and treatment for lesbian, gay, bixsexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) residents in the state.

And, it apparently makes Rhode Island the first state to offer an informed look at those communities.

The Equity Action report will be released at noon today at the Rhode Island Foundation. Invited guests include Governor Carcieri, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, heads of state departments, legislators, gay and lesbian community leaders, heads of nonprofit organizations that serve gays and lesbians, and business leaders.

Equity Action's mission thrusts the Rhode Island Foundation -- as its umbrella agency -- into advocating civil rights for a constituency that the foundation's president and CEO says has often been marginalized.

"It seems way past due for the Foundation to stand up" for those rights, says president Ronald V. Gallo. "We like to consider ourselves the center of philanthropy in this region, so we want to be there," for these groups.

Despite a number of recent events, including the election of Cicilline -- Providence's first openly gay mayor; the appointment of a gay bishop to the Episcopal Church; and the decision in Canada to allow gay marriages, says Gallo, "we still have a climate of misconceptions and prejudice rather than understanding and compassion."

"This is all about quality of life for a set of constituencies," says Peter G. Hocking, Equity Action co-chairman and director of the Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University. "Clearly, issues of discrimination and human rights are at the core of this."

Hocking says Equity Action will challenge policymakers and government leaders to join in proposing "the best solutions and blueprints" to address the issues raised in "Meet the Neighbors," and to help bring equal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities.

It will invite underfinanced nonprofit agencies that serve these communities to seek grants. And, Hocking adds, "we're looking for contributors. This is a permanent endowment," and a permanent commitment.

THE RHODE ISLAND Foundation created Equity Action in 2002, after the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership challenged the Foundation to build a permanent endowment for the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities.

The national partnership said that if the Foundation and Equity Action raised $200,000, it would contribute an additional $100,000.

So far, Equity Action and the Foundation have $85,000 in hand, and at least $25,000 more in pledges. Equity Action will begin accepting smaller grant proposals in March; the deadline for major grants is April 15.

Before launching Equity Action, the Rhode Island Foundation hired John Snow Inc., of Boston, to conduct "The Rhode Island LGBTQ Community Scan."

The survey drew responses from 371 people, and included interviews with 4 focus groups, 16 separate organizations, and 18 community leaders.

Individuals were not always easily reached.

"We knew there are a lot of invisible and hidden communities who wanted to get their voices heard," says Kris Hermanns, Rhode Island Foundation program director and Equity Action staff member.

"People held house parties where they could have a safe place" for confidential discussion, says Hermanns. Nearly half the respondents submitted answers electronically, and confidentially.

Survey takers reached out to people in rural areas and other isolated situations. They placed advertisements in the gay and mainstream press, on the Internet, and through mailings. They handed out fliers at the annual Gay Pride Parade, and posted them in libraries, grocery stores and gay-owned businesses.

The study "found an LGBTQ community that is largely Rhode Island-born, but more educated and fully employed than the 'average' Rhode Islander."

It found that these communities "look much like the rest of the state," diverse in age, gender, ethnic and racial background.

It found individuals who have created "lasting relationships and families," and who yearn for the same privileges and benefits -- such as domestic partnership and marriage -- as heterosexuals.

Why Rhode Island? the survey asked.

"The LGBTQ community here is accessible." "Gay-friendly." "I have found no overt prejudices to any sexual orientation." "Natural beauty of the shoreline." "It's such a friendly place." "Gay mayor."

Those people's priorities include ensuring safe schools for gay, lesbian and transgender youth, advocating for civil rights and protection, expanding access to health care, and recognizing the needs of elders in those communities.

Of the respondents:

One-third are Rhode Island born and bred; and more than half have lived in Rhode Island 15 years or more.

81.1 percent have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher, versus 25.6 percent of all Rhode Islanders. (The report notes that "as with similar studies, it is not known whether this is due to the limited population sampled, or if LGBTQ individuals are on the whole more likely to pursue higher education.")

11.4 percent were military veterans, versus 12.9 percent of Rhode Islanders and 12.7 percent nationwide.

77.2 percent work full- or part-time, versus 64.7 percent of all Rhode Islanders.

54 percent had volunteered in the past 12 months, versus 44 percent of all Rhode Islanders; 52 percent made charitable gifts to one or more organizations, versus the 33 percent of Rhode Islanders who claimed charitable deductions on their income-tax returns.

But despite those positives, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents "are also regularly harassed or discriminated against," according to the report.

"This study contains numerous dismaying stories about the great fear of and irrational hatred toward LGBTQ individuals. An elderly lesbian recounts being told by the staff of her nursing home to hide her sexual orientation. A teenager reports being kicked out of her home and into the street when her family learned she was gay. Youths report they are afraid to go to school because of the level of harassment and threats of violence they face in Rhode Island's public education system," the report states.

That is why, according to Hocking, Equity Action will be knocking on legislators' doors, to gather people in power to its side in the fight for equal rights.

The survey will be used as a blueprint for action, and to develop the grant-giving program, says Hocking. "What we want to do is inspire the community. This ultimately is an empowerment strategy . . . the nonprofit sector no longer has to bury the dream. We're saying: 'Dream.' "

Copies of "Meet the Neighbors" can be obtained free of charge from The Rhode Island Foundation at http://www.rifoundation.org/equity-action, or by calling Kris Hermanns at (401) 274-4564.

A note on terminology:
- Queer: Originally used as a perjorative, used by gay and lesbian activists since the 1980s as a term of defiant pride.
- Transgender: Appearing as, wishing to be considered as, or having undergone surgery to become a member of the opposite sex.
- Two-spirited: A Native American term for transgender behaviors.
Source: American Heritage dictionary; Copyright, Belo Interactive, Inc.

posted in a free new england - 1 reply

What is the role of capital in the revitilization of Providence and Boston?

victor ibo vinderloo — Thu, 22 Jan 2004 14:01:42 GMT

"Regional resistances, the struggle for local autonomy, place-bound organization, may be excellent bases for political action, but they cannot bear the burden of radical historical change alone. [...] The qualities of place stand thereby to be emphasized in the midst of the increasing abstractions of space." (295)

This is a quote from the essay 'The condition of postmodernity' by David Harvey. I put this forward because it talks about how a place is constructed nowadays in order to attract capital. This can be seen in places such as Boston's Quincy Market, or Providence's own totalistic renovation which was capped by the mall. Obvious as this is, it is something that has to be considered in this discussion, I think. If capital is the contemporary raison d'etre for the construction of places (esp those places that were once industrial leftovers, wharfs and today are the sites of the revitalized city), then how can we present an alternative to the construction of places that is not to attract the global flow of capital? More clearly, how do we extract 'New England' from the New England defined by capital? Is this a sort of spatial delirium created by capital reference?

I feel we need to ask these kinds of questions if this is going to be a real forum for discussion. I'd like to hear what you think.

posted in a free new england - 1 reply

new england wintertime

Wed, 07 Jan 2004 20:50:19 GMT

fellow new englanders and lovers of new england,
the board has been quiet lately.
what is going on with everyone?
let's talk

belle

posted in a free new england - 7 replies

Gross Polluters

Tue, 23 Dec 2003 04:36:25 GMT

What is to be done about the known polluting corps -- such as Monsanto -- within New England?

posted in a free new england - 3 replies

No

P. HK. — Sat, 20 Dec 2003 21:44:28 GMT

"Unless the reason is a desire for totality. Instead of adapting, you must destroy and create again, as though in You all things must originate. So now your presence is known."

I must say, Automated Response, that you are right. Violence has taken hold of me, and to no other end than that of absolute presence. Not leadership, for in such a person this trait does not occur. Nor creation, for I am concerned only with the movement's ultimate demise.

In my New England I see that most would suffer. Although I do believe in principles of non-federation, I realize now that I have no will to see it through. It is this fear, I believe, to be the foundation of my violence.

Faced with the proposition of absolute control this fear consumes me. I cannot accept. I entered the discourse impulsively. I do not plan to stay. I take my New England west, into the rich-in-grain plains of the American heartland.

I give you back your Free New England, your experiment. I wish you the best of luck.

P. HK. M.

Bcc: ZDR., M. JO. O., EH. T., WW., UXX. K. P.

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

Your Fantasy is Our Desire

victor ibo vinderloo — Fri, 19 Dec 2003 15:33:19 GMT

It curious that this ‘Delegated Coalition’ you speak of is at the same time the crux of your position and not a reference for anyone else but you. What this means is that by exaggerating the minimal title ‘delegate’ which was used without malicious intent by a few people, you have constructed an entire fantasy about what is going on.

What was wrong with the situation that required your particular approach? Why when you decided to participate, did you do so through violence and not discussion? There were no limits drawn. Nothing was solidified. Certain ‘delegates’ had knowledge about certain areas and so practiced what they knew best. There was no reason why you couldn’t have contributed to that multiplicity. Unless the reason is a desire for totality. Instead of adapting, you must destroy and create again, as though in You all things must originate. So now your presence is known. Now what?

Who wavers? What wavers? This ‘freedom’ you speak of. If I were to construct a fantasy as a defence against you-as-a-threat to my individual, I would say you are verifying your own stance in opposition to something that was specifically devised to work in a way that was inclusive and not divisive. But we know, to do that, would be ridiculous.

Here then is the finale. Your entrance into the discourse has been violent. In this way, you have polarized a deranged understanding of the situation into Us and Them. Now, there is a sense of competition for power. The only response to avoid a complete corruption of the movement is to give you control of what you set up. Power is now yours.

Therefore, because certain members have been cornered and labelled as ‘Delegates’ in a ‘Coalition,’ it must be declared that this imaginary enemy will have no life, it will give no fight. These theories that must prevail may now do so.

As was said before, we have no control. Now that is changed. You have control. Now, the delegates recede into the dangerous territory of reactionary, where they will lurk always as the fate of your reasoning.

Hereafter, the experiment will now be a ‘movement’. There will be those who are in the know:

P. HK. M.

Bcc: ZDR., M. JO. O., EH. T., WW., UXX. K. P.
Cont: Local economy statistics, Meth. Urban TRL-[] [] []-Stage One?

And those who are not:

The delegates

Take the reigns, lead the revolution.

Delegate White

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Revolutionary Static

P. HK. — Fri, 19 Dec 2003 02:01:39 GMT

Friends,

The revolution is not yet at hand. Why? The hegemony of a Delegated Coalition bent on revolutionary stasis.

New England is not a symbolic entity. Such convictions derive only from cowardice before swift change. Their "river of meaning" inflates an already vacuous and until now unmolested dialogue. Do not drown in meaninglessness. We must occupy the reality of our place.

Yes, this place. New England. An actuality not thrust upon us, but one delivered from our very loins.

The Delegates waver in our new beginning - we must not. They will continue to discuss and derive from lofty offices - England, perhaps - and deal colorless metaphor when they fear change the most. Criticism is only non-stance when it deviates from the established dimensions of their own. We know there to be not one pillar of construction in the homogenized babble of the Delegated Dialogues.

We have seen the blood on the concrete and it reflects only the fate of their New England. It is one mired in hopeless refraction, bent deliriously on super-imposed will. It is one of phenomena and symbols, post-modern alchemy and lost identity. Tragically, it is their blood on the concrete. And it is against their egos that we are propelled.

Soon this static will subside. Until it does, continue to formulate. Our theories will prevail. New England will be free.

P. HK. M.

Bcc: ZDR., M. JO. O., EH. T., WW., UXX. K. P.
Cont: Local economy statistics, Meth. Urban TRL-[] [] []-Stage One?

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

To the Avant-Gard Among Us: A Warning

victor ibo vinderloo — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 13:30:19 GMT

This is merely a reminder.

There are many in the movement without dedication, without committment. And for what reason? Critical displacement. Oh yes, they say cutting things, but from whence does their knife come? who has sharpened its edge?

Simply put: Whatever New England may be, it is a symbolic entity which maintains its own constant flux of meaning. Nobody is arguning for authenticity or tradition. There are tools which must be used. We do not assume ourselves to be the sudden purveyors of truth, of light, of salvation. Better, this thing, this revolution, will have no 'avant garde' no elite agitating group. We will not reconstruct the life-world of which we are always a mechanism. And a very particular mechanism.

Enough with liberal egoism. Enough with the condescending bourgeois attitude. Which means the constant drive to evade unity, to constantly make oneself different, always differing, deffering responsibility. This leads nowhere but to show the wolf that seeks us our fleshy wounds, how best to kill us. Enough already, we will take this thing New England not because it sparkles to the eyes, but because of the very fact that it has been thrown on so many of us.

Perhaps, P. HK M., what you acheive in your non-stance criticism is much to the opposite of your intentions. We have all faced this vengeful ego-thing in our carcasses, and we have wrenched it out. Bloody on the concrete, it does not look so different from this other thing, New England. You have yet to do this, and so your sort of criticism is predictable.

This movement is not our own making. We are not its creators, nor its namers. There really is only one decision. Behind it all is chaos. IT is easy to say that 'chaos is good' in the current symbolic order. Yet, there are no such descriptions of the phenomenon that flicker always behind our symbolic selves, our navigational identities. Eventually, these things fall apart. It is not our doing to decide that. We must readjust our thinking so as to go beyond the typical traps of discourse.

So, to the those who fear being known, perhaps it is easier to leave that unknown face to die. We have no control.

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

free new england

P. HK. — Thu, 27 Nov 2003 18:31:36 GMT

What are we going to do about the weather in Free New England? Let it blindly control us as Washington has done since the aborted Hartford Convention? Will we stand by as the cold murders those with no heat? As the wind hurls itself against our homes, biting at the flesh of our hard-working New England brethren? No!

Yet what can we do?

posted in a free new england - 6 replies

In response to "Delegates" White and Smith, Vermont Secession

P. HK. — Thu, 11 Dec 2003 02:33:52 GMT

I often wonder,

"Can New England be free?"

First, of what are we delegates? Is there a Free New England administrative body? A Concensus of States? The Vermonters have a plan of action, a goal, a stated purpose of separation to which I am not opposed. I live in Rhode Island - do I speak for the Carabasset Valley in Maine? Does Montpelier speak for me?

Polemics on city and culture are at this point premature. You say we must seek out the unique nature of each state and as a whole embrace our differences while tapping a rich New England tradition. I say a new, free state cannot be founded on principles of arbitrary and reconstituted reactionism. New England must be dismantled before it can be rebuilt, and the cities must be translated.

If each state is appreciated for its unique qualities and traditions, why not invite Deleware to join a free New England? Why rely on boundaries imposed on the region, first by a foreign crown and then by a federalist Washington? Where does New England begin "Delegate" Smith, and where does it end?

Furthermore, your discussion concerning the "symbols" of New England - maple syrup, cows, etc... - insults not only my own quest to understand the relationship I have with a free New England, but cheapens the aims of the Vermont clique as well. "New traditions" will fester atop such enormous over-generalizations. We must deter from this course.

The movement has already been made slave to the romantics if the first questions regarding revolt (in all of its instances) involve defining positive aspects of Boston in relation to "the New England Context." Boston is a city of three million - a large portion of that population being students. It is a conurabtion that has historical placement within a legislatively defined, federal region of the United States of America. It has little to do with the New England you dream of realizing, Providence even less. Ask any citizen of Lee, Massachusetts how they feel about Boston. And how is it that Burlington being more "culturally diverse" than Portland or Augusta matters? Your comments are symptomatic of the malady New Englanders have fought for over three hundred years. We must turn away from the past and look for a way to begin again. Urbanites we are, New Englanders we can be.

We are more than our Puritan traditions, our Gaspees, and our farms. Yet much of what we are is because it came from without - we are a rich tapestry of conflicting and at times antogonistic traditions. Coexistence is quite possible, but in light of recent comments, I feel dismayed, unanchored. First we must define. And I refuse to believe in the lies of reactionary unification. I seek something new and untold. We find ourselves in New England, "Delegates" White and Smith, but I don't think you share in my vision of a truly Free New England. I seek the reconstitution of local myth, the freedom of micro-organization and concensus, all within a unique and unfederated New England with no borders and no forced will. That is the spirit you fail to grasp.

P. HK. M.

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

vermont's response

Wed, 10 Dec 2003 14:27:01 GMT

Everyone,
Please share your thoughts with the following. Based on what is said, Vermont does not want a real part of a Free New England, but have different ideas about it...

Dear Michelle,

Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you. I was saying that we agree wholeheartedly with the folks in Rhode Island as far as respecting their sovereignty. While we have been in contact with a number of people and groups, we are not looking to form something regionally. At the most some of us have projected a very loose Atlantic Confederacy of New England and some of the Maritimes. It would not be centralized as that is exactly what we are hoping to get away from. Our interest in contacts is simply one of mutual support and ideas. Did I send you the Connecticut address?

I hope this will alleviate any concerns that others may have about the Second Vermont Republic.

Hope you are growing and that all is well.

Yours in Liberty,

Michael

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

please participate!

Mon, 08 Dec 2003 15:36:25 GMT

fellow new englanders and free new england sympathizers,

please, everyone who is on this list, if you would like to, introduce yourself, where you are from, your interests, dislikes, loves, anything...
let the discussion flow...

belle

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

Regarding the Vermont Collaboration

victor ibo vinderloo — Wed, 03 Dec 2003 14:06:00 GMT

Before complying with Vermont, we must establish the nature of that movement. Not to say an affinity for the one end sould not be formed wherever possible, but the social and cultural difference between Rhode Island and Vermont is prominent. Therefore, while I think Vermont maintains a good program for agricultural / rural cultural situations, its plan for the urban reality is completely absent. This is understandable. Vermont is not an urban world. However, our contingency exists in this city context and must begin to think practically how this will fit into a free new england.

First, there is the fact of the cultural diversity that has no connection to the traditional notion of New England. It is irrelevant to many. However, this does not mean New England as a Now does not have relevancy. We need to create a language for this nowness so that we are not limited to a particular vision of society that inherently privileges a certain group, such as those affected by the predominant 'hippie' culture in Vermont. Second, regardless of ethnic diversity, there is a cultural schism between city and country. There are many who cite this a fundamental fracture in the current detachment of human culture from the undifferentiated culture called 'earth' or 'nature' as well as various other names. Continuing on, while privileging the country culture for its organic capacity and contingency, this move can easily fall into an idealistic romantic vision that leaves the majority of the population out. If this happens, the movement becomes stabilized as another extension of the bourgeois appropiation of the countryside, which is really the commodification of a lifestyle-culture that is no longer something that can be understood as 'authentic'. Therefore, the dream of an authentic agrarian society is just that, a dream. This is not to say that dreams have no value, but our project is not to whip the world aroud us into a fantasy desire. In this way, Vermont does indeed have a role in the transformation.

What I mean to say here is that while a collaboration with Vermont is necessary, it can only be understood as an affinity and not as a guiding authority. The knowledge of the Vermont movement is not relevant to the context of urban new england, where covered bridges, maple syrup and dairy farms have little immediate significance. These do, however, have a great deal of significance in the culture of their origin. And this is perhaps the most important reason for collaboration for Vermont.

After we confirm that the Vermont group is not really an avant gard that will inevitably commodify that agrarian culture, we will join with it in destablizing the mechanism of the spectacle that reaches into it with long, sticky fingers. This means at once destroying and confirming that fine sensation in us that resonates at the sound of New England.

In commitment,

Delegate White

posted in a free new england - 1 reply

vermont sovereignty project/ cranberries

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 14:33:38 GMT

for more information about the history of the new england succession movement, please visit:

www.vermontsovereignty.com

as of now, this group is working within vermont to create a sovereign state, but they are extremely interested in working with other states, as well as the maritimes in canada.
there are interested parties in maine and connecitut.
it is up to us in Rhode Island to take this state ahead.
Vermont is looking to have a regional convention soon if things get going.

Please post any comments, suggestions, thoughts.

P.S. we are still in cranberry season, so support the cranberry bogs in massachusetts and buy some!

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

figured out

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 14:49:36 GMT

so, unless you post a NEW topic, replies to previous topics do not really show up.
i think. i may be wrong.
so check all posts for replies.

peaceful day,
delegate smith

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

figured out

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 14:49:36 GMT

so, unless you post a NEW topic, replies to previous topics do not really show up.
i think. i may be wrong.
so check all post for replies.

peaceful day,
delegate smith

posted in a free new england - 0 replies

welcome

Tue, 25 Nov 2003 21:06:28 GMT

welcome to a free new england discussion group.
please post any thoughts you may have.

more will be written soon...

michelle

posted in a free new england - 0 replies