Did everyone see this oddity, the Free State Project? Apparently, libertarians have banded together to take over an American state (via elections, of course), and that state is New Hampshire, mine own true home. They are promoting the emigration of 20,000 true believers to the Granite State, men and women coming from all around the country to shape state politics and make it a libertarian nirvana.

Here is what they hope to achieve: What can activists for liberty do in a single state? A great deal. They could repeal state taxes and wasteful state government programs. Since we do not have a state sales or state income tax, this should be interesting -- repeal the state property tax? What will we run the state with? Tariffs from Massachussetts? They could end collaboration between state and federal law enforcement officials in enforcing unconstitutional laws. That should be fun, a mini Nullification Crisis up here, with Judd Gregg perhaps playing the part of John C. Calhoun? George Bush as Andrew Jackson? Barracades across Route 93, preventing the intervention of federal troops? They could roll back gun control and drug prohibition. What gun control? This is NH, for God's sake. I once came out into my backyard to find a blood trail and hoof prints through the snow, evidence that a local hunter could not quite hit the mark. Pehaps his aim was off from those illegal drugs he was taking? They could end asset forfeiture and abuses of eminent domain. Already a long history of New Hampshire hating eminent domain -- see their relationship to railroads in the 19th century. They could privatize utilities and end inefficient regulations and monopolies. Then they could use their political leverage to negotiate appropriate political autonomy for our state. "Appropriate political autonomy" seems an odd phrase for a libertarian, a bit too loose, a tad too interpretive -- be careful now -- lots of nasty things were done under the label "appropriate."

My bet is that the whole thing will fall apart when too many libertarians from Alabama and Texas move here, the natives begin wondering about the Dixie accents, and bumper stickers begin to appear on the back of pick-ups, "Welcome to NH, now get out." And they better get more than 20,000 of the faithful -- I would bet that many relocate from Massachusetts every day! And with the prominent exception of yours truly, they are not usually the libertarian types.

And a funny aside: Many local towns here sponsor scarecrow/dummy competitions during Halloween, where local kids get to design their own and post them along the roads in the village centers. The best one yet was an "Old Man of the Mountain" scarecrow, complete with an accurate profile. He wore a t-shirt that read, "I've fallen and I can't get up."