Manchester, NH- The 8th annual Liberty Forum, hosted by the Free State Project from March 5th through March 8th, welcomed over 500 enthusiastic visitors. The event, which has been primarily held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, was moved to the larger Radisson Hotel in Manchester this year to accommodate the growing number of guests. The diverse crowd in attendance included Free State Project participants, speakers from New Hampshire and beyond, and liberty-minded individuals considering moving to the state.
The Free State Project, an organization striving to attract 20,000 movers to New Hampshire in pursuit of personal liberty, hosts this event to provide detailed information about the state to prospective movers while giving them a chance to network and socialize. The 2015 Liberty Forum was organized by Merav Yaakov, a Free State Project participant who moved to New Hampshire in 2011.
This event is also an opportunity to listen to speeches from prominent figures in the liberty movement. For the last several years, Liberty Forum has hosted addresses from speakers including Ron Paul, Naomi Wolf, Tom Woods, and Julie Borowski. This year’s conference featured Reason.com’s editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie, Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, Sheriff Richard Mack of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, Cato Insitute executive vice president David Boaz, Charlotte Observer associate editor Peter St. Onge, and David Kelley, founder and CIO of The Atlas Society.
Liberty Forum, however, is not limited to speeches. Dozens of smaller presentations and discussions about a wide range of topics including but certainly not limited to education, local politics, nutrition, marijuana prohibition, entrepreneurship, and technology provided opportunities for attendees to engage in dialogue and ask questions in a casual setting.
Speakers Jody Underwood, Bill Walker and Kate Baker each offered their philosophies and ideas about public education in their own presentations. Matt Simon, New England political director of the Marijuana Policy Project, spoke about future marijuana legalization endeavors in New Hampshire. Former New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate Andrew Hemingway discussed technology’s effect on government. Carlos Morales, a Child Protective Services whistleblower, gave a presentation about the agency’s controversial practices. Lyn Ulbricht, mother of Ross Ulbricht, appeared at Liberty Forum to discuss the trial that convicted Ross of running the Silk Road online marketplace.
Free State Project participant Carla Mora hosted a lunch on Saturday to answer questions from potential movers.
This year’s Liberty Forum attracted both visitors who have enjoyed the conference in the past, and visitors traveling to New Hampshire contemplating making the move. Recent mover Jon Pawelko said the Liberty Forum offers a unique hands-on experience for attendees. “There’s something here for everyone,” he said. At least 43 people signed on to join the Free State Project during the event.
Correction: This post has been updated to accurately report Patrick Byrne’s position at Overstock.com as CEO. It was previously reported that he is the Chairman in addition to CEO; he has been Chairman in the past, but he is no longer holding that position.