[extropy-chat] The problems with Alcor and the new proposedArizona law

Mike Lorrey mlorrey at yahoo.com
Sun Feb 22 19:46:17 UTC 2004


--- Harvey Newstrom <mail at harveynewstrom.com> wrote:
> Mike Lorrey wrote,
 
> > One of these has already passed the House and Senate, in two 
> > different forms, is currently undergoing revision in the 
> > House to conform to the Senate version, and will then go to 
> > the Governor. This is a bill to eliminate the need for 
> > concealed weapons permits in the state, and to issue permits 
> > to people who wanted them, for reciprocal carry out of state. 
> > This is our success. We have more bills in the pipeline.
> 
> I am not interested in carrying a gun, so these rights are only of
> theoretical interest to me.  (Sorry!) 

Thats okay, it is just an example of the fact that we are becoming an
effective political force already here, simply by emboldening people
already here and in office to take more liberty oriented stances. This
is evidence that the people of this state already have a significant
sentiment for getting the government off of people's backs.

Other bills in the pipeline:
a) a sound money bill
b) a state guard bill


Several dozen FSP members have moved already. Half of our members have
stated they will move here in the next 3 years. There are thousands
around the country who are organizing local recruitment groups to get
the remaining 14,000+ members we need to activate the official
migration period.

>  Are there plans to address equal rights for gays, stem cell
> research, cloning, body modification, and of course, cryonics?

Governor Benson has led the nation in signing the first bill to allow
state residents to purchase less expensive prescription drugs in
Canada. As the founder of Cabletron, he is a high tech proponent, and
understands many transhumanist issues. He is an FSP member (a "Friend"
class member, since he didn't agree to move to another state, but
signed our statement of principles).

NH already recognises equal benefits rights for domestic partners
employees of state and local government agencies, irrespective of
orientation/gender. Rather than a civil unions law or gay marriage law,
we would prefer eliminating the state licensure of marriage entirely.
Government issued marriage licenses are an artifact of Jim Crow
legislation, and slave breeding regulations prior to that. Before the
Civil War, no free man or woman had to obtain a marriage license to get
married.

If there are no marriage licenses, then everybody is equal and can
marry whoever they want to, and can get people to witness.

There was a recent court ruling here in NH intended to slap the bigots
with an 'you can't have your cake and eat it' ruling. A fellow divorced
his wife for a lesbian affair she had. She argued that state adultery
statutes (adultery is still grounds for divorce here) only applied to
sex that could result in a pregnancy. She won. The court ruled that the
19th century adultery statute recognised that it was a protection of
the husbands property rights to the womans womb as a tool for
delivering a legitimate heir to his estate. While on its face, this
sounds REALLY offensive, but it is intended as a constructionist ruling
that will trigger a reform in our legislation. It tells the bigots that
"if gays can't marry, then their sex isn't adultery either". Expect to
see a new marriage law to pass the legislature later this year.

Additionally, the FSP is raising funds for one of our "shadow ad
campaigns" to target the regions of the country trying to outlaw gay
marriage. We will be publishing ads in the Bay area and the Boston area
expressing our support of gay marriage, and offering those who are
restricted from so marrying to move to NH to help us build a truly free
society. If list members are interested in supporting this, please let
me know. You can also contact Doug Hillman, our interim VP, at
hei at starband.net, if you wish to contribute to this campaign.

Technology:
There is a nanotechnology/nanomaterials department at the University of
New Hampshire which has received significant funding to date for
research.
There is currently no state restriction on cloning or body mods,
outside of licensing for plastic surgeons and tatoo artists.

If stem cell and/or cloning researchers wish to establish a center in
this state, we can put some proposals forward to help deal with federal
interference in intra-state affairs.

A recent 9th circuit appeals court ruling in the gun control arena will
likely help the cause of individual technology use (see how I've always
talked about how gun control is a litmust test of other
transhumanist/liberty issues). The recent ruling is that a fellow who
built a machine gun in his own home workshop did not engage in any way
in interstate commerce, and as such, is not bound by the interstate
commerce powers of congress, as delegated to the BATF. 

This ruling can apply to ANY sort of individual technology use, and
given trends in the courts, I would not be surprised if further court
restrictions on congressional commerce powers in the future allow for
commerce engaged entirely within a state to be outside the powers of
congress to regulate.

> 
> You seem to be a de facto liaison between FSP and futurist groups. 

I am not the only one. ExI people should be aware that one-time
Extropian Amanda Phillips is the new FSP President. She was just voted
into office this past week, with my endorsement. Amanda is a long time
Objectivist, very photogenic (as opposed to myself...;) ), and is an
effective public speaker.

> Maybe
> you can meet with various future-tech groups for legislation ideas,
> or better yet, with specific future-tech companies to see if you can
> attract them to your area with friendly laws. 

This is something I plan on being involved in. We currently have three
NH state legislators who are FSP members, and they report that they
have an informal caucus of about 15 legislators who are solid
libertarians/constitutionalists. The state Republican party is divided
between the Republican Liberty Alliance, the RINOS (democrats who run
as republicans to get elected), and the Fundies/Conservatives. The RLA
has about 135 seats in the House and is avidly courting FSP support,
and will back FSP candidates in House district seats they don't already
hold.

On the other side, there is a smaller contingent of liberty oriented
Democrats who are communicating informally with us. The official NHDC
is very paranoid about the FSP and sees us as a major threat to their
incrementalist socialist strategies, so those maverick dems who agree
with us on many things are very cautious about supporting us openly.
State Dem Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan practically foams at the mouth
whenever a reporter asks her about us...

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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