December 16th, 2008

“This meeting can do nothing more to save the country” - so said Samuel Adams 235 years ago today to an assembly of thousands of Bostonians (and British troops that had brazenly entered their meeting) when he concluded that all peaceful means of having their grievances addressed by the British government had been exhausted. Later that night, 80 men boarded the ships the Dartmouth , the Beaver, and the Eleanor in what became known as the Boston Tea Party.

But the real revolution happened not in 1773 in the Boston harbor or in 1776 with the “shot heard round the world” at the Battle of Lexington and Concord but in the decades leading up to that date, when ideas of self-ownership and natural rights were instilled in colonialists by the writings of Adams and others. Only then did they rise up to throw off the shackles of a repressive government.

That’s what we’re doing today - laying the groundwork, introducing others to the ideas of individual liberty, personal responsibility, and free markets. Especially now, it’s critical that we continue to press forward with a message of voluntary interactions as a more rights-respecting and prosperity-creating alternative to the force of government and its failed policies. Bureaucrash has resources to help facilitate this, such as Bureaucrash Social, where many of you are already connecting with others, sharing ideas and coordinating activism.

Want to help but not sure where to start? Only have 15min? Check out a few tasks that you can do. (Big thanks to crashers Nathan Larson and Chris Robertson for transitioning our wiki to its new home, which we did based on feedback from y’all.) Have ideas for other tasks? Let us know on this forum. And be sure to document and share your activism with other crashers on Bureaucrash Social.

Today Xaq Fixx released our newest Podcrash with John Stagliano. Listener discretion IS advised. And thanks to the Colorado LP for linking to the Podcrash in their blogroll.

Yesterday our good friends at the Free State Project told folks in their network that crashers are “young, smart, and willing to raise their arms in defense of liberty.” Nice! If you’re not familiar with the FSP, check them out, then sign-up to attend their Liberty Forum in March, at which it’s just been announced that I’ll have the opportunity to speak, along with much more distinguished line-up.

Some HQ news:
Racham Maxam has left our ranks for the slopes and big sky of Montana . Over the past year Rachel was instrumental in bettering our Contraband site, improving our customer service, and providing me with institutional knowledge. Thanks for all your hard work Rach.

Upon Rachel’s departure I split her job in two - in-house production and shipping will be handled by the new Czarina of Contraband, Meg Patrick, and graphic design and website upkeep will be done remotely by Graphic Guru, Dan Wilk. Dan has started a forum thread to capture your ideas for new threads, so going forward, please submit your ideas there.

Also helping Bureaucrash is former field coordinator for Ron Paul and previously-mentioned crasher Chris Robertson. As our Overlord of Outreach, Chris is there for you to use as a resource, to bounce ideas off of for crashes and online activism, or anything else. Don’t be shy, hit him up!

In keeping with the “change” theme (don’t worry, we didn’t jump on the Obama bandwagon), we’ve moved offices. We’re now a couple of blocks further away from the White House (and further upwind, which may help get away from the stench that permeates politics). Feel free to pay us a visit if you’re in the area.

In liberty,

-Pete

P.S. If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or constructive criticism about Bureaucrash, please let me know at: pete@bureaucrash.com or at: 202.331.2259.