Civilly Disobedient UBER Driver Stephanie Franz, courtesy CBS Boston
It’s been almost a year since Stephanie Franz aka “UBER Grandma” was the first UBER driver cited for driving people safely to their destination in Portsmouth, NH. The city has been targeting brave UBER drivers with tickets for operating without government permission slips. In the Summer of 2015 the city gang declared UBER drivers who did not jump through the city’s hoops in addition to UBER’s background check and sign up process, would be targeted for ticketing.
UBER has provided Stephanie with an attorney and she’s ready to face down the city gang in court. However, there have been multiple reschedulings of the date, so hopefully this is the final one: Please join UBER Grandma at Portsmouth District Court at 8am on December 13th (here’s a facebook event) and support her courageous stand for your freedom to drive people places without having to ask government permission!
In 2012, Darryl W. Perry was frustrated with New Hampshire’s embarrassingly ineffective Libertarian Party and its unwillingness to promote the idea of New Hampshire declaring independence from the United States. He joined me and Conan Salada in founding a competitor to the Libertarian Party of NH, which we called the New Hampshire Liberty Party. Darryl has served a key role on our state executive committee ever since, running the yearly conventions and handling the member rolls, in addition to running for office.
This year, Darryl ran for the presidential nomination from the national Libertarian Party and sadly did not receive it, as the LP for years has been compromised on its principles. They proved it yet again with this year’s nomination of Gary Johnson, a former Republican – not a libertarian and definitely not a secessionist.
Darryl followed up his presidential run by launching a principled lobbying firm to focus on NH called Liberty Lobby, he’s lost over a hundred pounds in the last year or so, and just this weekend was unanimously elected to the position of chairman of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, ousting the previous no-show chairman who held the seat for years.
It’s a positive sign for the Libertarian Party of NH, which has been floundering for years. The LP of NH has long been a black mark on the otherwise vibrant libertarian community we have here in the Shire. Hopefully Darryl’s election to chair with Rodger Paxton, also a member of the NH Liberty Party, being newly elected to the LP’s vice-chair position will bode well for the future of the LP in New Hampshire. If we’re lucky, we’ll see them add a plank about NH independence into the LP of NH’s party platform in 2017.
Darryl has put in his resignation as a co-chair of the NH Liberty Party as a result of his election to the Libertarian Party chair role, as his time is already limited due to his many activist projects. I wish him the best. We’ll continue our role as New Hampshire’s only pro-secession political party, fielding candidates, and actively seek a new co-chair, though filling Darryl’s shoes is a tall order.
I could technically still be in jail today for the “crimes” from the movie.
Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree, a full-length feature documentary about my five arrests in Keene, New Hampshire, unleashed itself to the world in Keene Cinemas four years ago today. It’s been viewed on YouTube over 175,000 times.
The world has changed since then. Recording law enforcers is now commonplace. Enforcers in a dozen more states now leave peaceful pot smokers alone. The top series on Netflix is a show about prison overpopulation. Everyone knows that the people calling themselves “the government” spy on their computers, emails, phone calls, and texts, but digital privacy is now possible for all thanks to new apps and devices with built-in encryption. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are now beginning to come into wide use.
There’s a lot of reason to be hopeful. Now more than ever, the world is ready for you to question your obedience. Dozens have told me the movie inspired them to move to New Hampshire. That’s the most rewarding part of the experience. In the end, I was facing 9 years if convicted of all charges (none involving a victim). I was sentenced to 540 days in jail, and I ended up serving 60 for my “crime spree.”
Friends made it possible: Ian Freeman (producer), Beau Davis (editor), and the people of the Shire Society who inspire action. I hope Victimless Crime Spree inspires you to achieve more freedom, peace, happiness, and the object of your dreams.
I had the pleasure of being a guest on “Windham Watch” with host Mary Griffin, a longtime state representative who is just about the sweetest little old lady anyone could imagine. She did her research on me and had some really great questions! This was easily the most fun I’ve had in my 2016 campaign for governor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet Mary and be on her show for a full episode!
We covered various issues including New Hampshire independence, drug prohibition, peace, and more!
I keep one in my car and one on my keychain. In an emergency, like being pulled over or witnessing an arrest, I press it and dozens of first responders are alerted. They instantly know my emergency and location.
This is 21st-Century security. With beauty and simplicity that seems inspired by Apple, the Cell 411 Panic Button might be better-named “the Relax Button.” Finally I can relax knowing that in an emergency, I don’t need ten types of hand-eye coordination to alert first responders. One press of a button is all it takes.
My friend Link posted about it to Facebook:
“One of the coolest features is that it’s drop sensitive. Do you know how many thousands of people pay for subscriptions to emergency button services so someone will come help them up when they fall down? And now they can have that functionality for free in a way that calls people they know and trust who won’t automatically take them to the ER and drive up medical costs just to cover their asses!”
The Cell 411 Panic Button connects to your Cell 411 application running on Android or iOS smartphone wirelessly over Bluetooth, providing users with a quick and easy way to alert your friends, neighbors, caregivers and loved ones in the event of an emergency. It can be carried in your pocket or bag or worn on the wrist or around the neck with the available accessories.
After pressing the Cell 411 panic button, an emergency alert will be sent out to the chosen cell or group of friends you configured. Your GPS location will be sent to your Cell 411 friends in real time, so they can come and assist you with turn by turn direction.
My friend Josh sent me a letter affixing only a 2-cent stamp to the envelope. Surprise: It didn’t arrive.
But then he sent another letter with a 2-cent stamp, and on the envelope in red ink he wrote out the text of the law that requires 2-cent letters to be delivered. That letter was delivered to my mailbox. “Pretty cool,” I thought. I had heard that there is an old law on the books that letters can be sent for only 2 cents (if they are addressed a certain way), but I had never experienced it for myself. It really worked.
I’m going to mail him a 2-cent letter back. Let’s see if it gets delivered! What do you think of this exercise? Does it “hurt” the post office to follow the law?
