Large-Scale Gulching

by Peter Saint-Andre

2002-04-17

It strikes me that the Free State Project is rather like gulching on a large scale. The term "gulching" was coined by Mary Lou Seymour and Claire Wolfe on the model of Galt's Gulch in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged; they define it as "the act of building, or living within, low-profile communities of freedom seekers" (see their gulching guide). The FSP won't be exactly low-profile if it takes off, but it's definitely focused on building a state-wide community of people who are seeking freedom. Claire Wolfe's essay on the FSP makes the same community connection, and it's touched on a bit at the end of this article by Steve Trinward (in the context of the Libertarian Party generally). I think community is an important element that's been missing in past and present efforts for liberty, so hopefully the FSP can address that imbalance.


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