Offically done with nay sayers...I've got to get this off my chest.

[RattyDog]

Russell, Nay Sayers, Negative Energy Bringers:

I have had some comments thrown at me this weekend that have me pretty pissed about things that are being said about the Manchester Free Press. Now, this morning, I see Russell's post in the Projects section about our paper and a possible name change for The Keene Free Press. I'm sick of the pot shots....I'm no weenie, I'm not crying in my mothers skirt here....I'm just sick of our ideas, our way of doing this, being shat on by people who don't even have the courtesy to find out what it is we're actually up to before they nay say. If you want to nay-say....do it to my face. Show up to our meeting, find out what we're doing and say it to my face. Do not post it on a message board, do not say it to other people behind my back....that makes YOU a weenie.

I'm getting so sick of this idea that's been drifting around, that we at the MFP are somehow messing this up because we haven't hit the streets with a paper yet. What you may or may not realize, is that a whole HECK of a lot of work is being done on our end of things. The MFP will look, read and be a *LOT* different than the KFP...so then, why is it so hard for you to imagine that maybe the process of setting the paper up would be different from the process you chose to get the KFP up and running? I understand that your method was "think it up, put it out"...but our business plan involves a bit more set up time. I fail to see why we should be in such a red hot hurry to get this out....I mean, do we or do we not have the rest of our lives to run this paper?? Is there some impending doom I do not know of?? Is there a memo floating a round that I need to see?

What if the idea for the paper had been introduced a couple of months later...huh?? Would it have been a disaster? Would you all have said "Don't do it, the time for the paper has come and gone!" No, you wouldn't have. Everybody has said to me, "Oh, we're so glad you're doing this, having a Manchester paper has been brought up so many times, but nobody ever got around to doing it"...so, then what is the problem? Why must I catch so much flack from people? This is not so time sensitive as you would have everyone think. We have a plan, it is a good plan. It involves ACTUALLY reaching members of our community with a message of self advocacy and liberty; it involves ACTAULLY motivating people to seeing a better way of living, it involves *ACTUALLY* creating a mouthpiece for CITIZENS of our community...not just a mouthpiece for US. I have found my path to freedom....now I want to help other people find theirs. We have a lot of support from our community; we've got a lot of support in the way of advertising and enthusiasm from local business owners and well liked politicians on the city and state level, really, a lot of hard working people. I know you think that is dumb, but it will actually lend credibility to our paper. It will help. This is not your paper, Russ, this is OUR paper, we are going to do this our way....and it is going to look nothing like your way because this paper is going to look nothing like your paper.

This weekend I had some pretty fierce statements thrown at me. Someone within this group (I love him, no hard feelings) had the audacity to tell me that I'm "behind the curve" that I "...missed the opportunity to make this great..." because I "didn't have a paper out to report on the recent events within our movement". This person even had the stones to say that he was "really mad about how long this is taking to get out"...as if we are producing this paper for him and all of you. We are not. Be very clear on this: this... paper...is...not...for...you. This paper is for Manchester, this paper is for everyone *outside* our group of friends. I don't need to write a paper for you all! Someone is already doing that, first of all, and secondly, preaching to the choir is not such a fucking awesome idea for converting people.

I am done being nice about the pot shots and little comments about "When is it coming, why is it taking so long? Why are you guys messing this up so badly?" FYI....it's NOT taking so long. We are trying to create actual change, we are trying to be welcomed into our community here, not booed out. We are hitting these streets with a paper that is connected to a movement which is, at this point, being called (in our neck of the woods) a "Group of gun toting crazies who have come to our state to instigate problems and try to tell us how to run things" - fucking awesome. We are not becoming involved in this project to be a target for people who have no idea what we stand for and hate us for some misconception of who we are. I don't want people picking up this paper because they want to see what crazy shit we've got printed in it this time....no, I want people to pick up our paper because they feel they can connect with it, because something about it resonates within them....because it matters to them. That involves more than just printing whatever the hell you want and calling it a day. This is going to work, this is going to be good, this is not going to be a waste of time....this will not fail because it will be done right the first time. We *ACTUALLY* care what our community thinks about us, which means we have to put something together that is good and speaks to these citizens, we cannot fall on our faces here because we didn't do it right the first time out of laziness or carelessness.

This is not the Keene Free Press. It will look nothing like the Keene Free Press. Not aesthetically, not in its content...in no way will it look like the KFP. Not to spoil the surprise, Russ, but you will hate it, you will call it "weak" and "stupid", you will most likely refer to me as a "sell-out" and make statements about treadmills and dancing for the man...behind my back you will probably say worse, as it has become clear to me that you do talk crap about this project behind my back. You will love mocking me, you will delight in how "not insanely radical" our publication is...it will give you endless opportunity for pointing out that we aren't "doing this the right way" and that we are slaves. You will have many chances to feel superior to me. Won't it be great? You will think it is too watered down, tame and mainstream.....but you know what?? It will be *effective*, it is already effective and we haven't even gone to print. This paper is OURS, this papers belongs to our community and so has to be something that our community can swallow. This paper will rock, this paper is *our* idea of activism, *our* idea of how we can make change and try to bring freedom to ourselves and our countrymen....I respect your idea of activism even though it is not anywhere close to my own, why would you not extend to me the same courtesy?

I am not even close to ready to announce this yet, but I have found out a month ago that I am excepting a baby. I am eight weeks along here and have had some scary complications and unending infections and sickness in these last few weeks. I have been ill, worried sick about my baby and burning the candle at both ends trying to get things done. You think I'm doing nothing here??? Get real, I'm doing fifty times more than I should be and I'm doing it because I don't want to let anyone down. I am exhausted, worried and in constant pain. I am working, literally, 7 days a week from sun up to sun down, at the office, hitting the streets, meetings, etc...and still, I have to hear this crap.  I'm sick of that. I'm not dancing for anyone anymore. I'm sick and tired of being attacked by people when we are working so damn hard to make this awesome. This is not yours, this is ours. Respect that, let us own this, let us do this our way. Support us to work with us, not against us. Don't nay-say....because at the end of the day that means freedom for exactly freakin' no one.

Anyone who wants to say something bad about this paper or me or people helping us, keep the negative energy to yourself. If you have tips or constructive criticism, my ears are wide open for you. I refuse to hear the negativity any longer, I don't need it from a health standpoint and it doesn't help the paper. The opinions I care about are those of the Manchester Citizens who have been so helpful in giving us leads, letting us see the lay of the land around here and supporting us with advertising agreements and enthusiasm. This paper is just as much a community liberty project as it is a paper.

Sorry for ranting....but some hurtful things have been said, some senseless negativity has been heaped our way and it is for no reason, totally not deserved. I have smiled and been polite through all of the nay saying, but I can't anymore. We are fighting for freedom, too, over here. We're doing it our way, just as you all are doing it your way. I love everyone here, even those folks I don't agree with...but I don't need the pressure anymore. I'm just done accepting it. Done.

Thanks for reading...I know this is so long...I just had to get this off my chest to you all. It really hurt my feelings to find that people have been making jokes and talking behind my back....that's not getting us anywhere closer to freedom.

[CNHT]

Nat you have my support (although I've not yet even met you!) and I'm sure this is going to be a wonderful endeavor.

[Lasse]

Can someone please tell me why you are fighting each other when there are actual enemies of individual liberty out there? Is this a fight for liberty in our lifetime or a fight for each others' way of doing things and various egoes? There are people writing LTE's, donating to organisations, working with politicians, influencing peoples' opinions and getting into positions of power who want to tell you what to eat, what to do, how to to it and generally control your lives, and you're fighting EACH OTHER!?!§!?

I don't get it.

[grasshopper]

   Holy shit!  Wow!  
  Ratty. please take care of yourself!  We need you healthy!
 To the others reading this....  ya, the ones who like to do "passive violence".  Be nice please.
  Stress can make you unhealthy, make you loose sleep ect.ect...
  God, I've got to meet you people, when I was younger I had the wind taken from my sales.  I see some of you people doing stuff to help not to hurt and I envy you for your passions.
  Thanks for getting the wind started for me again.
  Ratty, don't let people take the wind out of your sails, your doing good work for a good cause.  Shit you people might even get ME to try to publish in the paper.  Shit, I'm happy go lucky and can find the good in anything.  The world needs good news and a place to publish it.

[dan_sayers]

Can someone please tell me why you are fighting each other when there are actual enemies of individual liberty out there?

'Tis a good point.

I'm not familiar with the details, so I won't speak on the details. I just thought it might be useful to remember that if one cannot handle negative TALK, then one should not put themselves in the public eye. I don't care who you are; The moment you stand up, SOMEBODY will try and knock you down. Not everybody has the stomach for such a thing.

I've also seen tons of journalistic coverage that was laden with emotion instead of fact. As such, I'm not big on journalists that are prone to such emotional devouring. That's just my personal opinion though since as a gun owner, we're targetted by the same constantly.

So keeping the above in mind, Natalie, perhaps you should review the choices you've made to double check that they're the right ones for you. Regardless of what you find, there's no shame. I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits.

[Kat Kanning]

I hope you feel better.  I hope I haven't said anything to make all this harder for you. 

[Braddogg]

You're kidding, right, dan?

[Ogre]

Yay "gun toting crazies!"   

Hey Ratty -- take a day off.  I can imagine and have known the stress you're going through.  Take a day and go look at pretty leaves or something.  As you yourself said, it's coming in YOUR time, no one else's.   

[J’raxis 270145]

Natalie,

I've tried to take much of the flak that I've heard as being constructive criticism even though some of it's rather annoying. Russell is unfortunately right that we've missed some opportunities recently, most notably being there to write a much more balanced article on all the shit going down with Rob, Ivy, Murphy's, and so on. Russell just needs to be a lot less snarky in his delivery, although I've just gotten used to that as his style on the forum here.

Anyway, don't worry—we'll get the paper going soon enough, and all the naysayers can eat it when they see what we really have in store.

OK, yeah, she has almost 12 x the karma that she has posts. 

I think she deleted a whole bunch of her posts.

[Braddogg]

The thing that's been most frustrating to me in all this has been that the community of Manchester has been excited about this project, and are wowed that we're moving so quickly.  The response here has been less than enthusiastic about the nature and speed of the project.  The point of the paper has always been to deliver community news through a libertarian lens, not to provide libertarian news through a Manchester lens.  It's at the point where I think it's time for the organizers of the MFP to stop talking about it on NHFree any more.

Sarah, I appreciate your energy and positivity, but Dan pretty much said RattyDog should thicken up or quit . . . I don't know how you can enthusiastically endorse both Ratty's post and Dan's.  I think, unfortunately, that Dan is right -- we MFPers should expect to be knocked down by a lot of people here on NHFree, and that's why I think it's time to move discussion of the paper from this forum.  It'd be like going out of your way to get a punch in the face, it's just dumb.

If anyone here is in the Manchester area and actually interested in being involved in the paper, e-mail me at dbradley@manchfreepress.com, and we'll talk.

[Braddogg]

Sarah, I appreciate your energy and positivity, but Dan pretty much said RattyDog should thicken up or quit . . . I don't know how you can enthusiastically endorse both Ratty's post and Dan's.

I don't know squat about the first part of your post, BDog, but on the quote above-- I don't believe ya.  You DO know, and I feel sure of it.

Ah, right, I guess you got me . . . .

brb, gotta go readjust my tin foil, it must not be blocking the telepathy beams properly . . . .

[Braddogg]

Ouch, no think skin yet young jounalist.   You'll go to press when you go to press. I'm sure by now Russell has decided to just hit the ignore button.

It stings a little more when it comes from people you thought were friends and allies. 

[RattyDog]

Can someone please tell me why you are fighting each other when there are actual enemies of individual liberty out there?

'Tis a good point.

I'm not familiar with the details, so I won't speak on the details. I just thought it might be useful to remember that if one cannot handle negative TALK, then one should not put themselves in the public eye. I don't care who you are; The moment you stand up, SOMEBODY will try and knock you down. Not everybody has the stomach for such a thing.

I've also seen tons of journalistic coverage that was laden with emotion instead of fact. As such, I'm not big on journalists that are prone to such emotional devouring. That's just my personal opinion though since as a gun owner, we're targetted by the same constantly.

So keeping the above in mind, Natalie, perhaps you should review the choices you've made to double check that they're the right ones for you. Regardless of what you find, there's no shame. I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits.

You, sir, are out of your mind. You're right, you don't know the details, because if you did....you would know that I'm not a journalist and don't plan on writing for the paper.

Do you not get it?? It's not hat I can't take negative talk, I just don't need to hear nay saying from people who are supposed to be my friends and who are supposed to be standing beside me in this fight for liberty.

Every day I hear "Oh, you're not as free as me, you're on a treadmill" and "Why do they think that is activism, that's nothing but holding signs" and "What, you're trying to make change from inside the system? That's stupid, you're not free!" - enough already. Let's celebrate the fact that we're all doing something, and that is better than nothing....which is what a lot of people are doing. I'm going to get enoughnegative attention from people outside this movement....I'd like to know I have the support of people around here...I don't need to hear negativity from people around here, you know?

The truth is, I have way too much on my plate right now. Before I found out that I am pregnant and before these dreadful, painful, agonizing complications and endless worry...it wasn't too much, but right now, I'm struggling very hard. That's okay, it will pass, everything looks like it will be okay.....but I sure as hell don't need to hear "You're doing it wrong" a thousand times from people who are supposed to be saying "Rock on, you have our support!" - okay?

[RattyDog]

I hope you feel better.  I hope I haven't said anything to make all this harder for you. 

No, you have been wonderfully supportive and sweet to me always.

[RattyDog]

Natalie,

I've tried to take much of the flak that I've heard as being constructive criticism even though some of it's rather annoying. Russell is unfortunately right that we've missed some opportunities recently, most notably being there to write a much more balanced article on all the shit going down with Rob, Ivy, Murphy's, and so on. Russell just needs to be a lot less snarky in his delivery, although I've just gotten used to that as his style on the forum here.

Anyway, don't worry—we'll get the paper going soon enough, and all the naysayers can eat it when they see what we really have in store.

OK, yeah, she has almost 12 x the karma that she has posts. 

I think she deleted a whole bunch of her posts.

Yeah, I deleted them just to sort of...start fresh I guess. I don't know, I like how a couple of other members here clear out their posts every once in a while and start over....at least that's what I've heard, it just feels like a good idea because of the number of people outside this community who read the boards.