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"Live Free or Die"
07/24/2009 11:22 AM
New Hampshire’s famous state motto originated 200 years ago this month when Gen. John Stark, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, told his troops, “Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils.”
Citing the motto’s anniversary, an editorial in New Hampshire's Union Leader finds a “horrible irony” in a state report on youth employment:
"The Governor's Task Force for the Recruitment and Retention of a Young Workforce for the State of New Hampshire" stated in its official report: "Our State portrays an unfriendly message that every individual has to succeed on their own, rather than count on a support system for assistance (Live Free or Die is not a friendly, supporting message that appeals to young people)… the motto vibrates with stabbing pain. "Independence," they hear, and recoil. Their parents probably still make their car and student loan payments.
The commission reported this recommendation from people interviewed: "Rebrand NH and make it more appealing; the Live Free Or Die motto is prohibitive to what young people are looking for in their home community."
“How soft we have become,” say the editors. They could be talking about the country at large, as so many stand by and watch government bureaucrats oppose individualism and the wish to simply “live free.”
July 24, 2009 in Government | Permalink | Share | User Comments (21)
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That has to be the most ironic name for a newspaper.
Union Leader
At first I thought it was a union leader, as in a person in the leadership of a labor union, who was making the claim of "unfriendly" for the best motto of any of the 52 states
;-)
Posted by: Smee | Jul 24, 2009 11:49:06 AM
America's founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves. How sad that people in Hew Hampshire have lost appreciation for freedom and liberty.
Posted by: Marilynn | Jul 24, 2009 11:57:33 AM
So, what then? Live Free...or Not?
Posted by: Byron | Jul 24, 2009 12:01:08 PM
The Governor's Task Force for the Recruitment and Retention of a Young Workforce for the State of New Hampshire says something pretty telling... The fact that they see the "Live Free or Die" motto as bad for the youth is remarkable.
There is a battle over what the USA is "supposed" to be. Is freedom our ideal, or are we all part of a collective, and whatever the collective decides we must go along with it?
Posted by: Rafi | Jul 24, 2009 12:15:46 PM
The Union Leader is a fantastic newspaper, and its point in the editorial was to lament the state of our great State (I am a NH resident). Truly, New Hampshire has been targeted by liberal groups, and they have successfully taken over our state. In the short time they have had complete control (4 years), they have stripped us of our great legacy of self-governance. They have centralized power in Concord. They have quickly been stripping our prized liberty. But I am hopeful that the people of NH are waking up. There are a lot of people that are just now realizing all we have lost -- and they are mad. We're looking forward to 2010.
Posted by: Carolyn | Jul 24, 2009 12:16:52 PM
Hey John,
Don't you think the 'Live Free or Die' sounds a lot like 'Give me Liberty or Give Death'? Maybe the NH motto should be "Give me a Catchy Quote and I'll Make it My Own... Make it, One from a Cool State like Virginia..."
Posted by: jrtorr | Jul 24, 2009 12:18:51 PM
Living here in NH, I can tell you that the "Progressives" ALL hate our state motto as it runs counter to their ever increasing collectivist mindset. Statists all, they no longer believe anyone can succeed on their own and that Government is the vehicle that makes it possible for any individual to succeed.
ugh!
-Skip
Posted by: Skip | Jul 24, 2009 12:22:58 PM
Centralized power and an almighty Federal Government is what the Union fought for in the Civil War and that's what we have to live with now.
Posted by: jrtorr | Jul 24, 2009 12:24:58 PM
How about changing it Live Free or MOVE, pansy...
Posted by: Reverendyo | Jul 24, 2009 1:29:45 PM
Maybe the motto should be tweaked from "Live Free or Die" to "Live Free from Personal Responsibility and Kick Back"
That will be more appealing to the youth that NH is looking to attract.
Posted by: Bill P | Jul 24, 2009 1:36:03 PM
"Pansy" is right!
Posted by: jrtorr | Jul 24, 2009 1:51:44 PM
This country is doomed to be a society devoid of independent thinking and full of dependency and lack of personal responsibility. I hold no hope for the future of this country.
Posted by: disgusted | Jul 24, 2009 2:26:47 PM
Makes you wonder who really won the Cold War and why we even made the effort.
Posted by: Johnny | Jul 24, 2009 6:05:53 PM
I'm from New Hampshire and I love the motto. Anyone who want's it changed is a bitch. Grow up.
Posted by: Nick | Jul 24, 2009 9:15:47 PM
Maybe the Governor's Task Force for the Recruitment and Retention of a Young Workforce (GTFRRYW)) was thinking more along the lines of Live Free On Us.
Posted by: Amy in NH | Jul 25, 2009 2:59:11 PM
Yes, or perhaps the GTFRRYW was thinking of a motto more like "Live Free--and Let Somebody Else Pick Up the Tab".
Posted by: Xan Fryman | Jul 25, 2009 5:59:02 PM
I just read through the letters to the Union Leader in reply to that editorial and the co-chairman of GTFRRYW says changing the motto was NOT the task force's recommendation - it was just part of the recorded testimony from members of the general public.
Here's one idea for the task force: maybe they could work with the Free Staters in NH to attract more libertarians of all ages.
Got the idea from an AP story in our local newspaper today, "Libertarians seek place in Granite State Sun": http://tinyurl.com/lxzfa5
We had big Tea Parties here last April; I can see the ideas of the Free Staters (formerly mocked) becoming more appealing to many.
Manchester Tea Party photos on my personal blog:
http://tinyurl.com/n34jlv
Portsmouth: http://tinyurl.com/cy8yxv
Concord: http://tinyurl.com/l9e56e
So don't give up on NH yet! (I'm trying not to. Besides, where else would I go?)
Posted by: Amy in NH | Jul 26, 2009 9:16:08 AM
"Live Free or Die" has long been a favorite state motto of mine. Here in the Bluegrass it is "United We Stand Divided We Fall", a fine motto I must say, but not quite the power of New Hampshire's. Shame on those wanting it changed.
Posted by: Tim | Jul 28, 2009 9:05:50 PM
Live freely or die.
Posted by: Ted Schaft | Jul 29, 2009 9:46:28 AM
I cannot believe that people have lost sight on their freedoms, and this just goes to show. I am a New Hampshirite and I have lived here for almost all of my life. I am sickened by the stupid people that have been put into office, and those that suggest that we change our wonderful motto - which represents true patriotism in itself - simply because it instills fear - and teaches self-reliance - these ignorant little simpletons really have no idea what they are talking about - hell they don't know what this country was built upon if they are stating that something of this magnititude is fearful- self reliance is needed in this country - hell we have seen what depending on others has done to this country - I guess they really do have their mommy and daddy buying everything for them, and they probably have their heads up their own asses, as well as their noses up those that they kiss ass to.
Posted by: Victoria | Aug 3, 2009 2:30:58 PM
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