A preview of the upcoming NHRebellion walk which will take place from January 11th to January 21st 2015. To learn more please visit nhrebellion.org and to sign-up please visit walk.nhrebellion.org

Democalypse 2014 - America Remembers It Forgot to Vote: Money vs. Ideas

Courtesy of The Daily Show: An accurate reflection of what we just witnessed. 

In a recent post from the Center for Responsive Politics they estimated that nearly $4 billion will be spent during the 2014 midterms. This estimate represents the largest cost of any previous midterm. 

Do We Have a Democracy?

     With the election just passed, my friends and I are had attended several debates—and although we submitted the same question repeatedly, it rarely got asked.  This is ironic, since our question is what will be done to restore our democracy.  Yet, this doesn’t surprise us--most New Hampshirites know America no longer has a government that answers to its People.

     A Princeton study proved it:  America is no longer a democracy, but a plutocracy—rule by the wealthy elite.  The study demonstrated definitively that policies end up reflecting the wishes of the tiny fraction of the country that makes substantial political contributions—not of the voters.

     We already suspected this.  Ninety-six percent of Americans want to reduce the influence of money in politics.  We feel that our legislators care only about their donors, who they spend 70% of their time courting—even if their donors are not constituents, or now thanks to superPACs, even outside the country, effectively.  Election spending is higher than ever because legislators are for-sale more than ever.

     So my friends want to ask candidates what will be done about it.  Our question is overlooked because moderators have a hot-topic agenda—things like healthcare, national security, spending, the environment, and net neutrality, for example.  But these issues, and many more, come back to this:  industries that invest in candidates in order to get profitable policies. 

     We cannot make healthcare policies that benefit everyone, rein-in spending, or ensure an open internet—as long as most political contributions come from the corporations that profit from expensive insurance plans, receiving government giveaways, or monopolizing information access.

     We learn in school that democracy dies without a well-informed public.  So it is incumbent upon the “fourth branch”—the press—to show people, who already sense the corruption of money-politics, that how we conduct elections is at the heart of every other issue.  The press must stress that business should mind its business—which is making profit within the confines of the law—and remind us that it is the business of the citizenry alone, according to the Constitution, to direct the making of law.

The Professor’s Rebellion

By Flore Vasseur (Dixville Notch, NH)

Star law professor destined for the Supreme Court, Lawrence Lessig has launched a crusade against the influence of money in Washington. To fight this corruption undermining American democracy, this inside man left his brilliant career and comfort zone to wake up his country’s conscience. 

An icy rain is falling on Dixville Notch, 18 miles, from the Canadian border. On this January 11, 2014, in the rounded hills of the Appalachians, the mountains of New Hampshire ooze a muddy mixture of ice and snow. The Balsam Grand Resort, an imposing structure of wood and concrete by a dark lake, looks like the hotel from the horror movie The Shining. 

Only in America

The Balsams Grand is closed up for renovation and Dixville Notch left for deserted.  Every four years since 1960, this ghostly place becomes the stage of the first scene of the presidential election. Shortly after midnight, CNN and Fox News cameras take over the ballroom to report the results of the very first primary elections. A handful of voters, the dozen or so residents of the village, cast their ballots for the Republican and Democratic candidates. They are the vote locally, they set the tone nationally. Since 1960 they have rarely been wrong. 

In a rainy parking lot a quarter of a mile from the hotel, Lawrence Lessig grits his teeth. Clear blue eyes behind thin-framed glasses, his broad forehead and delicate scholar’s hands are hidden underneath a big, green poncho. The Furman Professor of Law and Leadership and director of the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University adjusts his ice cleats, cursing himself. 

At the age of 52, he is about to leave the well-trodden path that would have propelled him from a sterling academic career to a Supreme Court Judge position. Lectures, conferences, books, to make his case heard the star professor has exhausted all the traditional means. All that’s left is walking. A good three-hour drive from Boston, from his family, his classes and students, miles away from his Washington acquaintances, he is launching the New Hampshire Rebellion, his crusade against the corrupting influence of money in politics. 

Struggling against the icy rain, Lawrence Lessig can barely manage a smile for the twenty-odd people who answered the call posted on his blog eight weeks prior. His improvised army of walkers comes from all over the country. Wearing Gore-Tex, carrying walking sticks, they are ready to brave the cold, the snow. Their doubts. 

They are retired lawyers, computer developers, free-software and Constitutional reform activists, former Marines. There is a firefighter and his father, a couple of psychotherapists, unemployed people and cyberpunks all bundled in hats and caps. They met up the night before at the initial rallying point, the Boston Express bus station. Up until then, they had only exchanged emails, sharing their motivations, skills and what they can contribute: drive one of the vehicles, prepare hot coffee, treat blisters and cramps. Or simply walk. 

Shedding the masks

Between a vending machine and a plastic palm tree, Rick, Kevin, Chris, Cailin, Bruce, Mark and Mary shared a brief hello, then stood in silence. Some considered going back home. Few words were said. They all came with their own baggage, their reasons to walk. Now they are all here, between 27 and 78 years old, from different backgrounds. No two are alike; they don’t know what to expect. They are ready for adventure, all eyes on Larry Lessig.

A little hunched, he greets each person individually. They have been listening to him for years. He knows American history and Washington like the back of his hand. He knows the rules of the game. To tear off the masks we wear, he must first take off the various hats he dons as a brilliant lecturer, powerful lawyer, messiah of Internet freedom. And be ready to lead. 

Larry Lessig is a UFO on the American intellectual scene. He is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike, influential in Silicon Valley and Wall Street. He is the “the Elvis of Cyberlaw” Steven Levy wrote in 1993 in Wired magazine. He may not play guitar but he is The King of his discipline. A thorn in the side of culture and entertainment dinosaurs, from Microsoft to Disney, Lessig revolutionized copyright policy with the concept of free licensing and creative commons. 

Seven years ago he abandoned his favorite topic to speak out against the almighty dollar in Washington and the much-needed renewal of democracy. In his opinion, no significant reform – on the environment, financial regulation, gun control or education, is possible as long as campaign finance remains the same. Money provides access, access yields influence, influence determines decisions. Ideas, promises don’t matter. In 96% of cases, election outcomes are a function of money. Members of congress spend between 30 and 70% of their time fundraising. “It becomes a constant obsession. They only listen to their donors, become hyper-sensitive to their demands” Lessig explains. 

Invisible and implacable lobbies are rotting away the foundations of democracy. The people, the general interest and public debate are given a back seat. “No one, no morality can resist the amounts at stake. It’s as if you opened the doors of an airplane at high altitude, the human body just explodes. We need politicians to pass the necessary reforms to put a stop to it.”. The government has lost its way in wars against terrorism. The enemy is within. House of cards. 

To challenge Washington, do you have to be crazy desperate?

As a speaker, Larry Lessig is an aesthete. His polished presentations are timed down to the second, each word carefully weighed. He is naturally reserved and discreet, would easily become taciturn. But give him a microphone and his chest puffs up, his voice and his eyes harden. He fills conference halls without making any effort to please. A masterful lawyer with an education in philosophy, economics and law, a sometime poet protected by his brilliant academic background, he is an intellectual figure flown first class around the world. 

He has advised Republicans and Democrats alike. He campaigned for Barack Obama, a former colleague at the University of Chicago, before accusing him of selling out. On many occasions, he thought he had found his champion. Before long, they all disappointed him. Larry Lessig has been looking for his place. He considered becoming a congressman to reform the system from the inside. He launched countless initiatives. Projects, speeches and honors piled up. Despite his talent, his network and his reasoning, he never really managed to make change happen. 

The rain beats down harder and colors everything gray. The morning light never comes. Japhet, 6 feet 2 inches of kindness and common sense, hands out fluorescent orange vests. A handsome guy with a bright white smile, he gives basic instructions: “walk in single file, watch out for the snow plow, be careful of the rain it will freeze you to the bone, don’t leave anyone behind, and watch out for each other”. Japhet takes on the role of the solid, helpful boy scout. In the middle of the parking lot, he unrolls a banner for the New Hampshire Rebellion. The walkers gather behind it; Larry Lessig kneels, no smile on his face. Snapshot number 1, this is becoming real. They now have to leave this no-man’s land for adventure and the 185 miles to go. To challenge Washington by walking with an army of unknown volunteers in the middle of winter, do you have to be crazy or desperate?

Aaron Swartz, The Internet’s Own Boy

Silently, Larry Lessig leaves the parking lot that is more like a skating rink. This is the beginning of a new life, in ice cleats, in contact, with no books or lecterns to hide behind. Under his green poncho, his skinny legs are swallowed up by a pair of dark jeans. His black polo with the letters “Aaron Swartz” on it is like a hair shirt. More than just the start of this walk, January 11, 2014 is a day of mourning. And if he’s crazy today, it’s from grief. 

Without warning, eyes fixed on the frozen pavement, the Harvard professor crosses the road, muttering “Now I am scared!” He remembers the words of a drunken customer in the motel the night before “You’re going out on our roads without any kind of protection? You’re all going to die!” Larry Lessig is driven by his quest for meaningfulness. He is fighting his own pessimism. But what about fear? Is it an accident he is worried about, or adventure and the metamorphosis that should come with it? Will he have the strength to carry the other walkers when he isn’t even sure that his own legs will carry him? Will he have the strength to talk to them when he can’t find his words this morning? Who is he really: a member of the elite or a rebel? Star professor or a messiah in cleats? 

He reaches the other side of the road and turns to look back; no one has followed. He’s annoyed but at who? Will they slow him down or has he already forgotten them? He motions with his head; the walkers join him for the first stage, 12 miles in the rain. Leaving for the front, putting your body on the line is never without sadness, violence and sacrifice. It creates a rift. Strange beginnings: the New Hampshire Rebellion starts off like a funeral procession, family at the front. That day, he wants to walk ahead alone, alone with the shadow of Aaron. 

When they met, Aaron Swartz was a 14 year-old kid who had just created the RSS feed format. He had just read Larry Lessig’s “Code Is Law”. For Aaron, Lessig was one of the few adults who understood the political significance of the Internet, and he had come to tell him that. Lessig saw a boy in “grown-up” T-shirts who lugged a backpack loaded with his computer, charger and hard drives everywhere he went. Lessig was already living in his own bubble filled with brilliant minds. With just a few words Aaron Swartz, this barely 5’ tall kid, had cracked it; Lessig had just met a wise man in a child’s body. 

Despite the age difference between them, 26 years, Larry and Aaron became inseparable. Did they provide each other relief from the feeling of never being fully understood? They shared a passion for books, a vibrant desire to understand and explain the world. Larry Lessig had an idea; Aaron Swartz made it possible. 

They completed each other. Together, in 1999 they created the Creative Commons licensing platform that broke the intellectual property codes and made free culture on the internet possible. Aaron “accidentally” made a fortune at the age of 19 when he sold his first start-up to Condé Nast. He joined and then brusquely left the media group after just a few weeks, crying tears of boredom in the bathroom. He didn’t fit in at Stanford either. On a bench in Berlin in 2007, he convinced Larry Lessig to dedicate himself to ending endemic corruption in Washington. He realized before anyone else did the fatal, systemic effects it had on freedom of speech. It seems he was part of all his mentor’s projects, fought his battles with and for him. In fact, it was Aaron who guided Lessig. 

“Hackers for right, we are one down.”

Larry Lessig saw his friend grow and mature, earn a million, become an activist. He loved him like a son, listened to him like a teacher, protected him like a jewel. He helped him fight depression, loneliness, the awful trial that pitted him against the American government after he downloaded millions of files from servers at MIT, then his wonderland. “Aaron was dangerous, not because he stole credit cards, blocked government sites or got his hands on confidential information. He was dangerous because he wanted to change the world by setting the Internet free” Lessig repeats, his voice cracking as he says his friend’s name. 

Ruined by a two-year trial, haunted by what seemed like the inevitable verdict, Aaron Swartz hanged himself at the age of 26, shocking the web community. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, tweeted: “Aaron dead. World wanderers, we have lost a wise elder. Hackers for right, we are one down. Parents all, we have lost a child. Let us weep.” And Larry Lessig, the adult who had been his friend and confidant, who had watched the child grow into a man, didn’t see it coming. 

He resurfaced a few weeks later in Long Beach, on the TED stage where he gave one of his most compelling speeches. He explained, his face expressionless for 18 minutes, how their ideas and technologies to “make life better” wouldn’t do any good as long as nothing was being done to free political decision making from the clutches of big money. 

His TED talk reached a million views online. Lessig went back to his role of father to three young children and to his work in order not to slip into the deep end, battling the feeling of guilt at not having done enough. Of having failed Aaron. To distract himself and escape he accepted a few invitations, like the one from the Bilderberg group, Mecca of the West’s 0.001%. He kept a low profile, stayed shut up in his room, at a loss for how to understand it all. Everywhere he went was painful, because he was in pain. He had lost a son and the world a genius. A double loss. 

Like an orphan on the roads of New Hampshire 

As the anniversary of Aaron’s death approached, Lessig thought about walking somewhere, in the cold, braving the elements. He wanted to face mourning head on and alone. He hoped he could reconnect with some part of his friend,  stop time. To keep from giving up on his plan, he shared it. He could have told his “friends” from Silicon Valley or Washington, used his impressive Rolodex. Instead he called Japhet, whom he had spotted in 2007 campaigning for John Edwards. Before anyone else, Lessig confided in him his desire for rebellion.

Japhet jumped at the chance to transform mourning into a political act. Lessig should walk, but he should walk for something. “Blood, sweat and tears – America is made of myths, conquests and sacrifices”, the young man said enthusiastically. Its history had been written by impossible heroes like Lessig, and through speeches like his. What was missing was an unexpected and significant venue: New Hampshire, its key role in the electoral process and its independent spirit were the perfect fit.

In minutes, they had drawn up a plan: walk 185 miles through the state north to south, in the cold and the wind. But to really wake up the rebellious souls sleeping there, they needed icons. Larry and Japhet immediately thought of Doris Haddock, better known as “Granny D”, a symbol of New Hampshire’s independent mindset. At age 88, she started a campaign against the influence of money in politics. She began by canvasing her neighborhood wearing a “Campaign Finance Reform” sign on her bone-thin back, puzzling her family and neighbors. They stopped laughing on January 1, 1999, when she left Los Angeles, alone and  on foot, heading for Washington. Along the way, local residents gave the feisty woman food and shelter. Yet she had to faint from heat exhaustion in Death Valley before the media paid any attention. 

After surviving 18 months of thirst, heat and snow, she was greeted by 2200 people in DC. The great-grandmother of 16 ran for Congress in 2004, at the age of 94. When she died at 100, former president Jimmy Carter declared “the issue with Granny D is that she made us all look like fossils.” 

Larry and Japhet had their narrative: the New Hampshire Rebellion would start on the anniversary of the death of Aaron Swartz, the child of the internet, who committed suicide because he felt so misunderstood. It would end on the birthday of “Granny D”, the incarnation of a relentlessly disobedient America. Aaron Swartz and “Granny D”, two resilient minds  who fought tirelessly against the culture of resignation, representing two key generations with enormous electoral weight: the retired people with nothing to lose; and the youth with, potentially, everything to gain.

To run the operation, they called on Jeff, a Top Gun-looking 30-something who headed one of Larry Lessig’s citizenship mobilization projects. He brought intimate knowledge of the geographical and political topography of New Hampshire. Together they traced out the itinerary, finding motels or volunteers who could provide the walkers with a place to sleep. They identified the difficult sections of the route, convinced local figures to organize public speeches, collected $15,000 and found a team to film the march. 

To write History, you have to master it. A week from the start date they called Szelena, a tall, young Hungarian-American woman. Lessig had hired her when she graduated from Harvard to help him with his research and projects. Japhet and Szelena had known and worked with Aaron Swartz. All three witnessed the despair his death left Lessig with. In order to face the unknown, Larry Lessig surrounded himself with new blood, enthusiasm, benevolence. Protection. They answered the call, embraced the opportunity, made his cause theirs. Larry Lessig wanted to walk against corruption and for Aaron, for whom he was almost like a second father. But on the New Hampshire roads, he is the orphan.

America at its best

The New Hampshire Rebellion starts in a desolate landscape. For safety reasons volunteers walk in pairs. Walking takes things back to a human level and a pace, enabling eyes, head and mind to lift skyward when rain and cold allow.  From day one, Greg is struggling, lagging behind. His age, 65, and his old army equipment weigh him down. He tries to hide his pain behind his military man’s tough face. He has always led, like in Vietnam when he brought back his platoon. Now, betrayed by his exhausted body, he finally gives up and climbs into Dan’s van.

The trailer becomes a refuge with hot coffee, shelter, a seat, an encouraging word or just a smile. The lockers are packed with jars of peanut butter, bread, organic cereal bars, apples, mandarin oranges, small tubs of hummus and moleskin for blisters. Around the dining table, walkers with bad shoes display their battered feet. To create bonds within a group, start by showing your little wounds. Before sharing bigger ones?

At dusk, the walkers arrive in Errol, a New England village split down the middle by Route 26. Not far from the snowmobile museum, between the hardware store and the church, stand the town’s diner and its sole motel, re-opened for the occasion. The walkers share rooms. Larry Lessig keeps his distance. It is his only privilege. He sleeps alone with his pain when he has exhausted all other excuses. When there are no more blog posts to make, no more speeches to write, no more children, back home, to comfort. 

Japhet sighs with relief. Nobody got hypothermia, or was mown down by the enormous trucks loaded with logs from Canada. The New Hampshire Rebellion welcomes anyone and covers all costs. An accident, an injury, and the beautiful story of the Harvard professor on a crusade against corruption collapses. Tonight, everyone gets a hot shower, a proper meal and a clean bed. Now they only have to repeat this fourteen times, for fourteen days.

The smell of bacon frying, brightly lit signs, sugar and ketchup on the table: the Errol diner is America at its best. Conversation starts to flow with the first shared beers and miles. Behind an unruffled mask, Larry Lessig is fuming. To end this first day, he wanted to show the documentary dedicated to the memory of Aaron Swartz, The Internet’s Own Boy. It was a way for him to thank the walkers, and to share his pain. Computer, DVD, speakers, projector, he had everything prepared  in a backpack he forgot in the trunk of his car, at the Boston Express bus station. 

 “Here you go, hon’!”

The chicken served up looks like an old sponge and the egg yolks glow with a fluorescent tinge. “This is poison” grumbles Lessig as he reads the menu. When he started combatting corruption, he changed his lifestyle – no more junk food, very little meat or bread, lots of vegetables and almonds by the handful. Everything brings him back to his favorite topic. Everything is intertwined. Food in the United States is, he says, a classic case of Washington bowing to lobbies. And it’s a catastrophe: condemned to eat junk food, the population is  suffering from type 2 diabetes from childhood . 

In seven years of fighting corruption, Lessig has lost a lot of weight and looks five years younger. It seems he has not updated his wardrobe. His oversized clothes serve as a reminder to himself . He has witnessed it often in the leaders he advises or becomes friends with; it is so easy, so human, to be corrupted. But right now he is starving and devours his salad with no dressing, ordering another straight away. 

Quick and easy, Debby the waitress dances from table to table. In honor of the group, she is wearing a new sweater. When she learns why they’re walking, she doubles the portions. In her tightly fitting jeans, she doesn’t look her age, 65. She is a tough cookie, used to hard winters and isolation; she knows that in January 2016, the “new crop of Washington puppets” will come to court New Hampshire, to her diner even. At churches and Sunday barbecues they will listen to residents, answer their questions, sleep in the local motels, have a beer and catch up on local events. And carefully take notes. During his last campaign, Obama made 20 trips to New Hampshire.

 “Voters here have a lot of political weight. New Hampshire makes history, it determines the major campaign topics” says Japhet. “If residents here get involved, money in Washington could become THE topic for the next presidential elections.” Lessig wants them to pressure candidates with the only significant question: “How are you going to end the system of corruption in Washington?”

With her smoker’s voice, Debby sets down each platter with a “Here you do, hon’!” Kevin, Greg and Rick are over 70. They are prepared to walk miles every day. Heads held high, but with kind eyes, they won’t give an inch. “You guy are fantastic” she adds, smiling.

Greg, the Veteran and Kevin, the Draft-Dodger

Leading absolute strangers down icy roads in the middle of winter comes with risks and surprises. Japhet spends his time trying to anticipate problems. On the evening of the first day, Lessig officially opens the debate, saying “96% of our fellow citizens feel that Congress is useless. 91% think that they can’t do anything about it. I want you to help me find and mobilize that 5%.” Glancing at Greg, the Vietnam Veteran who was lagging behind, he adds “we aren’t here as individuals, but as a group. This walk isn’t a competition, what matters is getting through it, together.”

They are all in the same boat now, they each tell their story in a few words. Lessig’s face changes; the Harvard professor is no longer among strangers, or even the wackos he was worried he would attract, but individuals, real people with their own anger and frustrations. Like Lessig, they do not buy the status quo. With him, they might do something out of it. 

They don’t believe in the rotting corpse that traditional politics has become. They feel marginalized, hemmed in, left out. They’ve come seeking courage, a purpose. The youngest among them meet experience, the older ones find energy. They arrived alone, twelve hours later, they are a community. They have all been looking for a way to become involved, again or for the first time. “There has to be a way out of this cycle, something we can do” exclaims Oliver, a self-declared anarchist who earned his stripes in Tompkins Square, Manhattan in the 1990s; “September 11^th shut up all the activists. We became apathetic. They used the culture of fear to manipulate us. Personally, this is the first time I’ve been able to move past that.”

To hear them tell it, the New Hampshire Rebellion is the place where they can just “be”. This test of will through 185 miles in the cold is a path to dignity. The cleats are useful, but, like Lessig, they must let down the masks they hide behind. Get rid of the lies they have lived with. Starting with their country. Is it because they have been through war, that blind spot in the American Way of Life? They easily agree, their country and its “myth of progress and freedom is a huge scam.”

Greg, the Vietnam veteran, talks about his deep-rooted anger upon returning home: “America should be something other than the argument about good that covers up the reality of evil”. He came back from war with a case of PTSD that he thought was dead and buried, until the death of Aaron Swartz – “I didn’t know that boy, but that day, my PTSD came back. I knew something serious had happened, that it was serious.” He dedicates his walk to him and cites Slovenian philosopher Slajov Zizeck, “We no longer have the words to express how screwed we are. We have lost our capacity to be vulnerable. It has come back to haunt us.”

With his cowboy physique, his sun-weathered skin, clear, bright eyes in his haughtily held head, Kevin is the most impressive member of the group. While they are all shivering in their high-tech fleece gear, he walks strong in a faded denim shirt. At the age of 63, and not a day softer, he blazes the trail from the fifth day. The road is his daily bread. He feels no need to shout his anger to the skies. 

A war resister in the Vietnam War, Kevin spent 20 months in prison with the Berrigan brothers, two major figures of the anti-war movement; “Jail was my education.” Once out, he decided to live on the fringes of “society”, making a living at odd jobs and practicing civil disobedience. As a pacifist, he joined the Plowshare Movement, the Berrigan brothers’ movement against nuclear weapons, and learned about “climate science” for 20 years.  If he Had not made those choices, he “never would have had access to the truth, the beauty of humanity and the grave decline of our system.” For him, Obama’s failure at the Copenhagen climate summit “is worse than Nixon’s decision to bomb Vietnam.” His hatred for America’s wars today - “We must stop killing people” he says, is as strong as his love for his fellow citizens. “I’m sorry that they have been so misled, but I love them.”

Greg contemplates him, embracing the lesson learnt here:  “Kevin and I made opposite choices. I don’t regret anything, but frankly, I fought in Vietnam and look how much trouble I have today, all messed up with Agent Orange! Kevin ignored the call of the flag, and look how he’s trucking along. Now I get it Silence is powerful.”

Ending up in text books

Michael’s life too was turned around by war. Now 30, he admits he enlisted to escape his fate; “I was a failure. My wife was cheating on me, my father was dying, I couldn’t quit drugs. The army had a field day with me.” He stayed eight months as a military nurse in Afghanistan. When he came back to the US in 2008, he was worried about falling back into his drug habit and so, he kept himself constantly busy with a mix of different therapies. He used the GI Bill to go back to college where he began analyzing the subprime crisis because at the time, “nobody knew what had happened. It was time I started thinking for myself; the Army breaks that habit. That’s their goal.”

When the first tents of the Occupy movement began popping up in Providence, Rhode Island, his home, he became one of the pillars of the camp; “I’m from a Catholic family, this movement taught me the values of the Left.” As winter approached, he negotiated the dismantling of the camp in exchange for building a homeless shelter. “People held it against me. From then on, I didn’t do anything, I was petrified.” Battered and disillusioned, Michael spiraled downward, until the death of Aaron Swartz, whom he followed on Reddit; “I was afraid I would never get involved again. I was looking for the right opportunity because I know when I get into something, it becomes my life.”

During the 15 days of the New Hampshire Rebellion, Michael fights his demons. One day, the man who as a kid “drew in school to keep from being bored” makes a fabulous portrait of Granny D. The next day, his is talkative and helps everyone carry their bags. The day after, he is silent and dozes in the front of the van, wondering if he should leave. 

Jacob, a video game developer, met Michael in the Occupy Providence camp. Cailin, a pretty Brooklynite with bleached blond hair who works with autistic children also joined the Occupy movement. They loved the energy, the non-violent action and the collective decision making process, at least at the beginning. But they hated that nothing came of it. The New Hampshire Rebellion learns from Occupy and the Tea Party movement. What it brings is clear objectives and tangible actions. 

Rudolph and Mary, both retired lawyers, also signed on for this adventure. They lived abroad for years; on the walk they are rarely apart, take few breaks and chalk up the miles without complaining. This is their first experience with activism. 

Allan, 65 years old, convinced his son Jonathan, a firefighter in San Diego, to walk with him. Father and son both have an athletic build, and they share an openness and concern for their country. Allan sits on the board of directors of Coalition for Open Democracy in New Hampshire. Like Rick and Dick, both retired, he has long advocated for more transparence and integrity in politics.

His son Jonathan immediately becomes a key man on the walk. He has been designated the  expedition nurse because he clearly has a way with moleskin. Although he came dragging his feet, he confides on the morning of Day 3: “I dreamt last night that what we’re doing will end up in text books”. 

A few of the more reserved walkers, like Bruce, are excited to be out in the natural world; he says “Walking is contemplative, it lets you dream and think for yourself. I so needed that. It was time I got out of my car, that I stop.”

Others, like Alex, a thirty-something mathematician who dreams of working for the FBI white-collar crime department, set up a walk schedule based on discussions they want to have: “It’s so rare to have time to meet someone and learn everything about a totally new field.”

If not us then who?

On the road they talk about themselves, Quantum Accounting, social networks, Obamacare, the US’s role in Afghanistan, manipulation, Hollywood’s power, life in the woods, climate issues. “Our days are filled with conversations that will connect us forever” remarks Kevin, the quiet one.

As the sun returns, the atmosphere lightens. The walkers are moved by the sight of a bald eagle, the United States’ national emblem. Lessig remarks ironically “this magnificent raptor kills the majority of birds, just like our country; we are a world problem”. Everything comes back to the urgent need to reinvent their country. “Every generation has amended the constitution, except ours” laments Mike. “We need to reinvent the myth of progress.” Greg adds. Larry Lessig’s question comes up again and again – “If not us, then who?” 

At the end of the first week, Jonathan the firefighter and his father are all smiles on the front page of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The galvanized walkers are floating. That’s fortunate: a blizzard is on the way and the temperature has plummeted 30 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few hours. With the arctic blast, they take a vote to see who will walk with Lessig and who will travel some of the stages in cars. Rigid with cramps but with his inner circle watching over him, the Harvard professor is quiet and unstoppable. The New Hampshire Rebellion continues with and without him. Lessig gets to practice one his favorite disciplines, in the field, real time and unfiltered: “Leadership is not about what you say, it’s about what you do. It’s like with children.”

The miles pass. Whether they came for Lessig’s reputation, in memory of Granny D’s or Aaron Swartz’s work, the walkers deal with and cure their feeling of hopelessness. The New Hampshire Rebellion is not only a personal combat with physical limits, but with  resignation and cynicism. It was a challenge and a reality check, it has become an enchanted time out. 

They leave the White Mountains and enter suburban areas. The local media are impressed by this unlikely group, walking single-file along the road carrying political signs. Cars honk, people roll down their windows and wave. Encouragement comes from all sides. “It’s moving to see in people’s eyes that you can actually change things,” exclaims Rudolph. 

The meditative long walk by the frozen lakes is over; now it is mobilization time. A cup of coffee glued to her hand, Szelena films volunteers’ stories and recruits them to do  telephone outreach The table in the trailer becomes a call center. A list of phone numbers and emails has been purchased and fundraising targets set. The walkers are fine-tuning their pitch,  gathering signatures for their petitions and talking to people on the street. Szelena is trying desperately to find an internet signal so she can send the footage shot by the film director embedded in the adventure. Larry Lessig, the untouchable intellectual, goes door to door, stuffing trash he picks up along the road into a plastic bag; he doesn’t want to “miss any opportunity to clean things up.” At every stopover, Jeff makes sure the venue for the evening’s speech is ready. 

The pain of arriving

As they walk south, the evenings spent by the fireplace in mountain lodges give way to talks with local figures and elected officials, like the Senator from Maryland or one of the founders of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. The song We Walk, written by Colin Mutchler, one of the first artists to adopt the Creative Commons model, is sung like a mantra. On the road, in the snow, as they march into towns, in the morning as they leave or on the steps of the New Hampshire capitol building, they sing the words “We walk with love for our country/ To honor our grannies and sons / We walk for an end to corruption / Till the will of the people is done”  

The days pass, the fast-approaching end begins to feel painful. Larry Lessig finally manages to share the documentary on Aaron Swartz, after getting it from his car halfway along the route. It kills the atmosphere; “I made a mistake” he admits later, “The movie is too powerful to watch with a group.”

Kevin, Michael and Greg leave before the last day, afraid of showing too much emotion. For once in his life, Lessig misses a speech, the last one, in a church in Nashua with the final point of arrival. Overwhelmed by his oldest son’s arrival on the trail, he forgets to thank the hundreds of walkers who protected him and symbolically carried him through the march, meeting him eye to eye and matching him step for step. 

Why walk? For salvation. Larry Lessig got on the road with what he had: his infinite sorrow for the loss of Aaron Swartz, his acute view of what is at stake, his anger at his peers, his love for his country, his admiration for those who overcome their weaknesses. 

Why keep walking? For the community that has emerged, for the adventure shared. The New Hampshire Rebellion is a starting point, the beginning of a journey. This summer, there will be other marches, everywhere around the country. 

Singer Gilberto Gill recorded his own remix of We Walk and gave it back to the movement. Kevin has started a climate march from Los Angeles to Washington. Bruce, who meditated the whole walk with his face in the clouds, is running for a senate seat in Massachusetts. “The question isn’t ‘why am I here?’ but rather ‘why isn’t everybody here?’” comments Alex, the future FBI white-collar crime investigator. 

What makes destiny? After looking for the answer in other people, Larry Lessig left his ranks. Walking along the blacktop, he hid his emotions, walking fast, working late, speaking little. The inventor of free licensing wants to create something useful, collaborative. Meaningful.

Behind his austere appearance, Lessig is a Pirate Captain 2.0. He wants to, he will, hack Washington. On the roads of New Hampshire, he came a long way and changed. It shows in the beard he doesn’t want to shave off just yet, in his constant desire to be on the road, in his expansive gestures, the return of his smile, the illuminated look in his eyes. In many ways, Larry Lessig got fresh air himself and made more fresh air out there for others. As he said to the walkers in an email a few weeks after the march, “And now where are my friends?”.

Flore can be reached by email at: [email protected]

This story was initially published in the June 2014 issue of in French Revue 21. The direct link can be found HERE.

This article is attributed under Creative Commons licensing.

A powerful podcast which covers the background of why and how our founder, Lawrence Lessig, came up with the idea to form the NH Rebellion.

Credit to Ben Wikler at The Good Fight podcast.

I first heard Rhana Bazzini when she called into the Diane Rehm show on January 7th (39:00 minute) when Lawrence Lessig first described the NH Rebellion plans. At the youthful age of 81...when I have spoken with her over the phone or read her emails her level of energy is closer to 25. Rhana is planning a 330-mile walk from Sarasota to Tallahassee from October to December to bring attention to this root issue that we all know must be addressed.

In addition, Rhana is planning to walk in conjunction with the Granny D Memorial Walk on August 23rd. Please support her or join her if you are able. You can learn more by visiting: ingrannydfootsteps.org. Below is a post from her website that I wanted to share. 

"The years fly by faster and faster. Can you believe we’re approaching the fourteenth year of the third millennium? Life is indeed like a roll of toilet paper—the closer to the end, the faster it goes. My dear spouse of fifty-six years died at home on June 9. It was sad to see him go, but much sadder watching him fail so toward the end. But as he himself said, he’d had a good life and had no regrets.

I’ve made the journey from daughter to wife to mother to widow. On the racetrack of life I’ve felt better with each passing decade; 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70. Somehow I felt 80 was going to be a watershed year. On that racetrack at 80 I was rounding the bend with the finish line in sight.

With a lot of time on my hands and being in good health, I decided I wanted to do something to make the world a better place before I “bought the farm.” What I needed was a project. After much thought, Granny D (Doris Haddock) kept popping into my mind. In 1999 at age eighty-nine she walked across the country for campaign finance reform. (For more background, Google Granny D.)

I think the fact that our government has become dysfunctional is not a partisan issue. What is partisan is what to do about it. Here is where I may lose some of you. We can agree to disagree but still be friends.

My original plan was to duplicate Doris’s walk. On second, more realistic thought, I decided to go with Plan B. I am attempting to recruit women over 80 to march to their state Capitols for campaign finance reform. (I may just move to Rhode Island.) I am not naïve enough to think this is the solution, but I do think it is a step in the right direction. It will be an ongoing project, following the weather, walking northern states during the summer, southern in winter. Move to Amend and Public Citizen plus several others are supportive, but I must do the organizing. This may just be a pipe dream, but the shame is not in failing but in not trying in the first place. Please wish me luck!

The current focus is on Florida, where I reside. I will begin my walk on October 13, 2014. Join me if you wish; the whole way, or just a few steps."

To learn more about Rhana and this wonderful project please visit: ingrannydfootsteps.org.

Rhana lacing up her shoes. Photo courtesy of Dan Wagner of the Herald-Tribune.

More than 500 citizens walked the 16-mile New Hampshire seacoast on Saturday, July 5th in support of the New Hampshire Rebellion. Here we capture some of the highlights of this monumental walk. Please follow us on twitter: @nhrebellion or on facebook: facebook.com/nhrebellion or at nhrebellion.org as we continue to move toward make the root problem of systemic corruption of money in politics the #1 issue during  the 2016 presidential primary.

Many thanks to Dick Pollock, one of our great supporters and a board member of the Coalition for Open Democracy for putting together this great video from our walk on Saturday, July 5th.