The "Live Free or Die" State: Man Tells FBI to Go Away

By Randall Richards
I'm from a state in the US which has "Live Free or Die" as the state motto on the license plate. When I legally transferred registration of a van I'd purchased in The Netherlands to New Hampshire, I still drove that van throughout the European Alpine countries, ski touring, climbing, and playing music. The talk on the street was this formation a new European Union currency. Some of the locals were jittery, for good reason.
So complete with the US license plates I'd drive into small villages and cities alike. I raised a few eyebrows, and almost got in a few problems because of the reactions I received with the motto displayed on the back of the van.

Since those days, until today, I've felt that New Hampshire residents probably don't really live by that motto, much less understand it. Today this story surfaced of a New Hampshire man standing by his right to free speech. The interaction is being praised as a model for how citizens can assert their rights when confronted by federal agents, especially in cases of potential entrapment. Here's the the story:


Watch: FBI Agents Called Out During Visit to Law-Abiding Citizen Regarding a Meme Post

Intel agency foot soldiers regret approaching man over First Amendment-protected activity.
A man filmed two U.S. federal agents as they approached him to ask about posts he’d made on social media, leading to them being publicly shamed for targeting a First Amendment-protected activity.

In a viral video, X user Jeremy Kauffman filmed as two plain-clothes agents approached his front porch requesting he not film them, as the citizen asked for their full names while notifying them he intended to post the interaction online.

"The FBI visited my house today for free speech acts they knew were not crimes.
You can see the shame on their faces. This is the Democratic regime manifest."

Jeremy Kauffman (@jeremykauffman) September 16, 2024
“All I want to do is talk to you about a post that was made,” one of the unidentified agents told Kaufman after showing a badge alongside a holstered sidearm.

Kaufman went on to speculate the agents’ yearly average salary was likely over $100K, before telling them it was a waste of taxpayer money.
“Talking about burning a couple hundred dollars an hour just here, let alone all the time you guys are spending…to investigate something that you know is not against the law, right?” the man told the agents, who repeatedly requested the man stop filming them.

After appearing thoroughly embarrassed, the agents eventually departed while the man chided them, saying, “You know Americans that believe in the Constitution think you’re laughable. You go home and you think about what you did today. Go home and think about it. You coward.”
It’s unclear what social media post prompted the visit.|
The interaction is being praised as a model for how citizens can assert their rights when confronted by federal agents, especially in cases of potential entrapment. Story and lead, courtesy of Infowars