“Libertarians helping libertarians”, by Thomas Maloy, a member of the Libertarian Party from Louisiana.
It was a busy Saturday at work when the phone call came in. As I sprinted to my vehicle in a panic all that was crossing my mind was the 30 minutes till I would reach home. My wife and children having to see all the destruction and death and I was 30 minutes away.
When I arrived on scene it was all my worst fears realized. The barn was a total loss, all those animals gone in a horrific, fiery death, trapped and unable to escape. Our family had worked for over a year building the farm to supply our family, friends, and community with good, clean meat, eggs, and milk. Our family of seven only had to spend a small amount of money every month on food to supplement what we grew on our farm. We built all of this despite both working full time jobs. Home owners insurance does not cover barns so it was like a kick in the gut.
As I looked at my family, knowing what we just lost and the seemingly impossible road to rebuilding that lay ahead of us, my phone rang. On the other end of the line was the Chair of our Parish Libertarian Party, Jay Price. His words of apology where kind but what followed next was the little bit of hope I needed. He informed me he was setting up a Go Fund Me account and assured me help was on the way. I was unaware the fire had already been posted on Facebook.
Within the next two hours other fellow Libertarians and members of the community showed up with feed, tack, and supplies for our surviving animals. The next day local Libertarians showed up to help recover the burned animals and demolish the barn remains. We then completed five hundred feet of fence to help secure the remaining animals. Some donations came in over the next week and by the following weekend we had raised enough money to complete temporary facilities for our animals and to begin the slow process of rebuilding.
One week after the fire, Libertarians from two states showed up: thirty people all with a desire to help in any way they could. In one day we turned our RV carport into a temporary barn with enough room to house our remaining animals and keep them dry. We completed the other five hundred feet of needed fence and managed to clean up the old barn site so it would be safe.
To date the Go Fund Me has raised $2400 and we received another $1800 in donations from the local community. A fellow Libertarian from Mississippi, James Pope, donated trusses for a new barn. Definitely an impressive start to rebuild, but we are coming up short on enough funds to rebuild. Rest assured I will never ask the government for money to buy the extra food we need. I will never ask for a government handout or loan to rebuild this farm. I have faith that with hard work and the continued help of like-minded Libertarians, South Shamrock Stables will rise from the ashes and return to being a beacon of freedom and hope for all who visit.
http://www.gofundme.com/lud6u4
http://www.wbrz.com/news/goats-among-dozens-of-dead-animals-in-weekend-barn-fire/
http://www.wbrz.com/videos/animals-killed-in-barn-fire/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Shamrock-Stables/591436217599119?fref=ts/
