Twitter: @TheDesertLynx
Facebook: joel.valenzuela.m
Reddit: thedesertlynx
Hey guys! I'm Joël Valenzuela, a lifelong liberty activist and writer. I currently run The Desert Lynx, a news site dedicated to showcasing the spread of freedom around the world, with a special focus on the frontlines of liberty, New Hampshire.
I grew up on a ranch in Sonora, Mexico up until my mid-teens. I was homeschooled up until college, which I entered via distance program just a couple weeks before my 15th birthday. I worked internships at libertarian public policy think tanks during summer breaks, and graduated when I was 19. After that, I interned for the White House under George W. Bush for a few months (don't judge), and then went to work back in the "beltwaytarian" world of liberty think tanks in DC, working in fundraising. Following a yearlong burnout break to get my master's in global affairs at the University of Buckingham in the UK, I grew restless about my inability to fight effectively for liberty.
In September of 2013, I decided to leave everything behind and move to New Hampshire to become part of the Free State Project. After seeing all the trouble just a few hundred people caused for the powers that be, I knew I had to move there immediately to become part of the freedom revolution. So, I sold most of what I owned, packed the rest into my 2-door Civic, and drove the 50 hours from Phoenix, AZ to Manchester, NH without any job or future lined up. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since then, I have hit the ground running fighting for a better future. I founded the Rights Brigade, a citizen activism organization fighting for freedom in several different areas. Most notably, in 2015 myself and my fellow activists informed over 3,000 New Hampshire jurors of their right to nullify bad laws by acquitting a defendant charged of a victimless crime. I was nominated for a Liberty in Action Award at Liberty Forum, the Free State Project's yearly conference.
I live completely off of the conventional financial system. I write about cryptocurrency and decentralized tech for CoinTelegraph and teach martial arts at a club I run in Portsmouth, all completely for Bitcoin. I have no bank account. Of all forms of activism I engage in for a better future. I believe that getting off of the central banking system is by far the most important.
That's my story. Thanks for listening, and may you find liberty in your lifetime!