Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Redress of Grievance with Weare PD

Well, an honest attempt, anyway. Unfortunately, honor ain't hardly their strong suit. Here's the text of the event, Weare, NH, 4/27/2011:
After repeated attempts to get in touch with the police chief of Weare, NH, the time has come for action. The police of Weare cannot get away with felony arrests of multiple people for recording said public officials.

Join me in a public protest over the actions of these rogue officers and a police chief who has refused to address these serious issues within his department.

If he decides that he would prefer some sort of press conference or public forum, then the event will be changed. But for now plan to show up with video cameras, signs, and all of your charming personalities. The event has been made on a Wednesday, but can be changed to Saturday if enough people make the request. I figured that if it was on a weekday, the chief may be in his office and would not be able to ignore us any longer.

Again let me reiterate Chief Gregory Begin. I would prefer some sort of press conference or public forum. But if you will not get back in contact with me then there is no other course of action but a public rally against the actions of your department.
Short description: When bullies are challenged, they run away and hide. Sometimes then they taunt from the safety of distance. 'Course, these bullies are paid by the taxpayers. Accountability is comin', fellas. Next up: the Board of Selectmen...

UPDATE: Weare police practices protested




Thursday, April 21, 2011

This Just In: Society, Yet Again, Doesn't Collapse

420.4:20.4/20/2011 at -- and in -- the NH State House. Well, where would you hold it...?

And we get an update from old friends, Jonathan Irish and Stephanie Taylor, on their battles with NH DCYF, et al, over previously kidnapped newborn daughter Cheyenne, reported first here, and most recently here in these chronicles.

Also, separately, the entire '420' anti-prohibition concert, direct from the State House lobby...





Let the Games Begin!

Former NM Governor Gary Johnson announces his candidacy for the 2012 GOP nomination for US President, State House, Concord, NH, 4/21/2011. I am absolutely giddy at the prospect of seeing Johnson and Ron Paul tag-team this cycle's version of Rudy McRomney in the primary debates...


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Friday, April 15, 2011

Power to the People

HB146, 'relative to the right of a jury to judge the application of the law in relationship to the facts in controversy' -- that's jury nullification, a plank of the NH GOP's own platform -- before the NH Senate Judiciary Committee, 4/14/2011.

There's really no question about the existence of the natural and common-law right of jury nullification. Juries find contrary to the government's desires every single day, and need give no accounting of themselves whatsoever. They already do it, and there's nothing that can stop them.

The issue at hand is merely whether your servant government may continue to suppress this information, or must instead acknowledge this "inconvenient truth," must inform you, the juror, of your rightful independence, of your inalienable, Constitutionally protected (Part First, Article 4) natural right of conscience, a Constitutionally recognized right that (at the very least) thereby clearly supersedes any RSA a legislature can fancifully dream up. As Jim Rockford once relatedly admonished, "General, I'm a civilian. I outrank you."

Government cannot be allowed the hubris of presuming to be the ultimate arbiter of its own authority. The jury of these government-outranking peers of civilians is the final 'box' available to a civil society before the revolution comes:
  • the soap box to persuade
  • the ballot box to instruct
  • the jury box to overrule
  • the ammo box "to alter or abolish"
By what point in that progression would you, dear reader, prefer resolution be found? When government is unresponsive to its bosses, the People, the jury is the last peaceful refuge of a free, moral society against tyranny. And that is why government is so deeply loath to recognize the jury's inherent and intended independence over its servants.

Grand thanks to Ed Comeau for babysitting my second camera while I covered the concurrent HB442 medical marijuana hearing next door.



Yes, Medical Marijuana Prohibition Is Socialized Medicine

It's government overruling the market -- not to mention self-ownership and basic common sense -- to inflict its opinions (and those of its buddies in Big Pharma, of course) on you and your thus arbitrarily and capriciously limited healthcare options. Whimsical government control of healthcare.
"We don't want government-run healthcare for a reason. They shouldn't be involved in the decision-making of doctor-patient relationships."
-Rep. Phil Greazzo-
Now, there's a meme that really needs to catch on relative to medical marijuana. Your health care decisions are too important to trust them to centralizing -- and medically ignorant -- "one size harms all" bureaucrats and politicians. To submit them to their whims and prejudices and superstitions. And to their cozy crony capitalism. You pay your doctor for health care advice. Shouldn't your doctor be free to help you make the best choices for you?

We've heard it all before, of course. Ad nauseam. But it now seems almost as if the authoritarians' malevolent little spirits have been broken, doesn't it? Where ever is the ever-hysterical Chief Crate, just for one obvious example? Almost sad, in a way. Na-a-ah, who am I kiddin'? Only time will tell, though, if the political opportunist Gov. Lynch will irrationally insist on continuing to side with them regardless...

HB442, 'relative to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes,' before the NH Senate Health & Human Services Committee, 4/14/2011.

But first, Rep. Greazzo speaking truth to power, on government making medical decisions, regarding the determination of the effectiveness of drugs, for individuals.





Thursday, April 7, 2011

Rent Seekers On Parade

"We love captive markets! Make them pay us! It's for their own good!" Sure, they'll tell you they're "merely" authoritarian nanny-staters selflessly looking to protect their fellow man from himself against his will -- not that I'd contend they're not that, too, of course -- but I'm not buyin' the "beneficence" act for a second. This is about preserving their income stream at the cost of your liberty with the force of government. OK, so for the bureaucrats, it's about control. Justifying their fine hats...

Herewith, HB540, 'Relative to motor vehicle inspections,' extending the inspection period from 1 year to 2, before the NH Senate Transportation Committee, 4/7/2011.

This is not about safety. The opposition is to free-market capitalism -- providing what the market wants, rather than what government and its friends want. It's about rent-seeking. It's about protectionism and crony capitalism. This is private business asking government to order you to pay them, for no demonstrable benefit (indeed, quite the opposite), and your government obliging them. "Government force is great. And your constituents love it. Really, they do. Trust us. But they'd never take responsibility for their own safety and preserving the value of their own investments if you don't continue to bring the force of government to bear. They're just too stoopid to take care of themselves if you don't order them to. Well, yes: until they get elected, of course, Senator. Then they're suddenly very wise..." How has the species ever survived...

You know what to do, citizen: call and tell your Senator, tell the Committee members -- go ahead and tell all of them, in fact -- that you are perfectly capable of tending to your own affairs, and assessing your own safety needs, thankyouverymuch. You actually have more invested in your safety, and that of your family, than bureaucrats or rent-seekers do. And you're certainly at least as capable as the majority of US citizens are already acknowledged to be by their respective governments. Hell, more so: you're a New Hampshirite, after all.

Society won't crumble. There won't be carnage in the streets. People will take responsibility for themselves. Life will go on. We even have the data...

Some of prime sponsor Rep. Keith Murphy's talking points:
• Annual inspections are proven to be ineffective and an unnecessary cost of time and money for our citizens.

• NH is one of only three states that require statewide testing for both safety and emissions annually.

• This bill would save our citizens $11 million per year in inspection fees while being revenue neutral to the state. This is a free market, pro-jobs bill.

• Emissions testing would not still be required annually, as some have said.

• 30 states do not require safety inspections at all, up from 19 in 1976. These include snow states such as CT, MI, CO, NJ, WI, MN, etc.

• Five additional states almost never require inspections (MD, NV, DE, etc).

• Of the remaining 15 states, three require biennial inspections (RI, MO), 12 including NH require annual inspections.

• Of five studies done on this topic in the last 20 years, four show that inspections do not reduce accidents. Cars are better-made and safer than ever, which is why the federal government repealed its mandate.

• Of the 11 states that repealed their inspection mandate, not one has ever re-enacted it.
But first, Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, as is often the case, to be sure, sums things up rather eloquently...





Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Are You Listening, Weare Taxpayers?

I told ya this was comin'. Being the main attraction in Prosecutor Baumann's (already voluntarily de-escalated -- 'cause, y'know, there's that 'law' thing -- but still...) little circus this day, my camera work suffers. And so does your wallet. And your liberty.

The State v Your Humble Chronicler, Arraignment, Goffstown District Court, 4/5/2011. I'll update here with the trial date when they settle on one. One of these days, I'll even be able to tell the story...

Motion to record in District Court.

EDIT: Watch the Watchmen