Is Religion a Matter For the State To Define?

Or is the State the reason religious liberty is explicitly protected -- from the State -- in the first place? And yet, here we are, 10/15/2015, asking the State to rule on the State's authority. To quote a different favorite cultural reference (and seriously, nobody's isolated Jubal Early...?), "Does that seem right to you...?" As the Concord Monitor article starts out...

"A 5-year-old, nontheistic religion founded in New Hampshire – unusually characterized by its reverence for sword fighting and its meeting place, a Concord bar – argued its case for a property tax exemption before the state’s Supreme Court on Thursday.

The leaders of the Church of the Sword said they were treated unfairly when a Westmoreland home owned by the church and occupied by a pastor was denied tax-exempt status last year. They said it should qualify as a 'parsonage' under state law.

In March, their appeal to the Cheshire County Superior Court was dismissed. The court issued an opinion stating the Church of the Sword 'is neither religious nor a church,' but rather it 'is clearly a social organization that uses religious vocabulary to describe its practices' and that its doctrines 'are far more related to politics and self-improvement than to religion.'

By taking the case to the Supreme Court, the libertarian activists and Free State Project members who comprise church leadership brought themselves to the fore of a trend in the state. At least three newly created churches with Free State Project ties have sought tax exemption in varied court cases in 2014 and 2015. ...

Sorry, Silas. To riff further on "The Big Lebowski," anarchism and nihilism are not the same thing (yet even the nihilists chose to belong to a group)...


Press

• Liberty activists in high court cases say their newly created religions afford them tax exemptions | Concord Monitor
• Editorial: Tax-free status should be hard-won | Concord Monitor
• Does a Religion Need to Worship a Supreme Being? New Hampshire Supreme Court Considers the Question - Hit & Run : Reason.com
• Church of the Sword Goes to NH Supreme Court | Free State Project
• Sword-fighting libertarian church appears before Supreme Court for tax exemption case | Concord Monitor

"Aggression Kills"

Now, ain't that a revelation. Keynote speaker Dr. Mary Ruwart, author of "Healing Our World," addresses the assemblage at the NH Liberty Alliance's 2015 Liberty Dinner.

But first, the legislative year in review and presentation of awards for "Activist of the Year" and "Legislator(s, sorta, and historically so) of the Year".

Complete NHLA 2015 Liberty Rating here.

Press

• NHLA Honored A Record-Breaking Number - Shire Liberty News

BREAKING: No One Opposes Saving Lives

Not even the usual suspects. Huh... HB271, "relative to possession and administration of an opioid antagonist for opioid-related overdoses," before the NH Senate Health and Human Services Committee, 4/21/2015.

Press

• After his daughter's death from heroin, a dad's plea for loved ones of other addicts to intervene | New Hampshire
• Father Details Daughter's Heroin Addiction In Obituary : NPR

Weare PD: As Consistent As They Wanna Be

Except that consistency, per se, provides us no useful insight whatsoever into the thus allegedly consistently produced quality, now does it?

According to our own Weare Community News:

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will visit Weare on April 6 to examine all aspects of the Weare Police Department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. ...

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session that Monday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m.  in the Weare Public Safety Complex Training Room at 144 North Stark Highway, Weare.

Do allow your humble chronicler to synopsize the evening's agenda items: "We are The Accreditors. Any questions? Great! Drive safely!" Not quite the "public role" one might have been excused for expecting, no?

This appears to be the local arm of the accrediting cartel. My understanding is that, much like ISO9000, this certification merely confirms that a consistent process is in place, not that that process is actually effective or lawful (as opposed to merely and ostensibly "legal") or desirable, or anything.

And I suspect contrary to Rep. Kurk's hopeful assessment, Weare taxpayers will be paying regardless of the outcome. But they get a plaque an' everything. Hey, what if we made the cops pay for it, themselves? Betcha it suddenly wouldn't be quite so important then, eh...?

Press

• Weare's interim chief says transition is smooth | New Hampshire
• Weare officials start search for new police chief | Concord Monitor
• Weare Community News | Remember Tonight's Meeting (archive)
• Accreditation may increase police accountability - 7/31/2020

Citizen Brings Pot To Senate Pot Hearing

Doesn't get arrested. Chaos doesn't ensue. Society doesn't collapse. Nobody -- not even a dog -- dies. Seriously, check it out. HB618, "relative to penalties for the possession of marijuana" -- decrim -- barrels into the NH Senate Judiciary Committee, 4/7/2015. The House passed 'decrim' (yet again) last month.

The prohibitionists, clearly again terrified, are careening headlong toward Crazy Town...

(Ok, his testimony starts at about 54:30...)

Press

• Law Enforcement Against Prohibition weighs in on New Hampshire marijuana decriminalization | Concord Monitor

NH Police Chiefs and NH Dept of Safety Part Ways

Who saw that coming...? The reliably recalcitrant and defiantly authoritarian NH Association of Chiefs of Police and the evidently not-always-quite-so-much NH Department of Safety break ranks on not arresting people who help an overdose victim. HB270, "granting immunity from criminal prosecution to a person who reports a drug related emergency," before the Senate Judiciary Committee, 4/7/2015.

'Course, representing the chiefs is the always entertaining Chief Crate, and I'm never completely certain that he's not intentionally doing a subtle and satiric form of social commentary. See if you can tell...

Press

• N.H. bill would protect people who report drug overdoses | Concord Monitor

And for the permanent record -- goes to character, yer honor...

• Investigation Completed Into Allegation Against Enfield Police Chief Richard Crate, Jr. | News Releases | NH Department of Justice
• Enfield police chief steps down over alleged assault of minor son

Hemp. Because CONTROL ALL THE THINGS...!

Having cleared the NH House handily in mid-March again (and again), the Senate Judiciary Committee now takes up HB494, "relative to industrial hemp as a controlled substance," 4/7/2015.

Words -- And Punctuation -- Mean Things

SB116, "repealing the license requirement for carrying a concealed pistol or revolver," having cleared the NH Senate, is now before the House Criminal Justice Committee, 3/24/2015. The House's own version, HB582, has been retained by the same House committee.

Oh, and do yourself a joyous favor, and catch Ian Underwood's testimony at about the 49:00 minute mark. He renders an argument I make constantly, myself, generally in the broader context -- although never so eloquently. And not like he hasn't done it before...

No Means No, DHS. Piss Off, Already.

The NH Senate Transportation Committee hears public testimony on SB262, "relative to the form of drivers' licenses and identification cards," 3/3/2015. The third NH coming of the seemingly-impossible-to-kill-actually-dead REAL ID Act.

Word is that they "Exec'd" the bill (voted on the committee's recommendation to the full Senate) before I'd even gotten home: "Inexpedient to Legislate." Evidently, at least some of the committee must remember the very public opposition to REAL ID back when we got the ban passed that this bill is trying to repeal -- for your convenience, citizen. Yeah, I wouldn't want to be on the pointy end of that, either...

Press

• NH Senate committee votes against REAL ID bill | Politics - WMUR Home
• New Hampshire Ends Brief Flirtation with National ID Compliance | Cato @ Liberty
• New Hampshire Rejects REAL ID Compliance. Again. | Tenth Amendment Center Blog
• NH Senate Committee Rejects REAL ID Adoption - myChamplainValley.com
• REAL ID Puts Personal and National Security At Risk - Reason.com
• Ready or not, REAL ID is coming | Public Safety | unionleader.com - (10/19/2019)

Stealing Is A Crime, Isn't It?

Taking property from those whom you have not convicted of any crime -- and as I understand it, are, in fact, therefore innocent until proven guilty -- is stealing. Even -- perhaps especially -- when government does it. "Equitable sharing" is equitable only among the thieves.

Last year's bill to restrict such actions (just a little, since it has no effect on the feds) has been retooled, and today, 2/19/2015, the NH House Judiciary Committee hears testimony on HB636, "relative to forfeiture of property" -- civil asset forfeiture.

This Just In: Criminals Don't Care About 'Constitutional Carry'

The NH Senate version, SB116, 'Constitutional carry,' had its hearing on 1/29/2015. Now the House takes a look at its own. HB582, "repealing the license requirement for carrying a concealed pistol or revolver," before the Criminal Justice Committee, 2/19/2015. Only about an hour and a half of it, though, since, having started about an hour and a half late, your humble chronicler had to depart early to catch HB636, "relative to forfeiture of property" -- civil asset forfeiture -- which shall follow anon.

NH Decrim. Again.

NH. The lone recalcitrant New England authoritarian holdout. HB618, "relative to penalties for the possession of marijuana and relative to the cultivation of marijuana plants," before the NH House Criminal Justice Committee, 2/17/2015. Again.

And the stumbling block - - again -- is most likely to be our "liberal" governor  (second such in a row). And this is just for 'decrim', not 'legalization' -- which is what a free society would do (since, y'know, the only lawfully delegated 'prohibition' authority was repealed quite some time ago, as acknowledgement of the profoundly expensive mistake that it was). Might wanna just start getting on her now about it...

But first, the preceding press conference.

Press

• Legislation to decriminalize 1 ounce of marijuana in N.H. returns | Concord Monitor
• State's marijuana laws debated | New Hampshire

Getting A Handle On Police Militarization

So far, NH local governments have consistently demonstrated arrogant disinterest in what the NH citizenry thinks of their acquisition of surplus military equipment (such as Bearcat vehicles) supplied to police departments by, well, by the military. Time to take it up the chain.

HB407, "prohibiting the state and political subdivisions from acquiring military-equipped vehicles or equipment which are not readily available in an open national commercial market," before the NH House Municipal and County Government Committee, 2/5 and 2/10/2015.

What If The Second Amendment Meant What It Said?

What if government weren't ever actually intended to be its (2A's) interpreter, its (government's) own arbiter, to decide the limits of its own authority, let alone with regard to an expressly acknowledged uninfringeable natural right?

Public hearing on SB116, "repealing the license requirement for carrying a concealed pistol or revolver." before the NH Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/29/2015. Some mighty fine testifyin'...

Pay No Attention To Those Facts Behind The Curtain...!

Yes, that's the position taken by your servants in the NH Dept of Safety. And that defiantly head-in-the-sand attitude was really the only articulable objection to the subject of HB150, "establishing a study committee on the legalization of marijuana," when it was heard by the NH House Criminal Justice Committee, 1/20/2015. Should we study it? No, gathering more information is just too dangerous to risk. Seriously: 'we don't want to know, and you shouldn't know either, employer,' is the argument to which they're reduced. "LA-LA-LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU...!!!"

Fine. You're fired...