Ridley Mischaracterizes Church as Tax Revolt

by | Nov 21, 2013 | 1 comment

I’m a big fan of Dave Ridley‘s work, but he’s got this one wrong. While it’s true that churches aren’t supposed to pay taxes, the Shire Free Church will be making voluntary contributions to the people calling themselves the City of Keene based on which city services the Church ministers find valuable. Nonetheless, Ridley mischaracterizes the Shire Free Church parsonages in Keene as a “tax revolt” in this series of editorial videos from Ridleyreport.com.

Anyone who bothers to read the Shire Free Church page will discover the purpose of the church is to give religious liberty lovers a home, when so many churches today worship “the state” as a god.

Here’s Ridley’s first video critique of the Shire Free Church. In it he initially expresses confusion as to what the house in question is – is it a church or a parsonage? A quick call to me or another minister would have helped clear up his questions. (It’s a parsonage.) Instead, he just editorializes without much in the way of facts or any input from Shire Free Church ministers. He claims that we don’t have the support of neighbors, but he’s never bothered to talk to any of them. I know for a fact that some of the neighbors support liberty activism and others do not.

Here’s part 2: (more…)

Why Is Rich Paul Not Getting Released Despite OK By Judge?

by | Nov 21, 2013 | 2 comments

Local jail superintendent Rick Van Wickler deserves a lot of credit. His jail, which many activists refer to as the Keene Spiritual Retreat, is far more humane than the atrocious Manchester “Valley St.” jail. Van Wickler himself is a public opponent of drug prohibition and a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. There have been many positive posts about Rick here at the Free Keene blog over the years.

So why, when a local judge has approved Rich Paul for work release or home confinement, is Van Wickler stonewalling the decision? It seems hypocritical. Dave Ridley of RidleyReport.com investigates by interviewing Rich’s close friend and Free Keene blogger Wendy:

Part 2: (more…)

Ridley Confronts Manchester Politicians Over Jail Abuse, Other Issues

by | Nov 20, 2013 | 1 comment

Dave Ridley of RidleyReport.com confronts Manchester politicians regarding ongoing abuse of the humans caged at Valley St. jail:

As usual, many of the politicians are rude and walk by the independent journalist. Why anyone would voluntarily pay for “service” like this is beyond me.

Here’s another video out front of Manchester city hall where Ridley confronts the same politicians regarding a tax cap: (more…)