Here’s a fascinating post by freedom-hating blog Miscellany Blue that does a great job at summing up some of the really exciting things that will be happening at the annual Grafton, NH town meeting. It’s a testament to the power of numbers. With relatively few movers to Grafton, liberty activists have the state-supporters on the defensive, desperately begging for advocates of coercion to come to said meeting. Here’s the report from Miscellany Blue’s William Tucker:
The town of Grafton is ground zero in the Free Stater effort to move in and dismantle government. The group’s antics during last year’s town meeting — which began with an argument over the “Rules of Decorum” that prohibited cursing, name calling and personal attacks — made national headlines. “This year’s meeting should be even more interesting,” brags Free libertarianin an online comment.
Last year, Grafton residents organized and turned out to defeat the Free Stater initiatives. Valley News reported voters rejected drastic budget cuts and a tax cap proposal. They authorized additional spending to buy a new police vehicle and tow truck, pave roads and make improvements to the town’s fire and ambulance building.
Grafton Free Staters and native libertarian activists were not deterred. This year, they have submitted another 20 petition warrant articles. The proposals would reduce the town’s operating budget by ten percent for the next three years, eliminate taxpayer funding for the public library and slash the police department budget to $10,000. (“Can you say Barney Fife gets a bicycle?” smirked Free libertarian.)
If approved, the warrant articles would also prohibit the Police Chief from prosecuting “any crime in which the victim is not a natural person” as well as any matter relating to the use or possession of marijuana. Grafton officials would be banned from using town funds to coordinate with the National Security Agency (NSA).
Two of the warrant articles seek to enact state legislation by instructing Grafton’s three state Representatives to propose bills that would reduce the interest rate charged on delinquent property taxes and would repeal dog licensing requirements.
One of the sponsors of the Free Stater warrant articles is Brian Fellers, a member of the Grafton Planning Board who was recently convicted of disorderly conduct for disrupting last year’s meeting. The prosecutor in his case works for the Lower Grafton County Prosecutorial Association, which provides prosecutorial services for Grafton and five other Grafton County towns.
“The Prosecutor can’t work for Lower Grafton County Prosecutorial Association, or at least not the one registered with the State,” claimed Free libertarian. “Somebody else registered THAT already and has an ‘official gold seal stamped’ magic paper from New Hampshire to prove it.”
Grafton Free Staters state Rep. Robert Hull and Jeremy Olson did, in fact,register Lower Grafton County Prosecutorial Association, Inc. with the secretary of state’s office last summer. On the group’s website, they describe it as an organization established “to combat prosecutorial corruption and misconduct in lower Grafton County.”
“So it seems the Prosecutor might have fibbed a little bit and is using the name but he’s not ‘official,’ ” Free libertarian claimed. “I can’t wait to wear my new blue blazer emblazoned with ‘LGCPA’ next time I’m in court or handing out Juror info.”
