Thanks first to Bob “Weeda Claus” Constantine for having the courage to take his cannabis growing case to trial. Bob’s courage made what happened today possible. Because Bob took his case to trial, the state had to call its undercover agents to the stand and despite their desperate efforts to keep them away from cameras, they were still all seen personally by those of us in the courtroom. The first to testify against Bob was NH Drug Task Force detective Charles I. Newton, the most undercover-looking of them all. He looks like a pretty cool guy and if only he weren’t engaging in deception for the purposes of caging peaceful people, maybe he would be. We were unable to get a decent picture of him on the day of Bob’s trial. However, here’s what happened today:
We were going to breakfast in Newport after attending a fellow activist’s speeding ticket trial, when I noticed two cars parked drivers’ side-window-to-window in the parking lot of the Country Kitchen restaurant. The driver of the black late model Nissan Altima (we think it’s plate number 297 7758 – the 297 is for sure, not sure about the last four) looked a lot like Charles I. Newton, so I asked Ademo from Liberty on Tour if he thought that was him. He confirmed it and shouted out Charles’ name. Then Charles high-tailed it (complete with screeching tires) out of the parking lot. We consulted the young man in the red car and informed him that he’d been talking to an undercover cop. At least in this instance, we saved the man from going to prison. Newton had already given the young man cash in order to allegedly purchase narcotics, so the deal was almost done when we managed to intervene.
Now, if I’m recalling correctly, Newton testified during Bob’s trial that he lives in Cheshire county. Undercover officers tend to live in one place and work in others so there is a lower chance of them being recognized by locals. Thus far, we know that Newton works in Grafton and Sullivan counties, and maybe elsewhere. If it’s true that Newton lives in Cheshire county, that means there’s a chance you know him. Perhaps you grew up with him? Please post your comments below or send a private message via the Forum or via email copblock at gmail.com
I should have started recording sooner, zoomed the camera, and done better to focus on Newton’s exit, but hindsight is always 20-20. At least we were able to intervene, expose this deception artist, and save a young man from being caged. Special thanks to Pete, Ademo, and Beau from Liberty on Tour for springing into action! Don’t expect him to continue driving the same undercover vehicle, but here’s the brief video from today, for what it’s worth:
Also, here’s a court case where Newton plays a major role in a drug bust, just to give you confirmation of who he is and how he operates. Newton’s middle initial was found in a Keene Sentinel article. What do you know about Charles I. Newton?
UPDATE: Here’s the number for the NH Drug Task Force if you’d like to leave them or Charles a message: 603-271-3291
UPDATE: Here’s a pic of what may be the same Charles Newton from his high school yearbook.
Not sure how I feel about this yet but the end result, afaict, could be one of two things:
1. He quits his job and finds an honest living (doubtful).
2. He aggresses against others somewhere else (probable).
Can't say either of those options are all that terrible for peaceful people living within the boundaries of his current hunting grounds.
In a 'free society' people would be allowed to surveil others undercover for whatever reason they wished, no?
And freemen would be allowed to "out" them,
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
The jails are made of tin.
And you can walk right out again,
As soon as you are in.
Sure you'd be allowed to 'out' them….but my point is, if you don't like being surveilled for arbitrary reasons, moving to a completely voluntary society isn't going to solve that…
i am anti capitalst i support drugs but dont get yor libertarian thing business has to be destroyed along imperialism and war ontl in anarchy will freedom be achieved all you want is to protect youre stupid private propety DESTROY PROPERTY RIGHTS
wow
Oh, and great job guys! Good head's up Ian.
I can't imagine making a living intentionally destroying peoples lives. It simply boggles my mind.
Sure you’d be allowed to ‘out’ them….but my point is, if you don’t like being surveilled for arbitrary reasons, moving to a completely voluntary society isn’t going to solve that… You're right, Holy. What a completely voluntary society *will* solve, however, is a problem of much greater severity than unwanted surveillance: It will serve to dissuade or eliminate supremacist busybodies from inflicting their viewpoints on others using coercion and violence. In a society where rational discourse and peaceful persuasion are the prime methods for convincing others to behave or think the way you believe is best, those who attempt to… Read more »
Now that you've got me thinking about it, I can't imagine why anyone would want to live in it's opposite: an involuntary society. Why would someone want to be part of a group that forces them to participate and labor for goals they have no vested interest in or enthusiasm for?
People working together to accomplish things they have a vested interest in and are enthused about certainly sounds like a pretty good society to me.
And for those whom it does not, they're free to engage in whatever s&m they want so long as they keep it to themselves.
Having gauged ears makes someone look cool?
That isn't usually the first though that comes into my head when I see someone with gauged ears.
How was this guy involved in Bob “Weeda Claus” Constantine's case?
Great job, guys. That was awesome. You know something, that pig looks very familiar to me. I don't mean that I have seen him in person (I live in Miami Florida). But his face I believe I seen it on t.v. Perhaps on some news report on some cable news channel or on some video on the internet. I have spent the whole day searching on the internet, typing all types of words that might perhaps connect me to some website where I might find a video or anything on this pig, but I haven't found anything yet. I just… Read more »
Some people might, blackie. He was the first cop to testify in the case and was brought in wearing a balaclava.
"You’re right, Holy. What a completely voluntary society *will* solve, however, is a problem of much greater severity than unwanted surveillance: It will serve to dissuade or eliminate supremacist busybodies from inflicting their viewpoints on others using coercion and violence." No, it won't solve that either, it will just change the ways they go about inflicting the coercion and violence. "In a society where rational discourse and peaceful persuasion are the prime methods for convincing others to behave or think the way you believe is best, those who attempt to dominate the wills of others via aggressive methods (e.g. kidnapping,… Read more »
@Ian
So this undercover cop WAS part of the operation to bust Bob Constantine? As I understood the story Bob was peacefully growing a few plants on his own property. How did that attract the attention of these anti-drug warriors?
For the record, I don’t think growing and enjoying this wonderful herb should be a crime. In fact it was less of an issue before that prick Nixon noticed the people that hated him also got high and he declared all out war on marijuana.
Is there a connection?
Charles I. Newton was the first to testify in Bob's case. We are not sure how he attracted their attention – rumor is the neighbor snitched, but that is unconfirmed.
I like the story, but I don't like what you're encouraging people to do.
Encouraging people to harass a cop doesn't put us (the people against the drug war) in a good light.
I feel bad for Charles's family too cause I'm thinking they might feel as though they're in danger now
holy_canole on Fri, 3rd Jun 2011 10:07 am said:
"Just look at countries which do not have a stable government already formed: the majority of those countries are ruled by coercion and violence. How can you then presume that this type of rule would not come into play in our own country if current practices were completely dissolved? There is no evidence to suggest otherwise."
Back to the drawing board canoli. Your argument holds water like a sieve.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/18/belgi…
Floppy, why does everyone (yourself included) feel a reflexive sympathy for the cop and his family, yet they apparently don't feel this same sympathy for the victims of the Drug War this man willfully pursues? The fact is, he is an aggressor, he has chosen to initiate that aggression against others. Peaceful people, who have harmed no one. He is using deception to do so. He is violating the very most fundamental precepts of the libertarian moral order, by choosing force AND fraud as a means of violating people's property rights and depriving them of their liberty. He aims to… Read more »
you've got to be kidding me. A guy that goes out on a daily basis and harms others and I'm supposed to be worried about his kids' safety? Hello? Any harm that would ever come to those children because of the actions of their father would be 1) heinous and 2) Inflicted by those who seek retribution for the harms that this person has caused them and THEIR families? What about the kids of the guy who tries to get a bag of weed and now daddy has to spend time in a cell because he chooses a safer drug… Read more »
Dylboz
I feel like the government is who we should focus our attention on.
This guy is a product of what the government has taught us about drugs. Until the government stops it's drug crusade then there will be more cops to take his place.
It's my opinion that our attention be focused on the government
@Floppy Good luck on influencing the people calling themselves government. The war on drugs has only been enriching and empowering the politicians, correctional workers, police and military for oooohhh some 60 years now? What possible incentive could you give these people to stop their violent actions that hasn't been proposed? These people are willing to look the other way when sick people are being thrown in cages, when families are destroyed, and people are murdered because for each and every one of these cases, they make more money and get more power. In fact the system itself incentivizes all the… Read more »
Floppymcprplhat on Fri, 3rd Jun 2011 1:59 pm said: "This guy is a product of what the government has taught us about drugs. Until the government stops it’s drug crusade then there will be more cops to take his place." The experience of those who have faced tyranny, even in relatively modern times, would seem to argue the converse. "And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say… Read more »
@mauiguy,
Apparently you don't read too well. Try reading your own article before you say there is no government in Belgium. Just because there is no central government, doesn't mean there is no government.
"The absence of a central government has been mitigated by the fact that power is heavily decentralised in Belgium. Local and regional government now enjoy greater legitimacy than the federal government in Brussels and they continue to function."
Back to the drawing board, mauiguy.
I realize you are just quoting Solzhenitsyn, mauiguy, but violence is not the answer.
I'm thinking, next time, just yell "Hi Officer (whatever)! What're you up to these days??"
If the buyers are stupid enough to stay around after that deserve to pay a price. However, the price should never be spending their lives in cages.
@ Charlie?
What 'price should be paid' for people voluntarily providing products and services in the market place?
@ David
What I took away from the article is that a large scale, intrusive, violent, central government is not necessary.
If one were to extrapolate that out, I contend that a smaller scale, intrusive, violent government is no more necessary than the large one.
@ Ian, Although I'm an advocate of nonviolence, I do believe that defending one's self or one's property from a violent aggressor is justified. The agents that Solzhenitsyn was referring to systematically loaded masses of people onto trains and sent them to gulags where millions were worked, frozen and starved to death. There was no due process or forum to defend one's self in that particular situation, thereby justifying force at the point of aggression. I don't advocate the use of force against government agents in our situation because we do have a system of due process, as flawed as… Read more »
mauiguy,
How does that article you posted prove a counterpoint to my argument at all? The people quoted are not happy about the situation, first of all. Secondly…250 days without a government is hardly an example of sustainability…especially with regards to all of the issues which have piled up in those mere 250 days.
Additionally, as David pointed out, Belgium still has localized government, it's just the federal government which is currently on hiatus.
What was that you were saying about arguments holding water like a sieve?
@ canoli
The only people in the article not happy with the way things are seems to be the statists. But what else would you expect from a bunch of statists.
Everyone else seems to having a grand old time.
We don't need coercion to have a society based on voluntary exchange and mutual respect.
Mauiguy, "The only people in the article not happy with the way things are seems to be the statists. But what else would you expect from a bunch of statists." So? There are still a lot of unhappy people in the society…again, I don't see how this counters my argument. "Everyone else seems to having a grand old time." 'Everyone else' being the people streaking on the streets? How does that prove that the society is functioning flawlessly? There are multiple lists of the things which are going wrong…saying that people are streaking proves the society is actually functioning well… Read more »
@ canoli
Freedom is messy. What can I tell you?
"Freedom is messy. What can I tell you?"
That's all well and good….just don't act like you're proving any sort of point when you're not.
@mauiguy, It's great that what you take away from the article is that "large scale, intrusive, violent, central government is not necessary." What I take away is that the sky is green in Belgium. But unfortunately the article says neither of those things. What it says is “The absence of a central government has been mitigated by the fact that power is heavily decentralised in Belgium. Local and regional government now enjoy greater legitimacy than the federal government in Brussels and they continue to function.” Government still exists. And can you quote for me where they used the term 'statist',… Read more »
Holy: No, it won’t solve that either, it will just change the ways they go about inflicting the coercion and violence How would people choosing to participate in a voluntary society — that abhors the initation of force — go about inflicting coercion and violence (for more than a brief few minutes) let alone find new ways of inflicting it? Do you have any examples to support this statement? Just because they ‘would not be tolerated’ does not mean they would not still exist, and also does not mean that they would not even become dominant. What is it that… Read more »
Exactly, David. And furthermore, I could post multiple articles which would counter mauiguy's assertion that countries without a stable form of government are less prone to coercion or violence…
@ David
"We're making a joke but it's no laughing matter," said Veronika, a Ghent social worker. "It's really very serious. We might be partying. But we've had enough. I want a government. It's urgent. There are too many problems to be solved."
That sounded pretty statist to me.
I believe that the answers to society's ills lie in the free market.
Bottom line is that anyone who advocates for a coercive government is guilty of aggression against his neighbors.
What colour Is the sky on your world, mauiguy?
"How would people choosing to participate in a voluntary society — that abhors the initation of force — go about inflicting coercion and violence (for more than a brief few minutes) let alone find new ways of inflicting it? Do you have any examples to support this statement?" You're asking for examples of people who are able to successfully use force and coercion to control people who don't want to be controlled? I recommend looking at Libya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Western Sahara, Guatemala, the Philippines….need I go on? Whether or not the rest of the society is 'voluntary' is,… Read more »
"What colour Is the sky on your world, mauiguy?"
Ok, we're done.
*color FTFY
People never fail to resort to haughty, petty, insignificant jabs when they can no longer back up their real arguments.
And 'colour' is perfectly correct, mauiguy.
Color/colour, liter/litre, center/centre… No need to fix anything for me, mauiguy.
"People never fail to resort to haughty, petty, insignificant jabs when they can no longer back up their real arguments." Agreed. That's exactly what I'd call this: “What colour Is the sky on your world, mauiguy?” Um, that's a little awkward, isn't it? And while we're about it, "And ‘colour’ is perfectly correct, mauiguy." -and- "Color/colour, liter/litre, center/centre… No need to fix anything for me, mauiguy." Wrong. It's only perfectly correct if you're living in Victorian England. You would have been disqualified from your 7th grade spelling bee for that misspelling. From the Wiki: "Webster's 1828 dictionary featured only -or… Read more »
Boy could I tell you some stories about the NH DTF and the DA but I don't no that it would be safe for me to write any information that I have on Charlie or Mike and the rest of them lying scum bags, they will do what they have to do to get what they want. They don't care about your family why should anyone care about theirs. They scare the hell out of me so I don't dare say what I really no about them just that even when they tell you they are on your side to… Read more »
mauiguy,
The fact that you spent your entire last post focused solely on grammar rather than the actual debate at hand only further proves my point (and you sourced wiki, no less.)
It's funny that you accuse us of willing to argue with a sign post, yet you are the one who brought up the petty grammar issue, and steered the conversation away from the substantive conversation.
Oh by the way, has anyone else besides me also noticed that there are way too many police dramas and so called reality t.v. shows about some police detectives or some S.W.A.T. team? Where they make all these people look like heroes while we got these criminals with badges lurking around and destroying innocent people's lives. And don't forget about the jail and prison shows. All this propaganda crap is all over t.v. and cable t.v. Has anyone also seen all the different commercials where they have actors dressed in police officer or S.W.A.T. or bomb unit uniforms? I have,… Read more »
You’re asking for examples of people who are able to successfully use force and coercion to control people who don’t want to be controlled? I recommend looking at Libya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Western Sahara, Guatemala, the Philippines….need I go on? My question was how, in a society where one must willfully choose to participate, and which has a simple set of rules which one must embrace (or at least give lipservice to), and for which there is no nexus of control over others, will people rise up to exert dominance, violence, coercion, etc. upon the rest? What will be… Read more »
"Could someone suddenly go on a murdering, assaulting or raping spree? Sure. Unlike the society we live in, however, people in a voluntary society have a right to defend themselves from initiated aggression and those who initiate force would be held accountable for their actions. I would expect the majority of participants in said society will be armed and are far more likely to intervene in such incidents." How is this different than how society is structured today? People certainly still have the right to self defense. And in New Hampshire at least people are easily able to 'be armed.'… Read more »
@mauiguy,
"It’s only perfectly correct if you’re living in Victorian England."
Wrong.
It's perfectly correct if you live in England today. And it is perfectly correct here as well, it's just not the usual way to spell it.
And the joke about colour in the first place, color if you must, was a reference to an earlier post of mine.
And here in America we say goodbye, not aloha.
FTFY.
But hey, canoli & zeus, good arguments. Extremely long winded and a bit repetitive, but good.
Step out from beneath the Hegelian Dialetic and you free yourselves from controlled and guided thought thus ending the conflict.
"…the State 'has the supreme right against the individual, whose supreme duty is to be a member of the State… for the right of the world spirit is above all special privileges.'" ~William Shirer, quoting Georg Hegel in 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'
Don't compromise your values. Live your life free of arbitrary constraint and external control. Don't ask for or seek permission from the State. Be free and be responsible for that freedom.