by Highline | Nov 5, 2012 |
The other day while reading the Union Leader I came across an article where HCDC Superintendent David Dionne decided to speak negatively against Cheshire County Corrections Superintendent Richard Van Wickler:
““It’s a slap in the face to the corrections profession,” said David Dionne” of Superintendent Van Wickler’s decision to hire a convicted felon as a Corrections Officer.
Having personally known people who have been employed and incarcerated under both Superintendents, I can tell you this: Hillsboro County could easily relinquish its position as the most frequently sued New Hampshire county correctional facility if they got an administrator of Superintendent Van Wickler’s quality.
I’ve recently asked Keene-based liberty activists who have served sentences under Corporal Schoolcraft what they think of him as an individual. I am completely confident in telling you this: the man sounds like a complete professional. Superintendent Dionne has many officers that I’ve recently heard the polar opposite of.
Until I stop hearing such first hand negative accounts (and reading case after case filed in the US District Court of New Hampshire, the last one not even filed two weeks ago) regarding mistreatment of his prisoners, I think Superintendent Dionne should refrain from casting any judgement whatsoever on colleagues who are provably far more professional.
I’ve never heard CCDC being a candidate for a federal consent decree either.
by Highline | Oct 21, 2012 |
New Hampshire Republican Liberty Caucus Chairman Carolyn McKinney has penned an excellent article explaining why it is important to vote in support of Question #2 on November 6th.
Question #2 is a proposed amendment to Part II, Article 73-a of the New Hampshire Constitution that will allow greater public oversight of those who have the power to make rules that literally have the force of law.
Chairman McKinney’s article mentions judicial abuses suffered by Keene, NH based judicial monitoring activists and journalists as examples of the abuses that justify greater oversight of judicial authority.
Please read the article here.
by Highline | Oct 14, 2012 |
Today the Union Leader is featuring an article about Cheshire County Department of Corrections Corporal Thomas Schoolcraft requesting to be pardoned for a string of burglaries he was involved in.
(The only uniformed law enforcement/corrections position that a convicted felon may hold in New Hampshire is county corrections officer. County corrections officers possess no arrest authority and may only use force to detain offenders brought to them by order of law enforcement agents or courts.)
In the article it appears that the reporter inquired with the Corporal about why he isn’t simply attempting to obtain a more common “annulment” for his offenses:
“Schoolcraft prefers a pardon to annulment for his convictions because he doesn’t want them to disappear from his criminal record.”
He “prefers” a pardon.
I presume that the Corporal knows precisely what his present impediment to advancement in New Hampshire law enforcement is: if he had his felony conviction annulled (not pardoned) he still could only serve as a county corrections officer.
New Hampshire Police Standards and Training rule Pol 301.05 (g) (2) specifically forbids certification of an individual who has committed a felony even if it was annulled. If you are a felon, you must receive a pardon to be eligible to serve as a certified law enforcement officer in New Hampshire.
Pol 301.05 Background Investigation. The following shall apply to the background investigation required on the applicant by the agency:
(g) The hiring authority shall evaluate the results of its background investigation and the agency shall not appoint or invest with authority an applicant who:
(2) Has ever been convicted of a felony by a civilian court or by a military court, whether or not the charge had been annulled nor whether a suspended sentence was completed, and for which he or she has never received a pardon;
If we as a society are going to forgive the Corporal for things he did that actually hurt people, how can we not simultaneously forgive all felons convicted of things that never hurt anyone? I’m sure he is a good guy working hard to now live a law-abiding life, but there are way too many “felons” in New Hampshire who (unlike Corporal Schoolcraft’s crime spree eight years ago) created zero victims.
Pardon him? Pardon them.
by Highline | Oct 3, 2012 |
Today the New Hampshire Supreme Court released an 111-page order proposing changes to the rules of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch. The proposal comes immediately before the voters of New Hampshire will have the opportunity to pass CACR26.
CACR26 is an amendment to the New Hampshire Constitution that will allow the New Hampshire General Court greater oversight authority of the Judicial Branch rule making process.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’re aware that journalist Jason Talley faced criminal charges because the NH Judicial Branch made “rules” restricting press freedom rights. The rules were enacted immediately after a judge was caught on camera conveying objectively false information to law enforcement to have someone arrested.
The proposal allows public comment about the rule changes until November 21st. Make your voice heard (and part of the official record) by emailing the NH Supreme Court at rulescomment@courts.state.nh.us.
Please get out to vote to pass CACR26 in November!!
(An opposing opinion.)
by Highline | Sep 5, 2012 |
If you didn’t already know, I’m running for the Republican Nomination for High Sheriff in beautiful Coös County. I haven’t posted about it here because I don’t think a person seeking a high political office should intertwine it with libertarian related activism. Seeing as our campaign website just mysteriously crashed immediately after I posted this link to it, I figured re-posting it here on one of New Hampshire’s most highly viewed blogs would now be more than appropriate.
After you follow that link and watch the news report, read NH RSA 104:6 section II.
High Sheriff’s in New Hampshire can lawfully enforce the federal court order that stops the Obama Administration from behaving like a group of blac-bloc anarchists regarding constitutional law and federal court authority. That’s right: Sheriffs in New Hampshire can even stop the United States Military from indefinitely detaining Americans without due-process by lawfully enforcing an Article III court injunction at the state level.
My friends in Keene should find out if all of their High Sheriff candidates will defend the rule-of-law against the Obama Administration by enforcing this particular court order.
Everyone in our nation should stand behind the ability of the federal courts to hold the Obama Administration in contempt of the Constitution.
(Donations still accepted here.)
The other day while reading the Union Leader I came across an article where HCDC Superintendent David Dionne decided to speak negatively against Cheshire County Corrections Superintendent Richard Van Wickler:
