Thursday Darryl and I appeared at the state house in Concord for the Criminal Justice committee hearing of a new cannabis decriminalization bill that would reduce the penalty of possession of up to an ounce of cannabis to only a violation punishable with a $100 fine.
The committee is full of people who know this issue and are very educated about decriminalization and legalization. This bill has passed the house several times in the past, by a wide margin. Perhaps that’s why the police actually didn’t show up! Normally they show up in uniform to oppose any decrim proposal, but not this time! However a couple of state attorneys, one for the attorney general’s office and another from the “department of safety”, did show up to support the status quo and they got GRILLED by the committee:
During a recent school board meeting, the board and voters in attendance gutted several warrant articles proposed by Conan Salada, which had been signed by dozens of voters. In a Keene Sentinel editorial, the editors of the paper actually side with liberty activists, saying they think the articles should have been left alone for voters to decide as-is. Here’s the editorial:
If anything can be said to be at once both riveting and interminable, Saturday’s Keene School District deliberative session fits the bill. The nearly six-hour meeting consisted largely of a back-and-forth between school officials and members of the Free Keene movement.
The latter had proposed several articles by petition for the March 11 school district ballot, some attempting to reduce the proposed school budget, others seeking to limit the school board’s power. (more…)
The Keene Sentinel’s Kyle Jarvis reports on “the City” and their newfound desire to mediate with Robin Hood of Keene‘s merry men and women. Our attorney, Jon Meyer, responds that we’re not negotiating – the issues in the case are fundamental principles of freedom. They are not subject to negotiation:
Trying to settle a lawsuit out of court between the city of Keene and a group known as “Robin Hood of Keene” looks to be tough, that group’s attorney said this week.
The “Robin Hooders” fill expired parking meters before city parking enforcement officers can write tickets for the violations.
Last year, the city accused members of the group of harassing and intimidating the officers when they were performing their duties. It sought a 30-foot safety zone between the officers and activists. Keene officials also sought financial reimbursement because the officers weren’t able to perform their jobs properly; for counseling; and for costs because one of the officers quit and had to be replaced, the city said in a complaint.
Cheshire County Superior Court Judge John C. Kissinger Jr. dismissed the city’s complaints in December, citing free speech rights under the First Amendment.
City officials have appealed to the N.H. Supreme Court.
The court recommends resolution through mediation, according to Jon Meyer of Manchester, an attorney representing the Robin Hooders for free. But he’s skeptical that could be accomplished easily. (more…)
While other states like CT and NY have recently passed more gun control legislation, New Hampshire’s state house today soundly defeated a proposal to ban all personal firearms sales! There really is no place like New Hampshire, where Republicans tend to vote for gay marriage and Democrats tend to vote against gun control measures! (If you love liberty, you should join the Free State Project and move here and get active!) Here’s a rundown from Examiner.com:
Today was the big vote on HB 1589, a gun control bill brought forth by House Democrats. As has been previously discussed, this bill was based on false premises, bogus studies and statistics that did not apply to the Granite State. An amendment was brought forth by Representative Laura Jones which would require a study commission be set up to further study the bill. This amendment passed with 177-175 votes.
HB 1589 was officially amended to a study commission which was then voted on by the House in an overwhelming win of 242-118, essentially killing the bill. There was a further motion to be sure the bill was sufficiently dead and buried that then passed by 244-113. This was a defining victory for the gun rights activists in New Hampshire who have been working non-stop against the out-of-state gun control advocates who wrote this bill and were pushing for its passage. (more…)
