Sentinel SHOCKER: Teens at Keene High Use Drugs

by | Dec 12, 2013 | 21 comments

52a89aa853da0.preview-300[1]Kudos to the Keene Sentinel’s Kaitlin Mulhere for telling some truth about life in the purportedly idyllic New England town of Keene, NH. Guess what? Teenagers use drugs like alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, and others. In fact, drug use is common at Keene High School. The drug war is a failure.

Ok, so I added the last sentence to my summary of the Sentinel’s recent detailed piece on a study done regarding drug use at KHS. Mulhere doesn’t come right out and say the drug war is a failure, but her article is just more proof of what anyone who thinks for a short time about the war on drugs knows is true: you can’t stop human beings from altering their consciousness.

The politicians keep passing laws, increase the penalties, add in mandatory minimum sentences, and what do we get? Harder drugs on the streets and no reduction in the number of users. New dealers step in to replace the ones that are taken down by busts. The insanity of the war on drugs has gone on now for generations and destroyed countless lives of drug users, dealers, and even people who don’t use drugs. (For instance, everyone who has ever been stolen from or robbed by a drug addict is an indirect victim of the drug war, since prohibition drives the price of drugs up dramatically past what its normal market price would be.)

One of the ostensible reasons for the war on drugs is to protect the youth. However, the study cited by the Sentinel is proof the drug war has spectacularly failed in this way. What’s the solution from “the state”? Same as always. Cops, courts, jail cells. Oh, wait – now they have “drug court’. All of a sudden “the state” has gotten compassionate? Sorry, don’t buy it. Coercion is not compassion, not matter how much you dress it up. I’ve sat in on drug court in Cheshire county and watched as a single mother was locked up by the robed man because he didn’t believe her answer as to whether she had spoken with a former dealer recently.

A major failure of the Sentinel’s feature story, as well as almost all mainstream coverage of drug use is the failure to differentiate between users and abusers. The Sentinel story uses “abuse” frequently to describe ALL drug users. However, most drug users are responsible users – that’s why despite rampant substance *use*, society doesn’t fall apart. Alcohol, by far the most dangerous and abused drug, is still responsibly used by millions of Americans. (more…)

“City of Keene” Loses in Supreme Court Smoke Alarm Case Against KAC

by | Dec 11, 2013 | 3 comments

smokeDetector[1]If you have been following the blog here at Free Keene for the last 18 months, you may recall the raid on the Keene Activist Center that occurred in the summer of 2012. The Keene-police-backed raid by code enforcement and the fire department ultimately resulted in a court case against me for an alleged smoke alarm violation. (They claimed that all homes must have an interconnected, AC-powered smoke alarm system.)

We went to court and the “City of Keene” ultimately lost because I caught them violating their own rules – fire chiefs aren’t allowed by their own statutes to inspect single and two-family homes. Judge Runyon correctly invalidated all the evidence collected by the fire chief and dismissed the case. “The City” people, desperate to crush the KAC and hating to lose in their own system, then appealed to the NH “supreme” court, spending hundreds of taxpayer dollars on a transcript of the district court hearings.

The supreme court then informed “the City” that their filing was deficient because all criminal cases must have the approval of the attorney general’s office prior to the appeal being filed. They gave “the City” some time to correct the error. Meanwhile, “the City” and the AG’s office filed memorandums of law arguing the case was not criminal, but civil, and therefore they did not need the AG’s permission to move ahead with the appeal.

Ultimately, the court’s “justices” disagreed with “the City’s” arguments and ruled the case is indeed criminal and so “the City” must get the AG’s approval by Nov 7th. The approval was never given. Therefore, the supreme court dismissed the case. I and the KAC win! (Of course, I’ve lost lots of time and effort I could have spent on other things.)

The fact that “the City” couldn’t even win their smoke alarm case at the supreme court against me may not bode well for their eventual performance in the Robin Hood case appeal, where they are actually against a real, experienced free speech attorney!

Merrimack Valley High School Invites Free Keene Bloggers and Rep. Mark Warden to Speak!

by | Dec 11, 2013 | 13 comments

Fellow Free Keene blogger Garret Ean, Rep. Mark Warden, and I spent over an hour discussing liberty with high schoolers at Merrimack Valley High School yesterday. We cover the war on drugs, gun freedom, jury nullification, civil disobedience, plea deals, government schools, the roads, and more! It was a root-striking, iconoclastic good time! The teens were very receptive, asked good questions, (as did the teachers attending) and grabbed several fliers on the way out. What an honor to be invited by Pam Ean, one of the school’s teachers. Thanks to all the students who attended! Here’s the full video:

Robin Hooders Likened to Westboro Baptist Church By Sentinel Hitpiece

by | Dec 11, 2013 | 5 comments

Wanted Robin HoodYou’d think that the Keene Sentinel, the paragon of journalistic integrity, would bother to research what “harassement” is (legally) before they go throwing around accusations at their peaceful neighbors. Alas, they continue to tow “the City” official line that Robin Hooders are “harassing” the poor, hard-working parking enforcement officers in this recent editorial.

In their state-fellating piece they even claim we Robin Hooders are “bullying” the parking enforcers. Nevermind the fact that “the City” never presented a shred of evidence to support their claim of “harassment” during three days of hearings at “superior” court. Oh, and be sure to ignore the actual bullying done by the parking enforcers. It’s their job to threaten peaceful motorists and even steal their cars and hold them for ransom.

They even have the gall to refer to Robin Hooding as “unpopular”!  Have they bothered to visit the Robin Hood of Keene facebook page where several thank you cards, notes, and donations from grateful motorists have been posted for all to see?

The icing of the cake has to be their likening of Robin Hooders to the nasty, hateful people at Westboro Baptist Church!  Let’s see, Robin Hooders do good by rescuing people from parking tickets while discouraging aggression and encouraging peace while Westboro Baptist members hold offensive protests to spread vitriol, bigotry, and hatred.

Below is the full text of the propaganda hitpiece that masquerades as a pro-free speech opinion, conveniently published after the judge’s decision.  Way to take a stand, Sentinel!  (I bet they’d have agreed with the robed man if he’d issued the city’s injunction and crushed free speech.  Then they’d talk about how speech should have “reasonable” limitations.) (more…)