I wrote about the redistricting of Keene state representative districts last month– Redistricting committee leaves Keene in suspense. The suspense has now ended, and the results caught many people (including myself) by surprise.
Right now Keene has seven state representatives, all representing the entire city of Keene. In the earlier blog, I wrongly predicted that, after redistricting, each of Keene’s 5 wards would have its own state representative, due to a constitutional amendment which took effect in 2006. As it turns out, it was basically impossible to fulfill the requirements of that amendment while also satisfying federal restrictions. Federal law supersedes state law, so the New Hampshire constitutional amendment was ignored in some cases.
Wards 1, 4, and 5 will each have their own representatives. Wards 2 and 3, along with Roxbury, will share two representatives, and all of Keene, plus Roxbury, will elect two at-large representatives.
You can see the map for Cheshire County below: (more…)
In a recent episode of Freedom Watch, Judge Napolitano talks to Lynn Chong, former chair of the Belknap (NH) County Democrats. Frustrated with Obama’s foreign policy, she changed her voter registration from Democrat to independent udeclared and will vote for Ron Paul.
“I would definitely call myself a progressive,” said Will Hopkins of Belmont [NH], who returned from a tour as infantryman in Iraq to become executive director of New Hampshire Peace Action, a group seeking to end foreign wars and cut defense budgets. “I supported Obama in 2008, but I’m supporting Ron Paul. That’s where I’m putting my eggs this year,” he said. “A lot of folks in the peace movement are taking a close look at Paul.”]
Laura Knoy interviews Andrew Carroll, along with Free State Project president Carla Gericke and Libertopia director Christina Heller in today’s show of The Exchange.
As of this Monday, I have been in Keene for three years. Three years may not sound like a long time, but, in the Keene activist community, three years makes me an experienced veteran, and in this time I have grown immeasurably. For the sake of newer activists, and those considering moving, I’m going to share some of my experiences here, to give a sense of what to expect, and offer some hard-earned advice.
In 2007, at 19, I was attending Texas Tech as an engineering student. But I had hated school for years, and didn’t like college any better. I also became fascinated by economics and the social sciences, and found that engineering, in comparison, was intolerable. I dropped out.
Around the same time, I decided I was an anarcho-capitalist, and, via the MySpace Libertarians group, I stumbled onto the Free State Project. (more…)
I’ve just heard from college activist friends that Ron Paul will be speaking at Keene State College next Monday evening (the 21st), at 4:30 in the Lantern Room Mabel Brown Room of the LP Young Student Center.
This is also the perfect opportunity for Manchesterites to visit Keene to negotiate the terms of their surrender. (Government officials involved in the war on drugs are likewise invited to surrender.)
Plus, LGBT activist Charlene Strong will be speaking at Keene’s United Church of Christ Keene State College this Friday at 6pm.
