Did you know that Steve Lindsey is the most libertarian representative from Keene, according to the NHLA? Or that Molly Kelly is the most economically liberal senator in the New Hampshire Senate? Or that State Representative Sam Hawkes voted with conservative Republicans 18% of the time? (Chuck Weed only voted with them 5% of the time.)
These are the kind of things you can learn on Free Keene’s new Voter info page, where I am collecting data on local Keene legislators. The new page is intended to be a tool to help voters, and non-voting activists, keep track of their elected representatives. (Therefore it is under the “Tools” tab.)
Because knowing is half the battle.
With luck, I will eventually be able to expand the page with information about city councilors and other local officials, to help with city elections.
Ian Freeman recently learned, thanks to his incarceration, that Cheshire County Superior Court Judge John P. Arnold will be retiring. Our man on the inside was not able to learn the dates of John’s retirement and my followup calls to the Superior Court in Keene didn’t yield any answers, but Barbara Hogan, the clerk of the court, did confirm that John is retiring.
On Friday’s Free Talk Live, Ian Freeman called in and spoke to Mark Edge and myself about the news and reminded us about John’s time on the bench:
Ian called the retirement “convenient” since John would have faced a hearing by the Redress of Grievance panel for his banning of all recording devices, which is in violation of the New Hampshire open records statutes. John P. Arnold banned people from wearing shirts with messages on them, demanded that court watchers withhold display of emotion in the courtroom and forced people in the courtroom to stand for him, stifling their convictions (religious and otherwise). In a previous episode of Talley.TV I reported on Judge Arnold Enforces Decorum “Strongly,” Threatens Talley.TV and Causes Disruption of Court Proceedings.
There are now 18 fulltime judges [at 11 locations] serving on the Superior Court throughout the state. Under the State constitution, the Governor, with approval of a majority of the Executive Council appoints judges who hold office until they attain the age of 70.
Dave Ridley continues to illustrate the episode of Free Talk Live that took place the evening of Ian’s caging by John Arnold in his latest report:
Despite being locked away at the Cheshire County House of Corrections, it’s good to see that Ian was still able to scoop the mainstream media. There’s no doubt the “State of New Hampshire” will fill this position and we’ll have yet another Superior Court Judge in Keene, NH. The governor will nominate a new judge (with the agreement of an executive council) so there won’t be a delay in enforcing bad laws and enriching the state with new fines.
Note that this governor is not friendly to the Free State Project and may use this as an opportunity to send a message to the people who move to “New Hampshire’s Liberty Activism Destination.” Harsher enforcement of bad laws will just serve as more opportunities to tell people about the peaceful civil disobedience happening in Keene as more people move here and say no to aggressive government. Since Ian’s caging, several people have moved and many more have publicly announced that they will be moving as a result. This is exactly what Ian had hoped for and as he put it, “it was worth it!!”
John has punished a lot of people during his time on the bench but I’m only aware of three liberty activists that faced him in court: Russell Kanning, Jim Johnson and of course Ian Freeman. Another high profile incident during John P. Arnold’s tenure as Judge was the suicide by self-immolation on the sidewalk outside where Arnold and his staff go to work in the Keene community. Like this, the news was released first by FreeKeene.com. Cases such as these receive more publicity because they take place in a city that Ian Freeman calls the “liberty media capitol of the world.” As more people have become aware of John’s harmful use of judicial powers he has become open to more scrutiny. His response was to ban cameras and other electronic devices that concerned members of the community use to hold public servants accountable.
Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting “the free discussion of governmental affairs.”
Will the next Superior Court Judge be more camera-friendly, or will he and other public servants decide to resign when faced with accountability and a community in search of true justice?
This Saturday, August 20th, I will be broadcasting LIVE from Washington DC; where brave liberty activists will join me to “illegally” sell lemonade on the Capitol lawn.
We stand together to protect the freedom of all peaceful people, who face threats of violence for the simple act of selling lemonade. There have been hundreds of accounts from across the nation of police shutting down children’s lemonade stands due to lack of government permits.
These permits are “required” by local governments, using excuses of ‘health and safety’; and can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. But, should the permitted vendor cause health or safety issues, the government that issued the permit is not liable for permitting a dangerous business. Bureaucrats face no consequences. So what is the purpose of these expensive permits? To gain more money for local governments; to force compliance and subservience to government “authorities”; and for larger businesses to cut out their competition… even if that competition is a couple of kids with a lemonade stand.
So join us in Washington DC at noon, or watch LIVE and join in an online conversation about the event!
SELLING LEMONADE IS NOT A CRIME!
For more information about Lemonade Freedom, head over to LemonadeFreedom.com
“Today “judge” Arnold ordered Ian caged for 90 days for sitting in front of the vehicle that over a year ago held Heika Courser (who was cuffed for a victimless action). Ian’s request to remain free until his appeal was heard was denied. He also has 270days suspended for 2yrs.”
More information coming from witnesses of today’s events.
In case you haven’t noticed, the top menu has been reworked to include dropdowns and it now links to everything Free Keene! I hope you consider it an improvement.
Plus, we now have a news at freekeene.com email address to which you can send news tips (preferably for the Keene area). The news@ address is delivered to multiple Free Keene bloggers.
If you’ve been reading Free Keene for a while, you know Jason. He’s a prolific activist, a big supporter of civil disobedience, and a talented videographer and editor. I was excited when Free Keene was able to sponsor his videos, but I’m even more excited that he has seen fit to make the move from the woods of Grafton to the urban small town of Keene! Now, he joins FK as a blogger! Here’s his bio from the bloggers page:
Jason Talley (“talleytv”) – Jason Talley reports from the front lines of freedom at Talley.TV and is the Managing Director of the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund. In both of these roles Jason advocate for the victims of government violence and finds common cause with those who work to replace the State’s perceived monopoly with a voluntary society which respects the principles of liberty, justice and peace.
Jason has been actively advancing the ideas of liberty for over a decade. He left Washington, DC to “search for freedom in America” as the creator and crew member of the Motorhome Diaries. In April 2010, Jason was the 806th person to move to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. Soon after witnessing the State of New Hampshire’s ongoing war against peaceful people he invoked his right to revolution and is much happier being part of the Shire community.
