by Ian | Jan 19, 2012 |
Keene’s city council spat in the faces of most Keene inhabitants today by “accepting as informational” a petition with nearly 150 signatures urging the council to reconsider their accepting of federal money to buy a “Bearcat” armored personnel carrier. To accept something as informational is essentially a blow-off. It takes the issue off the table and means that no one need say anything further on the matter. It was not assigned to a committee where the public can be heard and action could be taken. It’s a big “fuck you” to all the people who spent time collecting those signatures and everyone who bothered to sign.
What did the petitions say? They merely asked the council to schedule a public hearing on the matter of reconsidering the Bearcat. Apparently the council would prefer that people not be able to speak on this matter. The Bearcat was quietly approved without public input and now the council is protecting the Keene police and their buddies in the federal government by refusing to even allow a hearing on the matter.
Does anyone really think these “councilors” represent “the people”?
by Garret Ean | Jan 19, 2012 |
Google as it appeared during the Jan 18 blackout.
Much abuzz online yesterday had to deal with the congressional threat to the internet known as SOPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act is a federal bill which would create a blacklist of websites which internet service providers would be required to maintain and enforce. The blacklist would allegedly include websites which either host or link to data which, per its existence, is violating copyright laws. The very concept of ‘piracy’ is on its face hyperbolic. It is laughable Newspeak to equate data sharing with the practice of pillaging vessels at sea. PIPA, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, is the senate version of the dinosaur recording industry’s legislative attempt to thwart the free exchange of information. Also lobbying very strongly with the MPAA is the pharmaceutical industry, which profits heavily from onerous intellectual property regulation.
Reddit was the first eminent domain of the internet to announce January 18 as its blackout date to protest SOPA. Wikipedia announced its participation with similar measures. Google demonstrated its solidarity by featuring a black stripped homepage with a subheader requesting that people contact their so-called representatives and ask for a rejection of state control over the internet.
Heavy traffic to government servers hosting contact information for congress and the senate caused many pages to be inaccessible for the day.
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by Ian | Jan 18, 2012 |
More Keeniacs are upset about the city council’s decision to do whatever the police suggest and approve a “Bearcat” armored personnel machine. As you can see from the photo, this move is a clear militarization of the police, and thankfully the people of Keene appear to oppose this intimidating monstrosity. The Keene Sentinel recently published more letters to the editor from concerned inhabitants:
(Please write to the city council at 3 Washington St. and encourage them to refuse the fed’s corrupt offer of the Bearcat.)
The recent flurry of letters regarding the City Council vote to approve the “free” offer of a BearCat assault vehicle shows the unease many of us are feeling these days about both the growing militarization of our local communities and the budgetary choices being made by our leaders at the national, state and local levels during these tight fiscal times.
Perhaps this issue has galvanized such a community response because it symbolizes the increasing emphasis on guns, so-called security and the “fear factor” that has occurred in this country in recent years, including the Monadnock region.
I have lived twice in countries that were dictatorships (Uruguay in 1975 and Chile from 1984-1989) and the truth is that as an average law-abiding citizen I feel the security apparatus presence more strongly in Keene than I ever did in Uruguay or Chile. (more…)
by Highline | Jan 17, 2012 |
Adam Kokesh wasn’t the only one assaulted by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s security detail the other day. Rebecca Burton wrote an account of her assault which happened on the same day as Adam’s on her blog Five Minutes Til Midnight:
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by Highline | Jan 11, 2012 |
I witnessed first-hand a member of former House Speaker and Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich’s private security detail unjustifiably (under NH law) assault Adam vs. The Man‘s Adam Kokesh. Video of it can be found in Ian Freeman’s blog here.
Shall we post his picture everywhere so we can let the world know who he is and hope that someone can identify him?
If no one can recognize him, don’t worry, the Hudson, NH Police will be identifying him shortly for us. Stay tuned to Adam’s show for the video about that. I’ll even help conduct the background investigation into who this criminal is.
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by Ian | Jan 5, 2012 |
The Keene police’s acquisition of a “Bearcat” armored vehicle speaks volumes about how the police have gone from being thoughtful peace officers dedicated to protecting and serving the people to a band of robotic militarized marauders called “law enforcers” dedicated to caging peaceful people and protecting and serving the system.
The Keene Sentinel has posted letters to the editor recently from locals who are very concerned over this monstrosity:
Here’s one from Craig Dallas Rice: (more…)
