by Highline | Dec 2, 2011 |
Regarding my blog on 12/02/11 regarding the University System of New Hampshire illegally enforcing a firearm and knife ban, I recently was contacted by a government official who suggested I make you aware that quite openly in the media the University System of New Hampshire is claiming that they HAVE the authority to do what state law pretty clearly says they do not.
“New Hampshire is one of 25 states that allow individual campuses to set their own rules on weapons, though the policies are close to identical. All of the campuses ban firearms and most other weapons, and that’s the way education officials want it to stay.”
Incorrect. No political subdivision can regulate knives or firearms without the express permission of the NH General Court.
“Private businesses can put in place any rules about firearms they want, “but as long as UNH receives taxpayer money, they are a subdivision of the state and they are completely disregarding the law,” said Republican state Rep. J.R. Hoell of Dunbarton.
Exactly.
Check out the article here.
Sarah Palermo is the Concord Monitor reporter who has been covering the story.
by Highline | Nov 30, 2011 |
In our society, people between the ages of 18 and 21 are treated as second class citizens. On one hand, 18-20 year old adults are told that when they turn 18 they are adult enough to be forced to fight and die for the whims of politicians at the convenience of the Selective Service System. On the other hand, they are told that they essentially are stupid children who lack the ability to make responsible choices regarding when to consume alcohol. The irony of the latter is that when they do choose to consume alcohol in contravention of the law, they are punished as an adult, in adult court, for something that they have previously been deemed too childish to partake in.
Being between 18-20 years of age is also where most people embark on their higher education experience. Going to a college or university can be both fun, empowering of a bright future, and unfortunately, dangerous. As we who blog around here believe in individual responsibility, I believe that college students are adults whose liberty and freedom should be respected in such a manner so that they have both the natural and legal right to defend themselves on-campus or in their dorm if they were violently attacked.
Unfortunately for students and visitors of facilities of The University System of New Hampshire, there are rules that un-elected bureaucrats have handed down which purport that one cannot possess otherwise completely legal defensive weapons without facing severe consequences.
In my personal opinion, the rules that claim students and visitors at higher educational institutions like Keene State College, UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, Granite State College, and Plymouth State College cannot possess an otherwise legal knife or firearm are illegal, unenforceable, and contrary to established public policy.
Please allow me to make a case to you as to why.
(more…)
by Ian | Nov 28, 2011 |
Radio Free Keene News is a five minute newscast which is available as a podcast and also will air at the top of some hours on LRN.FM.
You can download the edition for this week here. Topics covered include Derrick J’s charges for video recording being dropped, Derrick J being assaulted by court security over a hat, and a three-year retrospective by Keene activist Will May.
You can add Radio Free Keene News to your podcast client via this RSS feed.
by Ian | Nov 17, 2011 |
Keene’s occupiers started with just a facebook group that expanded to two and now have an event calendar, email list, and central website where it’s all linked together, with the calendar embedded on the front page: OccupyKeene.com
Daily events include lunchtime and afternoon drive protests and a weekly General Assembly at 5:30pm in Central Sq. Other upcoming events include one before Ron Paul’s speech Monday afternoon at Keene State, and a visit from the Occupy Manch folks this Sunday at 1pm in Central Sq.
Attendance at general assemblies have been increasing each week recently with more college kids this week than I’ve ever seen doing any activism in Keene, ever!
by Ian | Nov 15, 2011 |
I’m not sure about Sam’s charges, as he missed his first court date due to his move back to Texas, but my charges for the 2010 Drinking Game arrest, “disorderly conduct” and “contempt of court”, were both dropped or by the prosecutor. Here’s the video from the original arrests.
As you may recall, liberty activists including myself had engaged in a drinking game in protest of the “open container” ordinance. “Mayor” Dale Pregent interrupted his own meeting to threaten us over it, then had Keene police chief Ken Meola threaten and arrest us. He demanded I either hand over the brown bottle for inspection or leave the meeting. Considering I am not obligated to either consent to a search of my property or leave a public meeting simply because I was engaging in silent protest, I stayed right there and was arrested. The “contempt” charge was levied because I was arrested while on bail for the prior arrests for “trespass” at the jail and for standing in front of a police car, or “obstructing government administration”.
It’s also worth noting that at the 2nd drinking game, Dale Pregent and police ignored the dozen-or-so activists who re-played the game.
Will Dale Pregent and Ken Meola apologize for the illegal arrests? Will the city council issue a proclamation that silent protests will go unmolested in the future? Stay tuned to find out, because I plan to ask via a letter I am dropping off today at city hall.
by Ian | Nov 14, 2011 |
The Keene Sentinel is reporting that two Keene police officers were injured by a drunken assailant early this morning.
Officer Katie Corbett suffered a knee injury and Officer Kyle Macie suffered a hand injury in the altercation
How could this violence have been avoided? The Keene officers could have simply left the man alone, but they just had to aggress against him because of… an open container! If they’d ignored him, no injuries would have been sustained. The open container ordinance needs to be repealed.
