Subsequent gatherings at Sununu’s during January were left alone by police, but then on Sunday the 31st peaceful protestors were once again targeted by a phalanx of state police and local cops.
When we arrived around 2pm, there were already a bunch of police cruisers and probably at least a dozen visible masked cops around Sununu’s house. After some speaking and sign-holding, we began to sing COVID Carols. During the second song, several more state police cruisers arrived with a bunch of yellow-jacketed goons complete with zip ties.
They started walking towards us in a line as we continued our songs – the lyrics to which you can download at covid.freekeene.com. The armed thugs then stopped advancing and went back, perhaps aware that arresting people for singing might not look good on video.
After we finished, Nobody and I started to pack up to leave as Frank “Footloose” Sparks from Absolute Defiance approached the police again, demanding he be given a ticket for “picketing”. The police chief from Newfields indicated that he did indeed have a ticket for Footloose, but no one else. The armed man then threatened Footloose with kidnapping if he raised his voice – something Footloose is known to do as a normal state of talking. Then, they arrested him for asking a masked plainclothes state police agent to identify himself. The charge? Cops’ favorite catch-all for peaceful activists they don’t like: “Disorderly Conduct”. Here’s video of the event, which includes the arrest scene:
Footloose was taken to Newmarket PD and released on personal recognizance. His arraignment on the “disorderly” charge is Feb 25th, 8am at Exeter District Court in Brentwood, NH. Sununu continues to hide and run his gang in secret.
Libertarian NH Boogaloo Boys Demonstrate Outside NH State House
American mainstream news media has been reporting this weekend on the massive buildups of armed government goons at state houses across the United States. Expecting massive armed demonstrations of Boogaloo supporters, some of the state gangs locked down their capitol areas completely while others, like New Hampshire, took it easy and only had state troopers parked around and walking the state house property in pairs. By comparison, the New York Times said Massachusetts’ capitol had hundreds of officers wearing helmets and carrying batons.
However, around the country, barely anyone showed up. Some liberty activists said they wouldn’t attend because they believed the events were federal honeypots designed to gather information about freedom-lovers. Others foolishly believed that exercising their right to bear arms would mean their rights would be more likely taken from them. Luckily, in New Hampshire, five Boogaloo Boys showed up with rifles front slung. They were well-spoken and self-described as Libertarian, with one even talking about the Non Aggression Principle to the large number of reporters that were present.
One Boogalooer even educated the media people on gun safety and basics, with the photographers crazily shooting pictures when the Boogaloo Boy showed a magazine loaded with bullets. The news media was informed on the history of the Boogaloo – the name is based on the Eighties breakdancing movie “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”, with the members describing their group as a real-life meme. They also explained the origin of their Hawaiian shirt dress code, which came about after social media sites started to crack down on any groups referencing Boogaloo. The social media crackdown on the term forced them to use code words that were similar, like “Big Igloo” or “Big Luau”, which naturally led to the shirts.
Carl Watner, longtime proponent of voluntaryism, has passed away. He was 72 years young. He will be missed. And his efforts will live on through those of us seeking complete liberty.
an American author and historian of libertarian studies, and a voluntaryist. He has written articles for Reason magazine, the Libertarian Forum, Mises Institute and the Journal of Libertarian Studies. Although use of the label “voluntaryist” waned after the death of Auberon Herbert in 1906, its use was renewed in 1982, when George H. Smith, Wendy McElroy, and Carl Watner began publishing The Voluntaryist magazine.
That newsletter, The Voluntaryist, was published continuously since October 1982. For almost four decades Watner, a family man who ran a business in South Carolina, made time to share ideas he believed would foster human flourishing. He also wrote and edited a bevy of books, and is credited with tracking-down and making again accessible the seminal essay by Lysander Spooner, Vices Are Not Crimes.
Watner excelled at communicating a clear, consistent, strike-the-root message. Indeed, in no uncertain terms, Wendy McElroy wrote on her blog that Watner “was the primary hand in founding the modern Voluntaryist movement in the early 1980s.” She continues:
Tonight, New Year’s Eve, while government goons are threatening people and telling them to stay home, over one hundred revelers are together in a secret venue in the Keene area for “QUARANKEENE Space Disco”! Organizers of the party say it will feature now-prohibited activities like karaoke and dancing. Featuring multiple live DJs, delicious food, good times, and all donations at the door will be given to the NH Liberty Defense Fund. The Liberty Defense Fund is of course accepting cryptocurrency as well as Goldbacks. Here’s the official event flyer:
QUARANKEENE Space Disco 2020
Event co-organizer “Soundwave” said, “2020 has been a soul-crushing year for people across the planet. With lame-ass stay-at-home ‘dance parties’, drive-in concerts with zero crowd energy, and inhumane mask mandates, people have been unable to sing, dance, and connect with other humans. We’re not afraid of a virus that doesn’t show symptoms in the supermajority of the people it infects and kills a small fraction of the elderly, obese people who do actually show symptoms. This whole COVID thing has been a massive excuse to expand government control over people’s lives and transfer more wealth to the elite, while destroying small businesses. We decided the best thing we could do to fight this insanity is to throw a killer party.”
Indeed, tonight’s venue is a previously successful Keene-area restaurant that was closed permanently early on in 2020. The courageous venue owner, Malaise Lindenfeld, is also one of the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against the statewide mask mandate as well as the City of Keene’s mandate. Lindenfeld said, “Our most basic freedoms have been coopted by politicians who forget that they serve at our pleasure and not the other way around. If each of us were to take a stand and say “I will not comply”, it will go a long way towards the fight against tyranny.”
QUARANKEENE is the latest in a series of Space Disco parties that began in August 2019, co-founded by DJ Capital Interest. The goal is to eventually throw an epic party in space, but until then build excitement by throwing space-themed parties here on Earth. DJ Capital Interest explained, “The Space Disco is literally going to outer space. Our life mission is to open the solar system’s first discotheque outside of Earth’s atmosphere by joining forces with the world’s leading space and party companies.” Regarding tonight’s party, DJ Capital Interest said, “Space Disco Summer 2020 was by far the best dance club in the country and Space Disco NYE 2020/21 is shaping up to be the best Winter dance club, thanks to so many independent thinkers concentrated in New Hampshire.”
UPDATE: The party raised over $1100 in cash plus a bunch of Goldbacks, a few ounces of silver, and multiple different cryptocurrencies for the Liberty Defense Fund! It was a smashing success.
Last week, the town selectmen of Newfields, NH illegally passed an unconstitutional ban on “picketing” outside residences. Monday evening, approximately two dozen state troopers were sent to crack down on a peaceful candlelight vigil outside “HIS EXCELLENCY” King Chris Sununu’s house. Here’s the insane footage, edited from multiple sources thanks to Vincent of Shire Free Media:
The video is a revealing look at how blatantly police will violate any kind of supposedly constitutional protections. There’s no penalty for them or the town selectmen for the illegal ordinance and enforcement. No one gets fired if they lose in court or have to pay any sort of price for their violations.
Also, observe how the cops are constantly telling the activists what to do: Don’t stand there, you have to move. You can’t move there. You with the cane, you’re getting a ticket for not moving fast enough. Stop moving. Keep your voice down.
Their show of force is ridiculous, with a dozen agents on the scene when the vigil arrives. The troopers don’t even let them light their candles. Then after giving a bunch of arbitrary orders, another dozen cruisers roll in with agents toting batons in a ready-to-engage stance. They surround YouTuber Savage Truth 603 to arrest him for “disorderly conduct” and “criminal trespass” and curiously order the other guy with a camera to back away. The remaining activists are left on the path.
They even ticketed a credentialed reporter from NH Journal, Chris Maidment for “picketing”. NH Journal’s editor says they’re going to court. As should all of the people who were issued tickets – which is everyone who was there, including a man walking with a cane. Even if they lose in court, hopefully the candlelight vigilists will not pay the $100 fines, as doing so only encourages the gang.
Also, hopefully they will get out of the habit of thanking the police for abusing them. It’s hard to watch, but that’s how people are trained. No amount of respecting the police for “just doing their job” is going to help protect anyone’s rights. No thank you, cops. I don’t want your “service”. Leave us alone. You’re hurting peaceful people and trashing human rights. It’s shameful. Don’t thank them when they hand you a ticket.
Captain Kickass’ “COVID Carols” – Click for Printable PDF.
Back in 2011, during Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree, a talented parody writer living in Keene at the time, Richard Onley, created some amazing “Chronic Carols“. They were funny and poignant parodies of classic Christmas carols, like “Drug War Cops are Raiding the School” – set to the tune of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town. We had lots of fun forming the Shire Choir and held a series of performances both inside and outside state liquor stores.
The point of the Chronic Carols was to protest the insane war on drugs and do it in a creative and fun way, as singing is much more likely to bring people together or get people to listen to new ideas than say, chanting. Chanting can come across as mindless and angry whereas singing is harmonious. Singing is a virtually unassailable activity as a protest and the American civil rights movement had a lot of success with song, as did the “Singing Revolution” in Estonia.
Fast forward to the present situation where the war on drugs has lightened up a little – at least on cannabis – but now the war is coming against people who just want to breath free, associate with others, hug, or smile at another person. The madness of prohibition has changed into an insane medical authoritarian state. If there was ever a time for the Shire Choir to come back, it’s now.
Actually, the Shire Choir has already come back this year. It was when we visited the NH Attorney General’s house on Thanksgiving and performed the original Chronic Carols, since the war on drugs the AG is behind is still harming innocent, peaceful drug users and dealers. It was fun, but it was clear we needed some current material that could be sung in more places.
Thankfully, Captain Kickass – a longtime professional parody writer who happens to live in Keene – stepped up and cranked out four “COVID Carols” in just a matter of days. The tunes parodied include “Do you hear what I hear?”, which has become “Do you fear what I fear?”, “Merry Little Christmas” is now “Sterile Little Christmas”, “Joy to the World” as “Close down the World”, and “Little Drummer Boy” replaced by “Little Lockdown Boy”. Johnson Rice provided some talented graphic design to put the Captain’s creative lyrics to classic Christmas carols onto a dual-sided color songsheet that you can easily print out and share. Though we have the Shire Choir here in New Hampshire, these songs are intended for the entire world. You can form your own choir and sing anywhere this COVID madness and tyranny has struck.
Don’t let yourself be silenced by the state or social pressure. Sing loud, proud, and hopefully in unison with others. Download and print your own “COVID Carols” songsheet PDF now! Please do share it anywhere you like. It’s our gift to you that hopefully will brighten your spirits on what is an otherwise depressing year and holiday season. It’s darkest before the light – don’t lose hope and please make it your New Year’s resolution to join the liberty migration to New Hampshire in 2021!
Carl Watner, longtime proponent of voluntaryism, has passed away. He was 72 years young. He will be missed. And his efforts will live on through those of us seeking complete liberty.
