Local links

by | May 7, 2011 | 0 comments

David Eisenstatder elaborates on the new Keene budget proposal in the Sentinel.

A New Hampshire senate committee considered the bill which would remove NH from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap and trade program, and deemed it inexpedient to legislate (translation: not a good bill), and the right-to-work bill heads to John Lynch.

Keene Rep. Kris Roberts: “In many ways I like most people in New Hampshire don’t care much which party has control, which people are filling leadership positions, we just want the type of leadership that we can trust to make the right decisions fairly and not for some political agenda or personal status.”

Why I disagree with libertarian activist Denis Goddard about the coming dollar apocalypse.

Milton Gabor, Rush tribute band

The New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute argues that state business taxes just aren’t that important.

Greenfield, Massachusetts Rush tribute band Milton Gabor are playing again after a few years off, according to the Valley Advocate.

Charles Eisentstein, in the Vermont Commons, argues that independence requires economic as well as political sovereignty– that is, local currencies.

Disobedience and Noncooperation Win Again: Heicklen 3, Orlando 0

by | May 6, 2011 | 3 comments

Sometimes people who are stuck within the politics-is-the-only-answer paradigm, look at civil disobedience and noncooperation and ask, “Where are the successes?” Many of these folks only judge success when there is an official policy change. Each instance of civil disobedience and noncooperation is a personal success at the very least. It’s empowering to say, “No” to those who wish to control you. Beyond that, we have seen plenty of civil disobedience / noncooperation wins including the cops giving up on enforcing cannabis laws around the historic 420 celebrations in Keene, Manchester, and Concord. Parking tickets have been dropped due to activists’ noncooperation. The court lobby video ban has been violated multiple times without incident. Plus, the events have frequently garnered thousands of dollars in free publicity for Free Keene and the Free State Project, only insuring more movers and more future successes. All that stemming from just the activism here in Keene.

However, Keene is not the only place where civil disobedience is happening. Orlando, FL has recently become a hotspot thanks to the efforts of John Kurtz and other liberty activists (many of whom will be at Porcfest next month). John has used civil disobedience to successfully violate the city’s ban on feeding the homeless near city hall as well as to prove that the panhandling law is selectively enforced against the homeless. Now he’s teamed up with Julian Heicklen, the jury nullification outreach superactivist, to purposefully violate a ban on jury outreach. (more…)

Politicians Want Even Their Own Children Criminalized

by | May 6, 2011 | 6 comments

The news in New Hampshire was buzzing yesterday with the story that two-time 2nd District of NH U.S. House candidate Jennifer Horn’s 18-year old son was arrested on the charge of possessing alcohol and marijuana.

NASHUA – Two-time congressional candidate and conservative activist Jennifer Horn said she and her family will move forward from the arrest of her 18-year-old son on marijuana and alcohol charges.

I suppose the arrest of this young man on the victimless offense of possessing a plant would normally not be news were his mother not so high profile.  What the article doesn’t inquire Mrs. Horn about, which I think is the most important thing about this situation, is whether or not she agrees that her son should be made into a criminal-for-life for such nonsense.

The newspaper didn’t ask those types of questions of the prior candidate, but I did… about three years ago.

(more…)

End The Drug War, Curtail Terrorism

by | May 4, 2011 | 0 comments

In the spirit of the summary execution of an unarmed man, CNN has an article today discussing how al Qaeda makes the money it uses to perpetrate violent attacks against the innocent: Drug trafficking, kidnapping fund al Qaeda.  I wonder how much money al Qaeda is making off bootlegging liquor these days.

I often wonder how many times people like me need to point these things out before detractors finally realize that what we’re talking about has some substance to it.

Drug prohibition causes crime.  Drug prohibition funds violent criminal enterprise.  Drug prohibition does the opposite of addressing the problems of drug abuse.

Shouldn’t be long now before I have some fresh stories from across New Hampshire of needless victimization fueled by the insane drug war.