Paul O’Day of Spofford writes to the Concord Monitor, calling out the head of the NH police chiefs, Richard Enfield for his lack of compassion:
Re “Law enforcement resisting pot bill” (Sunday Monitor front page, April 29):
Enfield Police Chief Richard Crate was quoted as saying the pending medical marijuana bill is “looking for a potential solution when there’s not a problem out there.”
Many people endure needless pain and suffering because of the prohibition of this medicine.
Others risk losing their money, their liberty, their houses and their kids if they break the law to stop their pain.
Some people with cancer or other serious ailments succumb unnecessarily to the symptoms of their illness or its treatment such as chemotherapy, dying months or even decades sooner than they would have had they been able to use medical marijuana.
Untold numbers unnecessarily suffer from the worst diseases and ailments known to mankind. Others unnecessarily risk everything to escape their suffering. And some people are unnecessarily sent to an early grave – and there is no problem out there? (more…)
New mover Chris Cantwell reflects on his first month in the Shire:
A few weeks ago, my shotgun would have subjected me to years in a state prison, I paid an 8.625% sales tax on nearly everything I purchased, and a progressive state income tax made every effort to steal from me the fruits of my labor. Finally, a local municipality driven mad by xenophobic anti-immigration activists declared my apartment illegal and threatened to evict me from my home. Thanks for that, no, really, thank you, because coming to New Hampshire is the single greatest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.
So I fit what I could in my van and fled the criminal gangs calling themselve The State, operating inside the arbitrary geopolitical boundary commonly known as New York. 5 hours north, I find myself in Marlborough, New Hampshire, just outside of Keene.
Fred Parsells and I go way back. I like the guy personally – we’ve dined together a number of times over the years and had pleasant conversations. However, last year he left his job at the “Keene Housing Authority” and took on the role of city “Code Enforcer”. A former detective with the Keene police, (and I believe collecting a police pension) Fred has decided to make my property one of his pet projects and has begun a campaign of harassing me, my tenants, and most recently, my new neighbors next door. (Curiously, prior to Fred being hired, I hadn’t heard from code enforcement in five years. So, clearly there weren’t any glaring issues at the time upsetting anyone. The one time I did hear from code enforcement prior to the five years was due to the complaint from a city employee.)
I recently came home to discover Fred and his partner Josh, parked out front of my house, standing at my new neighbors’ door. They were just leaving and I inquired of Pete, who was there recording, as to what was going on. I was informed that they were threatening the neighbor over the car in their side yard. I informed Fred and Josh that I have no problem with their car being there and that I don’t appreciate them picking on my neighbors. Josh told me to stop eavesdropping, as though when strange men come threatening my neighbors that it’s not my business. I don’t know where Josh lives, but I want to live in a place where neighbors care that their neighbors are being threatened by aggressors.
Afterward, I spoke with the lady next door and assured her that I had not called code enforcement on them and nor would I. If I have an issue with a neighbor, I’ll do like a good neighbor should, and drop by to talk. She informed me that Fred claimed he’d gotten a complaint from another neighbor regarding their car in the yard, because the other neighbor had experienced code enforcers threatening them over the same issue. (more…)
Free Keene TV’s Ali Havens interviews several victims of the insane no trespass orders that have been leveled at activists for exercising their supposed rights to free speech and assembly:
“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Today, May 1, 2012 at 9:30am I signed a plea deal. Attached below are scanned copies of the terms. The long and short of it is that I will be going to jail for 60-115 days, starting May 7th at 4:20pm. Even though it will be a tough experience, I feel a sense of relief because I have certainty whereas I had none before.
I was facing 4 trials, with charges collectively totaling about 9 years in jail. Even if I were found not guilty by a jury in each case, I would still serve about 80 days jail time in fines. This is essentially a time-saver. It’s like a bully is forcing me to choose between the unattractive options of being kicked in the shins today or being knocked out sometime in the next year. By signing the plea deal, I’m mitigating my potential exposure to further harm.
Hindsight is 20/20, and while I’ve taken note of my mistakes, I don’t regret my actions because they were always totally peaceful. No one is alleging that I have harmed anybody or damaged any property. The past year in Keene has been an invaluable learning experience, and I’d prefer to take a hit for living free than to allow paralyzing fear to cause inaction.
Paul O’Day of Spofford writes to the Concord Monitor, calling out the head of the NH police chiefs, Richard Enfield for his lack of compassion:
