This weekend there were nationwide anti-gun protests across the United States and one of them happened in Keene’s Central Square on Saturday morning. Nationally syndicated talk radio program “Free Talk Live” co-host Chris Rietmann came out with a sign announcing he was an AR-15 owner and inviting people to talk to him. Another talk show host, Vincent Freeman from “Questioning Authority” was there to document:
Also appearing in favor of freedom in the video is Robert from Vermont, a regular Free Talk Live caller. For all the people in NH who want to ban guns, they should just move to Massachusetts and they’ll instantly attain their goals.
Rietmann is a regular Thursday night co-host on Free Talk Live and Vincent’s show is live on Saturday nights. Both shows are streamed live now on Twitch in HD and of course are available in audio form via streaming and satellite on LRN.FM.
In April of 2017 Darryl and I were traveling back to Keene from Taco Beyondo in Hillsborough (they accept Bitcoin Core and DASH, by the way) and were waylaid by four armed, uniformed men. They surrounded the car and issued a written threat over what they call “misuse of plates” due to the Shire Society plate on the back of the car at the time.
This video contains the original pullover from April 2017, the full trial at Hillsborough District Court in New Hampshire in January 2018 and then the sentencing hearing from February 2018.
I was found guilty and sentenced to twelve hours of community service – but I had fun asking the cop some interesting questions in court. Enjoy the video:
One of the great things about the internet is the availability of information at the push of a button, and the ease with which people from around the globe can communicate. While this can be a powerful tool to help minority voices (including libertarians) publish their views, it has contributed greatly to the prevalence of the 24-hour news cycle. And with so many outlets competing for views, you end up with sensationalism, or what is now called click-bait. When social media is added into the equation, you end up with manufactured news, i.e. news reports about tweets and other posts on social media, and libertarians are not exempt from this either.
There’s an old saying, “you don’t have to attend every argument you are invited to.” And this is the reason I’m writing this letter. Stop! Yes, I know that arguing on the internet isn’t a new phenomenon and has been happening since the internet existed; I also know that libertarians have been arguing with other libertarians for decades. As Mark Twain once said, “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”
Believe me, there is life outside of social media and facebook drama. I’m not going to tell you how to spend your time, however I am going to suggest that maybe arguing on facebook isn’t the best use of your time and energy. If the goal “is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime,” then maybe you want to consider: volunteering in your community; attending and speaking at legislative committee hearings; running for office with a goal of educating voters about your beliefs, or volunteering to help such a candidate. And above all else, enjoy life. Go for a hike, go to the gym, run a 5k, watch a TV show, go to a sporting event, etc. Because at the end of the day, what’s the point of having a world set free if all you’re going to do with your freedom is argue on the internet?
Attorney Dan Hynes, also an A+ rated state representative by the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, appeared in the New Hampshire Supreme Court on Thursday morning and pointed out the absurdity of prohibiting female toplessness, absolutely eviscerating the city of Laconia’s clearly discriminatory ban. In contrast, the state’s attorney actually argued that it was an issue of morality as she simultaneously admitted that a woman could wear pasties over her nipples and then it would be legal, even if the pasties were printed photos of nipples!
Are there really people who believe that the sight of nipples on a woman is immoral, but because it’s legal to cover them with photos of nipples, then it’s now moral?
Further, what exactly is immoral about female nipples being shown in public?
In case you missed it, here’s the original Free the Nipple trial from the original Gilford arrests (the case prior to this one, where the ladies won at the district court level). Hynes does an excellent job and the entire thing is pretty entertaining: (more…)
That said, I was in the house Criminal Justice committee last week, as usual. Thursday had a particularly interesting batch of bills including drug defelonization, and abolishing DUI checkpoints.
HB 1283 would eliminate DUI checkpoints in New Hampshire. I spoke in favor. This is the full hearing video:
HB 1678 would change the penalties for first-time drug possession from felonies to misdemeanors. I spoke in favor. This is the full hearing video: (more…)
DISCLAIMER: I’m not actually part of Liberty Lobby (though I’ve donated my time to help). I don’t get paid to talk to the legislature. Last year Darryl W Perry launched Liberty Lobby (making him the first crowd-funded lobbyist) and I accompanied him to Concord’s state house and recorded a bunch of videos of our various testimony before the state house committees on a variety of issues. You can see them all on the Free Keene YouTube channel.
While we were both in Concord last week, the first week of the 2018 legislative session, we were actually never in the same committee hearing. He attends the election committee hearings (here’s his week wrapup post), and I’m frequently in criminal justice and judiciary committees. So, here are the videos from the hearings I attended:
HB 1566 – This is the most ridiculous video of all of them from Week 1. Keene’s worst state rep, Delmar Burridge, a lover of big, oppressive government, proposed a bill to restrict open carry in multiple places statewide. I spoke against it and he was literally bouncing in his seat with excitement when I pointed out how it was wrong to try to force societal change from the top down. He disagrees, of course. You can jump straight to my testimony here. Here’s the full hearing video:
HB 1778 – State Rep Dick Marple proposes a bill to abolish driver licensing except for commercial purposes. I spoke in favor. This is the full hearing: (more…)
