All speakers were pro-liberty and against regulation.
A half-dozen liberty activists from Keene carpooled up to the Legislative Office Building in Concord yesterday for the first publicly-attended meeting of the New Hampshire state house “Commission to Study Cryptocurrency”.
The audience was filled with mostly liberty-friendly folks. There were a few lobbyists present, but the only one who spoke was Darryl W Perry of the new Liberty Lobby LLC. The overall message from the speakers was against any regulations whatsoever, and the chairman of the committee, Representative John Hunt of Rindge, spoke favorably of the free market and seemed against any regulations. There was only one real proponent of regulation, Maryam Torben-Desfosses. She was representing the NH Banking Department and it’s her job to regulate, so it’s no surprise she was there speaking in favor.
The goal of the commission is to either recommend for or against regulation of cryptocurrency. After hearing from several speakers, the commission scheduled its next meeting for October 6th at 10am, room 302 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord.
As we have for the past few years, the Keene Liberty Alliance conducted an exit poll on state primary day asking the question, “Is government too big, too small, or just right?”. This year we polled for about two hours in the evening outside of Keene’s ward four and seventy people responded to the question, with 42 of 70 (60%) choosing “too big” and 28 (40%) choosing “just right”. No one who responded thought government was “too small”.
Also, thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Democratic gubernatorial primary this year. I ran under the NH Liberty Party banner again as I did in 2014 and received 1,069 or 1.47% of the votes cast, putting me in fourth place out of five. That’s not quite as many votes as the 1,719 I received in 2014, but I likely got some protest votes then against Maggie Hassan who was the incumbent at the time. Given my 2016 campaign spent all of $5 on postage and a few bucks on gasoline to drive to media interviews, that’s a pretty good dollars-spent-to-votes-received ratio.
In 2012, Darryl W. Perry was frustrated with New Hampshire’s embarrassingly ineffective Libertarian Party and its unwillingness to promote the idea of New Hampshire declaring independence from the United States. He joined me and Conan Salada in founding a competitor to the Libertarian Party of NH, which we called the New Hampshire Liberty Party. Darryl has served a key role on our state executive committee ever since, running the yearly conventions and handling the member rolls, in addition to running for office.
This year, Darryl ran for the presidential nomination from the national Libertarian Party and sadly did not receive it, as the LP for years has been compromised on its principles. They proved it yet again with this year’s nomination of Gary Johnson, a former Republican – not a libertarian and definitely not a secessionist.
Darryl followed up his presidential run by launching a principled lobbying firm to focus on NH called Liberty Lobby, he’s lost over a hundred pounds in the last year or so, and just this weekend was unanimously elected to the position of chairman of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, ousting the previous no-show chairman who held the seat for years.
It’s a positive sign for the Libertarian Party of NH, which has been floundering for years. The LP of NH has long been a black mark on the otherwise vibrant libertarian community we have here in the Shire. Hopefully Darryl’s election to chair with Rodger Paxton, also a member of the NH Liberty Party, being newly elected to the LP’s vice-chair position will bode well for the future of the LP in New Hampshire. If we’re lucky, we’ll see them add a plank about NH independence into the LP of NH’s party platform in 2017.
Darryl has put in his resignation as a co-chair of the NH Liberty Party as a result of his election to the Libertarian Party chair role, as his time is already limited due to his many activist projects. I wish him the best. We’ll continue our role as New Hampshire’s only pro-secession political party, fielding candidates, and actively seek a new co-chair, though filling Darryl’s shoes is a tall order.
I could technically still be in jail today for the “crimes” from the movie.
Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree, a full-length feature documentary about my five arrests in Keene, New Hampshire, unleashed itself to the world in Keene Cinemas four years ago today. It’s been viewed on YouTube over 175,000 times.
The world has changed since then. Recording law enforcers is now commonplace. Enforcers in a dozen more states now leave peaceful pot smokers alone. The top series on Netflix is a show about prison overpopulation. Everyone knows that the people calling themselves “the government” spy on their computers, emails, phone calls, and texts, but digital privacy is now possible for all thanks to new apps and devices with built-in encryption. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are now beginning to come into wide use.
There’s a lot of reason to be hopeful. Now more than ever, the world is ready for you to question your obedience. Dozens have told me the movie inspired them to move to New Hampshire. That’s the most rewarding part of the experience. In the end, I was facing 9 years if convicted of all charges (none involving a victim). I was sentenced to 540 days in jail, and I ended up serving 60 for my “crime spree.”
Friends made it possible: Ian Freeman (producer), Beau Davis (editor), and the people of the Shire Society who inspire action. I hope Victimless Crime Spree inspires you to achieve more freedom, peace, happiness, and the object of your dreams.
I had the pleasure of being a guest on “Windham Watch” with host Mary Griffin, a longtime state representative who is just about the sweetest little old lady anyone could imagine. She did her research on me and had some really great questions! This was easily the most fun I’ve had in my 2016 campaign for governor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet Mary and be on her show for a full episode!
We covered various issues including New Hampshire independence, drug prohibition, peace, and more!
Abbott’s own laws didn’t stop him from allegedly driving drunk.
State representative Michael D. Abbott was charged earlier this year with “aggravated driving while intoxicated” after allegedly causing a multiple car collision on Route 9 with a BAC of 0.16 or more. Now his name is going to appear on the ballot for possible re-election.
Worse still, according to the NH Liberty Alliance’s 2016 ratings, Abbott ranks as “Constitutional Threat” the lowest, most anti-liberty rating possible. The Desert Lynx reports that Abbott’s votes are to continue the war against his fellow man:
He voted three times against legalizing, decriminalizing, and reducing penalties for marijuana use and possession. He also voted for increased fines related to breaking alcohol consumption laws…Icing on the cake: Abbott sits on the Transportation Committee.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident allegedly caused by the hypocritical prohibitionist. Clearly though, his precious “get tough” laws didn’t stop him. Interestingly, according to the filings at Keene District Court, he’s entered a not guilty plea and retained an attorney. Trial is set for 10am at Keene District Court on November 22nd. 67-year-old Abbott is out on $2,000 personal recognizance bond.
Of course, there’s no way to totally stop drunk driving, but maybe some different approaches instead of prohibitionist measures can affect the numbers and save lives? Start with eliminating zoning rules preventing neighborhood pubs or running businesses from inside a home and you’ll see fewer people driving to go drink if they can walk there instead. Plus, eliminating regulations restricting the transportation industry like taxis and ride-sharing will increase competition and bring prices down and availability up. When ride-sharing services UBER and Lyft were regulated out of Austin, TX this year, drunk driving went up.
I don’t know who is worth voting for in Cheshire District 1’s house race this November, but it’s definitely not Michael D. Abbott. Stay tuned to Free Keene for the latest on this case.
