Keene city councilor Terry Clark, a vocal opponent of the militarization of police, recently proposed that the Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck (BEARCAT) obtained through a Homeland Security grant in 2012, be returned to its giftors. The mayor of Keene successfully prevented the proposal from being considered by the full council, by filing the proposal as ‘informational’. When Clarke objected to the improper classification of his proposal, only two other councilors of fifteen — Emily Hague and Bettina Chadbourne — sided with Clarke, resulting in the defeat of the proposal before it would be seriously considered. Mayor Kendall Lane, who held the same office during discussion on the matter in years past, was caught on an audiorecording of a meeting hushedly whispering to another city official, “We’re gonna get our own tank”. Despite the lack of change in Keene’s status relative to the attack truck, statewide coverage of the situation in Keene has been featured in a video segment by WMUR, received front page coverage in today’s Union Leader, and has also sparked a hilarious satirical police blotter written by Lionel Beehner of the Huffington Post.
A delivery truck was double-parked in front of the Fun Suds Laundromat. Police called the EOD bomb squad to cordon off the block in search of suspected Iranian-made IEDs, while an F-16 provided air support. NSA was notified to check its foreign transcripts for any explicit threats made against Keene or the state of New Hampshire. No threats were made and no IEDs were found. The truck was towed.
The 13th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. The warhawks and the nationalists like to wave the “Never Forget” mantra around, but forget what exactly? What the F actually happened on that day and does anyone really even care? Join us – Rapsher, Mat Roach, Joe Mirzoeff, and myself – as we take a hard look at the events on that tragic day.
Question 9/11 = instant kook. Thanks Alex Jones • Pulling WTC7 and molten f-ing steel • Military Industrial Complex hard at work: free tanks for all • Joe’s recommended reading • Mainstream news completely scripted • Show notes at: BlackSheepRising.org
It appears the city council of Keene wants to continue to be the laughingstock of the world. Terry Clark, the heroic councilor who stood alone against the BEARCAT police tank foisted on us in 2012 by the Department of Homeland Security, had put forth a proposal to return the military hardware. The proposal was heard for the first time at tonight’s city council meeting, where it was shot down.
Rather than respecting Clark’s request for a public hearing on the matter, “mayor” Kendall Lane deemed Clark’s proposal as “informational”. This is a common tactic to blow the issue off the table and silence any discussion on the matter from the public. Normally, this is how proposals by us normal folk are treated, but city councilors’ proposals are generally given deference and are sent to a sub-committee for a public hearing. Not in this case. Despite councilor Emily Hague coming to Clark’s aid and objecting to Lane’s blow-off, they could not garner near enough votes to override Lane’s move. Only Emily Hague, Terry Clark, and Bettina Chadbourne voted to override – the rest voted to take it as “informational”.
What happened to Carl Jacobs and David Meader, two newer councilors who in 2012 had originally joined Clark (along with Bettina Chadbourne) in opposing the BEARCAT? I was informed by council-observers that Jacobs and Meader voted with the mayor and for the BEARCAT this time. Shameful.
Kudos to Terry Clark, Bettina Chadbourne, and Emily Hague for standing against police militarization.
What is next? Council elections are next year. Hopefully the voters won’t forget this and clean house. Meantime, can the people of Keene do anything to keep this issue alive? My understanding is the issue is no longer valid until it can be re-issued in 2015. Please correct me if I am wrong.
This remarkable installment of the AKPF #1 series, Islemon State, offers a creative new way to view rapidly developing modern history as we see the rise of new and old cultural tendencies across the globe. Featuring specially illustrated footage sourced everywhere from the Islamic State held territories to Ferguson, Missouri. Stay tuned for a special closing segment featuring small, fluffy baby bunnies.
Thanks to the Keene Sentinel’s Alyssa Dandrea for the front-page, above-the-fold article that featured me and the other candidates for governor in the democrat primary. I’ll include the text below.
Speaking of those primary opponents, Maggie Hassan received a “F” from the NH Firearms Coalition in their candidate assessment. I am honored to receive an “A”. (Clecia Terrio did not reply to the survey.) In the local state rep races, James Cleaveland received an “A” and Conan Salada a “B”.
The primary is on September 9th and you can register and vote the same-day.
In this creative installment of AKPF #1, Magic Mountains, viewers are treated to lush scenery and engaging verbal information from the annual Vermont Freedom and Unity Festival, held this year on Saturday August 16, 2014. Included in this special episode is a sneak peak at the upcoming Cheshire TV program, Amish’s Outdoor Aventures, hosted by Amish Paul and featuring nature journeys in all variety of colorful places, weather conditions, and mental states.
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