Common Misunderstandings and Confusion About Free Keene

ericksonFirst, a thanks to whoever (Josh Erickson, I think) wrote the apology to me over at the SFK blog. I had been accused previously on their blog of contacting their webhosting company, which I didn’t do. The subsequent thread about the apology on the SFK!!! facebook group revealed a severe misunderstanding of what Free Keene is. Here’s a post from SFK!!! member Ed Lake:

An apology to Ian was needed and a great thing that it happened, But the story stays the same, just need to change the name “Ian” and replace it with a Free Keene member and blogger, requested the page be removed. At the end of the day the over all story doesn’t change, just the name of the guilty party, but Free Keene as a whole was behind it. We need to take note from this, once you are part of a group and do something for/with the group, it affects the entire group, good or bad, You are no longer an individual when you speak for a group. We succeed together and we fail together.

“Free Keene” has never been behind anything. Only individuals do things, and in this case, the company was contacted by Jay Freeville. He did this not as part of a group, or at anyone’s behest. Personally, I wouldn’t have bothered to do something like that, and the other dozen+ bloggers here all likely have their own opinions about it.

In the same way, just because SFK members Dan and Kay Georgina demolished countless chalk smiley faces over the weekend in Central Square, doesn’t mean that “STOP FREE KEENE!!!” was doing it. There may be people in SFK who don’t agree with what Dan and Kay did. Not everyone in the SFK group is responsible for what the others do or say. They can, as FK’s bloggers can, speak out and air their concerns or disagreement, but they can’t stop Dan and Kay from continuing the smiley genocide.

Ed Lake is wrong – people in groups should be seen as individuals, unless they are claiming to speak with 100% of the group’s approval. I would never blame SFK’s Josh Erickson for what SFK’s Kim Diemond says or does, and the same courtesy should be given to our bloggers. Also, keep in mind that there are far more activists who are NOT Free Keene bloggers than who are. Some of those activists are angry people. That’s one reason they’ve never been invited to blog at Free Keene. Just because they are part of the same freedom movement doesn’t mean we agree completely or that they are in any way affiliated with Free Keene’s message of Peaceful Evolution. Case in point: (more…)

AKPF #1: Recyclical

Today’s controversial Cheshire TV weekly installment features a variety of diverse perspectives in media dating from as recently as two days ago to as far back as four years kurtrussellakpfago. Budgetary hearings come full circle as performance artists dominate in the state house, baked drivers take to the obstacle course, the world’s history is relayed with eggs, and anti-chalk hooliganism takes hold in Keene.

00:00 – Warning disclaimer to Cheshire TV audience
00:10 – I’ve Seen the Future monologue
03:41 – History of the World as told by Eggs
11:13 – Corporate News presents stoned drivers taking to the roads, safely
16:27 – The anti-chalk apocalypse, war on smiley faces genocide (de agua)
22:44 – The Law’s Coming, hell’s coming performance art
26:12 – Derrick J files some motions at the court
28:50 – End disclaimer segment

Black Sheep Rising: Ep. 47 (Family Friendly Censored Edition)

The producers of AKPF #1 are pleased to present this special edition family friendly censored edition of the forty-seventh episode of controversial Cheshire television ji_bsr2talk series Black Sheep Rising. In this invigorating episode which originally published to the world on 14 May 2014, Conan, James, Garret, and Shaunna discuss wordly affairs as well as the present tribulations facing the restructuring Aqua Keene Parking Force. Also featuring a special official New Hampshire state vodka tasting in the program’s second hour. See the show notes and original uncensored cut of the episode as published to the official page of the Black Sheep Rising.

New, Anonymous “STOP FREE KEENE!!!” Blog Claims Transparency

The freedom-fearing folks of “STOP FREE KEENE!!!” have apparently started an anonymous blog site.  The site claims on its “Get Involved” page, “we believe in transparency”, yet readers have no idea who is writing the articles.

Of course, actual transparency can be found here at Free Keene.  We have a list of all our bloggers, biographical information, and even photos of each, and have had it from the beginning of Free Keene’s existence.  Each blog post here at FK is attributed to a specific blogger, unlike SFK’s site.

Another important difference is that FK’s bloggers are willing to talk with people who disagree in real life and online, whereas many of SFK’s members thus far have shown an unwillingness to communicate with their neighbors.  Their blog’s comments are moderated, meaning each comment must be approved by the site admins. (EDIT/UPDATE: They appear to have changed their moderation settings to either allow all comments or allow all after one approval, as I am now able to post without pre-moderation.) 

In contrast, the Disqus commenting system we have here at Free Keene allows anyone to post, though there is a moderation system which at times on its own will hold up certain posts.  Those auto-moderated posts are usually approved, provided they are not spam, racism, or advocating violence.  People masquerading as others are also not welcome to comment at FK.  However, anyone can post here with anonymity and by default comments are not moderated.

In real life at the recent “STOP FREE KEENE!!!” silent protest, I am told there was a middle-aged man (not a liberty activist) who came up and attempted to talk to SFK’s Joshua Erickson, (one of the administrators of their facebook group, a self-described socialist) and inquire of him about their protest.  Josh apparently refused to speak to the man, but Free Keene blogger, James “Robin Hood” Cleaveland was more than happy to talk to the gentleman when he inquired, and they had a great conversation.  (Some of which you can hear in the background of the video from the event.)

To SFK’s credit, they did have an awesome turnout at their event.  Unlike their predecessor, the long-defunct “Keene Matters” blog from 2007, SFK actually has a real-life presence.  Too bad not even the heads of the organization will talk to anybody about their ideas, whatever those are.  So much for transparency.

One more interesting thing in the realm of transparency, some of SFK’s members have bragged about their facebook group having over 1,000 members. (more…)

AKPF #1: Year of Television

AKPF #1, a series that began bringing the internet to the television over one year ago, celebrates this week its revolutionary anniversary episode. With DPRK fireworks erupting over opening credits, the scene unfolds from the People’s BBQ in Central Square, which was enjoyed on Friday, March 9 between five and seven pm. With approximately thirty tacos distributed to the people, a strictly regimented battalion of STOP FREE KEENE!!! silent ObamaCoin-1aprotesters picketed the barbecue, facing traffic at the head of the grassy roundabout. What occurs is street preaching, sociological analyses, and fetishistic disavowal. Following the feature, we cut to two days prior, as local business Phat Stuff is pillaged by the Drug Enforcement Agency operating at the behest of the federal department of justice. Be sure to stay tuned until the show’s conclusion for a brief Obamacoin presentation.