Sign this Petition to Help Medical Cannabis Patients

claytonClayton Holton is at every cannabis hearing at the state house that he can physically bring himself to, which is no easy task. Clayton has muscular dystrophy and lost his ability to walk at age 13. He enters the hearing rooms in his motorized wheelchair and every time tells the politicians the same story. For a decade he has been doing this and this year it finally looked like headway was being made. However, the NH Senate gutted critical provisions that will likely mean imminent death for Clayton. He doesn’t have much longer left. He needs your help by signing this petition asking governor Maggie Hassan to get a clue and let patients grow their own cannabis and have an affirmative medical defense – both things stripped from the bill at the request of the morally-vacant NH law enforcement establishment.

Here’s the petition, and here are Clayton’s own words on why you should sign it:

Because my weight is down to 63 pounds, and there are many other patients like me who can’t afford to wait.

As a 28-year-old battling muscular dystrophy, I’ve been fighting for my life since I lost my ability to walk at age 13.

I know from personal experience that medical marijuana works for me, having spent a summer in California several years ago. In the months that I was able to use it legally, I gained more than 10 pounds and was able to stop taking prescription pain medicines altogether. There is no cure for my condition, but medical marijuana relieves my pain and stimulates my appetite, dramatically improving my quality of life when I’m able to use it. (more…)

First Dialogue with Tom Mullins

courtjesterYesterday morning, I sat down with city attorney (or court jester to use the royal parlance) Thomas Mullins, who was responsible for signing the paperwork filing suit against the Merry (wo)Men allegedly associated with Robin Hood of Keene. I was trying to find out why I was named in a ‘harassment’ lawsuit along with five others. I came only to represent myself and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the city’s position is that the purpose of Robin Hood of Keene is to engage parking enforcement officers in psychological warfare. Mullins used the phrase “emotional violence” to describe Robin Hooding. “You want them to quit. Everybody wants them to quit,” Mullins asserted. “From our perspective, you’re trying to force the termination of these individuals by getting them to quit.”

It seems that city bureaucrats have some gross misconceptions about the goals of Robin Hood of Keene. Over the course of the meeting, there was no specific instance cited in which I had done anything to wrong parking enforcers. For this reason, I offered to agree continuing not to commit any crimes against parking enforcement and suggested others would likely do the same to bring about a mutually beneficial conclusion to the lawsuit. The city’s attorney wasn’t ready to put forward an agreement yet, but suggested that there will be discussion of such. Below is a transcript of the meeting constructed from memory and extensive written notes, as Mullins had refused to engage in dialogue if an objective record was to have been made. (more…)

“Prince” John Plotting to Raise Parking Fines and Rates

Prince John MacLeanI don’t know if they can just do it on their own or they’ll need city council approval, but the city of Keene people, according to a Sentinel article, want to raise both parking rates and fines over the next couple of years.

But, I thought they said the Robin Hooding crackdown wasn’t about revenue. Things that make you go hmm…

UPDATE: I’m told someone was told by a city councilor that any increase in rates or fines must be approved by city council and public comment must be heard by them. Should make for an interesting campaign issue this year!

Opening Dialogue with Keene City Bureaucrats

Today I took the initiative to do what lawyers do before taking cases before the court — discussing the matter with the opposition. After passing through district court security at City Hall, I headed upstairs to see if city attorney Thomas Mullins was available. We scheduled a time to meet tomorrow morning to discuss the world-famous Robin Hooding lawsuit. While not open carrying my camera at the time, Mullins laid down a non-negotiable prohibition on electronic recording as the condition under which he would be willing to have a dialogue. I find it unfortunate that city officials are not willing to be objectively accountable in dialogues regarding public matters, but I will be permitted to take at least written notes.nhrobinhood_ksee24

It’s worth considering that City Manager Prince John MacLean has regarded Robin Hooding as inherently “harassing” since he made public statements collectively deriding its participants in a Keene Sentinel cover story dated 11 April 2013. Prior to and after this, not once did any representative of the city raise concerns about “harassment and intimidation” to the accused directly as is alleged in the six-defendant lawsuit.

The condition upon which I enter the dialogue tomorrow is that I represent no person except for myself, and that no person represents I but myself. Mullins informed myself that if I were to have paid a lawyer to field the case for me, that he would then be prohibited from having communication with me in any manner but through my attorney.