Cleaveland supporters across Facebook are using the picture to the right as their profile pic to show solidarity for Cleaveland 2014. Jump on the bandwagon!
If you are an undeclared voter in Keene’s Ward 1, you can walk into the polls, declare as democrat, vote for James Cleaveland in the race for State Representative district 4 (and Conan Salada in District 16 – for all of Keene, and me, Ian Freeman for Governor.) then on the way out “undeclare” again to retain your political independence.
The full Keene liberty-oriented primary voter’s guide is still-to-come. Stay tuned here to Free Keene.
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.
Ministers of three New Hampshire churches have filed tax exemption appeals with the Cheshire and Grafton superior courts. Peaceful Assembly Church, Shire Free Church: Monadnock, and Church of the Sword were each denied tax exemptions for their properties. Peaceful Assembly sought an exemption for their church building, while the other two sought exemptions for parsonages.
Brandon Ross, the attorney for Peaceful Assembly Church, was surprised by the town’s decision to deny exemption for their church building in Grafton, pointing out, “Peaceful Assembly Church has been around for several years. Seems plain as day they’re entitled to the tax exemption.” According to the filing by Ross in Grafton superior court, “the Grafton Selectmen argued that Peaceful Assembly did not ‘do enough’ for the community to earn a tax exemption (perhaps incorrectly believing that [tax exemption is] a quid-pro-quo arrangement).”
The filing adds, “the Town’s tax assessing agent, Avitar, basically recommended that the exemption be denied because they weren’t an IRS recognized church.” Of course, there is no requirement that a church apply for IRS recognition within NH statutes, nor should there be. Churches do not need government approval to exist and to be tax-exempt.
The ministers of the Shire Free Church: Monadnock argue in their appeal filed in Cheshire superior court that Keene tax assessor Mary Ann Robator engaged in viewpoint discrimination when she said, “When you refer to activists, I think that flies in the face of your church status.” (more…)
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.
To The Honorable Mayor Kendall Lane and Council ,
Considering the lack of use of and practical need for, as well as the derogatory impact on our fine city’s name, I write to ask that the City of Keene withdraw from the Homeland Security Grant dated January 20, 2011 and return the Specialized Mission CBRNE/WMD Rescue Vehicle, aka BearCat, to the appropriate government agency.
Terry M. Clark
City Councilor – Ward 3
The proposal will be heard for the first time at tomorrow’s full city council meeting (7pm, city hall) where it will be assigned to a committee for a public hearing (likely next week – we’ll let you know).
Terry Clark
You may recall the internationalheadlines that Keene garnered in 2011-2012 when the council meetings were packed full of people of all political persuasions to oppose the insane militaristic tank, and despite the mass opposition, the council voted for it anyway.
Now, in the aftermath of Ferguson, more of America has been given a taste of the militarized police, and they don’t like it. Kudos to Terry Clark for making a stand – again. Hopefully he won’t have to do it alone this time and other councilors will get a clue and do the right thing and send this metal monstrosity back to the depths whence it came.
James “Robin Hood” Cleaveland was in Keene district court today for an arraignment on three class A misdemeanor charges of “Disorderly Conduct”, “Disorderly Conduct”, and “Resisting Arrest”. The charges stem from a bullshit arrest made at the scene of a suicide in Keene a couple of months ago where James was attempting to record video of the situation.
James “Robin Hood” Cleaveland is running for state rep for the first time in Keene’s Ward 1 against another political newcomer. The race is starting to blaze up with a recent article that appeared in Sunday’s Keene Sentinel. If you live in Keene’s Ward 1 (click for a map), then please vote for James on Tuesday 9/9 at 400 Marlboro Road for State Representative Cheshire District 4 and help us bring the party to the state house!
