This column by state representative Mark Warden appears in the Union Leader, where he expresses frustration with the new gas tax and dumb GPS rules:
This year’s New Hampshire Legislature has launched an attack on anyone who drives an automobile. The Democrat-led House passed two major pieces of legislation that will adversely affect commuters as well as tourists visiting the Granite State.
The first is a four-cent (23 percent) increase in the gasoline tax. Driving to work, taking the kids to school and going on a weekend trip will all be more expensive. Then there is the impact it will have on groceries and other products because of the increased cost of transporting goods to market. Trucking and other transportation businesses will pass along higher expenses to consumers.
This gas tax increase will have negative effects on an already sluggish economy. While many agree that the condition of many roads is lacking, it’s not for lack of funding. The problem with this new legislation is that the money is diverted to other uses that benefit drivers in other parts of the state (such as the I-93 widening project). Only 12 percent of the new revenue is earmarked for grants to municipalities.
This past Saturday three members of the anti-Free Keene group, STOPFREEKEENE!!!, made an appearance on WKBK’s Sound Off to argue their case and air their grievances against the liberty community here in Keene. Callers from both sides of the aisle flooded the lines during the two hour segment. All irrelevant call-ins have been edited from the audio. B-roll depicts a few individuals from the group and their ridiculous war on smiley faces that was caught on film the previous week.
People’s BBQ recap • Breaking down the opposition. Why do they hate? • Heroes of Keene rid the town of smiley faces • Robin Hooder assaulted • James and Garret join • Show notes at: BlackSheepRising.org
Also be sure to check out our epic review of Furious 6 staring race car racer Vic Diesel. Enjoy.
The case dates back to 2010 where Carla was arrested for recording a traffic stop in Weare (home of notoriously corrupt police who have arrested other activists for the same). Police dropped the charges against Carla before trial, which included a “wiretapping” charge. Carla, with the help of liberty attorney Seth Hipple, sued in federal district court. Her suit alleged the Weare police violated her rights, particularly those ostensibly protected by the 1st amendment to the US constitution. Weare PD motioned the district court for “summary judgement” based on claimed “qualified immunity” protecting the officers from liability. The district court denied them qualified immunity, so Weare’s attorneys filed an “interlocutory appeal” to challenge the district court’s decision.
The 1st Circuit US Court of Appeals is the same court from which the Glik decision emanated. Glik is cited multiple times in the 21-page Gericke decision as evidence that the right to record government workers, especially police, is protected by the 1st amendment. The court’s decision makes it clear that the officers do not have “qualified immunity” because they, were they acting as reasonable officers, should have recognized Carla’s right to record the scene.
The appeals court ruled in Carla’s favor and now the case goes back to federal district court to proceed ahead in civil court, with the officers not protected from liability by “qualified immunity”, a protective shield typically given to bureaucrats supposedly to protect them from personal liability from mistaken decisions. Unless the case is settled by the town of Weare or PD, it will proceed. Stay tuned for the latest.
On May 20th, 2014 NH Governor Maggie Hassan used the back drop of a highway construction site to sign into law an increase on the state tax on gas. This was most likely done to show that they plan on using the extra stolen funds to finish a project that was already started with stolen funds. Further, NH State Troopers were used to shut down the highway when the Governor and the rest of the participants in the signing ceremony were traveling from the staging area to the construction site. Free Staters in collaboration with the NH chapter of Americans for Prosperity joined in a protest of this increased theft by the state. Even though many with in the liberty community disagree with some positions of the AFP(this blogger included), there is a benefit when working toward common goals. Especially when that goal is to reject theft at the hands of the state. I hope to see more collaborative work among Free Staters and any group or organization that shares the same goals of a specific issue. Free Keene bloggers Joel Valenzuela and Rich Paul were also took part in this protest.
New Hampshire has already firmly established itself as the main source of liberty media for the world and more content continues to be created! It appears that “Shire Liberty News”, a new blog, launched online several months ago. Editor Sandy Pierre positions the blog as “Spotlighting activism in New Hampshire” and the site also features opinion pieces, including the blog’s most recent post, about civil disobedience.
Here’s hoping the new blog will keep the content flowing!
This column by state representative Mark Warden appears in the Union Leader, where he expresses frustration with the new gas tax and dumb GPS rules:![Gericke_Carla2008[1]](https://i0.wp.com/freekeene.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Gericke_Carla20081.gif)
