Vehicle inspection is nothing more than a racket for auto shops being operated by the people calling themselves the “State of New Hampshire”. As Free Keene blogger Conan Salada points out during his testimony at trial this week, the auto repair shop he went to gave him quotes for what Conan determined were unnecessary repairs in order to pass the vehicle inspection. This happens to people all the time and allows unscrupulous auto repair shops to take advantage of ignorant drivers.
But wait, don’t we need mandatory yearly inspections to keep cars as safe as possible on the roads? Actually, no. Not all really cold states have mandatory vehicle inspections and there’s no evidence those states’ roads are any more dangerous. Turns out, the market handles safety just fine.
Meanwhile, the crime gang known as the State of New Hampshire continues to prosecute and convict people for taking care of their cars how they want. Here’s the full trial video from this week in Keene District Court. Conan is ultimately found guilty and sentenced to a little community service:
This one was easy. Libertarians are always in favor of individual rights, in this case the right of self-defense and the defense of others. Given that libertarians are against aggressive force, they support the use of defensive force as a way to stop aggressors. No one should have to ask permission to defend themselves or own whatever they feel is necessary to defend themselves. That includes felons who should have their gun rights restored.
A month ago I started my website totalanarchy.info. Unlike Free Keene, this site will not be limited to issues and events pertaining to New Hampshire. We will discuss current events, common philosophical questions, and film shows hopefully once a week. The goal is to spread the message by taking the NAP to its logical conclusions.
Anypay founder Steven Zeiler (left) talks with Darryl W Perry at the grand opening of Portsmouth’s Free State Bitcoin Shoppe in September
Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based cryptocurrency merchant payment processor Anypay has officially announced their exciting new DASH-Back program and Keene was chosen as one of the test markets! What is DASH-Back? Imagine instant rebates on every purchase you make at award-winning local merchants. No filling out forms, giving up your personal information, or waiting weeks for the rebate. It’s instant.
Now stop imagining, because this is real and it’s really happening in downtown Keene and the Monadnock region (and now all of New Hampshire).
I’ve tested DASH-Back in and around Keene and it’s working at what I would call ridiculous levels. It’s not hard to get 20% or more back on a purchase at merchants like Corner News, Local Burger, Hot Hogs BBQ, Little Zoe’s Pizza, Curry Indian Restaurant, Thirsty Owl, Lineage Vapors, and Route 101 Local Goods. (Plus in Alstead there’s Kirby’s Q and Hillsboro’s Taco Beyondo.) Even service providers like Wilder Automotive and Dr. Drower Dentistry are accepting DASH via Anypay’s system, which means DASH-Back is active at all those local businesses! Here’s a handy map of area businesses that accept DASH as well as area DASH Vending Machines.
Thanks to Anypay for the awesome incentive to spend cryptocurrency at local merchants across New Hampshire.
Hello, I’m Ian Freeman. As you may know by now, I filed last month to run as a Libertarian for NH Senate district 10 (the Keene area). As with my previous campaigns, I’m not accepting campaign contributions though I will certainly accept media requests and fill out candidate questionnaires sent by various interest groups from across NH and beyond.
Additionally, I’ll be posting those filled-out questionnaires online for everyone to see. Starting with the first one I’ve received and just mailed back today, to the National Education Association of New Hampshire (NEA-NH). Click for PDF.
I’ll also use these posts as an opportunity to state my position in much-easier-to-read text on the various issues raised by the interest groups. So, here’s a summary of what I said to them regarding education:
The problems with public education today aren’t the people running the system. They are good people who genuinely want to help educate the youth and are doing their best under the circumstances. The problem with the system is that it is “public”, meaning government-run and funded through coercive taxation.
Government schools, whether they be standard or charter are never going to rise to the level of quality they could reach if they were self-owning competitors in a free market in education. Instead, because of the one-system-fits-all structure of the government schools, everyone is brought down to the lowest common denominator and there are constant public fights between interest groups and political parties over how the money is to be spent. The NEA questionnaire brings up multiple issues that people are frequently warring over including pensions, charter schools, and vouchers. None of these things would be an issue in a free market in education. People could just choose to support the school models they like. No need for fighting with your neighbors.
The school people are good, but the system sucks.
I’ve proposed this before locally on a talk show and was told by the host (a former city councilor, Cynthia Georgina) that it would be great, but that it can’t happen.
Well, why not? Just because government schools have existed in our lifetimes and have been funded through taxes doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. Change your beliefs, and you’ll change reality.
How do we get from here – where education is provided by the slow, expensive monopoly on violence known as the State of New Hampshire – to the free market in education where a thousand ideas can bloom without any coercion?
In order to create as much of a win-win transition to the market as possible, I propose each government school be turned into a self-owning, market-based school with shares of ownership distributed to all current and retired school staff. This would set the schools free to determine their own future. They figure out funding, retirement, rules, curriculum, etc. If they fail, they can sell off their assets, like anyone else who fails in the market. If they succeed, they’ll do that by satisfying their customers. Anyone who doesn’t like their educational model would just choose to send their child elsewhere. (more…)
There are reports that the city of Dover, NH have passed a law that threatens anyone under 21 who possesses tobacco products. There are approximately 433 people in Dover who are under 21 and not already victimized by regular laws that oppress adults under the age of 18. The ordinance takes effect on July 4th. (more…)
As many readers of FreeKeene.com are aware, Ademo Freeman’s physical body is now caged. His crime? Well, there is none, as ‘crime’ implies a violation of the law. Ademo did not do that — he did not cause harm to another person. He is, however, guilty of violating legalese — the arbitrary, convoluted dictates penned by some busy bodies and enforced by an unthinking chain of their colleagues.
Cop Block founder and Free Keene blogger Ademo Freeman has been arrested while driving in Lebanon, Ohio by Ohio State Police. Despite Ademo not consenting to a search, trooper Jeffrey Martin claimed that because he allegedly smelled the odor of cannabis, that he had probable cause to search.
After that road pirate interaction, in which over 20 pounds of cannabis were discovered in the vehicle Ademo was driving, he was threatened with the prospect of spending decades caged. After weighing his options, on April 10th of this year, Ademo took a plea deal. The ‘distribution’ charge hanging over his head was tossed and he pled guilty to possessing cannabis. He’s due to be free(r) on November 27th of this year.
