Denis Goddard's blog

WHAT: Celebration! Friends! Freedom! Glory! Free Cake!!
WHERE: Murphy's Taproom, 494 Elm St, Manchester [ Map ]
WHEN: Tuesday, June 9th, 8:00 PM
WHY: WE DID IT!!

The short story is that the Governor has PROMISED TO SIGN Same-Sex Marriage into law if modest changes are made to the bill!

YAAAAAAAYYY!!!

Governor Lynch's statement here

From WorldNetDaily:
A 16-year-old homeschooled boy from North Carolina was taken away from his home in handcuffs two months ago and has been held by the FBI in Indiana ever since, a victim, his mother claims, of the Patriot Act spun out of control.

PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES: WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU REALIZE YOU LIVE IN A POLICE STATE?

NH State Senator Sylvia Larson... willing to sell my freedom for under three bucks (seat belt bill) and tax me more to get a nice bathroom near her office.

Gee, thanks Sylvia.

HB648, a bill which would legalize marijuana for medical uses, overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives yesterday, in a 234 - 138 roll call vote. Yippee!

But the good news doesn't stop there -- not only is Governor Lynch not expected to veto the bill if it lands on his desk... he's even taking photo-opportunities with the bill's supporters! Here's the governor, posing with a bunch of activists in front of the State House. The activists' buttons and stickers are all in support of the bill.

Photo courtesy Jean Coutu, NH CAACP

On to the Senate!

This excellent article in the Wall Street Journal has a great title, one worthy of Granite Staters:
In the Land of 'Live Free or Die,' Some Refuse to Buckle Under Pressure

I confess, my favorite bit is the description of Rep. Jordan Ulery, one of the more feisty, pro-freedom native New Hampshirites in the State House:

Rep. Jordan Ulery, an opponent of the bill, snorted as Rep. Kelly described how New Hampshire would use the $3.7 million in federal funds. "I love that Big Brother wants to tell me how to live," he said, punching his fist in the air. He added, "New Hampshire is a sovereign state; we can do as we damn well please."

Damn right, sir. Damn right. And I love what one blogger wrote in an open email to nanny-statist NH Senator Maggie Hassan:

Who the hell do you think you are? We don't want or need you coming here and telling us what we can and cannot do. Go back to Taxachusetts where you belong. Get the hell out of New Hampshire and don't come back here. People like you are ruining this state and turning it into a clone of Taxachusetts.

The WSJ also has a great video for the article; see below. Thank you for the excellent reporting, WSJ and Jennifer Levitz!

These folks were at Liberty Forum. Good stuff!

Congrats to the freedom-fighters in Salem, Rindge, Kingston, Hampstead, and Allenstown. In each case, voters in the town approved a cap limiting the increase of town spending. And we know: less government spending equals less taxes (and less government, period!)

The nanny-statists and the Federal government are working hard to cram a primary-enforcement seat belt law down New Hampshire's throat. NH activists are organizing boycotts against the groups pushing for these laws. While the bill passed the House, it is being fought hard in the Senate! See the full story for video highlights

NH Rep. Dan Itse is a sponsor of NH HCR6, a bill that declares the US Constitution null and void if certain lines are crossed by the Federal government. I interviewed him on my show; the title of the interview is A Line in the Sand

Now it seems other bloggers are picking up the story and running with it. Here's a great piece with a great title: New Hampshire talks Civil War against feds!

UPDATE: The ChipIn was a success! The DVD is with the replication service right now. We'll be distributing them to every State Rep, Senator, Exec Councilor, and the Governor, starting next week! If you'd like to help, check for postings on the NHLA Calendar

What is the greatest obstacle to getting people to truly agree with the pro-liberty message? Simple -- it is getting them to understand that Government is force. As George Washington put it, "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master."

One someone understands this about Government, they have begun the slow process of discovering Liberty.

The NH House and Senate are about to come into session. Many of the legislators will be first-term newbies. Many more -- the vast majority -- have never come across the message of freedom and liberty in a clear, digestible format.

We have a golden opportunity now. For the first time, we have multiple, libertarian Free-Staters elected to both major parties and sitting on multiple House committees. These people will be making our message known to the other legislators. But, as with any advertisement, that message needs to come from multiple different channels and to be presented in a variety of media to be an effective "sale"

The Philosophy of Liberty animation is a perfect way to get across our pro-Liberty message. It's short, it's simple, and it's entertaining. It's also something that Democrats and Republicans alike can find "hooks" to agree with. Each disc will be hand-delivered to each Legislator's seat in committee, along with the attached cover letter.

This is a brand-new experiment. The animation has been around for years, but to the best of my knowledge, never before in history has an entire legislative body been exposed to the message in this form. At least among Libertarian circles, this is quite a newsworthy event -- just the kind of thing that makes the FSP unique!

This legislative session, any time you contact a State Rep -- whether to talk about marijuana policy reform, education, gun rights, or mandatory seat-belts -- you will know for sure they have a copy of this video. You don't have to start from "Square One"; you can refer back to this video. When you call them, it will not be the first time they have heard that "government is force" -- not even the second time.

I do not believe that simply getting these DVDs into the hands of the legislature will suddenly turn New Hampshire into a truly Free State. I do believe, however, that a few bucks from you could bring about a powerful political experiment that has never before been tried in the history of the United States.

Please, if you value the effort I have put forth over the past few years, take a moment now to chip in and help me in this one.

Thank you.

The New Hampshire Constitution, Part I, Articles III and X, make it clear that in certain circumstances, replacing the government is both legal and indeed is a moral imperative.

Cheesy? Yes. Painfully homemade? Yes. Accurate? YES!!

Just one more reason I love The Economist: their weekly cartoon.

So true.
So very, disturbingly, horrifically true.