Wow! Does word spread fast?! Well, today I am handling a bit of housekeeping and giving our readers an update to our happenings. This past afternoon, I had the absolute pleasure to have lunch with the former Governor of Vermont, Dr. Howard Dean, amongst others. The discussion hit on a few topics, like how Barack Obama is fairing as president, about Robert A. Caro (a particularly interesting topic for me as he wrote a book about Robert Moses), and even the Free State Project. I figured to ask him of his opinion regarding that group and he had a good chuckle, especially when he heard that they have a strong presence in Keene, and then stated that they “chose the wrong town to deal with.” After the lunch, I decided to sit down and really think about what he said and saw that it was true. Why of any city in the state would Free Staters choose one of the most Democratic cities in the state? The general population has views that are on the opposite side of the political spectrum and have a pretty solid history of maintaining those views. If anything, shouldn’t the Free Staters have based themselves in a far more Republican part of the state, like Bedford or Amherst? Or even up north more, like Ed & Elaine Brown territory? Interesting.
Now comes some of the nitty-gritty that most readers come here to see (ahem, Free Staters). It has come to my attention that a few alarms went off when people saw my connection with a couple of Free Keeners. Well, let’s name the people I know: Nick Ryder, Toby Iselin, Brenna Iselin, the Manning Brothers, and Nick Michelewicz. So, how do I know these people? I have to assume that no one wants to mention this, but I helped produce Free Minds TV in the spring and summer of 2007. That’s fine. I wouldn’t admit that I knew someone that had differing views than I did and decided to create a blog that would create a medium to share the other views that Keene residents have on politics and would seem to be a threat on my political ideologies. What embarrasses the entire Free Keene crowd is that I sat in the control room listening to their discussions (never did they have two opposing sides, though), their ideas, and questioned them to myself as everyone else was all “Liberty!!” and “Anti-Establishment!!” I slipped in so well that I was providing content to Dale and Toby to talk about on their shows. It’s nice seeing utter confusion when people don’t want to tell the truth about their connections and who they ask to help them in the control room.
I also wanted to mention something I find extremely peculiar. I have known Nick Ryder for a good amount of time and I have noticed that he is running for city council. It made me think a little bit and it came to me that this was an odd arrangement: a libertarian who does not agree with government running is for a governmental office? That’s odd. It’s like saying a veterinarian enjoys hunting. How could any member of the Free Keene bunch support someone like that who goes against the values of the organization? Or better yet, is connected to me, a New York moderate?! Who, as a Libertarian in their right mind, would vote for someone who has talked to someone that is writing about how crude their organization is and would try not to speak up and say “Yes, I know Dennis Foley. We worked on a few things together at Cheshire TV” to keep any of this from becoming a large issue? Not very smart politics… It’s also not any secret that I had political interests outside of what FMTV people thought were Free Keene. I was helping produce Keene: No Spin, a program hosted by two former city councilmen, I produced video for what many consider a liberal group, and I publically supported Mike Bloomberg for NYC Mayor. Hello?! I even interviewed Mike Gravel, one of the more liberal Democrats!
So, I know about the Free Keene people, so what? Well, I’m not ignorant to the efforts of groups that are outside of my political spectrum. I decided to read up on some Free Keene news when I noticed them mentioning something about some Grafton blog thing (I happen to have a friend from Grafton) and some Citizen Keene thing and this blog and that blog and the blog from some odd guy down the street. There is a huge difference between this blog and those blogs. I run this blog. My name is on it. And no one, NO ONE, will ever make me close shop. Why’s that? I guess it’s the New Yorker in me, especially since I’m back on the Island for school. I have made my strides in meeting people from all different political backgrounds, getting to know them and befriending them. I have friends who are Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, Moderates, moderate Libertarians, and even radical Libertarians. I am also building The Observer for the future, not just for now. As we speak, I am creating a foundation for this medium here in New York that will expand the content to become relevant for the entire nation. The Observer is here to stay, not matter how much you whine, complain, mock, or rant. It is astonishing how much of an alliance there is here at The Observer. The only political group not in favor of this group is the radical Libertarians. We have the stoners, the academics, the athletes, the doctors, the teachers, pretty much everyone. That means that we can thank Free Keene for one thing: creating a non-partisan grouping to oppose them that is willing to work together on issues, no matter how different we are politically, socially, and demographically. I guess that’s what America needs, more groups to alienate people to force them to come together to oppose them. Thanks Free Keene.
It concerns me that the Free Keene people really think that this site is being run by high schoolers. Sorry, wrong answer. We are currently looking to add a high schooler that I know very well to the staff, so that may change. But, it is extremely disgusting how the Free Keene people think it is okay to walk into our Facebook groups and try to sell something that everyone knows that we aren’t going to buy. Basic marketing and politics… if you know you are not going to be able to sell something to someone, then don’t try!! Why do you think Democratic Presidential hopefuls avoid campaigning in states like Utah? Because they know they will lose!!! So why haven’t Free Keene people noticed that? Because they aren’t studying politics, they are studying Libertarianism. They don’t care about how the world is now; they only care about how the world will be if they had their way.
One final note and I do consider this a personal one. I legally reside in Keene, NH and I have been living there for about 3 years or so. To think that this group has some sort of political machine behind it (other than my own [lol]) it very tasteless. I have no clue what any of these past blogs are, nor am I interested in learning about them. I am here to fix the problem. I have given everyone a chance to make their cases and what you see here in the blog is how I’ve decided to do that. The Free Keene people are considered insane for a reason. The issue that made me turn 100% against the Free Keene activists is that they think that cops are robots, who lack emotion and only do what they are told. It pains me to see people write that and to know that my own father had spent 20 hours straight outside of the house today working in New York City to protect and serve. He does it because he enjoys knowing that he is doing something to help those in need. For the past 18 years or so, I have seen my father come home most mornings, and as I have gotten older, I have heard stories about things he has done as a cop that make him and myself proud. I remember when I was in 5th grade when 9/11 happened, I was the one who had to see my dad all covered in dirt, dust, and debris, not the Free Keene people. My dad smelled horrible; he, in a way, smelled like death. I’m pretty sure none of the Free Keene people had homes that smelled like the World Trade Center, despite the fact I lived 60 miles away. 9/11 took him away from spending time home with my little brother who was four at the time and required him to work the bucket brigade, search for bodies, and fingerprint fingers who had no bodies. I don’t think any Free Keene people needed to worry about that. So, the next time you stare at a cop in the face and call him or her a “pig” and to tell him or her to “go back to the farm,” look in their face and imagine that they were your parent, the person you could go to and know that they would always be there for you. Because for some, that is the face that they share birthdays with, the face that they open Christmas gifts with, and the face that responds to knowing that you got into college. I think it’s time to think about who are really the heartless ones now.
Until Next Time,
djf
EiC
7 comments:
Hi Dennis,
You've said a lot here, but since your biggest issue is how some activists feel toward police, I'll address that.
Sure, cops are people too, and when they are dealing with crimes with a vicim, they are doing great work. It's when they hurt people who haven't harmed others that they act robotic and inhumane. The commonly used excuse, "I'm just doing my job", didn't work at Nuremberg, and should't work today. It is this mentality that is robotic.
Even though their own code of ethics say they should be protecting peaceful people from violence, yet much of their job involves enacting violence on peaceful people. Therefore, they would also be "just doing their jobs" by refusing to enforce bad laws, but instead they use that cliche' as an excuse to justify their violent actions.
Some police are more humane than others and will use discretion at the street level and ignore things like cannabis possession. Perhaps your dad was one of these cops. I don't know him, so I won't jump to conclusions.
Hope that helps.
I want my police to "just do their jobs" of pursuing real criminals. Don't you agree?
Dennis, I hope you understand that members of the Free State project come from diverse backgrounds and have widely different beliefs. I'd like to point your attention to a couple instances in this post where you grouped people together beyond what I feel is helpful.
"Why of any city in the state would Free Staters choose one of the most Democratic cities in the state? The general population has views that are on the opposite side of the political spectrum and have a pretty solid history of maintaining those views. If anything, shouldn’t the Free Staters have based themselves in a far more Republican part of the state, like Bedford or Amherst?"
OK... "Free Staters", "the general population", "the Free Staters" again.
I chose Keene because of the walkability, its status as an economic hub for the surrounding area, and the people I admired who were already in the area--Ian Freeman, Dale Everett, Lauren Canario, Andrew Carroll and others.
You refer to the general population as some singular entity, but surely you understand that tens of thousands of people can hardly agree on anything! I can guarantee you there were people in Keene who didn't support the local government before the FSP even began.
I agree with many Democratic values (mainly social freedom), and similarly with many Republican values (mainly economic freedom.) I reject their shared notion that violence is the way to achieve them. Do you think that makes me so different from the average person in Keene that I should not live there?
I believe that most interactions in society ought to be consensual. I guess I'm a sort of fundamentalist in that regard. Many people currently accept the use of violent force by the government to achieve things, even when it means that peaceful people get hurt. I think I can get along with those people, although it saddens me that they are absolutely fine hurting me if I break an arbitrary rule or try to help people in my own way instead of giving the government money to do it.
I'm concerned about the environment. I try to keep my carbon emissions low, and I never litter. I try to ride my bicycle most places. I volunteer occasionally, and I'm trying to make a living for myself by providing value to people through a service on the market. I also plan to return to Keene when I finish college, because I absolutely loved it there--both the FSP-influenced parts and the parts that were already present. Am I really the type of person you don't want in Keene?
I normally don't post long comments, but seeing that this is your first real editorial on the blog, I figured I'd give it a spin. Have a good day!
- Patrick
Ian,
I still disagree with that philosophy because the cops are enforcing the laws. If you have an issue with that law, then go to your politicians and lawmakers and call them pigs and what not. The cops can't change the law, nor can they ignore them.
Patrick,
Thank you for the insight. The only reason that I question why Keene is the hotspot is because the non-Free Keene people in town are generally pro-big government. You mentioned the environment. That is not a private venture, it is an initiative that the city government is maintaining to reduce pollution and make Keene green. It is things like that that make me raise the issue. When I refer to Democrats, I refer to their general belief in large government in comparison to the Republicans who believe in a small government. I do not question why you should live here or say that you shouldn't, I am only asking why Keene is the hotspot for Free State activity? What makes Keene so attractive politically? As I mentioned before, seeing Libertarianism more of a Republican ideal (i.e. Ron Paul) that support for this would come from a more Republican community. Keene is heavily blue, one of the bluest cities in the state. If you guys are willing to take the strong opposition, be my guests. Thanks for your insight and I hope you continue to read.
-djf
I had a couple other points I wanted to make in my last comment, but I was short on time, so I'll list them now:
Ian,
About the robotic response, that is their way of telling you that they aren't there to determine what laws are right and what laws are wrong. I do agree that cops definitely have discretionary powers at the street level, but it doesn't mean that they will stop observing the laws.
Patrick,
I just also wanted to add that in my editorial I said that I thought about what Dr. Dean had said about the Free Staters and came to that conclusion. He was the one who said that the Free Staters chose the wrong town, so I will trust his intuition since he has a better grasp of this area than either of us do.
Cops can ignore the law - it's called discretion as you agree above. Yes, it DOES mean they can ignore you breaking bad laws.
Even judges can ignore their own rules.
Your beliefs about the system are predicated on fantasy. (The system itself is a fantasy.) "I'm just doing my job" is just an excuse not to take responsibility for the harm one is doing.
Thanks for your thoughts. As there seems to be no way of notifying me of replies here, I'd like to invite you to our forum at http://forum.freekeene.com - we can have a proper discussion there.
or how about we discuss this on the forum I provided?
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