Categories
elections

Open, closed, or private?

New Hampshire is known for its “First in the Nation” Presidential primary. It’s considered a semi-closed primary because registered voters not affiliated with a party can sign up with any recognized party on the day of a primary (State or Federal), and then go back to unaffiliated before they even leave the polling place.

A 2022 bill, HB 1166, would have changed that, requiring voters to declare a party affiliation at least four months in advance. The bill also required a person to be a member of a party for six months before running as a candidate of that party. Fortunatly, Governor Sununu vetoed the bill.


The number of undeclared voters has more than doubled since the 1990s and there are now more of them than Democrats or Republicans. Back in ’90s, and from 2018 to 2020, the Libertarian Party also had ballot access, before the statewide vote threshold for party qualification was increased, knocking Libertarians out of the primary process, requiring them to collect thousands and thousands of signatures to get their candidates on the ballot from top to bottom, and putting them at a major disadvantage compared to the incumbent parties.

Libertarians believe that political parties should pay for their own primaries and chose the rules for who can vote in them as well as what voting method is used. Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for primaries, especially when their preferred party has been effectively shut out by ballot access laws and ‘first past the post’ general elections that inherently enforce a bipolar advantage. A change to approval voting would end the “wasted vote’ effect and let all voters’ choices be heard.

Categories
anti-war

We’re Already Against the Next War

We’re Already Against the Next War


Libertarians and all other decent people abhor war.
What can we do when those in control of armies are determined to use them?

Guernica, by	Pablo Picasso, 1937

Representing the horrible violence and grief of war.
Guernica by Pablo Picasso. 1937.

American foreign policy should emphasize peace with all nations, entangling alliances with none. We would end the current U.S. government policies of foreign intervention including military and economic aid; tariffs; economic sanctions; and regime change. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.

The Libertarian Party Platform (2022)

To the current point:
what should the U.S. Government do about the Russian hostilities against Ukraine?
The Libertarian answer is: nothing.

What should the U.S. PEOPLE do about the Russian hostilities against Ukraine?
This is where the conversation gets interesting.

“Don’t you support Ukraine?” they ask.


There are many levels of support possible between “Thoughts and Prayers” or a yellow and blue flag on your Twitter profile, and defending warmongers intent on starting or triggering a nuclear war.

For example: Food and medical aid. Most people could agree those are acceptable to offer to people in a war zone, and attacking people doing so should be discouraged and disdained.

Libertarians believe that individuals have the right to take action to defend another who is being attacked. They do not believe in taxing a population to send governmental arms and troops to another country.

Citizens going to help defend areas under attack? Quickly, we cross over a line of “providing material support” that triggers legal implications. But this is an expression of a personal sense of morality.

What about sending Crypto?


What about sending plans for building military-grade weapons? Now you’re in “ITAR violation” territory.

Categories
LPNH NHexit

New Hampshire Independence

The United States have become so divided over the last decade. Republicans and Democrats are each living in their own echo chamber, disagreeing on basic principles, and having opposing ideas on which direction the country should go. Libertarians just want the government to leave peaceful people alone so they can make their own decisions. Many people are now advocating for a peaceful “National Divorce.”

The Declaration of Independence reminds us that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of our unalienable rights, including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

It’s time to reconsider what powers New Hampshire has delegated to the Federal government. Most of us don’t want to be ruled from afar by D.C. or California, any more than our forefathers wanted to be ruled by Great Britain.

Article 7 of New Hampshire’s Constitution clearly supports our right to secede. It states: “The people of this State have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free, sovereign, and independent State; and do, and forever hereafter shall, exercise and enjoy every power, jurisdiction, and right, pertaining thereto, which is not, or may not hereafter be, by them expressly delegated to the United States of America in Congress assembled.”

The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire believes that our local New Hampshire representatives are more capable of protecting our rights than the federal government. As New Hampshire’s Constitution states: “whenever the ends of government are perverted, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought to reform the old, or establish a new government.

That time has come and we support CACR32, to allow the citizens of our state to vote on our independence.

Update: 2020’s CACR32 failed to pass in the NH House on a 323-13 vote.. It will be brought up again.


The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire is the third-largest party in the state. As Libertarians, we defend each person’s right to engage in any activity, as long as they don’t violate the rights of others, and we welcome the diversity that freedom brings. We seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals control their own lives and are never forced to compromise their values or sacrifice their property. We believe that no conflict exists between civil order and individual rights and that individuals, groups, or governments should not initiate force against other individuals, groups, or governments

Categories
COVID-19 policing Sununu

NH’s “mask mandate” is really just a strong suggestion

The anti-maskers will complain “Sununu has caved!”

The pro-mandate crowd will say “this is a toothless order, nowhere near good enough for the dire straits we are in!”

Your average Granite Stater will see the news and continue along with their day, doing what they’d been doing before.

The Executive Suggestion, errr, technically an Order, comes with nine loopholes: from people eating or doing strenuous exercise, to people who want to claim a medical reason they can’t wear a mask. No proof of that medical condition is required, and there are no fines for individuals not wearing a mask, other than in the cities which have passed their own mandates, which this EO does not affect. The order will expire on January 15, but of course may be renewed.

Private businesses can still be warned or fined for not complying with COVID-19 restrictions, which are generally more about distancing, making sure sick employees don’t come into the workplace, and requiring masks for employees interacting with the public, rather than requiring the business to enforce mask-wearing for their customers. Instances of fines or other penalties for businesses are more the exception than the rule in New Hampshire. According to the NH DOJ, only five violations—two just warnings and three with fines—have been issued to businesses for COVID-19 violations. https://www.doj.nh.gov/news/2020/20201118-eo-52-violations.htm

Quoting from the Executive Order…

This Order shall not apply to the following:
a) Educators, students, and staff within K-12 schools;
b) Any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a mask or other face covering;
c) Any person consuming food or drink or sitting at a restaurant or table to eat or drink;
d) Any person engaged in physical strenuous physical activity;
e) Any person giving a religious, political, media, educational, cultural, musical, or theatrical
presentation or performance for an audience;
f) Any person who is deaf or hard of hearing, and any person while communicating with an
individual who is deaf or hard of hearing or who has a disability, medical condition, or
mental health condition that makes communication with that individual while wearing a mask
or face covering difficult;
g) Any person obtaining or providing a service that requires the temporary removal of a mask or face covering;
h) Any person asked to remove a mask or face covering to verify an identity for lawful
purposes; or
i) Any public safety worker actively engaged in a public safety role and when a mask or face
covering would seriously interfere in the performance of their public safety responsibilities.

NH’s COVID-19 resource page for businesses can be found here: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/resources-guidance/businesses.htm

The full text of this new Executive Order can be found here: https://www.governor.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt336/files/documents/emergency-order-74.pdf

Categories
COVID-19 House Freedom Caucus NHGOP

NH House Republicans planning return to Concord

WMUR reports that the House Republicans are planning their return to Concord to do committee work in-person. Preparations include an evaluation of the HVAC system, and figuring out where there is enough space to meet.

Keith Ammon, a member of the NH House Freedom Caucus, is quoted as saying “I think the choice not to wear a mask should be accommodated,” and suggesting using a part of the gallery for social distancing.

https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-house-republicans-plan-return-to-in-person-committee-work-legislating-at-state-house/34693514

Ballotpedia info for Keith Ammon: https://ballotpedia.org/Keith_Ammon

Categories
policing

Cops in Schools

The Valley News questions whether Lebanon should continue to pay $60k per year to have a cop in their schools.

<<an unnamed Lebanon High student…found himself on the wrong side of the law for allegedly urinating in a snow bank in the school parking lot last year…Before he was allowed to enter a court diversion program, the boy had to give up his constitutional rights.>>

The teachers’ union would prefer to have social worker there, but Superintendent Joanne Roberts is pushing to keep the cop.

https://www.vnews.com/Lebanon-Debates-Taking-Cop-Out-of-School-37274126

Categories
social media

Social media going open-source and decentralized

I’ve installed some software on https://nhsentinel.com to syndicate posts to liberdon.com.

You should also be able to subscribe to websentinel@nhsentinel.com from any node in the “fediverse” (the federated universe of social media servers using the ActivityPub protocol). (But as of now, it’s saying the follow request is pending approval. Some chatter on the web implies this may be a caching issue and it might clear up on its own.)

Categories
Free State Project

Free Town Project book is published

A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears) — the ebook is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Libertarian-Walks-Into-Bear-Liberate-ebook/dp/B083J1FXY8

I know some of the people mentioned in this book. I haven’t read it yet, just the excerpt published in the local paper:

https://www.vnews.com/Books-excerpt-Grafton-libertarians-and-bears-36282781

Categories
policing

The Good News: Some victimless crimes in Lebanon might no longer head to court

If an  Oct. 7 City Council vote approves a new law, “crimes” like open containers and possession of drug paraphernalia will be ticketed, not earn the holder a summons to court. The tickets will come with hefty fines, and the recipient can still opt for a court date to plead their case.

Per the Valley News, the mayor and defense attorneys support the bill, which was submitted by Police Chief Richard Mello

One could ask why those are even offences, but this can still be seen as an improvement.

You can read more about it here:

https://www.vnews.com/Lebanon-proposes-changes-to-drug-paraphernalia-alcohol-codes-36087336

Categories
immigration policing

NH ACLU files lawsuits against checkpoints inside US borders

These checkpoints can be up to 100 miles inside the border. Their frequency went up in the years after 9/11, then diminished, but they are still going on. Due to their locations, they are usually stopping people who never crossed a border.

<<Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, said the the interior checkpoints are being used “as a ruse to unlawfully search and seize people for the purpose of general crime control.”>>

read more at: https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20200811/lawsuit-challenges-use-of-checkpoints-miles-from-border