The Manchester Free Press

Friday • April 26 • 2024

Vol.XVI • No.XVII

Manchester, N.H.

House Gold Standard – May 18, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Tue, 2023-05-16 01:20 +0000

(white) goldstandard-05-18-23-H.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-05-18-23-H-y.pdf

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Senate Gold Standard – May 18, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Tue, 2023-05-16 01:20 +0000

(white) goldstandard-05-18-23-S.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-05-18-23-S-y.pdf

The post Senate Gold Standard – May 18, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Senate Gold Standard – May 11, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Tue, 2023-05-09 19:34 +0000

(white) goldstandard-05-11-23-S.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-05-11-23-S-y.pdf

The post Senate Gold Standard – May 11, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Senate Gold Standard – May 11, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Tue, 2023-05-09 18:10 +0000

(white) goldstandard-05-11-23-S.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-05-11-23-S-y.pdf

The post Senate Gold Standard – May 11, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Frank “Footloose” Staples’ Full Trial for “Disorderly Conduct” at Executive Council Meeting

Free Keene - Tue, 2023-05-09 17:42 +0000

Frank “Footloose” Staples was wrongfully arrested on charges of “disorderly conduct” for sitting quietly at an executive council meeting in 2021. Last week his nearly two-month trial wrapped up, with Frank found not guilty of the initial “disorderly”, but guilty of the subsequent charge he received after he announced to the audience that he was being arrested in the back of the room. He intends to appeal.

In five days of court spread out over weeks, the state police’s prosecutors alleged Frank was disrupting the meeting and that’s why he was targeted. Frank’s multiple witnesses said he was never disruptive and that the state police were clearly looking to make arrests, as the chairs were zip tied together, multiple paddy wagons were on hand, and dozens of uniformed officers were present.

Ultimately the robed man decided the state had not met its burden of proof on the initial charge, but claimed, confusingly, that the police had probable cause to make the arrest. How can the police have probable cause to make an arrest for which the person is then found not guilty? They can’t. The judge is obviously covering for the police and trying to justify the second “disorderly” count that Frank received when he was taken behind the curtain and arrested, which is when he yelled that he was being arrested and to “shut it down!”.

The trial was very entertaining with Frank blowing up and yelling at the judge and the prosecutors many times. If you’ve seen him in court videos before, you know what to expect. I hope you enjoy this 13-hour trial video:

Bill Hearings for Week of May 08, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-05-07 20:36 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 4 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 0 and opposition of 0 with 0 being of interest.
Of the 3 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 1 and opposition of 1 with 0 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Support HB281 relative to least cost integrated resource plan of utilities. Energy and Natural Resources Tue 5/9 9:00 AM SH Room 103 This bill: I. Repeals the requirement for electric and natural gas utilities to submit least cost integrated resource plans with the public utilities commission and have the commission evaluate the plans and maintain them on file. II. Removes the requirement that a municipal host under the limited electrical energy producers act be located in the same municipality as all group members. III. Requires the public utilities commission to provide an estimated annual cost of compliance with electric renewable portfolio standards in customer’s electric bills. IV. Repeals the establishment of the energy efficiency and sustainable energy board and transfer some of the board’s responsibilities to the department of energy. V. Makes various changes to the energy facility site evaluation committee and permitting process.
Oppose HB532 relative to the licensure and regulation of music therapists. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 5/10 9:00 AM SH Room 103 See State website. Two proposed amendments will be heard.

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House Gold Standard – May 04, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Tue, 2023-05-02 10:20 +0000

(white) goldstandard-05-04-23-H.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-05-04-23-H-y.pdf

The post House Gold Standard – May 04, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Bill Hearings for Week of May 01, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-04-30 14:31 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 1 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 0 and opposition of 0 with 0 being of interest.
Of the 10 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 0 and opposition of 0 with 3 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Of Interest HB1 making appropriations for the expenses of certain departments of the state for fiscal years ending June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Finance Tue 5/2 6:00 PM SH Room Reps Hall No analysis needed.
Of Interest HB2 relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures. Finance Tue 5/2 6:00 PM SH Room Reps Hall See bill at state website.
Of Interest HB269 relative to limiting the authority of New Hampshire delegates to policymaking conventions. Rules and Enrolled Bills Tue 5/2 9:30 AM SH Room 100 This bill: I. Establishes a procedure for the selection of delegates to an inter/intrastate policy-making convention. II. Limits the authority of delegates to policymaking conventions to only those granted by the New Hampshire legislature. III. Creates a procedure for recalling and replacing delegates to policymaking conventions who act outside of the scope of the authority granted to them by the New Hampshire legislature.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of May 01, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Judge Grants Downward Variance In Crypto6 Case: Aria DiMezzo Sentenced To 18 Months

Free Keene - Fri, 2023-04-28 01:09 +0000

A few dozen of the ~50 supporters who turned out for Aria’s sentencing hearing

A judge in the Crypto6 case has sentenced Free State activist Aria DiMezzo to 18 months in federal prison on Tuesday for operating a cryptocurrency business without a government permission slip.

In September of 2022 Aria was coerced into taking a plea deal over a politically motivated attack on Ian Freeman, the Shire Free Church, and Free Talk live. Fraudulent charges were brought against Aria by the feds claiming that she operated an unlicensed money transmitting business. Ignorance in the courts as to what Bitcoin was unfortunately left Aria in a very difficult situation. Judge Joseph Laplante didn’t understand what Bitcoin was and after some effort to explain it failed he was left believing that the blockchain was a person. It isn’t. The blockchain is more akin to a database or a ledger of records.


https://www.freedomdecrypted.com/public_html/other-content/aria-crypto6-after-sentencing-speech.mp4

Aria Talks To Reporters After Sentencing Decision Is Handed Down Outside Court

 



Under the money transmitter statutes one is a money transmitter and requires a money transmitting license if one acts as an intermediary to move money from one location to another or from one person to another for profit. Examples of this include Western Union, Money Gram, and Walmart’s Walmart2Walmart money transfer service. Bitcoin isn’t money in the sense that the laws define it under the money transmission statutes- particularly those that were at play during the time that sales of Bitcoin by the two churches occurred.

Aria nor the Reformed Satanic Church had any obligation to register with the state or federal government according to the banking bureaucrats and lawyers. As such neither the Shire Free Church nor the Reformed Satanic Church were registered as money transmitting entities. Agents of the state made clear during state hearings that Bitcoin wasn’t regulated under these money transmission statutes saying that moving Bitcoin from ones own wallet to that of another is not regulated. It’s possible that in some states and countries Bitcoin is regulated or it is under other circumstances. However, according to the lawyers that wasn’t the case here as the churches crypto vending machines were not connected to an exchange and did not act as an intermediary. For this and other reasons including the lack of conducting such activities for profit registration at the state and federal levels were not required.

The prosecution has attempted to imply that the churches were fake through use of choice words such as “purported churches” while never providing any evidence (such as during Ian Freeman’s trial) that the churches were in fact fake. Rather what was revealed during Ian Freeman’s trial was that the churches were real. The Shire Free Church is an interfaith church founded in 2013 with the aim of promoting peace, love, and liberty and anyone of any belief with that as its foundation is welcome. It wasn’t until many years later that the Shire Free Church setup a Bitcoin outreach operation to promote and raise funds for charitable causes. To that end the church did setup a DBA called the Crypto Church Of New Hampshire for the those outreach efforts, but this was merely one outreach effort involving crypto, not a church unto itself. Other non-crypto outreach efforts occurred as well such as helping the homeless, orphans in Africa, and locally persecuted religious minority: A minority Muslim community in Keene. The Shire Free Church has for over a decade helped low income families and others with drug addictions. The church has raised funds to build orphanages in Africa and helped minority religious groups in Keene by providing space and covering costs to renovate said space to be a mosque. During the cleaning and renovation period parishioners of the Shire Free Church got together and cleaned the space that would become the mosque. While the Reformed Satanic Church was at the time of the raid a young church the church and its parishioners had participated in fundraising activities to help kids with cancer. DiMezzo’s church sold about ~$3,178,895 of Bitcoin between June of 2020 and January of 2021 with about $30,000 being raised for charity according to prosecutors (though they would not call it charity, but profit despite no evidence to that end).

The prosecution claimed DiMezzo worked closely with Freeman, and discussion during her sentencing hearing hinged largely on this connection. This connection was manipulative in that the Shire Free Church had been around and selling crypto for many years prior to the Reformed Satanic Churches founding. As a result the church had one of the best ratings and demand from those wanting to purchase cryptocurrency. The Shire Free Churches operation couldn’t handle it and as a result Ian started referring people to the Reformed Satanic Church. As both churches were going above and beyond what was required by law each did what is required of money transmitters- that is they did something called “know your customer” even though they didn’t have to. Know your customer is basically a system for deterring criminals from utilizing money transmitting services in their criminal operations by requiring banks and money transmitters to identify customers and ask questions. It’s an imperfect if not entirely broken system- but the idea is that if you identify your customer by requiring ID and ask appropriate questions you can thwart some scammers and criminal activity. In that process the churches would require people to submit paperwork including copies of IDs or passports, pictures of notes stating that they understood what they were buying was Bitcoin, and in many instances calls would be made to those purchasing Bitcoin. Questions would be asked in an attempt to weed out potential victims. In one case Ian was quoted as having asked a women if she had ever met her husband just to make sure that she wasn’t being manipulated. Unfortunately the reality is victims of scams will often say anything that they are told by scammers in order to get around KYC efforts. Of interesting note is that not a single bank even bothered to call any of the 7-8 victims regarding these transactions that the state put up on the stand to testify. A credit union employee who testified for the prosecution and was the credit unions expert on know your customer even testified that financial institutions aren’t required to stop suspicious transactions as this is why the credit union didn’t cut off the Shire Free Church until numerous transactions had occurred. No, the churches went above and beyond what was required and this is why Aria’s phone and Ian’s computer contained photos of which the prosecutor attempted to manipulate into being evidence of a connection. Out of 6,000 transactions a few victims had utilized both the Shire Free Church and the Reformed Satanic Church’s services. Even had such a connection existed there was no evidence of fraud presented during Ian’s trial, just mere implications that Ian should have been suspicious of some transactions because the persons were elderly. As if elderly persons aren’t interested in Bitcoin. Humorously the defense lawyer pointed out most of the victims were younger than he was. The victims even testified that Ian Freeman was not part of the scams so to try and suggest Aria knew of the scam by way of Ian was just propitious given neither knew of the individualized scams at the time Bitcoin transactions were occurring.

In the sentencing memorandum, the defense requested three years of supervised release with one of those years to be home confinement. The prosecutors on the other hand demanded the maximum sentence that the plea agreement would allow for: 37 months in prison.

The defense won their argument that bringing in Ian Freeman’s trial was inappropriate and the judge stated in his decision on the sentence “I’m considering not a shred of evidence from the Freeman trial”. Aria will have to pay a $2,500 fine, $100 special assessment, serve 18 months in a cage, and serve one year of supervised release following her release from prison.

The hearing brought out around ~50 supporters, mostly Free Staters who understood that this was a case of political persecution and attempt to take out Ian Freeman and Free Talk Live. One FBI agent Phil Christiana in particular has been at the core of these attacks. FBI agent Phil Christiana has had his sight on Ian Freeman and other Free Staters for over a decade. The FBI targeted Ian Freeman in at least 2012, 2016, and 2021. The 2012 incident involved an arrest of Rich Paul over small time drug dealing (Mr Nobody of the Crypto6 case) for the purposes of blackmailing him into wearing a wire into the Keene activist center (of which were connected to Ian Freeman). The 2016 case involved a smear campaign and a false affidavit where a warrant was obtained for a search over a despicable crime that hadn’t occurred in an effort to ruin Ian’s reputation and undermine the ability of Free Talk Live to continue. It was also an attempt at dividing the Free Sate Project community in two and undermining its effectiveness at bringing like-minded pro-freedom pro-peace individuals to New Hampshire. The Free State Project can be summarized as a migration effort to build a community of peaceful people in one state that can achieve real freedom somewhere. No evidence was ever found on any of more than two dozen devices seized in 2016 and no charges were ever filed. Then in 2021 the Crypto6 case was brought despite the individuals targeted being excessively compliant with the law.

Aria’s sentence will begin June 27 and give her time to officiate a wedding.

After the sentencing hearing Aria was greeted by about ~50 supporters and when asked about her thoughts on the sentence she said she believed “having a license wouldn’t have achieved anything”. Another cryptocurrency vending machine operator in the audience with over 20 machines agreed with her assessment calling the sentence unfair. Others thought this case to be yet another travesty of the so called justice system and yet another fraud on the public. What happens in court doesn’t matter so long as the prosecution tells a good story and judges and juries continue to be carefully crafted to favor prosecutors. Most prosecutors including judge La Plante in this case are former prosecutors. Out of 36 members (after eliminating others from the pool) the prosecutor removed the only juror who had ever touched Bitcoin.

 

For more detailed updates, video, and more regarding the ongoing Crypto6 case and Ian Freeman’s appeal of his conviction check out TheCrypto6.com

 

A detailed run down of what happened during Aria’s sentencing hearing

Prosecutor

Aframe & Kennedy

Aria elects to continue despite lawyer’s motion to delay as a result of freemans trial

Judge talks about sentencing guidelines and not having to obey them

Defense

Objections to PSR (pre-sentcing report done by the probation department) do not directly involve freeman case and are not connected to Aria

Judge

Offense level is 19

Criminal History Level 1

This is the bottom of the scale

30-37 months is the range according to the sentencing guideline

Fine is $10-100k + $100 special assessment fee

Aria is requesting a downward variance from these guidelines

The prosecutor is not requesting anything different from the guidelines

Justice here requires a more lenient sentence than the guidelines state

Prosecutor

Makes a point of the importance of the offense and argues it’s not just a mere regulatory offense as the defense argues

This is an oversimplification and selling crypto is dangerous if done outside of regulatory controls

DiMezzo operated over several months without controls

[ this is actually false in that both Aria and Ian complied with the regulations, and thus this is only a sentence for not being registered as a money transmitter, Aria did more KYC, or followed the know your customer procedures than did the banks of which were actually involved in transmitting money unlike that of Aria ]

This is more significant just not having a license

[ Aria didn’t please guilty to more than not being registered and the government is trying to bring in things that had nothing to do with Aria’s plea agreement, potentially violating the very agreement which would open the doors to her being able to back out of said plea agreement and take the case to trial ]

She kept photos of victims

[ the humorous part of this is that by following the law and performing KYC you are required to keep copies of the drivers licenses and passports which means the government is claiming that by following the law Aria broke the law as they are trying to twist KYC documents like copies of drivers licenses and signed contracts by the ‘victims’ stating that they understand that they are buying Bitcoin alongside a picture of the document and themselves, thus trying to argue these folks are victims, particularly of Aria is absurd, the victims lied to Aria when questions were asked as part of the KYC process to try and stop third party scammers from taking advantage of vulnerable folks, but when vulnerable folks partake in the scams themselves there is little a seller of crypto or a bank can do to stop it ]

Photos from Ian’s computer and Aria’s phone had some of the same photos

[ this is largely correct because the Shire Free Church had more sales than it could keep up with and thus referred smaller customers over to the Reformed Satanic Temple that Aria was selling crypto on behalf of ]

She was a conduit

[ yea, and on that logic so was the bank, but you aren’t prosecuting the bank, of which none did KYC according to your own witnesses, KYC may not work in all cases, and it did not work in a handful of cases here, but this is also out of 6,000 transactions that the FBI found 7-8 victims between 2 different organizations, that isn’t a bad track record, it’s an unbelievably impressive track record ]

“intentional local blindness”

[ intentional or willful blindness is a concept where you ignore evidence that a crime is being committed by a third party and sell to them anyway- this didn’t happen and the evidence presented during Ian’s trial actually showed that at least Ian refused to sell to an undercover FBI agent pretending to a drug dealer … but actually following the law doesn’t matter.. the scummy eastern european federal agent just got up on the stand and said, something to the effect of he may not have said he would sell to be, but he gave me a wink and a nod, now that was despite when questioned admitting no such wink and a nod occurred, nor was there any evidence of such a wink and nod occuring in a figurative manor as the undercover agent went around Ian to one of the Shire Free Churches vending machines and it wasn’t until the trial that Ian learned that the guy purchased what I believe was about $20,000 of cryptocurrency through the vending machine, this is the undercover agent never told Ian he was going to purchase Bitcoin from the vending machine, and Ian had no means of stopping him even if he had said he was going to do this… the vending machines are not Ians and they are the Shire Free Church.. even had he known what could he have done? Call up the business where the church rented space and ask them to tackle a man who looked like a big eastern european gang member? The jury completely ignored the knowing requirement in the law given Ian didn’t knowingly sell to the man ]

She made prosecutions hard… she would not find out what people were using Bitcoin for

[ this is just false in that questions were asked where red flags existed and every one of the victims at Ian’s trial was called by Ian and the so called victims testified to that… and spoken with to ensure that there were no misunderstanding or risks such as there being coercion by a third party or romance situation where the significant other had never met … and as these KYC procedures were followed the government actually has the photos and IDs of the scammers yet refuses according to the victims to go after the fraudsters despite knowing who they are .. Ian and Aria did not make it difficult for the feds to investigate… they did their job for them… ]

“don’t ever sell to anyone who tells you their business”

[ this is more or less what Aria said in a presentation on selling Bitcoin she gave… it was taken out of context as Aria and Ian did do KYC and were doing more than they were required to under the law … and in context to the presentation it’s simply that if you sell crypto to someone that is committing a crime the government will argue you have broken the law… it’s not that Ian or Aria weren’t doing KYC, but didn’t want to deal with potentially problem customers, not that they didn’t do KYC or ask any questions as would be required had they actually been obligated to do KYC in the first place which they weren’t as the law also says that businesses for profit, not churches or charitable organizations must register and do KYC, but despite that the churches did do KYC even though they did not register, thus regulatory violation is what Aria pleaded guilty to, not anything else, particularly not fraud ]

She continues to not understand the callus way she operated her business

[ we should talk about the callus way in which you are prosecuting an innocent person… but no she was no callus in the way the church raised money for charitable causes by selling crypto and took more steps to ensure people didn’t become victims of scams even though it was NOT her business what anyone did with their crypto … I don’t ask my customers what they do with their computers that are purchased from my company and it’s not that different here .. they might use them in illegal ways but I’d only be obligated to do something if I had reason to believe they were committing a crime .. Bitcoin is not money as it was defined under the law at the time this fundraising was ongoing and it wasn’t until after the FBI raid in 2021 that the federal government changed the law which still probably doesn’t include Bitcoin ]

They play an audio clip of Free Talk Live, a show Aria co-hosts where she criticizes the federal government and the agents: “Moral of story is if you want to make money and not get in trouble you need to scam people. They want the scammers to exist.”

[ they are trying to take this out of context and make it out as if Aria is advocating people scam others rather than sell crypto ? ]

She put head in sand blaming the victim

[ this is an exaggeration, but the so-called victims DID actually participate in scamming others in that at least one person during Ian’s trail testified that he would receive money from others and send it onward to the scammer and another so-called victim stated that he was told he was engaged in money laundering as one bank split up with him.. despite this he continued doing it .. unlike what Aria was doing which was ONLY selling a product and not money transmission .. and despite that doing KYC when it wasn’t required under the law as it was written at the time ]

Her background is neither plus nor minus

[ basically her childhood upbringing wasn’t great and this is what defense lawyers do at sentencing as such things are mitigating factors at sentencing .. but of course the prosecutor wants the judge to ignore it ]

This was a way to make money

It’s a business crime, a financial crime

[ that wasn’t the case and as Ian’s case demonstrated 85% of the dollars that went into church accounts according to the governments own witnesses went back into purchasing bitcoin which makes sense if you are selling bitcoin for charity… and then there was other evidence that demonstrated that the money went to charitable causes like building orphanages in Africa and local causes such as converting a house into a mosque for a minority religious community in Keene .. and at no time did the prosecutor present any evidence as to what the money was used for which is pretty important if you are going to argue that it was a business venture of some kind as that is written in the law … doing it without charging a fee as a hobby is also not within the scope of the law as written just as doing it for charity is not in the scope of the law as written ]

Virtual currencies need to be used appropriately and we need to send that message

[ this is disgusting… the idea that they get to tell you and I what we can and can’t do with our own money… but it’s even more disgusting in that they want to treat bitcoin different than how we treat cash … have you ever been asked by a bank what you are going to do with the cash you withdraw from the ATM machine? Of course not.. yet this is what they’re claiming is required under KYC despite their own witness, a credit union lady, testifying that you DO NOT have to go over every transaction with a fine tooth comb which means the banks were not even failing in their KYC obligations when they allowed victims to be victimized … KYC doesn’t work … even when you go overboard as was the case with the Crypto6 cases ]

Defense

Prosecutor acknowledged acceptance of conviction

– no fraud on aria’s part
– aria didn’t cause any losses
– aria cooperated with government and provided the government access to devices with bitcoin worth $50-60k
– she recognizes that despite lack of knowledge of scams
– she wanted the money to compensate victims
– there was no violence involved here
– there were no drugs involved here

It’s a regulatory offense that involves no fraud

No money laundering charges exist here

It’s also not beyond dispute that it is regulated or not
[ aww yea, each state government and 3 letter agency claims it is something different ]

They try to connect Ian and Aria based on IDs

If you were engaged in fraud you wouldn’t keep this information and she preserved everything

As misguided as she was about licensing she was not out to defraud anyone

The guidelines are misleading because no losses occurred

Normally they are used when someone is unjustly enriched

This is not a case with a loss or restitution

36 transactions with no prior criminal record

She grew up in a very impoverished area and courts recognize experiences in childhood are mitigating circumstances as children do not control their surroundings

She lives in a rental unit, works at dominos, and not someone who stole 3 million dollars

She is no threat to the public

The only reason to incarcerate her is as a deterrence to others

Prosecutor

$30k Aria made from selling crypto

[ no evidence of this actually exists and was pointed out it’s entirely speculative, but not relevant either way ]

Defense

She did no knowingly facilitate scammers

[ keyword in the law here is knowingly, not all laws have a knowingly component, but this one does ]

With a straw purchase (gun sales where someone buys a gun for someone else who is a criminal) the straw purchaser knows they are facilitating gang members.

[ this is is important because the prosecution brought up straw purchases in gun cases to suggest it doesn’t matter if Aria knows or not, but it does actually matter and it’s not a proper analogy as she didn’t know about ANY sale that was going to enable scammers ]

Aria makes a statement:

I did not know or think it was suspicious
It’s not Ian’s fault

In regard to clip I was not trying to help criminals

I wanted to bring down the banking system as privacy is valuable

I don’t ask the person I have cut my grass what they intend to do with payment

[ this is important because it’s dependent on how Bitcoin is defined whether or not you have to comply with money transmission laws and the regulators don’t get to decide this.. the law is unclear… but what everyone agrees on is Bitcoin is not like anything that has come before suggesting it requires legislation if it is to be defined as money… this is almost certainly one of the things that are going to be appealed as this is a matter of law and the judge ruled on it before the trial without understanding what Bitcoin was… calling the blockchain a person… and then instructing the jury it is money when it has not been clearly established under the law as such… there may be other issues here in the the law is overly broad and that might be another issue upon which an appeal can be based ]

Judge

I am going to grant a downward variance, but the sentence will include incarceration.

18 months [cage time]

I will not take into consideration a shred of evidence from the Freeman trial

It was a regulatory crime

This crime is a crime to protect the integrity of the financial system

General deterrence makes sense

[ the judge is saying here that the only reason he is putting her in a cage is to send a message and not because of what she did ]

Judge says she can self report

Defense

Lawyer chimes up and reserves right to appeal

[ Judge is curious on the basis of that appeal ]

The sentence has a procedure and substances defect

It’s out of proportion to the crime committed

The court has been influences by allegations of fraud

Judge

18 months cage time + 1 year supervised release

$100 special assessment fee

$5,000 fine, which is half of the guideline range

[ this is positive as it means she gets a downward variance on the fine and the time served ]

Aria must post $2,500 within 60 days of sentencing

Aria must self report June 17th … something about so that Aria can attend a weeding it sounded like.

Judge will put in a recommendation for a Massachusetts or Connecticut federal prison per request by the defense

If you’ve got this far you’re probably a dedicated fan of the Crypto6 and the freedoms we’re all fighting for. Consider making a contribution to the independence filmmakers who are currently working on part 2 of a 2 part fundraiser to produce a documentary on the Crypto6. They’ve been actively filming and working on said documentary for a few years now. Check out sneak peaks and take the time to make a contribution at:

https://balladofthecrypto6.com/

Aria’s Sentencing Hearing

Prosecutor

Aframe & Kennedy

Aria elects to continue despite lawyer’s motion to delay as a result of freemans trial

Judge talks about sentencing guidelines and not having to obey them

Defense

Objections to PSR (pre-sentcing report done by the probation department) do not directly involve freeman case and are not connected to Aria

Judge

Offense level is 19

Criminal History Level 1

This is the bottom of the scale

30-37 months is the range according to the sentencing guideline

Fine is $10-100k + $100 special assessment fee

Aria is requesting a downward variance from these guidelines

The prosecutor is not requesting anything different from the guidelines

Justice here requires a more lenient sentence than the guidelines state

Prosecutor

Makes a point of the importance of the offense and argues it’s not just a mere regulatory offense as the defense argues

This is an oversimplification and selling crypto is dangerous if done outside of regulatory controls

DiMezzo operated over several months without controls

[ this is actually false in that both Aria and Ian complied with the regulations, and thus this is only a sentence for not being registered as a money transmitter, Aria did more KYC, or followed the know your customer procedures than did the banks of which were actually involved in transmitting money unlike that of Aria ]

This is more significant just not having a license

[ Aria didn’t please guilty to more than not being registered and the government is trying to bring in things that had nothing to do with Aria’s plea agreement, potentially violating the very agreement which would open the doors to her being able to back out of said plea agreement and take the case to trial ]

She kept photos of victims

[ the humorous part of this is that by following the law and performing KYC you are required to keep copies of the drivers licenses and passports which means the government is claiming that by following the law Aria broke the law as they are trying to twist KYC documents like copies of drivers licenses and signed contracts by the ‘victims’ stating that they understand that they are buying Bitcoin alongside a picture of the document and themselves, thus trying to argue these folks are victims, particularly of Aria is absurd, the victims lied to Aria when questions were asked as part of the KYC process to try and stop third party scammers from taking advantage of vulnerable folks, but when vulnerable folks partake in the scams themselves there is little a seller of crypto or a bank can do to stop it ]

Photos from Ian’s computer and Aria’s phone had some of the same photos

[ this is largely correct because the Shire Free Church had more sales than it could keep up with and thus referred smaller customers over to the Reformed Satanic Temple that Aria was selling crypto on behalf of ]

She was a conduit

[ yea, and on that logic so was the bank, but you aren’t prosecuting the bank, of which none did KYC according to your own witnesses, KYC may not work in all cases, and it did not work in a handful of cases here, but this is also out of 6,000 transactions that the FBI found 7-8 victims between 2 different organizations, that isn’t a bad track record, it’s an unbelievably impressive track record ]

“intentional local blindness”

[ intentional or willful blindness is a concept where you ignore evidence that a crime is being committed by a third party and sell to them anyway- this didn’t happen and the evidence presented during Ian’s trial actually showed that at least Ian refused to sell to an undercover FBI agent pretending to a drug dealer … but actually following the law doesn’t matter.. the scummy eastern european federal agent just got up on the stand and said, something to the effect of he may not have said he would sell to be, but he gave me a wink and a nod, now that was despite when questioned admitting no such wink and a nod occurred, nor was there any evidence of such a wink and nod occuring in a figurative manor as the undercover agent went around Ian to one of the Shire Free Churches vending machines and it wasn’t until the trial that Ian learned that the guy purchased what I believe was about $20,000 of cryptocurrency through the vending machine, this is the undercover agent never told Ian he was going to purchase Bitcoin from the vending machine, and Ian had no means of stopping him even if he had said he was going to do this… the vending machines are not Ians and they are the Shire Free Church.. even had he known what could he have done? Call up the business where the church rented space and ask them to tackle a man who looked like a big eastern european gang member? The jury completely ignored the knowing requirement in the law given Ian didn’t knowingly sell to the man ]

She made prosecutions hard… she would not find out what people were using Bitcoin for

[ this is just false in that questions were asked where red flags existed and every one of the victims at Ian’s trial was called by Ian and the so called victims testified to that… and spoken with to ensure that there were no misunderstanding or risks such as there being coercion by a third party or romance situation where the significant other had never met … and as these KYC procedures were followed the government actually has the photos and IDs of the scammers yet refuses according to the victims to go after the fraudsters despite knowing who they are .. Ian and Aria did not make it difficult for the feds to investigate… they did their job for them… ]

“don’t ever sell to anyone who tells you their business”

[ this is more or less what Aria said in a presentation on selling Bitcoin she gave… it was taken out of context as Aria and Ian did do KYC and were doing more than they were required to under the law … and in context to the presentation it’s simply that if you sell crypto to someone that is committing a crime the government will argue you have broken the law… it’s not that Ian or Aria weren’t doing KYC, but didn’t want to deal with potentially problem customers, not that they didn’t do KYC or ask any questions as would be required had they actually been obligated to do KYC in the first place which they weren’t as the law also says that businesses for profit, not churches or charitable organizations must register and do KYC, but despite that the churches did do KYC even though they did not register, thus regulatory violation is what Aria pleaded guilty to, not anything else, particularly not fraud ]

She continues to not understand the callus way she operated her business

[ we should talk about the callus way in which you are prosecuting an innocent person… but no she was no callus in the way the church raised money for charitable causes by selling crypto and took more steps to ensure people didn’t become victims of scams even though it was NOT her business what anyone did with their crypto … I don’t ask my customers what they do with their computers that are purchased from my company and it’s not that different here .. they might use them in illegal ways but I’d only be obligated to do something if I had reason to believe they were committing a crime .. Bitcoin is not money as it was defined under the law at the time this fundraising was ongoing and it wasn’t until after the FBI raid in 2021 that the federal government changed the law which still probably doesn’t include Bitcoin ]

They play an audio clip of Free Talk Live, a show Aria co-hosts where she criticizes the federal government and the agents: “Moral of story is if you want to make money and not get in trouble you need to scam people. They want the scammers to exist.”

[ they are trying to take this out of context and make it out as if Aria is advocating people scam others rather than sell crypto ? ]

She put head in sand blaming the victim

[ this is an exaggeration, but the so-called victims DID actually participate in scamming others in that at least one person during Ian’s trail testified that he would receive money from others and send it onward to the scammer and another so-called victim stated that he was told he was engaged in money laundering as one bank split up with him.. despite this he continued doing it .. unlike what Aria was doing which was ONLY selling a product and not money transmission .. and despite that doing KYC when it wasn’t required under the law as it was written at the time ]

Her background is neither plus nor minus

[ basically her childhood upbringing wasn’t great and this is what defense lawyers do at sentencing as such things are mitigating factors at sentencing .. but of course the prosecutor wants the judge to ignore it ]

This was a way to make money

It’s a business crime, a financial crime

[ that wasn’t the case and as Ian’s case demonstrated 85% of the dollars that went into church accounts according to the governments own witnesses went back into purchasing bitcoin which makes sense if you are selling bitcoin for charity… and then there was other evidence that demonstrated that the money went to charitable causes like building orphanages in Africa and local causes such as converting a house into a mosque for a minority religious community in Keene .. and at no time did the prosecutor present any evidence as to what the money was used for which is pretty important if you are going to argue that it was a business venture of some kind as that is written in the law … doing it without charging a fee as a hobby is also not within the scope of the law as written just as doing it for charity is not in the scope of the law as written ]

Virtual currencies need to be used appropriately and we need to send that message

[ this is disgusting… the idea that they get to tell you and I what we can and can’t do with our own money… but it’s even more disgusting in that they want to treat bitcoin different than how we treat cash … have you ever been asked by a bank what you are going to do with the cash you withdraw from the ATM machine? Of course not.. yet this is what they’re claiming is required under KYC despite their own witness, a credit union lady, testifying that you DO NOT have to go over every transaction with a fine tooth comb which means the banks were not even failing in their KYC obligations when they allowed victims to be victimized … KYC doesn’t work … even when you go overboard as was the case with the Crypto6 cases ]

Defense

Prosecutor acknowledged acceptance of conviction

– no fraud on aria’s part
– aria didn’t cause any losses
– aria cooperated with government and provided the government access to devices with bitcoin worth $50-60k
– she recognizes that despite lack of knowledge of scams
– she wanted the money to compensate victims
– there was no violence involved here
– there were no drugs involved here

It’s a regulatory offense that involves no fraud

No money laundering charges exist here

It’s also not beyond dispute that it is regulated or not
[ aww yea, each state government and 3 letter agency claims it is something different ]

They try to connect Ian and Aria based on IDs

If you were engaged in fraud you wouldn’t keep this information and she preserved everything

As misguided as she was about licensing she was not out to defraud anyone

The guidelines are misleading because no losses occurred

Normally they are used when someone is unjustly enriched

This is not a case with a loss or restitution

36 transactions with no prior criminal record

She grew up in a very impoverished area and courts recognize experiences in childhood are mitigating circumstances as children do not control their surroundings

She lives in a rental unit, works at dominos, and not someone who stole 3 million dollars

She is no threat to the public

The only reason to incarcerate her is as a deterrence to others

Prosecutor

$30k Aria made from selling crypto

[ no evidence of this actually exists and was pointed out it’s entirely speculative, but not relevant either way ]

Defense

She did no knowingly facilitate scammers

[ keyword in the law here is knowingly, not all laws have a knowingly component, but this one does ]

With a straw purchase (gun sales where someone buys a gun for someone else who is a criminal) the straw purchaser knows they are facilitating gang members.

[ this is is important because the prosecution brought up straw purchases in gun cases to suggest it doesn’t matter if Aria knows or not, but it does actually matter and it’s not a proper analogy as she didn’t know about ANY sale that was going to enable scammers ]

Aria makes a statement:

I did not know or think it was suspicious
It’s not Ian’s fault

In regard to clip I was not trying to help criminals

I wanted to bring down the banking system as privacy is valuable

I don’t ask the person I have cut my grass what they intend to do with payment

[ this is important because it’s dependent on how Bitcoin is defined whether or not you have to comply with money transmission laws and the regulators don’t get to decide this.. the law is unclear… but what everyone agrees on is Bitcoin is not like anything that has come before suggesting it requires legislation if it is to be defined as money… this is almost certainly one of the things that are going to be appealed as this is a matter of law and the judge ruled on it before the trial without understanding what Bitcoin was… calling the blockchain a person… and then instructing the jury it is money when it has not been clearly established under the law as such… there may be other issues here in the the law is overly broad and that might be another issue upon which an appeal can be based ]

Judge

I am going to grant a downward variance, but the sentence will include incarceration.

18 months [cage time]

I will not take into consideration a shred of evidence from the Freeman trial

It was a regulatory crime

This crime is a crime to protect the integrity of the financial system

General deterrence makes sense

[ the judge is saying here that the only reason he is putting her in a cage is to send a message and not because of what she did ]

Judge says she can self report

Defense

Lawyer chimes up and reserves right to appeal

[ Judge is curious on the basis of that appeal ]

The sentence has a procedure and substances defect

It’s out of proportion to the crime committed

The court has been influences by allegations of fraud

Judge

18 months cage time + 1 year supervised release

$100 special assessment fee

$5,000 fine, which is half of the guideline range

[ this is positive as it means she gets a downward variance on the fine and the time served ]

Aria must post $2,500 within 60 days of sentencing

Aria must self report June 17th … something about so that Aria can attend a weeding it sounded like.

Judge will put in a recommendation for a Massachusetts or Connecticut federal prison per request by the defense

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Bill Hearings for Week of April 24, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-04-23 12:55 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 24 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 3 and opposition of 1 with 0 being of interest.
Of the 17 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 6 and opposition of 6 with 0 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Support HB367 relative to eligibility of students in the education freedom account program. Education Tue 4/25 9:00 AM LOB Room 101 This bill increases the household income level based on the federal poverty guidelines for the eligibility of students to participate in the education freedom account program.
Support HB464 relative to eligible students in the education freedom account program. Education Tue 4/25 9:30 AM LOB Room 101 This bill expands the definition of who is an eligible student qualifying under the education freedom accounts program.
Support HB174 relative to the filing of notice of intent to cut timber. Energy and Natural Resources Tue 4/25 9:00 AM SH Room 103 This bill enables a land owner to cut timber in certain cases where they have not received a response to the notice of intent to cut timber. This bill also makes it a violation for assessing officials to fail to forward a notice to cut to the department of revenue administration in a timely fashion.
Support SB162 relative to exemptions from rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Environment and Agriculture Tue 4/25 9:00 AM LOB Room 301-303 This bill makes the initial period for an exemption from the rabies vaccination for dogs, cats, and animals annual with the recertification of a veterinarian.
Support HB156 relative to misconduct by a law enforcement officer. Judiciary Tue 4/25 1:15 PM SH Room 100 This bill adds intentional misrepresentation to the definition of misconduct by a law enforcement officer.
Support HB491 relative to prohibiting the use of the prone restraint for minors. Judiciary Tue 4/25 1:30 PM SH Room 100 This bill prohibits the use of prone restraint on a child in a school or treatment facility.
Support SB119 relative to criminal background checks for charitable games of chance license applicants. Ways and Means Tue 4/25 2:00 PM LOB Room 202-204 This bill exempts members of charitable organizations who do not participate directly in the operation of games of chance from background and criminal records checks.
Oppose SB180 (New Title) relative to product labeling and information guide requirements for cannabis products and the prohibition of the sale of hemp products containing certain levels of THC. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Wed 4/26 10:00 AM LOB Room 302-304 This bill empowers the therapeutic cannabis oversight board to regulate and review the labels and educational materials of cannabis materials. This bill also prohibits the sale of hemp products containing certain amounts of THC.
Support HB337 relative to directing the office of professional licensure and certification to provide notice of public meetings and an opportunity for comment from the public. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 4/26 9:00 AM SH Room 103 This bill directs the office of professional licensure and certification to provide to the public notice of its meetings and an opportunity to comment in such meetings.
Support SB105 relative to information collected by the division of vital records administration as part of the live birth worksheet. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 4/26 11:30 AM LOB Room 306-308 This bill removes the criminal penalty for information requested on the mother’s birth worksheet that is not required for the birth certificate; provides that only de-identified information shall be submitted on the facility worksheet for a live birth; and repeals the requirement that the birth worksheet be retained permanently.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of April 24, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

NHIPAC Chairman Featured on “Free State Live”

NHexit.US - Wed, 2023-04-19 04:26 +0000

New Hampshire Independence PAC Chairman Matt Sabourin dit Choinière was this week’s guest on “Free State Live”, the weekly video show hosted by Free State Project movers and liberty-loving NH natives. Of course, they discussed peaceful NH independence. Watch the full episode here:

Bill Hearings for Week of April 17, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-04-16 19:05 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 41 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 0 and opposition of 2 with 2 being of interest.
Of the 20 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 6 and opposition of 6 with 1 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Of Interest SB54 relative to purchased power agreements for electric distribution utilities. Science, Technology and Energy Mon 4/17 10:00 AM LOB Room 302-304 This bill allows electric distribution utilities to issue requests for proposals for multi-year agreements for energy, in conjunction with or independent of any attendant environmental attributes from electric energy sources.
Oppose HB74 relative to an employee’s unused earned time. Commerce Tue 4/18 9:00 AM SH Room 100 This bill requires an employer to pay an employee for unused earned time.
Of Interest HB530 relative to withdrawal from a cooperative school district. Education Tue 4/18 9:00 AM LOB Room 101 This bill clarifies the process for the vote on withdrawal from a cooperative school district.
Oppose HB250 (Second New Title) relative to the accidental death benefit payable for a retirement system member. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 4/19 9:00 AM SH Room 103 This bill increases the amount of the state retirement annuity payable upon the accidental death of a retirement system member, but which shall not exceed $85,000. The bill also provides that future accidental death benefits are funded from state general funds.
Oppose SB255 relative to the expectation of privacy. Judiciary Wed 4/19 10:00 AM LOB Room 206-208 This bill creates a new chapter detailing a consumer expectation of privacy.
Support HB360 an act legalizing cannabis for persons 21 years of age or older. Judiciary Thu 4/20 1:00 PM SH Room 100 This bill legalizes the possession and use of cannabis for persons 21 years of age and older.
Support HB431 permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use. Judiciary Thu 4/20 1:15 PM SH Room 100 This bill permits qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use.
Support HB610 expanding the definition of providers who can certify patients of the therapeutic cannabis program. Judiciary Thu 4/20 1:30 PM SH Room 100 This bill expands the definition of provider under the therapeutic cannabis program to include any individual licensed in New Hampshire to prescribe drugs to humans who holds an active registration from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe controlled substances. The bill also requires, for issuance of a registry identification card to a minor, certification from 2 providers, one of whom shall provide pediatric care.
Support HB473 relative to penalties for controlled drug violations. Judiciary Thu 4/20 1:45 PM SH Room 100 This bill changes the penalty for certain schedule I, II, III, and IV drug offenses.
Support HB611 relative to eligibility criteria for the therapeutic cannabis program. Judiciary Thu 4/20 2:00 PM SH Room 100 This bill removes the requirement that severe pain be resistant to other treatment options in order to be considered a qualifying medical condition for therapeutic cannabis.
Support HB639 relative to the legalization and regulation of cannabis and making appropriations therefor. Judiciary Thu 4/20 2:15 PM SH Room 100 This bill establishes procedures for the legalization, regulation, and taxation of cannabis; the licensing and regulation of cannabis establishments; and makes appropriations therefor.
Of Interest SB111 relative to the town council-town manager form of local government. Municipal and County Government Thu 4/20 10:15 AM LOB Room 301-303 This bill clarifies that towns which adopt town council-town manager charters have the same powers and authorities as city councils under RSA 49-C. It also requires that town clerks be elected regardless of the form of municipal government.
Oppose SB132 prohibiting cities and towns from adopting sanctuary policies. Municipal and County Government Thu 4/20 3:00 PM LOB Room 301-303 This bill prohibits any state or local government entity from establishing sanctuary policies.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of April 17, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Senate Gold Standard – April 13, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Mon, 2023-04-10 22:56 +0000

(white) goldstandard-04-13-23-S.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-04-13-23-S-y.pdf

The post Senate Gold Standard – April 13, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Bill Hearings for Week of April 10, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-04-09 20:34 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 43 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 1 and opposition of 0 with 1 being of interest.
Of the 34 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 4 and opposition of 4 with 0 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Oppose HB261 authorizing residential tenants to terminate their lease in instances of domestic violence or following a disabling illness or accident. Commerce Tue 4/11 10:00 AM SH Room 100 This bill permits residential tenants to terminate their lease in instances of domestic violence or following a disabling illness or accident, and describes the written documentation required.
Oppose HB572 relative to eligibility for free school meals. Education Tue 4/11 9:30 AM LOB Room 101 This bill increases the eligibility for free school meals to household incomes up to 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines, and provides funding fro the education trust fund for the additional costs.
Oppose HB142 relative to the operation of the Burgess Biopower plant. Energy and Natural Resources Tue 4/11 9:00 AM SH Room 103 This bill allows the public utilities commission to amend its orders as necessary to protect the continued operation of the Burgess Biopower plant.
Support HB257 relative to telephone carrier of last resort obligations. Energy and Natural Resources Tue 4/11 9:15 AM SH Room 103 This bill allows for an incumbent telephone utility to be relieved of its carrier of last resort obligations.
Oppose HB400 relative to certain assault offenses, bail eligibility for commission of certain assault offenses, and making a false report to a law enforcement officer. Judiciary Tue 4/11 1:15 PM SH Room 100 This bill establishes a separate criminal penalty and bail conditions for assaults involving a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services worker. The bill also establishes a criminal penalty for making a false report to a law enforcement officer.
Support HB588 relative to the criteria for applying for parole. Judiciary Tue 4/11 1:30 PM SH Room 100 This bill allows an eligible incarcerated person to apply for parole upon the completion of 65 percent of such person’s minimum sentence.
Support HB624 relative to federal immigration checkpoints. Judiciary Tue 4/11 1:45 PM SH Room 100 This bill requires a law enforcement agency to provide public notice of an immigration checkpoint.
Of Interest SB102 relative to the Jones Act’s effect on New Hampshire’s heating and energy fuel market. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Wed 4/12 2:15 PM LOB Room 302-304 This bill requires the department of energy to submit a report to the legislature on the impact of the Jones Act on New Hampshire’s heating and energy fuel market.
Support HB408 relative to foster children and vaccinations. Health and Human Services Wed 4/12 10:00 AM LOB Room 101 This bill requires that children living in a foster family home but who are not is foster care shall be subject to the same immunization requirements as any other child in the state.
Support SB200 relative to optometrists. Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Wed 4/12 10:00 AM LOB Room 205-207 This bill removes a variety of prohibitions on the types of care that optometrists may provide to patients.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of April 10, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Crypto vs Precious Metals vs Fiat Debate

Free Keene - Fri, 2023-04-07 23:00 +0000

The Wearehouse recently hosted a well-attended debate featuring advocates for cryptocurrency, precious metals, and fiat currency. Jeremy Kauffman from LBRY represented crypto, Silver Dave from Local Silver Mint represented precious metals, and Jay Noone represented fiat currency with his tongue firmly planted in-cheek. Here’s the full video:

House Gold Standard – April 06, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Mon, 2023-04-03 23:42 +0000

(white) goldstandard-04-06-23-H.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-04-06-23-H-y.pdf

The post House Gold Standard – April 06, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Liberty Dinner 2023 early bird ticket pricing ends May 1!

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-04-02 16:59 +0000

You too can see James Bovard and all of your favorite New Hampshire liberty supporters at the 2023 Liberty Dinner! This is our 20th anniversary celebration, which you don’t want to miss! And you can enjoy the event at 2022 prices, but only for a limited time—the early bird discount ends on May 1st. So get your tickets at libertydinner.com today!

The post Liberty Dinner 2023 early bird ticket pricing ends May 1! appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Bill Hearings for Week of April 03, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sun, 2023-04-02 15:58 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 24 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 0 and opposition of 2 with 3 being of interest.
Of the 44 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 4 and opposition of 4 with 2 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Support HB275 relative to schools approved for a school tuition program by a school board. Education Tue 4/4 9:15 AM LOB Room 101 This bill allows a pupil’s parents to pay the difference between a receiving school tuition cost and the sending district tuition cap in a school tuition program.
Of Interest HB555 appropriating state general fund surplus toward the retirement system unfunded accrued liability. Finance Tue 4/4 1:00 PM SH Room 103 This bill requires the transfer of 75 percent of a state biennial surplus to the reduction in the retirement system’s unfunded accrued liability.
Of Interest SB12 relative to the leasing of seasonal camp lots by the fish and game department. Fish and Game and Marine Resources Tue 4/4 10:00 AM LOB Room 305-307 This bill allows the executive director of fish and game to lease certain seasonal camp lots on fish and game lands, and changes the requirements for approval of short-term leases and contracts of the department.
Of Interest SB14 relative to the use of game cameras. Fish and Game and Marine Resources Tue 4/4 10:45 AM LOB Room 305-307 This bill adds a definition of “game camera” and permits the use of a game camera to take or attempt to take a game animal or fur-bearing animal.
Of Interest SB15 relative to the use of tree stands and observation blinds. Fish and Game and Marine Resources Tue 4/4 1:00 PM LOB Room 305-307 This bill amends the permissible uses of tree stands, observation blinds, and pit blinds.
Oppose SB263 extending the New Hampshire granite advantage health care program and reestablishing the commission to evaluate the effectiveness and future of the New Hampshire granite advantage health care program. Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Tue 4/4 11:15 AM LOB Room 205-207 This bill: I. Reestablishes and revises the membership and duties of the commission to evaluate the effectiveness and future of the New Hampshire granite advantage health care program. The commission is repealed November 1, 2028. II. Permanently extends the New Hampshire granite advantage health care program by removing the prospective repeal of the program that was to take effect on December 31, 2023. III. Removes the transfer of funds from the alcohol abuse prevention and treatment fund to the granite advantage health care trust fund.
Support HB135 prohibiting no-knock warrants. Judiciary Tue 4/4 2:30 PM SH Room 100 This bill prohibits a law enforcement officer from seeking, executing, or participating in the execution of a no-knock search warrant and exceptions thereto.
Of Interest HB198 modifying the new resident drivers’ license transfer requirement. Transportation Tue 4/4 1:20 PM LOB Room 101 This bill would require nonresident drivers who establish residency in New Hampshire to notify the department of safety if they then cease to become residents within 60 days, or if their out of state driver’s license expires or is relinquished.
Oppose SB252 relative to release of a defendant pending trial. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Wed 4/5 10:00 AM LOB Room 202-204 This bill lists certain offenses which, if committed by the defendant, create a presumption that a defendant is a danger to the public and shall be detained for up to 36 hours.
Support HB594 relative to the licensure of out-of-state applicants to boards or commissions organized under the office of professional licensure and certification. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 4/5 9:15 AM SH Room 103 This bill authorizes the office of professional licensure and certification to issue licenses to out-of-state applicants who are licensed in another state, if the other state’s licensing requirements are substantially similar to those in New Hampshire.
Oppose HB532 relative to the licensure and regulation of music therapists. Executive Departments and Administration Wed 4/5 9:45 AM SH Room 103 This bill establishes the licensure and regulation of music therapists under the allied health professionals.
Support HB127 relative to the declaration of a state of emergency. Executive Departments and Administration Thu 4/6 10:20 AM SH Room 103 This bill revises the authority of the governor and general court to declare, renew, or terminate a state of emergency.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of April 03, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Senate Gold Standard – March 30, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Tue, 2023-03-28 10:08 +0000

(white) goldstandard-03-30-23-S.pdf
(gold) goldstandard-03-30-23-S-y.pdf

The post Senate Gold Standard – March 30, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

Bill Hearings for Week of March 27, 2023

N.H. Liberty Alliance - Sat, 2023-03-25 17:56 +0000
  • These are the most liberty-critical hearings for the week
  • Click on the bill number to read the bill.
  • Click on the committee name to email the committee your thoughts.

Of the 45 hearings in the House, we are recommending support of 3 and opposition of 2 with 0 being of interest.
Of the 28 hearings in the Senate, we are recommending support of 5 and opposition of 5 with 3 being of interest.

Position Bill Title Committee Day Time Room State Analysis
Support SB206 prohibiting corporal punishment in child day care agencies. Children and Family Law Tue 3/28 9:30 AM LOB Room 206-208 This bill expands the definition of endangerment to include corporal punishment as defined by the department of health and human services.
Of Interest HB170 requiring the teaching of cursive handwriting and multiplication tables. Education Tue 3/28 9:15 AM LOB Room 101 This bill requires school boards to teach cursive handwriting and the memorization of multiplication tables.
Support HB296 relative to local authority for granting driveway permits. Election Law and Municipal Affairs Tue 3/28 9:45 AM LOB Room 103 This bill clarifies the authority for local land use boards to regulate driveway access for residential properties.
Support HB119 relative to homestead food operation licensure. Energy and Natural Resources Tue 3/28 9:45 AM SH Room 103 This bill allows homestead food operations to sell food, excluding potentially hazardous food, from the homestead residence, at the owner’s farm stand, or at farmers’ markets.
Support HB31 repealing the prohibition on the possession or sale of blackjacks, slung shots, and metallic knuckles. Judiciary Tue 3/28 1:00 PM SH Room 100 This bill repeals the prohibition, penalty, and exceptions relating to the carrying and possessing with intent to sell a black jack, slung shot, or metallic knuckles.
Of Interest HB97 establishing an additional penalty for a violation of privacy. Judiciary Tue 3/28 1:15 PM SH Room 100 This bill increases the penalty for certain offenses that constitute a violation of privacy.
Support HB201 relative to changing the penalties for driving without a license. Judiciary Tue 3/28 1:30 PM SH Room 100 This bill changes the penalties for driving without a license to a violation, unless the individualis convicted for second time in a 12-month period.
Support HB307 relative to attorney’s fees in actions under the right to know law. Judiciary Tue 3/28 1:45 PM SH Room 100 This bill requires the court to issue a final judgment in favor of the requester before attorney’s fees are awarded under the right to know law.
Of Interest HB321 relative to minutes from nonpublic sessions under the right to know law. Judiciary Tue 3/28 2:00 PM SH Room 100 This bill requires public bodies to review meeting minutes withheld from public disclosure at least every 10 years to determine whether they should continue to be withheld. Minutes not reviewed after 10 years shall be made public.
Support SB245 relative to the inspection of hotel guest records. Criminal Justice and Public Safety Wed 3/29 11:00 AM LOB Room 202-204 This bill clarifies the obligation of hotels and similar lodgings to maintain a record of each guest.
Oppose SB136 prohibiting the employment or volunteering of a revoked or suspended educator. Education Wed 3/29 1:00 PM LOB Room 205-207 This bill prohibits the hiring or service of a person by a school administrative unit, school district, chartered public school, or nonpublic school who is listed on the department of education’s list of revoked and suspended educators.
Support SB35 relative to RSV vaccine administration. Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Wed 3/29 10:30 AM LOB Room 201-203 This bill authorizes pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and licensed advanced pharmacy technicians to administer an RSV vaccine to adults.
Oppose SB149 relative to nurse agencies. Executive Departments and Administration Thu 3/30 11:30 AM LOB Room 306-308 This bill establishes a licensing and application process for nurse agencies.

The post Bill Hearings for Week of March 27, 2023 appeared first on NH Liberty Alliance.

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