Every year on tax day, April 15, activists around the Valley hand out fliers at post offices showing people how much of their taxes go to war. To join the local actions, contact the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee www.nwtrcc.org and/or the War Resisters' League www.WarResisters.org
Out of a federal budget of about $2,900,000,000,000 about half goes to war. Details are at:
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant may be ordered to close immediately by state regulators, according to a statement released on February 25 by the Vermont Public Service Board, whose members are appointed by the governor. Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone's throw from New Hampshire.
This photo, taken in Keene on February 15, shows Mount Monadnock. To enlarge the photo, please click on it. The mountain, including thousands of acres of land, was protected from development by the collective action of ordinary citizens. Hiking trails lead to the summit. From there, one can see all six states in New England. A trail map is at:
A Keene police officer shot and killed a man who was using a knife to hold his ex-girlfriend hostage on February 2. A preliminary report by the state attorney general found that the shooting was justified.
The Keene Sentinel newspaper reported that three other people have been killed by police in the Keene area in less than four years. The attorney general found all three killings were justified.
On January 6, the New Hampshire House voted against a bill that would have allowed the state to execute people because they committed murder under a wider range of circumstances than allowed under current law. The vote was 201-161.
Meanwhile in Massachusetts, a bill to reinstate the death penalty in the state is pending in the legislature. A group of people is organizing to fight the measure. They meet monthly in the Springfield area. For more information e-mail mcadp1@aol.com or cajowl66@aol.com or call (413) 567-3451.
Activists are planning a mass bicycle ride, marches, rallies with speakers and live music, and other actions around the Valley on Saturday, October 24 to protest the government’s lack of meaningful action on climate change. Climate change resulting in large part from burning fossil fuels in cars, electricity generation, and heating and cooling buildings, is causing glaciers to melt, which in turn causes flooding of places where people live and grow food. Droughts and severe rainfall are both becoming more common, which makes it harder for farmers to grow food.
The Keene city council voted earlier this month in favor of asking the state to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. But the council will likely vote again on the matter at its October 1 meeting, and the vote is expected to be close.
“The war on drugs is over and we lost,” Frederick Parsells told the Valley Post. Parsells is a member of the Keene planning commission, and a former Keene police detective. He served on the Keene city council for six years. It was a letter that Parsells recently sent to the city council that prompted the vote.
In Keene, the 1,044 acre Greater Goose Pond Forest has been protected from development. The land is owned by the city and had been vulnerable to being paved. The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests this month permanently protected the Keene forest, which includes a pond, streams, and wetlands.
“This was the work of many people, from the Greater Goose Pond land management committee to the Keene city council that adopted the committee’s recommendations,” said Eloise Clark of the Keene Conservation Commission.
New Hampshire governor John Lynch on July 10 vetoed legislation that would have made New Hampshire the 14th state to legalize marijuana use by severely ill people. The bill passed the House by 232-108 and the senate by 14-10. If enough people call their legislators, it’s possible that the legislature will over-ride Lynch’s veto. Legislators’ contact info is at www.gencourt.state.nh.us
Bonnie Hudspeth of Keene buys local organic eggs at the Hannah Grimes store on Main Street in downtown Keene after walking through a rain storm. Hudspeth works for a non-profit organization, the Keene Downtown Group. The Group's mission is to make downtown Keene better. Downtown Keene is walk-able and is full of locally owned businesses. Suburban Keene is dominated by cars, Wal-Mart, and other chain stores. For details, call Hudspeth at 603-352-0900. More info on the egg store is at www.HannahGrimes.com
photo by Eesha Williams