Ignoring the wiretapping law, if HB312 does not pass

[Sam A. Robrin]

Got a new song you may use if you're of a mind to.  If you can't figure out the melody, Google "Gloria Gaynor."

I WILL RECORD
COPYRIGHT 2009 by Sam A. Robrin or whoever the hell it is who writes these things.  Go ahead and use it (Hell, I lifted the melody!), but if you make a little money on it, I want some!

Years ago, the cops had citizens deceived--
It was just their word against our word, and guess which one got believed.
But so many innocents had tales of lawmen getting rough,
I got tough,
And so I finally said, "Enough!"

Now let's see you smash a child's face into the street,
Use your club to knock someone's grandmother off her feet.
You casually made people die, as of today, don't even try,
You may believe you're little gods,
But don't believe you can defy
The camera's eye--
I will record!
I've got a pocket camera any working stiff can well afford.
It's the handiest of tools
When it's the cops who break the rules.
I will record!
You bet your badge I will record!

You think that you can stop us standing up to you--
Just pass another law and we'll believe there's nothing we can do.
You've grown complacent in your power and you think you own us all.
You've gone too far--
We'll show the whole world what you are.
We'll capture truth
On video
And when they see it on the Web, even your sycophants will know,
And when they can't ignore the evidence about the lies they feel,
You'll have no choice except to measure up to your alleged ideal.

So pass your law,
Unleash your dogs--
And your atrocities will be recorded on our blogs.
And the pathetic egos that you all so smugly deify
Are going to topple--
The camera's staunch, unblinking eye
Doesn't lie.
I will record!
I have a camera and a thousand activists like me on board,
With tens of millions coming yet--
Then you'll know "Quis custodiet . . ."
I will record!
You bet your lives I will record!
I will record!

[Mike Barskey]

Nice song, Sam. And I got the "I will survive" rhythm right away. Are you considering posting this on Lyrics for Liberty?

[Jim Johnson]

Got the start of a new song you may use if you're of a mind to.  If you can't figure out the melody, Google "Gloria Gaynor."

Years ago, the cops had citizens deceived--
It was their word against our word, and guess which one got believed.
But so many innocents had tales of lawmen getting rough,
I got tough,
And so I finally said, "Enough!"

Now let's see you smash a child's face into the street,
Use your club to knock someone's grandmother off her feet.
You casually made people die, as of today, don't even try,
You may believe you're little gods,
But don't believe you can defy
The camera's eye--
I will record!
I've got a pocket camera any working stiff can well afford.
It's the handiest of tools
When it's the cops who break the rules.
I will record!
You bet your badge I will record!

[J’raxis 270145]

Hah, Sam, that's awesome.

[Pat K]

 

[Russell Kanning]

Sorry, but I draw the line at felonies.  I enjoy my 2a rights more than any other freedom.  Because when the end comes near, it will be all I have to protect the rest.

the end is near .... which "rights" are you willing to protect with a gun?

[Lloyd Danforth]

His right not to go on 'The Special Train'.

[Russell Kanning]

the cops ignore the wiretapping law ... why not us?

[J’raxis 270145]

Update:—

After talking with Denis Goddard about political strategy, he recommended not presenting this to the Committee at the initial public hearing. The Criminal Justice Committee is composed of mostly law & order types, who aren't going to respond the way we'd want to something like this. These people can be surprisingly petty—if you piss them off, they're likely to vote against something based on that alone. It has a very good chance of passing (only one person—a cop, predictably—came in to speak against it, and his testimony didn't seem to go over to well), so I don't want to jinx it at this point.

If they ITL the bill, this is something to go to the public with (that is, present it to the media), not the House itself.

[kellie]

Update:—

After talking with Denis Goddard about political strategy, he recommended not presenting this to the Committee at the initial public hearing. The Criminal Justice Committee is composed of mostly law & order types, who aren't going to respond the way we'd want to something like this. These people can be surprisingly petty—if you piss them off, they're likely to vote against something based on that alone. It has a very good chance of passing (only one person—a cop, predictably—came in to speak against it, and his testimony didn't seem to go over to well), so I don't want to jinx it at this point.

If they ITL the bill, this is something to go to the public with (that is, present it to the media), not the House itself.

I agree that presenting the pledge would not have been a very good strategy. The tone of the hearing was very favorable to this bill and presenting the pledge would have appeared unnecessarily confrontational.

[J’raxis 270145]

Here's Denis' take on this:—

A petition like that is confrontational. You will turn some people against you, as much as some will be sympathetic. In particular, think for 10 seconds about who you're presenting this to: law-and-order people on the Criminal Justice committee, or people who will be listening to the law-and-order people when they rebut whatever you had to say.

The first person who gave testimony - George Lambert - did a great job at first. I could see the deer-in-the-headlights look on some of the law-and-order guys in the committee. They could tell there was no good rebuttal for the things he was saying. Then in the final 60 seconds, George virtually nullified all that he'd built, by prattling on confrontationally that he had a website onthejobmeansontherecord.org, and that his organization was pissed off about police corruption, yadda, yadda.

He had 'em in the palm of his hand up until his emotions got the better of him.

[J’raxis 270145]

Exec session* for HB312 is this Thursday. I'm thinking if they vote to kill this, that's the right time to go public with this pledge, including notifying the Committee members and perhaps all the other Reps. What does anyone else think?

* That's when the Committee votes to pass or kill the bill. Sometime later, the entire House votes on the Committee's recommendation.

[Russell Kanning]

If i ever am recording the thugs ... I will not stop for one of their silly laws

[Ryan McGuire]

I'm thinking that's the right time to go public with this pledge. What does anyone else think?

If i ever am recording the thugs ... I will not stop for one of their silly laws

I'm pretty much with Russell on this, but I can understand that there is some careful tactical planning that needs to be considered when taking this to the public/house. So not being very political minded myself, I'll defer to your judgement J'raxis. I'm ready whenever you are.

[thinkliberty]

The NH constitution preserves the right to record.
see: [Art.] 22. [Free Speech; Liberty of the Press.] Free speech and liberty of the press are essential to the security of freedom in a state: They ought, therefore, to be inviolably preserved.

If you don't know what inviolably means here is a link: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Inviolably

Video and audio recording is the main medium of press today. As long as you plan on broadcasting what you are recording to the public and you are in a public place HB312 does not apply as far as i see it.