Rebels — with causes

[Silent_Bob]

http://www.conwaydailysun.com/newsx/local-news/113171-the-resistance-local-people-share-stories-about-protesting-power

CONWAY – From a threat against the President of the United States, to an armed standoff in Nevada, to a walk for campaign finance reform in the middle of January, anti-government sentiment runs deep and local.
Berlin resident and veteran H. Raymond Losier recently wrote a letter to The Berlin Daily Sun threatening to kill President Barack Obama this summer. In the letter, Losier called Obama a "lying, cheating and fraudulent president."
"We (Losier and his friends) will be meeting on the Fourth of July in front of the White House and we are going to hang him," wrote Losier. (Threatening the president is a crime, and the Sun refused to print the letter.)
When told of the decision not to run his letter, Losier replied he and his veteran friends would carry out their grim mission with or without the Sun's help.
The U.S. Secret Service would not comment on Losier's letter, but a representative said they investigate all threats, which according to several news outlets, about 30 are made a day. Losier did not return a request from a reporter to comment on the record.
In another letter to the editor, Losier criticized the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and Obama's actions in Libya and the fed's response to the conflict at the Bundy ranch in Nevada.
"He and Hillary Clinton couldn't send Federal Troops into Benghazi to protect our foreign diplomats from being killed but he and Harry Reid thought nothing of sending Federal Troops into Nevada to intimidate American Cattlemen," wrote Losier.
Others are railing and taking action against the federal government in other ways, including a few guys who went to Nevada to defend the Bundy ranch, a professor who led the New Hampshire Rebellion walk for campaign finance reform and a local person who is concerned that planes are spraying "chemtrails" all over the region.
A reporter asked U.S. Congressman Carol Shea-Porter spokesperson Ben Wakana about letters her office receives.
"Some letters are happy, such as parents whose children can no longer be denied health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and some are frustrated with red tape or policies such as NSA spying," said Wakana. "Congresswoman Shea-Porter responds to tens of thousands of letters regarding hundreds of issues."
The rebellion
Last winter, Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig led the NH Rebellion walk from Dixville Notch to Nashua. It cut across Conway in January. Lessig says the wealthy elite have a disproportionate amount of power in the U.S. political system. On May 6, Lessig told a reporter he believes that Americans are becoming less and less distracted by sports and popular culture and are becoming more focused on the problem.
"I think people, in a lot of different contexts, are being told again and again that they don't control their government, they can't trust their government, the government's incompetent and there's a bunch of private interests with enormous power that actually do control the government," said Lessig. "This is confirmed again and again. In large part I think it's true."
The rebellion was about forcing these issues into the presidential campaigns. He said people need to believe they have a role in the democracy and he believes we are at a historical turning point. He said there is a "fundamental lack of confidence in the government."
In the progressive era 100 years ago, Americans realized their government was bought and paid for and they mobilized to "take it back," said Lessig adding the important thing now is to give people hope.
Lessig pointed to a study published by Princeton that showed the U.S. Government is not responsive to the general public but is responsive to the "donor class" – the wealthy who contribute campaigns.
The "seeds for a destructive reaction" have already been planted and the government needs regain the trust of the people before they grow. When the government loses the trust of the people it leads the public to come up with their own conspiracy theories such as the government was behind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"This kind of crazy talk is inevitable in an environment where people increasingly have a justified reason not to trust their government," said Lessig.
Nevada
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's long-running dispute the federal government came to a head when federal Bureau of Land Management attempted to enforce  a court order calling for the removal of Bundy's cattle from public land owned by the federal government. Bundy is said to owe the government over $1 million in fees and fines.
Many paint Bundy as a scofflaw but three New Hampshire men who came back from the Bundy Ranch recently have a different opinion.  Jerry Delemus, of Rochester, John Ruckenbrod, of Ossipee, and John Hackett, of Tamworth, recently spent time in Nevada in an effort to defend the Bundy family against what they perceive as abuses committed by the federal government. Some might describe them as militia.
The trio spoke to a reporter on May 2 when they were in Utah.  All three have returned to New Hampshire.
When asked if he was really prepared to die for this cause, Delemus replied "absolutely." However, he clarified that he doesn't have a death wish.
When interviewed, Delemus said he had spent about three weeks at the Bundy Ranch. He said the people in Nevada are great and the landscape in Nevada is far different from New Hampshire.
In Nevada the land, is dry, dusty and mostly brown. Unlike here in the Northeast, the federal government owns vast amounts of land out west, including 85 percent of Nevada.
Delemus became involved after reading a story he found on the website Drudge Report. After doing some more research, he reached out and called Cliven Bundy and asked the rancher what he needed.
Delemus said Bundy told him he needed volunteers to come to the ranch, and Delemus readily agreed to take the 2,700 mile trip, which he made with his son and a friend.
Ruckenbrod prayed to God about going to Nevada.
"I asked God that if he wanted me out there, show me the red carpet because I will take it," said Ruckenbrod. "I had $20 in my pocket when I left the house. That's trust in God."
Readers might remember Ruckenbrod from a story about the small group of people who attend Carroll County Commission meetings.
Ruckenbrod said he met a lot of good people at the Bundy Ranch.
"As far as the camp is concerned and the Bundys, there is a lot of love in that country," said Ruckenbrod adding it was hard for him to leave.
Ruckenbrod said their mission was to provide a "barrier" between the Bundy's and the Bureau of Land Management. The men were armed while performing this function.
"We went down there thinking there was a real possibility we weren't coming back," said Ruckenbrod.
There are a lot of problems in this world and Ruckenbrod believes things can be turned around peacefully but that depends on what the "other side" does. Ruckenbrod believes things will get better if people cast off sin and return to God.
"That's the cure," said Ruckenbrod.
Ruckenbrod said no one was injured during his stay there besides, maybe, one guy who jumped out of a pickup truck and twisted his ankle.
"Nobody even got bit by a scorpion," said Ruckenbrod.
Delemus, who became a commander at the camp, said when he took over, his rules of engagement were that no one on their side was to fire their guns at the government first. The number of people under his command varied from 25 to 50.
Deleumus sees himself as helping to ward off a growing government tyranny that manifests in a number of different ways. The rights of New Hampshire residents are under threat by U.N. Agenda 21 and something called Granite State Futures.
"It's everywhere," said Delemus.
When asked about Obama and Losier's letter, Delemus strongly condemned it.
"That's lawlessness," said Delemus. "That's as bad as what the government is doing."
However, he said Obama is "aiding and abetting" the powers that be.
As Lessig might agree, Delemus said the American worker has suffered for 35 to 40 years while the government has gotten larger and big corporations have become more powerful.
Delemus, a former Marine, said there were about nine people from New Hampshire at the ranch and they all got along well. While out there at the ranch, Delemus even helped marry a couple of New Hampshirites. The New Hampshire people were staying in a base camp in a tent or sleeping in their cars.
Delemus said the BLM killed some of Bundys cattle. Delemus said he helped dig out some dead cattle that were buried. He also accused the BLM of driving over the nest of a tortoise. Saving rare tortoises is one of the stated missions of the BLM, and protecting its environment by limiting Bundy's grazing helped ignite the controversy.
When asked if there's more Americans getting angry about the direction of the country, Delemus said the people of Utah and Arizona also have problems with the BLM.
"The people out here in the west are just fed up with the BLM," said Delemus adding that some people out there are are still "oblivious."
Delemus says people he met at gas stations or restaurants have thanked him for opposing the BLM.
Delemus believes the media and the government are painting unflattering stories about Bundy so that the government can maintain control. When asked about the racial remarks Bundy made, Delemus said he would have advised Bundy not to say such things but Delemus added that Bundy was attempting to speak to the effects of government on a population.
Bundy is quoted as wondering if blacks were better off as slaves than they are now. Bundy suggested blacks on public assistance end up less free and have worse family lives.
Delemus said the range fees that the government wants from Bundy have already been paid for by one of Bundy's ancestors over 100 years ago. Then, according to Delemus, the BLM started charging more money with the promise that they would maintain the land.
"They didn't take care of the conservation," alleged Delemus. "All they did is take the money."
Subsequently, said Delemus, Bundy "fired" the BLM and refused to pay the fees to the feds. Bundy offered to pay the money to the State of Nevada but the state refused. Since then, the Bundy's have been taking care of the land.
"He's not a cheat," Delemus insisted.
Hackett said he was doing well out West. Hackett had difficulty hearing a reporter when they spoke on the phone. Hackett went out to Nevada because he didn't want to see another Ruby Ridge or Waco type incident. He said the Bundys are a nice hard working family. Hackett said he didn't like the images of the government attacking the Bundys. Hackett said he saw three BLM agents beat up one of Bundy's sons.
"This isn't the country I fought for," said Hackett an Army veteran who served in Vietnam.
When asked about the Bundy ranch saga, Lessig compared it to the Shays' Rebellion. Lessig said order was resorted after President George Washington arrived.
"Our problem is there are no equivalents of George Washington on the scene," said Lessig instead there are a range of government officials who do not have the confidence of the public.
Chemtrails, Monsanto and food?
White trails from airplanes, known as contrails, are often visible on clear days.
While the conventional wisdom is those trails are harmless condensation, many people around the world believe that at least some planes are spraying something which prevents them from dissipating normally. They refer to the phenomenon as "chemtrails."
Mount Washington Valley resident Wanda Allen recently purchased a page and a half ad in The Conway Daily Sun to call attention to chemtrails.
She believes the long lasting trails are caused by planes that are spraying nano particles. She suggests they might be doing that to fight global warming or to manipulate the weather. Some of her sources on chemtrails include Geoengineering watch.org and the video "What in the World are They Spraying?"
"I am an avid outdoors person and I work outside three seasons of the year," wrote Allen. "I not only care a great deal about our environment, I work with the environment and all that it naturally offers us — believing that as much as the earth and nature is here to support us, we must also support it. After watching this video and witnessing time and again the planes depositing "chem trails" diluting the bluebird sky with the residual milky white I have become somewhat of an activist/researcher on this phenomena which has been occurring — not only here in our precious Valley but around the world."
This isn't the first time local people made news about chemtrails.  In 1999, former Conway resident Phil St. Marie Jr. and his father brought the subject to The Conway Daily Sun's attention. Many letters and a few stories were written about it.
St. Marie Jr., who left the area in 2009 and now lives in Connecticut, was concerned about chemtrails years ago but has since "graduated" to other subjects like corporate/government spying and satellite weapons. St. Marie said the government uses "satellite weapons with microwave technology" to inflict pain on his testicles – possibly because of his activism on chemtrials and other activities.
"These shocks can range from almost like a tickle to as bad as a pencil being jammed in your eye," said St. Marie. "I have bigger fish to fry (than chemtrails)."
As for spying, St. Marie said new electronic devices like televisions can listen to you or see you and the NSA gets the information from the telecom companies.
"We don't have privacy any more," said St. Marie.
St. Marie has a television show in Connecticut where he tries to share the truth about subjects that the mainstream news doesn't cover. People can view it online by going to his website wheeloffreedomshow.com.
Ruckenbrod said he saw some chemtrails out West. He brought that subject up without being prompted by a reporter.?
"The state of Utah is being assaulted by chemtrails," said Ruckenbrod. "I hope the audience knows what that is."
?When told about Allen's ad, Ruckenbrod said it sounded "awesome." ?The government, meanwhile, says the long lasting contrails are basically ice crystals.?
When asked about chemtrails, Wakana made this statement:? "Contrails (or condensation trains) are streams of condensed water vapor and fuel exhaust from jet airliners," wrote Wakana. "According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 'Contrails have been a normal effect of jet aviation since its earliest days. Depending on the temperature and the amount of moisture in the air at the aircraft altitude, contrails evaporate quickly (if the humidity is low) or persist and grow (if the humidity is high). Jet engine exhaust provides only a small portion of the water that forms ice in persistent contrails. Persistent contrails are mainly composed of water naturally present along the aircraft flight path.'"?
Internet activist Kevin Allan, of Conway, made a Youtube video about chemtrails in February of last year.
"They are spraying the (expletive deleted) out of us like bugs," said Allan while showing footage of an alleged chem trail over Tamworth.
A couple of years ago, NASA flew some missions over the Mount Washington Valley and the airplane they were using made some local people curious. At the time, a NASA spokesperson said it was conducting research related to climate change. A reporter recently asked Stephen Cole, of NASA, if they have been flying missions lately and if so, are they spraying anything.
"No, NASA airborne flights in your area in that time frame," said Cole. "I believe cloud seeding is still a fairly common practice in parts of the U.S., mainly the West. NASA is not involved in any of this activity, however."
Readers from diverse places like Fryeburg and Oklahoma wrote letters to the editor thanking Allen for placing the ad. ?Another local person, who did not want to be named, said he began noticing chemtrails years ago. He said normal contrails dissipate quickly but chemtrails linger for days.
"What makes me believe there is more to it than meets the eye, is you start to notice chemtrails in advertising a lot," said the man. "Volkswagon and Mercedes both have car adds with chemtrails in the background, and many others, trying to get us used to it I suppose, I'm 57, I should know what a normal sky looks like by now! Right? When I look at the list of ex Monsanto execs that now serve on a high ranking government position, I have my fears confirmed that we are being duped to think this is normal, why the hell would Monsanto produce a aluminum resistant corn seed?"
?Monsanto calls itself a "sustainable agriculture company."
Monsanto.com says the company concerns itself with helping farms to find ways to grow enough food to meet the needs of a growing population.?
"We use both breeding and biotechnology – together and separately – to produce the best seeds possible," states Monsanto.com. "Our breeding program allows us to use the best lines of seeds to produce the next generation. We use biotechnology to give plants beneficial characteristics beyond what can be done with traditional breeding."?
Bartlett resident Laura Slitt often writes letters about her concerns relative to food and animal rights. She feels that biotechnology is threatening the food supply and that's why she chooses to buy organic foods. She also believes farm animals, ranging from chickens to pigs, are being mistreated.
?"I became vegan in 2001 because I learned that the power of animal agriculture, a food system that began so long ago, was the first form of slavery that led to all others, and that animals are literally, because of the power we took over them, being tortured by humans for food that making us ill, the primary cause of greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate instability," said Slitt. "Yes, I distrust the powers that be. That is why I choose a vegan lifestyle. It supports another paradigm which will transform ten thousand years of what we are now experiencing as a nation, the power of government to co-opt the constitution, spend our money recklessly, and treat us similarly as the system treats animals, as disposable resources."
Cop Block
?Copblock.org is a "decentralized project" that's dedicated to police accountability. People are encouraged to film the police in action and submit video and stories about police interactions. The founder, Adam Mueller, who likes to go by Ademo Freeman, moved to Tamworth in April.
?"The biggest recruiter for people in support of Cop Block, or any sort of freedom and liberty oriented thing, is the government itself," said Freeman. "The government is becoming more oppressive, more intrusive and lastly more violent with every passing day."
?Freeman founded the website in 2010 and soon after he learned that he wasn't the only one interested in police accountability. Freeman and his friends wanted to create a "one stop shop" for people to highlight their interactions with police. Freeman was living in Wisconsin when he started Cop Block. He started coming to New Hampshire since 2009.?
"You can share your point of view," said Freeman about Cop Block. "We get over 200,000 unique views every month. We have a Facebook page that's approaching half a million likes."?
One of the most well known incidents shown on Cop Block was an incident in Manchester where an officer used a questionable amount of force on a student. Once released, the story went "viral," said Freeman.
?"Everybody picked up the story," said Freeman. ?According to Freeman, no public officials were punished as a result of a subsequent investigation. Freeman was charged with wiretapping for recording people, with out their permission. Freeman said he faced 21 years in prison even though he didn't harm anybody.
?"Rapists don't get 21 years in prison," said Freeman.?
Freeman was sentenced to four years in prison but it was suspended pending five years of good behavior. He was also sentenced to three months in jail. The conviction was overturned by the New Hampshire Supreme Court because the Superior Court Judge made an error in the jury instructions. The Supreme Court noted there was only minimal evidence to prove that Freeman knew he was breaking the law or was recklessly ignorant of the law. ?
These days, Freeman is focused on his business selling precious metals and Cop Block is basically running itself. He said there are somewhere around 120 to 150 Cop Block chapters in the country and there are another dozen across the world. ?Freeman said he's been arrested several times and those were primarily for filming police.?
"It's been very taxing on my personal life," said Freeman. "I've lost over a year sitting in jail and endless amount of money defending myself from actions that most people would logically never put you on trial for."
Education
A teacher from Conway and a parent from Denmark, Maine have registered their objections to Common Core education standards that are being implemented around the country.
At a recent MSAD72 school board meeting parent Donna Dodge, of Denmark, told the board she was representing other parents who have problems with Common Core. She said they have had to hire tutors to help their children with elementary level math because the format is so confusing – even for what should be simple questions like 15 minus six.
"The kids are having to draw blocks, columns and grids to solve basic equations," said Dodge adding it has caused children to cry.
Dodge said other parents across the country are having similar complaints. She quoted Microsoft's Bill Gates, who has been a major player in the Common Core effort,  as saying Common Core will have succeeded when they have control of the standards and the curriculum. 
Kennett teacher Penny Kittle, in a column last year, said Common Core will be expensive to implement and she said computers will score the writing that children do on their tests. Dodge and Kittle both questioned if Common Core would really make students college ready.
"Machines cannot assess the qualities of originality and creativity that schools should be promoting," wrote Kittle.
Ruckenbrod opposes Common Core as well. He opposes federal involvement in education and said the problems go back a long ways. He pointed to the book "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt who is from Maine. She served in the U.S. Department of Education during the first term of the Reagan Administration. 
Ruckenbrod said Common Core is part of the New World Order.
"When can we hang it?" said Ruckenbrod of Common Core.