Shire Choir

At 2:20 FreeConcord.org recorded this positive feedback from a State Liquor Store customer:

Customer: What are you guys all about
Garret: anti-prohibition
Customer: That’s what I thought. That’s pretty cool

Another curious customer asked me what we were about and thought it was primarily cannabis related. I told her that we were primarily concerned with the State’s aggression against peaceful people. I continued sharing that the State of New Hampshire pushes one type of drug while caging peaceful people for selling another type of drug before handing her one of our songsheets.

17Spartacus76 left us this comment on the Fr33Agents YouTube account:

Here is more Free Concord coverage prior to the event which shows Shire Choir member Derrick J giving a passionate speech against our peaceful friend Beau Davis who is locked away at the Cheshire County Corrections Facility for allegedly selling a non-approved drug while not being a State employee:

Photo by FreeConcord.org

Here is what Garret Ean had to say:
This year’s fifth of November celebration in front of the state house drew a larger and more motivated crowd than last year. After demonstrating in front of the placid capitol building Saturday evening, a group of activists marched to the liquor store, and once inside, began performing Weeda Claus’ Chronic Christmas Carols, which are songs about the harms of the war on drugs set to the tune of popular Christmas jingles.

It’s too bad the State’s drug dealers appeared so angry at the choir. We’re doing this for them also.

CONCORD – After a spirited rally in front of the New Hampshire State House, liberty activists opposed to the ongoing prohibition and prosecution of peaceful people marched to a nearby State-owned liquor store to point out the hypocrisy of a State that sells one type of drug while caging people for selling another. Ironically this state’s motto is “Live Free or Die,” though it is surrounded by other states that have more lenient drug laws, many having enacted some form of decriminalization for the possession of cannabis.

The first song that the Shire Choir sang at State Liquor Store #1 was “A Lay of Anslinger.” The words of both songs are by Richard Only. This song is to the tune of “Away in a Manger”:

Shire Choir sings “Violent Blight” at State Liquor Store #1 to the tune of Silent Night:

Courtesy of NH Liquor & Wine Outlets

The opening song is Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire and is dedicated to the men and women employed by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. These workers should find common cause with the message of the Shire Choir. Our main concern this holiday season is that all peaceful people should be released from N.H. and U.S. cages. 80 years ago, people selling liquor were killed or caged for doing the very same activity the employees of the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets do today.

Here are the lyrics to the opening of the song:

They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
These days my life, I feel it has no purpose
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface

Courtesy of NH Liquor & Wine Outlets

I hope these State employees find purpose along with the Shire Choir and support having the freedom to trade drugs like liquor, coffee, cannabis or whatever else an individual decides to put into his or her body. I’m not much of a drinker but if someone wants to drink responsibly then I have no problem with their choice. The same goes for cannabis consumption which has been found to be far less harmful than alcohol consumption.

The puzzle is why does the State lock up one type of drug dealer, as they allege Beau Davis to be, while the New Hampshire Liquor Commission employs others? Some tell me it’s because the State brings in over 1/2 a billion dollars. But if this money is spent to lock up peaceful people, like cannabis merchants and consumers, then what is the point?

Thanks to the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund for sponsoring this post and investing in the Fr33 Agents on the front lines of freedom.

Today at 7AM the Occupy Wall Street Outreach Team plans to Shut Down Wall Street. Later a march from City Hall to the Brooklyn Bridge begins at 5 pm:

Tens of thousands of people will celebrate at Foley square, listen to stories, a gospel choir, a marching band, and take a march to our bridges where we will demand that we get back to work rebuilding our country’s infrastructure! Let’s make it as musical a march as possible – bring your songs, your voice, your spirit!

Richard Onley has that covered with the release of his #OCCUPY SongBook. He’s the author of the Chronic Carols the Shire Choir has recently been performing and the subject of an early episode of Fr33 Agents TV. He begins with the quotes below:

The #OCCUPY SongBook

No revolutionary movement is complete without its poetical expression. If such a movement has caught hold of the imagination of the masses, they will seek a vent in song for the aspirations, the fears and hopes, the loves and hatreds engendered by the struggle. Until the movement is marked by the joyous, defiant, singing of revolutionary songs, it lacks one of the most distinct marks of a popular revolutionary movement; it is a dogma of a few, and not the faith of the multitude.

— James Connolly

…the freedom songs are the soul of the movement. They are more than just incantations of clever phrases designed to invigorate a campaign . . . We sing the freedom songs today for the same reason the slaves sang them, because we too are in bondage and the songs add hope to our determination that ‘We shall overcome. . . We shall overcome someday.’ These songs bound us together, gave us courage together, helped us march together. We could walk toward any Gestapo force. . . . With this music . . . we can articulate our deepest groans and passionate yearnings, and end always on a note of hope . . . to dip down into wells of deeply pessimistic situations and danger-fraught circumstances and to bring forth a marvelous, sparkling, fluid optimism.

— Martin Luther King

Newer and Bluer Meanies have been sighted within the vicinity . . . There’s only one way to go . . . Singing!

— John Lennon (more…)

WASHINGTON, DC – On June 4th, a week after the violent crackdown by employees of the U.S. Park Police, hundreds of people travelled to the Jefferson Memorial to take a stand for freedom and to protest the police brutality witnessed on the viral video showing government employees choke and body slam peaceful dancers.

This episode of Talley.TV takes place after the successful disobedient dancing inside the memorial. Standing on the steps outside the memorial, some people took the microphone, provided by Code Pink, to share their favorite Thomas Jefferson quotes, speak about other abuses by the Park Police, and discuss other issues of importance. I plugged my tablet into the sound system and began playing the State Free Dance song produced by Hannah Hoffman. When she heard the song playing she excitedly took the microphone and led everyone in singing.

Read Hannah’s account and download the State Free Dance MP3 here.

This was a team effort. The video was taken by Ron Nair, who you can hear in the beginning of the video passing out the flyers he designed. The flyers were funded by PorcFest to advertise their “State Free Dance Party” at the Porcupine Freedom Festival. The food and transportation expenses to DC were covered by the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund, thanks to donations by our supporters. In addition to being an organizer of the event, Eddie Free hosted Rob, Hannah and I at his home for several days. The crowd in attendance was largely due to Adam Kokesh (seen at the end hugging Eddie) and his following on RT.

It was a lot of work and logistical hurdles but we took a stand and along with hundreds of others, we were victorious.

One month later, on July 4th (aka IndepenDANCE Day), disobedient dancers returned to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial with fewer numbers, similar to the May 28th event.

Instead of chocking and body-slamming the peaceful dancers, the armed employees of the U.S. Park Police watched five people enjoy what Thomas Jefferson called a “healthy and elegant exercise.” Despite trying to intimidate dancers with assault rifles, armored vehicles and vests, U.S. Park Police refused to enforce the judge’s order banning dancing at the Jefferson Memorial. Victory belonged to the peaceful yet disobedient dancers. The State knows what to do with violent people, since they speak that language, but are totally unprepared for peaceful and entertaining resistance as demonstrated at the Jefferson Memorial.

Here are the lyrics to the “State Free Dance” by the talented Hannah Hoffman: (more…)

The Peaceful Assembly Choir had our most successful performance to date with anti-prohibitionists filling the lobby of the State House to sing “Weeda Claus’s Chronic Christmas Carols” penned by the talented Richard Onley. Below are the videos, shot by Rob Nair for Talley.TV, as well as the lyrics.

Violent Blight
to the tune of “Silent Night“

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
Decent folks live in fright–
Not of hoodlums who murder and steal,
But of laws implemented with zeal.
Laws do more harm than dru-ugs.
La-aws do more harm than drugs.

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
Does it work? No, not quite.
Millions forced into programs like D.A.R.E.
Drugs abound, and are found ev’rywhere.
Just admit it, you’ve fai-ailed.
Ju-ust admit it, you’ve failed.

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
No debate–black and white.
Prohibition fell flat once before–
Now it’s mushroomed a thousand times more.
End the Drug War toda-ay.
E-end the Drug War today.

Drug War Cops are Raiding the School
to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town“

The dog’s on alert,
The Taser’s on HIGH,
Line up in the hall, and shut up or die!
Drug War cops are raiding the school.

A shiny tin badge
Makes anything right.
Your A student sleeps on concrete tonight.
Drug War cops are raiding the school.
There’s no recourse to justice,
No reasonable doubt.
They’ll jail the good and bad alike–
Let the system sort them out!

Your record is blotched,
We’ve broken your arm.
Good thing we’re here to keep you from harm.
Drug War cops are raiding the school.
Any day now, we’ll raid your school!

WAR ON DRUGS
to the tune of “Silver Bells“

Politicians’
Inquisitions,
SWaT teams break down your door.
No one’s safe from an unnamed informant.

False arresting,
Urine testing
Target helpless and poor.
Those who profit, though, keep up the chant:

War on Drugs!
War on Drugs!
“If we save one kid, it’s worth it.”
Rule of law.
Tooth and claw.
Who cares how many we harm?

Cops teach courses,
D.A.R.E. endorses:
“Turn your own parents in,”
Not unlike the old Soviet Union.

No police state!
Join the Free State!
This is where freedom’s been!
Stop the Drug War before it stops you!

War on Drugs!
War on Drugs!
Really a war against people.
Broker this
Armistice–
Help bring about peace on Earth.
You and me
Can be free.
Forge liberty in our time.

Hands off Weeda Claus
to the tune of “Here Comes Santa Claus“

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
He grew some pot–
And so what? It’s not
as unsafe even as beer.
Amateur farming
Isn’t harming
Anyone noticeably.
Good folks live and let live and that’s why
Weeda Claus must be free.

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
It’s not your business
To make prison his
Home for over a year.
If you restrict him,
He’s made the victim
Disproportionately.
Don’t hurt him for hurtin’ nobody–
Weeda Claus must be free.

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
His providings
Brought glad tidings
Of bright Yuletide cheer.
Man reaps the yield
Of forest and field–
That was God’s guarantee.
Who are we to argue with Genesis?
Weeda Claus must be free.

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
He’s emblematic
Of thematic
Principles once held dear:
Rights! And freedom!
Go ahead–read ‘em
In the words “Don’t Tread On Me”!
Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness!
Weeda Claus must be free.

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness!
Weeda Claus must be free.

Previously the Peaceful Assembly Choir performed in front of the State House on the 5th of November.

The Peaceful Assembly Choir had our most successful performance to date with anti-prohibitionists filling the lobby of the State House to sing “Weeda Claus’s Chronic Christmas Carols” penned by the talented Richard Onley. Below are the videos, shot by Rob Nair for Talley.TV, as well as the lyrics.

Violent Blight
to the tune of “Silent Night“

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
Decent folks live in fright–
Not of hoodlums who murder and steal,
But of laws implemented with zeal.
Laws do more harm than dru-ugs.
La-aws do more harm than drugs.

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
Does it work? No, not quite.
Millions forced into programs like D.A.R.E.
Drugs abound, and are found ev’rywhere.
Just admit it, you’ve fai-ailed.
Ju-ust admit it, you’ve failed.

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
No debate–black and white.
Prohibition fell flat once before–
Now it’s mushroomed a thousand times more.
End the Drug War toda-ay.
E-end the Drug War today.

Drug War Cops are Raiding the School
to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town“

The dog’s on alert,
The Taser’s on HIGH,
Line up in the hall, and shut up or die!
Drug War cops are raiding the school.

A shiny tin badge
Makes anything right.
Your A student sleeps on concrete tonight.
Drug War cops are raiding the school.
There’s no recourse to justice,
No reasonable doubt.
They’ll jail the good and bad alike–
Let the system sort them out!

Your record is blotched,
We’ve broken your arm.
Good thing we’re here to keep you from harm.
Drug War cops are raiding the school.
Any day now, we’ll raid your school!

WAR ON DRUGS
to the tune of “Silver Bells“

Politicians’
Inquisitions,
SWaT teams break down your door.
No one’s safe from an unnamed informant.

False arresting,
Urine testing
Target helpless and poor.
Those who profit, though, keep up the chant:

War on Drugs!
War on Drugs!
“If we save one kid, it’s worth it.”
Rule of law.
Tooth and claw.
Who cares how many we harm?

Cops teach courses,
D.A.R.E. endorses:
“Turn your own parents in,”
Not unlike the old Soviet Union.

No police state!
Join the Free State!
This is where freedom’s been!
Stop the Drug War before it stops you!

War on Drugs!
War on Drugs!
Really a war against people.
Broker this
Armistice–
Help bring about peace on Earth.
You and me
Can be free.
Forge liberty in our time.

Hands off Weeda Claus
to the tune of “Here Comes Santa Claus“

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
He grew some pot–
And so what? It’s not
as unsafe even as beer.
Amateur farming
Isn’t harming
Anyone noticeably.
Good folks live and let live and that’s why
Weeda Claus must be free.

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
It’s not your business
To make prison his
Home for over a year.
If you restrict him,
He’s made the victim
Disproportionately.
Don’t hurt him for hurtin’ nobody–
Weeda Claus must be free.

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
His providings
Brought glad tidings
Of bright Yuletide cheer.
Man reaps the yield
Of forest and field–
That was God’s guarantee.
Who are we to argue with Genesis?
Weeda Claus must be free.

Hands off Weeda Claus,
Hands off Weeda Claus,
There’s no criminal here.
He’s emblematic
Of thematic
Principles once held dear:
Rights! And freedom!
Go ahead–read ‘em
In the words “Don’t Tread On Me”!
Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness!
Weeda Claus must be free.

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness!
Weeda Claus must be free.

Previously the Peaceful Assembly Choir performed in front of the State House on the 5th of November.

The Peaceful Assembly Choir hasn’t been together for the last few weeks because Kat & Russell Kanning left the Shire to care for an ailing family member. They recently returned to Free Grafton and, starting with today’s free concert in the lobby of the Canaan Police Department, the choir is thrilled to be back performing every day until Christmas. Our next gig is at a Christmas Eve Shindig at Hoyt Park and on Christmas we’ll be celebrating ”Meatmus” with 40 other Shire Activists near Manchester. At each event we hand out printed copies of the Chronic Christmas Carols to encourage participation from everyone. We do this to raise awareness of the State’s agression against our peaceful Free Grafton neighbor and friend, Robert “Weeda Claus” Constantine.

At 3PM today I was joined by Kat, Russell, Evan and Rich to sing in the lobby of the Canaan Police Department. Kira Dillon was cool enough to take video for Talley.TV so I could perform with the choir. This holiday season we’ve performed to many receptive gatherings but today’s audience was special because if anyone needed to hear the messages contained in the songs composed by Richard Onley, it is the men employed by the Canaan Police Department. Sadly, on September 4th, 2009 these men trespassed on Bob’s private property to kidnap him and steal some of his “illegal” plants. Bob talked to Talley.TV about his experience:

I looked out around the corner of my house and there were a couple of police cruisers, or actually SUVs and some other vehicles in my driveway. I walked out into the yard and was met by one of the police officers who said, “We have a warrant.” I was led around my property. There were 7 police officers here. It’s not a very nice experience to have the peace and solitude of your home broken. This is my home, or at least I thought it was. They came here. I’ve never hurt anybody. They went through my house, went through all the dresser drawers, went through all that kind of stuff. The end result was I was taken to Canaan, NH police station – you know, the mug shot, the fingerprints, the whole bit.

Bob continues to describe the individuals employed by the Canaan Police Department who aggressed against him:

The real criminals are the people who came to my house, 7 armed men. This is a peaceful place. They took my life away from me and they don’t want to admit it. They say they’re just doing their job. I don’t buy that. People need to have personal responsibility and hold to that. I feel like I’m the victim here. I have been victimized, and so have my family, and so have my friends. It’s wrong, what they’re doing. Putting people like me in jail doesn’t do a darn thing. Are they going to correct me? I have my moral bearings. I know right from wrong.

As peaceful people who care about justice, the choir hopes to raise awareness about an agressive police department that continues to kidnap people for growing plants on their own property. The State can’t produce a single person victimized by Robert Constantine. Actually, thanks to the efforts of the employees of the Canaan Police Department, Bob IS the victim.

Speaking of aggression, Sergeant Todd Baravalle (pictured) pushed 19 year-old Kira Dillon while she was filming the choir for Talley.TV. Instead of asking her to move out of the way so he could close a door he put a hand on her. Todd looks like he weighs over 200 lbs, while Kira weighs less than 100. Ironically, this happened during the choirs performance of Violent Blight to the tune of “Silent Night:”

Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
Decent folks live in fright–
Not of hoodlums who murder and steal,
But of laws implemented with zeal.
Laws do more harm than dru-ugs.
La-aws do more harm than drugs.
Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
Does it work?  No, not quite.
Millions forced into programs like D.A.R.E.
Drugs abound, and are found ev’rywhere.
Just admit it, you’ve fai-ailed.
Ju-ust admit it, you’ve failed.
Violent blight.
Horrible plight.
No debate–black and white.
Prohibition fell flat once before–
Now it’s mushroomed a thousand times more.
End the Drug War toda-ay.
E-end the Drug War today.

Todd, according to his biography on canaanpolice.com, was a school resource officer so it’s likely that he didn’t care for our critique of D.A.R.E. But that’s still no reason to push a girl acting peacefully.

Photograph by Shire Photojournalism's Anton Lee

Thanks to Boston Phoenix reporter Alexandra Cavallo for covering the story of Free Grafton’s Bob “Weeda Claus” Constantine vs the State of New Hampshire. Here’s what one of the largest alternative newsweeklies had to say:

Sporting a long, white beard, round, gold-framed glasses, and a crown of marijuana leaves, Weeda Claus looks like a cross between Kris Kringle and Christ — with shades of Jerry Garcia.

Actually, he’s the alter ego of Bob Constantine, a 52-year-old Grafton, New Hampshire, man and a strident advocate for peace, personal liberty, and having a good time. If you attended the MassCann pot rally this past fall, you might have seen him, genially repping his own special brand of herb-infused holiday cheer. So, we have to ask, what kind of humbug would want to put Weeda Claus behind bars? The Grinches at the Grafton police department, apparently.

Quoth Constantine’s Facebook page: “Weeda Claus is a peaceful, jolly man who hasn’t hurt anyone. But the State of New Hampshire wants to put Mr. Claus in a cold cage because he grew a plant that they don’t like.”

Constantine was arrested on September 4, 2009, for manufacturing marijuana on his rural New Hampshire property — exactly the kind of government interference he moved to Grafton to avoid. “I wanted to be somewhere off the beaten path and kind of be left alone,” he says. Now he finds himself reluctantly embroiled in a legal battle, in which he will be representing himself.

The stoner Santa dismissed his state-appointed attorney because counsel’s legal strategy didn’t quite jibe with his own principles. “Like most lawyers, he advised me to take a plea,” says Constantine. “I decided not to, and decided to go through the court process and all that. . . . And I had to think long and hard, because sometimes what they threaten you with can be very frightening for some people.”

Weeda Claus won’t go down without a struggle. He’s filed motions — lots of ‘em — and he’s planning on seeing the trial (which has been postponed twice and is now set for April 2011) through to the end, no backing down. “If tomatoes were illegal, and I happen to like tomatoes, well, I’m going to grow them,” he says. “Because I like them, and my growing tomatoes isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

He’s not alone in his fight. Constantine is championed by Free Grafton, a grassroots group of New Hampshirites who take the “Live Free or Die” ethos very seriously and decry “victimless-crime laws.” Supporters have even written songs in his honor. Grafton’s Peaceful Assembly Choir put together a collection of “Weeda Claus’s Chronic Christmas Carols,” anti-aggression odes set to popular holiday jingles (“Drug-War Cops Are Raiding the School” to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” for example), and have been performing them at rallies and events around the state.

Weeda Claus began as a lark — on a trip to a Spencer Gifts store, Constantine’s friends bought him a goofy hat and his now-signature snowy white beard. Constantine put them on, “and that’s sort of how Weeda Claus was birthed.” But the persona has also helped him to get through some rough days. “People probably look at it and say, ‘Oh, here’s some old stoner guy.’ But when you’re in my position, there’s a lot of days you wake up and things aren’t looking all that rosy,” he says.

If convicted, Constantine, who has three sons and two step-sons (the youngest of whom is 16) could face up to seven years in jail and a $100,000 fine. But he’d rather not dwell on that, preferring to focus on spending time with friends and family and keeping his spirits up. “You know, it is getting to be that season,” he says. “I imagine that Weeda Claus will make a few appearances here and there. You never know where he’s going to pop up.”

Inspired by the upcoming trial and near-certain incarceration of Free Grafton’s Robert Constantine, AKA Weeda Claus, Richard Onley wrote Christmas Carols for the Peaceful Assembly Choir to perform. The choir has practiced together three times, including tonight, and has performed for others once.

The choir gets together at the Peaceful Assembly Church in Free Grafton every Thursday evening at 5PM for a pot luck dinner. At 6PM choir practice begins and at 7PM the “Set the Captives Free” lecture series on peace concludes the evening. All events are open to the community. You don’t have to be a great singer to join in on the fun – that’s why we practice.

Thanks to regular choir members Emperor Evan, Rich Angell and Kat & Russell Kanning for joining me to  make a joyful noise and to let those who try to harm peaceful people  in the name of a “War on Drugs” know that aggression won’t be tolerated in Free Grafton.

(more…)