i found freekeene.com when i was searching for "online police scanner keene nh" - there were 3 police cars blocking my street, wondered what was going on.
i'm here to see if i fit in, if i do then i'm here to hopefully be able to volunteer and contribute something, learn something, expand my circle of friends.
peace,
Melly
Hello and welcome! I hope you found the police scanner useful. Have you explored the About page on the main site? http://about.freekeene.com What do you think?
What time was it when they were blocking your streest?
i don't remember the date the police were here, but it was at 5:30 p.m. i looked up the 10-codes, very handy! but i didn't hear anything relevant to this location, just a few blips here and there. i'm thankful for the police scanner, though, so great of you to make one available!
yes, i watched the Free Keene vids, have also read around the site and forums. a lot of it fits with my personal beliefs. but i'm actually not sure if i'd be welcome here, because of my life circumstances, so i'll just be blunt about my personal history and y'all can tell me if i'll fit in or not. also, honestly, i need to vent about the topic of personal responsibility!
my mom raised me to be completely responsible for myself. she was the one who taught me that my SSN was never supposed to be a national ID number, and i don't have to give it out just because it's on a form. she died in '92, i really miss her! a very savvy and responsible person. now it feels like my SS card is a ball and chain tied to me and it's getting heavier each year. i'm Buddhist (since age 17) which has also given me a strong foundation for personal responsibility - i believe if i don't do it for myself, i can't expect it to get done for me. i have never and will always strive to never cheat, lie, steal or do anything else that causes harm to others. i'm teaching my daughter (she's 6) all of these things. one thing my mom was very big on was volunteerism. Red Cross, helping out during floods and tornadoes, chemical spills, etc. it was so good for me! i would work in the RC offices while the adults were out doing the dangerous stuff, when i was 16 i was allowed to open small shelters and register people. i graduated high school early so i could enter the workforce, and i started out as a secretary to the manager at a Sears store at 17.
i haven't had so much as a parking ticket in my entire life. knock wood i hadn't ever dealt with law enforcement until 2005. i didn't even know what the inside of a courtroom looked like, other than on tv. i've been personally responsible for my own actions all my adult life. i'm definitely not perfect, but i know i'm generally going in the right direction.
here's the problem with me being a Free Keener: i am disabled, on Social Security disability income since 1995. i have sometimes been able to make some freelance income, if my tax bracket goes up i pay taxes, i even owned a car and paid property taxes. (the car died this March, sold it for scrap, dangit!) in 2003 i married a nice man who had a great job, we had a child in 2004. paid taxes, property taxes, did all the right things. basically i chose a career and to see the world, then i chose to be married and have a child at 38. my field of work is in advertising and journalism, both graphic art and written. i've edited newspapers (even for the military, where i fought censorship and sometimes won) and magazines. i owned my own business for many years.
unexpectedly, my husband became violent with me in 2005 and with our child in 2006. this was in CT, i called 911 for help and they sent trained DV units and an ambulance on my 2 call. i LEFT him and came to Keene, to live at a safe-house run by a friend. i lost everything but a few garbage bags with what we could grab, mostly my daughter's stuff. i've been rebuilding slowly. i barter babysitting for clothes, books, rides, food.
but ever since February 2006, i've been on the dole here in NH 
i dislike it intensely! food stamps, subsidized housing, TANF. my mom is probably rolling in her grave. if i didn't have a child i wouldn't have applied. i'm grateful for the help but i feel ashamed to be on the dole, i volunteered to help so many who were in the same situation i am now but never ever thought it would happen to me. . my ex-husband didn't tell me he had a history of violence and mental illness until after our daughter was born - my bad for not listening to my intuition. he became violent. i LEFT. i know i did the right thing by leaving - i took responsibility for my child, i knew i had to find a safe place. now, i do whatever i need to do to take great care of my daughter. i volunteer for anything i can. finding rides is a huge problem, but i always pay for gas when i do get a ride.
unfortunately, my ex has not taken any responsibility - he'd quit his job to live off my SSDI after my daughter was born. when i left, he told me he'd "rather be homeless than pay child support" and he has been true to his word for almost 7 years. he followed us up here, stalked, trespassed and got violent, finally left. some of my disability is due to injuries from his violence. i have seen way too much of the courthouse, legal forms, police. it took over 3 years but i fought him in court, finally he has no custody or visitation rights whatsoever - due solely to his own actions. i don't know why, but it's nearly impossible to press any charges, much less make them stick, for DV and child abuse in Keene.
okay. whew! now, you can tell me whether i fit in here or not. i would LOVE to volunteer! with my daughter of course. i can write or proofread press releases, articles, i can design ads, i even have some TV writing experience. i just want to feel useful again! also, it seems impossible to teach a child personal responsibility while living on benefits. if i have a chance to get off the dole, i will leap at it! for everything i take from the taxpayers, i must give back somehow. but i'd need rides in order to volunteer - making me someone else's responsibility in part :-\ it's a conundrum.
You sound fine to me. We've all paid into the criminal gang - there's nothing wrong with taking some of the money that they stole from you if they are offering it. Unfortunately, with the government around, we don't have as many private, charitable solutions for the problems people face.
From where would you need a ride?
I know that JJ is looking for writing help with Free Keene TV.
As far as other things go, there's always something going on, so stick around here to keep plugged in, and if you can come out to a social event like Social Sundays, I'd recommend it. Also, feel free to eyeball the calendar to see if something interesting is happening: http://calendar.freekeene.com
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=5313.msg53831#msg53831 date=1310678244]
We've all paid into the criminal gang - there's nothing wrong with taking some of the money that they stole from you if they are offering it.
[/quote]
As long as you are ok with them stealing from someone else to pay you back.
om-mama,
You sound like a very hard working woman, who is really dedicated to being the best you can be, while aiding others in the process. I really respect your genuine portrayal of your life, and I sincerely hope that you find Keene to be a happy and supportive environment for you and your daughter.
I think you might be interested in learning about Time Banks. They are a really innovative development in the realm of community support–basically you offer your services to someone and gain money in the 'time bank' for how many hours you worked, and then you can use that money in exchange for someone else's services who participates in the time bank. I've been looking into them myself for a few months now, and just found out that there is one based in Westmoreland. Since you definitely seem to be willing to help others in return for help, I think this is something that you could really get into. Here's a link to the general time bank page: http://www.timebanks.org/ and you should be able to find the one in Westmoreland from there.
Hope this helps!
thanks for the Time Bank link! joined.