Dave Ridley Guilty at Trial

June 23, 2009 by Nick Ryder · 52 Comments
Filed under: News, Video

Appearing at trial Monday before Judge Burke, activist Dave Ridley was to face charges from when he was arrested for refusing to turn off his camera in the courtroom lobby. Originally thought to be a disorderly conduct charge, activists were surprised to learn at the beginning of trial that Dave was actually facing a class B Misdemeanor contempt of court. The prosecutor brought forth one witness and one piece of evidence to prove that Dave had knowingly broken a “court order”.

The legality of a judge issuing orders that have effect outside the actual courtroom is in question among activists, but Dave was found guilty on the charge. He made it obvious before and during trial that he had no interest in participating in a legal defense of himself, and would take the punishment the court handed down. His caveat though: he would not pay a fine so to not have his money funding further prosecution of victimless “criminals”.

With Ridley’s guilty charge was a $250 fine. Ridley refused and asked the judge about community service. Unlike in the past, where Burke has offered it to people like Russell Kanning or Andrew Carroll without question, Burke questioned Ridley about his financial situation. When Ridley was unwilling to disclose any information regarding it, Judge Burke eliminated the option of community service and said the only other option was jail. After a short conversation, Ridley agreed to turn himself into jail for a 6 day sentence beginning on July 6th.

One final notable question came when Ridley asked the judge about the man who recently died in the House of Corrections in Westmoreland, where Dave will be staying. All these events can be seen in the video below.

Six Days in Jail for Recording Video in a Public Place

June 22, 2009 by Ian · 3 Comments
Filed under: News, Personal Freedom, Update, Video

Here Dave Ridley broadcasts live after the trial where Edward Burke refused Dave’s offer of community service and sentenced him to six days of imprisonment for daring to record video in the public lobby of the Keene district court. (They call it “contempt of court”) Keep watching FreeKeene.com for the trial footage, coming soon.

Social Sundays Promo in HD

June 21, 2009 by Ian · 3 Comments
Filed under: ToDo, Video

I now own my first HD video camera, and put together this quick promo for Social Sundays. To see it in HD, click the HD button in the player window after you hit play.

The Motorhome Diaries Returns to Keene!

June 21, 2009 by Ian · 3 Comments
Filed under: Announcement, Update

Their travels are not over yet – Pete, Jason, and Adam from the Motorhome Diaries have made another pit stop in Keene (which will be where MHD comes to a close later this year) on their way to the 2009 Porcupine Freedom Festival. They came to visit us at Social Sundays and here’s proof:

MHD in Keene

Top 10 Causes of Minarchism #9

June 20, 2009 by Dale Everett · 2 Comments
Filed under: Anarchy in Your Head

Click to Enlarge

Before you even get started, I’m not making fun of Einstein. Also, yes, I’m aware that it was “Democracy” and not “A Republic” from Winston Churchill’s quote. I changed that on purpose.

Ian’s Guest Appearance on WKBK’s “Talkback” 2009-06-13, & Calls from Liberty Activists

June 19, 2009 by Ian · 6 Comments
Filed under: Audio, Issues, Personal Freedom, Police

Radio Tower Liberty activists called WKBK’s “Talkback” on Saturday morning and discussed the gun in the room and the police (prompted by some good questions from the condescending Dartmouth guy). You’ll also hear me appear for about a half an hour as a guest. I discussed the Free State Project, liberty activism, theft, the hitpieces by Pam Martens, why New Hampshire was chosen, why I chose Keene, fighting, following rules, and market justice. Thanks to Cynthia for having me in again – it’s always fun. Interestingly this time, none of the callers during my segment were vitriolic towards me or other liberty activists. An indicator perhaps of shifting attitudes from Keeniacs?

Grab the archive.

Please join us for our weekly listening, chat, and calling sessions on Saturday mornings from 9a-12p in the Free Keene Chat room. If you’re online, you can listen to Talkback streamed live via the Liberty Radio Network and if you’re in the Keene area you can tune in to WKBK 1290 AM or 104.1 FM. The Talkback discussion thread is here on the Free Keene Forum.

Peaceful Evolution vs Violent Revolution

June 19, 2009 by Ian · 37 Comments
Filed under: Essay, Issues

There has of late been a number of forum threads with sometimes heated discussion about whether liberty activists should engage in defensive violence against government people. I think violence against those men and women calling themselves “the state”, even defensive, is the worst possible path we could take. Not only does using violence lower you to their level, it also is exactly what they are trained for. It’s certain death for you and will be used as an excuse to expand the state’s intrusion into everyone else’s lives. To expound on these ideas, I’d like to share this article from Ogre in this month’s New Hampshire Free Press. I felt it did a great job of summing up how I feel about this issue. If we are to evolve to a voluntary society, it must be done peacefully. There is no way to peace; peace is the way:

I’ve been thinking more about pacifism and how to combat this government that is clearly no longer Constitutionally- or Freedom-based.

I have to admit, I used to be what Russell referred to as a “gun cleaner,” though I’d never heard the term. I am quite skilled with firearms, and I have more than one. I had always vowed that the government would get me only after I fought back with firearms. I was (and am) perfectly willing to be killed by the government (because I know where I’m going after that time). However, after reading and watching so much of the freedom activities in NH, and certainly I’ve got to give Russell a lot of credit here (and I would Sam, too, only I really figured this out before Sam was kidnapped), I’ve changed my views, and I would encourage others to, as well. Read more

0115 Free Minds TV June 19, 2009

June 19, 2009 by toby · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Free Minds TV, National, News, Video

The war on unsafe playgrounds is churning out a nation of wimps, the US refuses to accept vindicated Guantanamo Bay detainees, the Downsizer Dispatch, medical marijuana news, Obama appointing enough czars to create a dictatorship, and a police dog responsible for the wrongful arrests and convictions of suspected criminals.

http://www.freemindsmedia.org

Top 10 Causes of Minarchism #10

June 18, 2009 by Dale Everett · 5 Comments
Filed under: Anarchy in Your Head

Click to Enlarge

Top Ten Causes of Minarchy, number 10. More to come, obviously.

I’ve decided that it’s not the next day until I go to sleep and wake up. Therefore, this comic is not late.

Penn Jillette: “I should be in Keene, NH with the Free Staters”!

June 15, 2009 by Ian · 11 Comments
Filed under: Announcement, Update

Penn Jillete mentions Keene again, this time with an amazing endorsement,

“I should be in Keene, New Hampshire with the Free Staters”

It comes toward the end of this “Penn Says”:

Thank you, Penn – if you are reading this, I’ve been working to get you on my radio show for years, to no avail. (I usually ask Glen Alai once a year and either get no response or he’ll say you aren’t doing radio interviews.) We’d love to have you on, talk about freedom and help you plug your shows or whatever else. ian at freekeene.com

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