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One of the fundamental tenets I live by is to honor my agreements, so why would I reveal a conversation I’d agreed to keep private?

Before I answer, I’d like to give you a little more detail. This weekend, I received a message from James via facebook:

I just had an interesting talk with the Keene PD. You may want to talk to me privately. Send me a phone number where I can reach you.

I gave him my number and a little while later he calls from an undisclosed phone number. He asked that I keep our conversation private, and I agreed. I also agreed with him that Sam was out of line in how he behaved and that James should receive a new cup to replace the one Sam damaged. James insisted he was assaulted and was very careful to say in one breath that he didn’t want to see Sam go to jail, while in another breath talking about how he believes Sam would go to jail for a year if he was arrested and that he has a full year in which to file charges against Sam. His “suggestion” (he denies it was a demand) was that Sam work 50 hours at the local battered women’s shelter in addition to his earlier and more reasonable demand that his cup be replaced. He wanted me to pass this info along to Sam and play mediator, and as much as I didn’t relish that role, I agreed as I wanted to help the two of them come to an amicable agreement. Despite James’ veiled threat against Sam, I felt I should keep the conversation private in the hopes that an agreement between the two could be reached.

By the time I talked to Sam about this he had already had time to reflect, with the help of attending the local Quaker meeting, on his previous refusal to replace the cup. He had changed his mind and was willing to replace the cup for James complete with writing the phrase “FREE KEENE FROM THE FREE STATERS”, as per James’ original request. He wrote to James and expressed his willingness to provide this restitution and requested a sit-down with James where the restitution could be made and a conversation could be had. Here is the message I sent back to James from Sam:

I have been discussing this with friends and at the Quaker meeting this morning. I would be happy to replace the cup that was damaged … I’ll even rewrite the message he wrote on the cup, provided we can meet to discuss the situation. Again, this can be private or public, on camera or off.

If the meeting is without cameras, I will require a witness to accompany me, and this person can be agreed upon in advance. Let me know if this works, and of course James can contact me directly at contact at obscuredtruth.com.

This was James’ reply, sent directly to Sam:

Sam, you really don’t seem to get it, do you. The Keene Police are chomping at the bit to lock you up for a year. And they would laugh till they piss their pants if it is for something as minor as this. But make no mistake, the assault occurred when you got in my face. I don’t think you are in a position to set conditions on an apology. If I were you, I would admit guilt, apologize and offer something to show you are serious. I suggested 50 hours community service working at a battered women’s shelter. That would go a long way to show sincerity. But you decide. I have a year in which I can file charges. If you want to have a short conversation about this instead of email, send me a number where you can be reached.
James

You can clearly see what James is up to. He is not interested in building bridges via a private conversation with Sam or even accepting the original restitution that he himself suggested. He’s interested in having Sam do what he wants, or else.

Having given James the opportunity to remedy this outside of public view, and considering the threats he is making, it is clear his request for privacy was to cover for his tacking on an additional demand (I mean, “suggestion”) and his threatening of Sam. His image as merely the annoying cup guy would be tarnished further if people knew about his shenanigans going on behind the scenes.

The irony is that in his voicemail to me he accuses us of being the ones playing games! Sam apologized, but James wasn’t happy with the apology as Sam did make an excuse at the time for crushing the cup. That’s understandable on James’ part as Sam didn’t own up completely. However Sam reconsidered and agreed to make restitution if a conversation could be had. James refused, because he wanted Sam to do all that he’d “suggested”. I think it’s clear who is playing the games here. James was the one fooling around and interfering in Sam’s interview, tacking on increasingly absurd demands (first it was replacing the cup with the words on it, then it was having Sam write the words in front of James, and then the 50 hours), making veiled threats, and being unwilling to sit down and talk when presented with a reasonable restitution offer.

I honor my agreements, but only with those who act honorably. James Callaway is not one of those people.

So, should I have protected James’ threats and kept them private or did I do the right thing by revealing his true nature? Please post your thoughts.

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Please join us for our weekly chat and calling sessions on Saturday mornings from 9a-12p. 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.

Grab the Archive here to get my perspective on this video:

Here’s an Update based on the comments:

I’m currently editing the video for the event.  The full footage from this incident is shown in the beginning.  This version seems to have cut two previous occasions where he was disrupting my interview by holding the cup in front of the camera. He was repeatedly asked to stop interfering.

He then went over to Puke, and said I think I’ll just stand here. I asked him what his cup said, and what it meant. He read the cup and said he wants to “get you morons out of here.”

That was fine with me, and I started the interview. When he saw that he was unable to prevent me from interviewing Puke, he then again started putting the cup in front of Pukes face. This is Disorderly conduct. That’s when I walked over to him (and this video starts) to again ask him to stop interfering with my business.

He did hit me in the face with the cup; He was obviously hostile and engaging in name calling. I didn’t know what was in the cup, and he had a lid on it. When he hit me with it, that was assault, and I honestly didn’t know if he was planning to throw something on me or hit me in the face while I can’t see past the cup.

I felt threatened by his actions and took steps necessary to ensure my personal safety.

That said, I was also frustrated that there were no Keene Policeman around to inform him that his behavior was disorderly and causing alarm. I was also under a time crunch to get the interview before the meeting started.

The second time when he hit my camera I again grabbed his arm because the camera is very expensive, and he has already shown hostility towards me.  He apologized, and unfortunately because of  his attitude and demeanor, I did not believe  it was sincere.

James was warned about his behavior, and told that he attacked me and my camera with the cup. I informed him that if he touched me again that I would take him down. Meaning remove him from my space because he was threatening me and my equipment with unwanted physical contact while interrupting my interview.

He then went and stood behind Puke (after I repositioned him elsewhere), and as the video will show,the interview was completed, while James was acting irrationally in the background causing a scene. (but not interfering with my interview)

I do agree that in the situation I was angry and did move in close to James after he was warned to stop. I certainly could have responded differently, and apologize for my aggressive behavior. I also apologize for escalating the situation, as I could have handled it better.

I do not feel I owe you a new cup, as it was a closed container you shoved in my face, the writing shows you planned this, and I truly felt threatened.

However, I would invite you to sit down and talk about real issues related to Free Keene, and the Liberty Activists here in Keene. If you want to do this on camera, I think this would make great footage, and would be happy to film this in front of your coffee shop. This would be great advertising or the people that support your viewpoint. I’ll even buy the drinks.

I think this would go a long way to help you understand some of the changes that are happening in Keene and around the state. You seem to be suffering from the rumor mill which has fed you a lot of  mis-information.

You reference a girl stealing my sign at the middle school outreach event. Did you know it was a parent who first stood in front of my sign? I had no problem with this, and simply held it over his head. It was another parent who then came up and attacked me knocking the sign down. Cody (a boy) who was encouraged by the juvenile behavior of the adults, then ran up to rip the sign from my other hand, run off, and destroy it.

So James if you would like to set that up on camera or off, please let me know.

Sam

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Please join us for our weekly chat and calling sessions on Saturday mornings from 9a-12p. 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.

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As a bonus, here’s Sam’s call to Dan Mitchell on WKBK this morning.

Please join us for our weekly chat and calling sessions on Saturday mornings from 9a-12p. 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.

Download the archive.

You can hear Declare Your Independence via free, live streaming audio on LRN.FM every weekday from 5-7pm Eastern. Also, LRN.FM airs in Keene on 107.5 FM.

Grab the archive.

Please join us for our weekly chat and calling sessions on Saturday mornings from 9a-12p. 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.

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