by Sam Dodson | May 19, 2009 |
Friday, May 15:
I’ll get back to my comparison of the jailers’ work program to the private market in this post. First I want to update some of you on my health. A couple of weeks ago I finally received commissary which included some drinking containers. As a result I’ve been drinking a lot more water. I was fairly dehydrated before, and as a result my weight went from 160 to 162. I’ve been extremely disheartened by the games and procedural rules the NH courts have been hiding behind. The jail has started calling me by my legal name despite the fact that I have never acknowledged it. Of course not knowing it is the reason they claim to be holding me.
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by Sam Dodson | May 19, 2009 |
Thursday, May 14:
I received more good news from Ivy today. I’m sure it’s been widely reported already, that when faced with responding to Ivy’s Demurs, Rivera, the KPD arresting officer and prosecutor, dropped the disorderly conduct and theft charge (a thinly veiled attempt to shut me up by stealing my camera). Even if I had not been in jail for the last 30+ days, responding to his baseless charges and accusations requires a considerable amount of time and money. That’s of no concern for Rivera, as the government designed and subsequently government subverted “justice” system works to shield bureaucrats, who act improperly or violate their laws, from prosecution or even consequences of their actions.
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by Sam Dodson | May 18, 2009 |
Wednesday, May 13:
Yesterday I wrote about the “MPR,” the group of prisoners who work, and specifically the work release program where some are allowed to leave for outside jobs. While I’m sure all of their rules exist for a reason, government involvement typically results in a never ending series of unintended consequences. Despite the best of intentions, government solutions often end up missing the forest for the trees. The MPR is no exception.
The idea is a simple one. Take prisoners about to be released, and acclimate them to a structured work environment similar to what they may encounter once released. Unfortunately, the punitive authoritarian environment makes this objective impractical if not impossible.
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by Sam Dodson | May 18, 2009 |
Tuesday, May 12:
I was reclassified earlier in the week and sent down to the gymnasium, aptly renamed the MPR because housing prisoners in a gym is considered inhumane. There are 27 metal cots, 4-6 of which are typically empty. There’s one bathroom, no shower, a multi-function workout station, and a door that leads to a fenced-in yard. The door is opened sometime in the morning and closed sometime after dark.
The prisoners here don’t seem to care much about the room. They don’t bother cleaning the tables after eating, trash is often left lying around, and the bathroom 20+ guys use is pretty disgusting. The last group had a sense of community. Here the prisoners are primarily in their 20s, many are self-centered, immature, most hold a very negative outlook, and at least two can’t read. The guards (same people) are much more talkative and friendly down here compared to upstairs. The vast majority of their crimes stem from a drug problem exacerbated by the drug war and punitive government system.
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by Nick Ryder | May 17, 2009 |
The Keene Sentinel, which was present on April 13th for the arrest of Sam, and 6 others, has finally published an article specifically about him and his in-jail protest.
Testing the system behind bars, Free Stater chides court, gains recruits
Sam Miller talks about his experience in the local court system during a visit at the Cheshire County jail in Westmoreland.
By PHILLIP BANTZ
Sentinel Staff
Published: Sunday, May 17, 2009 8:07 AM EDT
WESTMORELAND — A battle of wills is playing out within the cinder block walls of the Cheshire County jail in Westmoreland, where an activist has spent more than a month protesting a judge’s order that he identify himself to police.
John Doe walks into the jail cafeteria, a faded orange jumpsuit draped over his lanky frame and a folder of legal documents tucked under his arm. He sits at a stainless steel picnic-style table and when he smiles the tendons in his long, thin neck bulge.
Doe says he hasn’t eaten solid food since he’s been behind bars because he’s on a hunger strike. When he came to jail he weighed 180 pounds, and now he weighs 116, he says.
Court and jail officials know Doe’s real name — Sam A. Miller, a 33-year-old former telecommunications specialist from Texas who moved to Keene earlier this year to join the Free State Project. They have Miller’s Texas driver’s license.
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