by Dale Everett | Nov 16, 2008 |
The video below shows Ian being ordered arrested by Mr. Burke within a minute of walking into the room and within seconds of Ian opening his mouth to speak. Free speech, be damned. Then Ian is led into another room where nothing can be filmed or audio recorded. Public trial by one’s peers be damned. Then Ian is sentenced to 90 days for one of the most vague and sweeping of charges– contempt of court. Just punishment be damned. He got 3 days for the charge that he was there to answer for, a code violation for failing to force his tenants to remove their couch from their yard.
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by Dale Everett | Nov 8, 2008 |
On Sunday, October 26th, a bunch of different folks interested in promoting liberty gathered (assembled, if you like) in Keene, New Hampshire’s public Railroad Square for what was commonly referred to as The Freedom Festival. A week later, I did this interview with some locals who have been performing for tips in Railroad Square for about 10 months. They’re considering the name Z Squared but haven’t decided yet. I wish them well and hope the police continue to leave them unharassed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM872g-Ww8I
Here’s a little more about Freedom Fest. Two bands decided to show up and provide entertainment and there were a number of booths up for people interesting in learning more about various freedom movements in New Hampshire, including yours truly and groups like NH Common Sense, NHLA, New Hampshire Free Press, The Red Amendment, and The Liberty Scholarship Fund. I know I’m forgetting someone. About an hour into the event, police showed up and started asking individual participants if they had gotten a permit to be in this supposedly public place. The term “public property” seems like an oxymoron to me. Property implies the ability to exclude others from the use of that property. Therefore, the enforcers “own” public property; not us. The Freedom Festival is just another demonstration of this fact.
The band I interviewed in the video has been playing unharassed for about 10 months in the same location, usually using the public power. In case you think this is an issue of size or numbers, there’s no evidence to support that. There’s nothing about size or numbers in the ordinance that was the supposed reason we were being ordered to leave under threat of citation or arrest. Also the police were going around to each booth or band and asking for a permit, most of which were no more than one or two people, no different than the band playing for tips a week later, so by their own actions, it was not about numbers. The Z Squared band has gotten occasional noise complaints from local businesses but the police decided to pardon them. I think it’s silly, frankly, to complain of noise in a business district in the middle of the day in a location that’s known for having live bands and other public events, but the point is Freedom Fest got no such complaints from locals apparently. The police were asked if anyone had complained and the only answer seemed to be the enforcers themselves.
The laws are weapons in the hands of the people in power. You have free speech on supposedly public property IF they like you and IF they don’t mind what you’re saying.
by Dale Everett | Nov 5, 2008 |
I interviewed my friend Jesse, a.k.a. AnarchoJesse on YouTube and elsewhere, less than an hour before his controversial flag burning demonstration in Keene’s Central Square, New Hampshire. There was a crowd of people waiting, many of them reporters with notepads and video cameras.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCgaXcd1kXE
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by Dale Everett | Oct 15, 2008 |
We’re all familiar with the expression “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.” I take issue with that. It’s 1984 double-speak to me. We, the peasants, are presented with this extremely infinitesimal chance to influence the choice from an extremely small selection of masters, the choices having essentially already been picked by the elite. We then play the game and we are permitted to complain about the results knowing full well the rules and the stakes beforehand. Excuse me? That sounds like very poor sportsmanship.
I don’t accept the rules or the stakes. I don’t want to be a slave under either McCain or Obama and I don’t appreciate others taking it upon themselves to pick who will be my master. Having an infinitesimal chance of influencing a choice of two masters does not make me feel the slightest bit free. Even if I had the only vote and could pick one of the two, that would not make me feel less a slave.
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by Dale Everett | Aug 25, 2008 |
This was originally posted at the Anarchy In Your Head comic and blog website on 8/18/2008.
“If your art can get more press for anarchy, I won’t have to get arrested so often.”
– Lauren Canario
I got what I consider a very good comment on a recent comic strip- I Aim to Misbehave, that deserves a proper response. The comic focuses on a controversial activist, Lauren Canario, known for refusing to participate in driver licensing and car registrations, among other things, to the point of being arrested. It brought up some very good points about how we communicate our ideas. The videos of Lauren embedded with that entry get quite a lot of views and some of the YouTube comments responding to the videos make it clear that many people just don’t get it. Obviously she’s trying to make a powerful statement with her actions and it’s important that people get the message.
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