I don’t believe in divine intervention but providence definitely was in play. To put me in the spot, the enviable spot, of a jury seat with a sympathetic defendant accused of growing pot for personal use. Not only was I lucky enough to be placed on that jury, I was lucky to not have had previous knowledge of the defendant or the case as it all came down rather close to home. About a mile away from my home to be more specific.
On July 9, 2009 a military helicopter buzzed and circled the defendant’s home and likely mine as well. Pictures, warrant, search and seizure ensued. These were the facts laid out before us. There wasn’t any conflicting testimony, none. It’s pot; he grew it; he knew it. But not case closed. (more…)
In a developing story that has hit Reason.com, an NH jury has acquitted a man facing a felony for growing cannabis! It’s our first real-life case of jury nullification here in NH and the jury nullification law hasn’t even gone into effect yet. Kudos to the judge for reading a fair and easy-to-understand jury instruction about nullifying as an option! Also, it probably helped that a free stater was on the jury!
If you are an self-described anarchist or agorist and you are not registered to vote, you need to remedy that now. Being on the voter’s rolls means you could be chosen as a juror, which means that even if you never actually cast a vote in an election, you could cast a vote on a jury that could stop someone’s life from being ruined. Here is the proof. Is there still any doubt the Free State Project is working? If you haven’t made the move, what are you waiting for?
Here’s the story from Reason, which includes the judge’s instruction to the jury:
A few months ago, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed a bill declaring that “in all criminal proceedings the court shall permit the defense to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.” Although the new law does not take effect until next January, a case decided yesterday in Belknap County illustrates the importance of the nullification power it recognizes. A jury unanimously acquitted Doug Darrell, a 59-year-old Rastafarian charged with marijuana cultivation, after his lawyer, Mark Sisti, argued that a conviction would be unjust in light of the fact that Darrell was growing cannabis for his own religious and medicinal use. More remarkably, Judge James O’Neill instructed the jury that “even if you find that the State has proven each and every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt, you may still find the defendant not guilty if you have a conscientious feeling that a not guilty verdict would be a fair result in this case.” (more…)
It was Friday night, and Keene Copblock was on the streets. While observing another scene I noticed what looked like an undercover unit drive down the street and turn onto Marlborough. I gave chase on my bicycle down to the Keene police station, where the officers were taking beer from the trunk of one undercover Impala and loading it into the backseat of another. I pulled out my camera and began recording. That’s where the video picks up. Thanks to Lightspeedliberty for editing the video and the other CopBlockers for their dedication and assistance in busting these aggressors:
It's just days before the real-life premiere and "Derrick J's Victimless Crime Spree" has exceeded 20,000 views on YouTube in just over a month since its release. The feature-length documentary was shot primarily in Keene, NH and chronicles the first year of Derrick J's activism here. The film is packed with exciting footage and insightful commentary. The YouTube statistics are a testament to the movie's popularity with viewers as it currently has 589 likes and only 31 dislikes!
The real-life premiere is happening this Saturday, 9/15 at 9:45am at Keene Cinemas. Admission is free and will be first-come-first-serve. After the movie there will be a Q&A with Derrick J, executive producer Ian Freeman and editor Beau Davis. We'll be giving away an exclusive, autographed movie poster to a lucky winner and following that, there will be a bring-your-own lunch at Ashuelot Park. Details on this Facebook event.
Here’s the scoop on someone of whom to beware, courtesy of Ashley Jardis, Brad’s wife:
Working With a Psychopath
For the last couple of months, I have endured the life experience of working with a psychopath. His name is Jeramie Samphere. My husband and I didn’t know he was a psychopath when we hired him (he was paid over $1200 total for his services) as campaign manager of the Sheriff’s race we were currently involved in. We just thought he was a little strange – not unlike the rest of us. We later found out that he was a former Jehovah’s Witness, so we figured he would be great at helping us with one of the most critical parts of campaigning – door knocking. He seemed to have some really good ideas, and sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He also put us in touch with some amazing people, whom I am forever grateful for their help and hard work.
About four weeks ago, while out door knocking with Jeramie, Brad noticed some aggressive and “pushy” behavior from him. He mentioned it to Jeramie and asked him to stop behaving that way. (more…)
It's just days before the real-life premiere and "
