by Ian | Dec 22, 2011 |
If you’ve been reading this blog for the last year-or-so, you probably know I and other activists were arrested at a city council meeting last year for playing a drinking game, quietly, with brown bottles mostly filled with water.
Over a year post-the-arrests, they dropped my charges – a tacit admission that the arrests were wrongful. Rather than do as many have suggested and sue, I merely asked, in writing, for an apology. I didn’t expect one, but I did get an amusing refusal letter from the city attorney, which I will share with you below.
The people calling themselves “the city of Keene” have an attorney on staff named Thom Mullins. Thom told me prior to receiving this letter that they wouldn’t apologize because according to him, even though I couldn’t be prosecuted for anything didn’t mean I should have been allowed to stay in their meeting. My real crime all along had been to not take them seriously. The government people can’t have us little people poking fun at them (even if silently) in creative ways. Had we stood in there with signs, we’d have been alright, because people have always done that sort of protest over the years. Drinking in unison from brown bottles however? They see it as a slap to the precious legitimacy of their system. (more…)
by Ian | Dec 21, 2011 |
Unfortunately no video exists of the incident due to oppressive camera restrictions at Cheshire “superior” court, but this afternoon before my trial on open records access could begin, two arrests were made in the courtroom. Jason Talley of Talley.TV (and FK blogger) and Kelly Voluntaryist James were both cuffed and removed. Talley was dragged by the handcuffs out of the room, yelling in pain. All of this because when the robed man entered, about eight activists refused to stand, as always happens in any court we visit. However the robed man in this case is perhaps the most power-mad one in all of NH, John P. Arnold, who despite retiring is still a “Senior judge”, which means he can be brought back anytime. The bailiffs threatened the activists upon their remaining seated and demanded they stand or leave. No one did either, so they began targeting people separately. Eventually, most got up, and Talley was in the process of leaving when they arrested him and then Kelly, who stayed seated in protest of Talley’s arrest.
Later, the two were brought in for a “right of alocution” and were released with holiday wishes from Arnold. No, seriously. He actually told them “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays”. He also lectured them about having more respect for the court. He claimed that he wasn’t personally offended at their staying seated, but that it’s disrespectful to the process. After he left, out-of-control court security agent Bob Tebo tried to lecture me about respect, and I informed him that one must earn respect and that one doesn’t earn respect in my book by threatening and caging peaceful people.
For a full description and discussion of today’s events, please listen to tonight’s Free Talk Live – we spend most of the last 2/3s of the show discussing it.
by Ian | Dec 17, 2011 |
Thank you Terry Clark. No thanks to the rest of the council, who just voted to accept federal money for a “BearCat”. It’s that scary looking Armored Personnel Carrier behind these scary guys pictured below. The cops sure have come a long way since Andy Griffith, huh? This thing is not something that peace officers need to have. Of course, they aren’t peace officers, are they? Otherwise they would be focusing on keeping the peace instead of aggressing against the peaceful.
by Garret Ean | Dec 16, 2011 |
Bradley Manning’s first pretrial hearing is happening now. Continuously updated live coverage comes from UK’s The Guardian.
http://guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/dec/16/bradley-manning-hearing-live-updates
by Pete Eyre | Dec 16, 2011 |
What we had here was an eye-opener. It was a judgement to show people just what these bastards could do. In broad daylight, televised all over the world. And then they come around later and lie about what they did. And say ‘They killed themselves. They burnt themselves up.’ No I knew these people they would not do that. It’s against their religious belief. They would never do that.
-Charles Pace, Branch Davadian
The “judgement” Pace referenced happened in 1993 outside Waco, Texas.
(more…)
by Ian | Dec 8, 2011 |
If you’ve been reading this blog in the last week, you are aware of the controversy brewing around FK blogger and former cop Brad Jardis’ plan, along with former military member Tommy Mozingo, to walk onto the campus of Plymouth State University with guns, openly carried. Their purpose was to educate the students about their supposed right to carry weapons for self-defense. He announced it in advance here three days ago and since the government university system has been freaking out.
Now they have gone to the “Grafton Superior Court” to save them from the peaceful gun rights demonstration and outreach event. A man who wears a robe has decreed some pretty outrageous stuff in a “TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER”, issued today to Brad and Tommy.
First, Brad and Tommy are “enjoined” from carrying any weapons on any state university campus, including Keene State and UNH. But not just Brad and Tommy (more…)
If you’ve been reading this blog for the last year-or-so, you probably know I and other activists were arrested at a city council meeting last year for playing a drinking game, quietly, with brown bottles mostly filled with water.
