The April 14 2013 edition of Peace News Now was visually illustrated by Free Concord’s Garret Ean. In Sunday’s program, you’ll hear about the latest on Bitcoin, police accountability issues in Salisbury, NC, and how a recently declassified NSA document might reveal evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Check out episode #95 of the daily newscast produced by superactivist Derrick J Freeman below:
Rich Paul, despite facing 81 years in prison for selling cannabis, has again refused the plea deal. As is mentioned in the “Don’t take the plea deal” flier, refusing an initial plea deal frequently leads to a second, better plea deal. That was the case today at superior court where Rich Paul was this morning for a hearing on some motions. The original plea deal on the table was that he plead guilty to the felonies and receive one year in jail. The new deal, offered this morning, was pleading to the felonies and receive zero jail time. Tempting as it was, Rich heroically refused and will go on trial by jury tomorrow at 9am.
This is the insane “war on drugs”: The KPD & FBI bust a heroin dealer then promise to set him free in return for helping them bust a cannabis dealer! The story goes deeper – turns out it was all about targeting Rich Paul’s political associates. The FBI’s Phil Christiana was handling the case and tried to get Rich Paul to set up his fellow liberty activists for arrest. Rich refused to turn snitch and is now going to jury trial on Tuesday at 9am at Cheshire “superior” court. In this video from CopBlock‘s Pete Eyre, Rich Admits he sold cannabis and plans to ask the jury to nullify the war on drugs. Rich says, toward the end of the video, “The time has come to end…this war on drugs”.
How You Can Help Rich Paul:
Join the resurrected 420 Celebrations happening daily at 4:20pm in Keene’s Central Square.
Attend Rich Paul’s trial, beginning next Tuesday, April 16th at Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene, NH.
Donate via PayPal: rich.paul.freeman@gmail.com
Donate via Bitcoin: 1H6jt6w2PGQQ7ZcdngmSggQTAc5dF7sLwt
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Several activists came out to Cheshire “superior” court yesterday morning to perform jury outreach with NHJury.com fliers encouraging jurors to learn about jury nullification – your right as a juror to judge the law itself and vote your conscience.
Hopefully jurors will take the information to heart and use compassion for their peaceful neighbor in the upcoming trial of heroic 420 celebration founder Rich Paul. Rich is facing multiple cannabis distribution charges that could result in 81 years in prison. Rich has been offered a plea deal of a year in jail and has refused. He wants to be the first person acquitted for the peaceful, victimless “crime” of selling some cannabis to consenting adults. Most people would have taken the deal. Rich is standing firm on his beliefs – he has done no harm. No victim, no crime.
Here is a facebook event for the trial which begins Tuesday April 16th at 9am at Cheshire “superior” court at 12 Court St. Jury nullification sigh waving begins at 7:50am. Please come out and support Rich!
Despite a fine performance by New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union attorney Barbara Keshen, the sad, obedient jury did what the state wanted and convicted the Trespassive Three of Occupy NH for “Criminal Trespass” for the crime of exercising their rights to free speech and assembly after 11pm in Manchester’s Veteran’s Park.
The jury’s guilty verdict basically says that a city ordinance can trump the constitutional supposed “protections” for the rights we allegedly have as human beings. It is a terrible decision against their fellow human beings.
After the trial, several activists awaited the release of the jury and attempted to offer cash for a quick interview. They were not having it, one even saying “we’re not talking to you” which is a strange thing to say, since she was walking alone when she said it. (I didn’t record that interaction.) Were they instructed to not talk to us? One juror in the video says they weren’t given such an instruction, but I have to wonder if that is true.
The juror who speaks to us later is not shown in the video, at her request. Could that be because she was ashamed of what she did? She decided to talk to us only after all the other jurors and court security had left. (more…)
As you may know, NH is the only state with a law affirming the right of a jury to nullify bad laws (thanks to Free State Project liberty legislators). Now the NH Bar Association’s Mark Sisti and Jared Bedrick weigh in with an opinion piece about the issue:
This past September, Judge James D. O’Neill, III of the Belknap County Superior Court instructed jurors that they could find the defendant not guilty, despite proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, if they had “a conscientious feeling that a not-guilty verdict would be a fair result in [the] case.”
In that case, Barnstead resident and Rastafari practitioner Doug Darrell had taken the stand and admitted to each and every element of an indictment alleging that he knowingly manufactured marijuana at his home. The judge was essentially allowing the jury to base its decision on something other than law or logic – its concept of justice. This is known as “jury nullification,” and it’s the subject of a recent law and heated debate. (more…)