David on trial for car registration

[FTL_Ian]

Just talked to Mr. Kane at Keene district court.  He said judge Burke is scheduled to preside 9AM Monday but the judge is also expected to be flying in from vacation at 9AM Monday.   So there could be some delay.

He said judge Burke allows cameras if they are stationary, and behind the defendant.
I'll be there with a camera and tripod at 9AM. 

I'm glad you did this, as I dropped the ball.  I was distracted with my traveling plans last week and forgot to call the court.  Odds are good you'll be the only one allowed in with a camera (as I did not notify them), but I will try as well in the morning.

[Russell Kanning]

another keene refusenik ... tomorrow will be interesting

[Dave Ridley]

NH Trial: Keene resident refuses to pay car registration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud3Vr9dPKLg

[Amos Keag]

I loved the link out of your Comments, "Ronald Reagan Speaks on Freedom!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUKC9E04Sck

[Coconut]

Any updates on the outcome of David's trial, other than Russell's situation?

[Kat Kanning]

Most everyone who was there is out at the jail.

David's thing went great.  He said he was doing civil disobedience and wouldn't register his car and won't pay any fines.  He claimed he wasn't a cash cow for the state and that registration was pure revenue for them.  The judge found him guilty and suspended the whole $85 fine.  A true win.

Great job David!

[Puke]

Congrats to David. I respect his courage. 

[David]

Congrats to David. I respect his courage. 

Kind words, I had good mentors, one of whom is not free to celabrate. 

[David]

The following sums up what my approach was. 

Pushback
Filed under: Activism, Corruption, Economic Freedom, Personal Freedom, Police — David Krouse at 7:20 am on Monday, March 17, 2008
-The Means are more important than the End. Good Means equal good Ends

Virtually everything the government has is based on a foundation of theft. They tax you, with the threat of penalties if you fail, or even make a mistake. A tax is theft, if you do not have a choice in weather you pay it or not. The roads are purchased with this stolen money. If a landowner, farmer, business person, or an elderly woman who has lived on the land all her life, chooses not to sell, the government uses a process called Eminent Domain to forcibly evict a person from their own home, or land. Eminent Domain is a fancy legal form of stealing. The government then builds the road. The government, or another government unit zones all land, dividing some into business, retail, others factory, and other land into residential. This forces people to use the roads to get from point A to point B. The government then demands that you pay to license and register your vehicle, or else you are forbidden from using the vehicle on the government roads. Keep in mind that the road is already paid for by stealing your money from you in the first place.

This process will never cease until there is resistance to it. When the cost of forcing money from people becomes too high, or higher than the revenue it will bring in, the increases in taxation, and the variety of different taxes, will stop.

I am a member of a loose group of people working to make the collection of revenue difficult for government. I call this process the Peaceful Pushback against the Police, or Pushback for short. Why the police? Because the police are the chief front line enForcers for the government. No politician enForces his/her own law. They require the police to do that for them. The process is essentially civil disobedience. When a law, or revenue code or law is broken, the individual police officer has to decide to either to Arrest me, or Ignore me. This is the same decision the British military had to make when challenged by Gandhi, and the same decision the legal racists had to make, when challenged by Dr. Martin Luther King. Every act of civil disobedience requires this question to be answered by the front line enForcers of the law or tax.

In November of 2007, I began my simple act of civil disobedience. I received a ticket for failure to register my vehicle. I was eventually given a 'speedy' court date of March 17 2008, as I have contested the ticket. I am of course guilty of failing to register my vehicle, but I refuse to be nickel and dimed by a revenue hungry government. I do not exist for the purpose of acting as a never-ending piggy bank for a greedy and spendthrift government. Further, by challenging the ticket, I have increased the cost of enforcing the government law, in this case, registering of my vehicle, and the fee that goes with it.

I am likely to be found guilty. I will then refuse to pay the initial fine, and any court fees that may be assessed. I am ready to go to jail, again to increase the cost of enforcement. I am uncertain were this process will eventually end up, but the means are more important than the end. That is why I will always try to maintain the moral high ground of peaceful resistance. I do not want a violent or bitter legacy to be the future. That is THE reason non violent resistance is so important. And that is why I will continue with this path.

At the end of the court trial, when I had a chance to speak freely to state my 'case', I said about all of the underlined.  I admitted my car was not registered, I told them I was engaged in an act of civil disobedience, that I would not pay the fine, that my purpose was to increase the cost of enforcement, and that the reason was that I will not be nickel and dimed by the gov't, as I am not the piggy bank for them. 
The judge took it well, ordered a small fine, suspended the fine, then let me go.     I was cordial, even polite at times, but I was comfortable with the direct approach.  I wanted to ask questions about the legitamacy of the courts, but was 'instructed' that I should have asked them during the pretrial.     I don't consider it to be a big loss, as I am not a legal beagle and was not comfortable asking the questions. 

[Dave Ridley]

awesome work david...just stunning... 
it's a tale of two cases today...

[Jitgos]

That's great David! So what is the next step? You start driving and get another ticket and do it all over?

[kola]

now u r on their hit list.

[Pat K]

Good job David.

[KBCraig]

Most everyone who was there is out at the jail.

David's thing went great.  He said he was doing civil disobedience and wouldn't register his car and won't pay any fines.  He claimed he wasn't a cash cow for the state and that registration was pure revenue for them.  The judge found him guilty and suspended the whole $85 fine.  A true win.

Great job David!

Kat, thank you for a positive report in the midst of what turned into a crappy day for you.

[Coconut]

Can someone help with my ignorance? What does it mean to have a fine suspended? If it's anything like when Romney "suspended" his campaign, I think you're in good shape.