Lauren Canario arrested trying to get her property back from feds!

[JosephSHaas]

Highlights from the fiasco...

Mike Therrien needs to keep his boys after school to refresh their knowledge of the Constitution. Lauren's questioning was priceless, eliciting laughter from the spectators when the Fed Police didn't know the first amendment from the second amendment.

Kat's statement was really good. I hope someone else can come up with notes on her comments, powerful stuff. Also she is one of the bravest people I have known, walking into there knowing she was likely to be arrested.

Tom, I did take a few notes on some scrap paper: The bench-trial started at about 1:50 p.m. (20 minutes late) in courtroom #4 on the upper level.

The 1st witness for the prosecution, was actually a participant in Lauren's arrest: Federal Protection Service man, Mr. ________  who Lauren asked @ 2:15 p.m. WHO that elderly customer was.  He could not answer the question.  This was after Lauren had put up on the screen something like: Where is a victim? twice, as also for: the 2nd one to testify was Scott Mellors @ 2:20 p.m. an Inspector who @ 2:30 was asked by Lauren if his oath including something do do with the Const. and he could not say: yes or no, as he didn't know, nor what the 1st Amendment was about.

At 2:31 p.m. Rachel Lapre, of the Fed. Protect. Service too, confirmed what the others said of two IRS women in the office and one "Press" Man (David with the video?).  Lauren was already in custody by the time she arrived, and some talk of her taking off the mask, and hurting her back in getting the handcuffs on; with Lauren put into the chair with the wheels and taken out to the elevator where she spread her legs to each side of the elevator door.  She was asked what Amendment to the Const. guarantees peaceful assembly and she thought it was the 2nd Amendment.

At 2:45 p.m. Phil Thompson, the black man, and another Fed. Protect. officer from Manchester + Boston, with two duties of: (1) General Police Duties, and (2) Risk Assessment (with fire detectors, etc. in bldg.s) was the only witness that when the prosecutor asked if he could identify the defendant, he said: that "lady" over there.  The others merely pointing their finger in Lauren's direction.  I thanked him for his politeness afterward over at Kat's hearing in courtroom B on the ground level that started at about 3:45 p.m. and only lasted for about 10 minutes to 3:55 p.m.

Lauren was wearing the gray-colored STRAFFORD COUNTY JAIL shirt, and so with the arrest last Friday, plus Sat., Sun., Mon., Tue. + Wed. = 6 days + 9 to go = her 15 day sentence of half the maximum wanted by Kinsella. So Thu. Sept. 25 - Fri., Oct. 3rd = her release day. With any mail to her address being: 266 County Farm Rd., Dover, N.H. 03820.  http://www.co.strafford.nh.us/jail/ Tel. 603: 742-3310 (where Kat went too?)  For visiting she has 2 hrs. per week, and just needs your name and what day and time to have you visit her.  I sent her a copy of Gary's Pizza Party in the mail to her today for her to decorate her cell.  Too bad Gary had to be in Washington today, maybe we'll see him next Tue., Sept. 30 @ 1:30 p.m. too for Kat.

Kat did say that she is: NOT GUILTY of this and that she put the blame upon the prosecutor. The judge making some comment about blame to the sitting President. This said by her after she told the judge that she didn't want the court-appointed attorney there standing by for any assistance, and would like me instead, but like I told her ahead of time I could only have assisted by sitting at the table there giving her advice of what to say and not to say, specifically telling her that if the judge entered a plea for her that he did, that she ought to object, but she remained silent that is O.K. too, because her Not guilty...was a sentence directed toward the opposition rather than an entry of a plea, that establishes jurisdiction.  The judge said: Mr. Haas is not an attorney so cannot represent you and something about if he were to let Kat out on bail and she skipped, that it would be a felony with time of up to a 2-year sentence in addition to the 30-day max.  Me suspecting that she will get LESS time than Lauren because she had no mask, and so probably time served IF she loses, me not in on the details of what happened back then at the Keene IRS office on July 19 '07. 

WHY weren't the two IRS women there?  Maybe Kat can subpoena them to ask what exact distraction occurred? There WAS a sign up citing some C.F.R. (Code of Federal Regulations), and the first witness said that somebody took it down  so he had to replace it with another, but did Lauren ASK for the documentation that the CFR was put out to advertisement for a public hearing? That is the only way they can get put on the books.  Maybe at the Public Hearing IF it ever happened, there was some discussion that there is no dis-traction from paperwork duties when the citizen demands answers and they merely press the panic button wanting to deal with paper rather than people.  Did Lauren ever get my paperwork on the Don Boothe case? He DEMANDED that Gregg provide him with an answer and stayed around and ran into a trespass charge for not leaving at 5:00 p.m. but won the case! against the ENTIRE U.S. Senate! I tried to see Kat by putting my name on the Visitor List at the Marshal's Office, but Andre there said only attorneys and thanks to me for doing part of his job in getting MORE time for Jason, then Reno plus Danny!!! What a guy, heh?

Both Lauren and Kat charged with disruption.  But disruption of what or who? There were no other "customers" there, and so to what? disrupt the two I.R.S. women from going back to their paperwork, after asking Lauren and Kat if their chit-chat with them was over? WHAT was said by Lauren and Kat to these two I.R.S. workers?  Was it like a game of: "Twenty Questions", and if so, what question # did they get up to before the panic button was pressed? Back in the 1980s I was told by the Town C.O.P. not to go to Town Hall unless I was there on official business, and which order was subsequently declared unlawful by the local judge, when I did go up there or something, I forget now that was decades ago now, remembering the Ashland Town Clerk telling me of some citizen going there to keep on reminding them of the time on the clock pointing out that it was 15 or whatever seconds or minutes after he had last spoken to them, about what I did not get the details, maybe him asking them for a progress report every 12, 3 , 6 + 9 of the dial.

- - Joe

[JJ]

Thanks for the info all

[JosephSHaas]

Tom, Is this going to be updated for next Tuesday?

I think Gary is having an autograph session* right afterward! 

There was talk of selling some of these on http://www.ebay.com

Maybe the next one could have this website?  Best wishes, - Joe

[Tom Sawyer]

Glad you liked it Joe... 

I knew if you had one you would have fun with it. 

[Free libertarian]

Lauren and Kat both did very well under the circumstances. If they are guilty of anything they are guilty of telling the truth.  They were both courageous and inspiring, they deserve our support and many thanks. The prosecutor was trying to make them out as "dangerous".  That is absurd. What kind of country do we have when those that harm no one are "dangerous" ?  Lauren's questioning and impromptu use of the overhead projector to display "where is the victim" was outstanding, given that she seemed to do it while having no time to prepare her defense and she was shackled. 

Kat pointed out that SHE wasn't quilty, but that others were. She even had the judge saying something like, he hadn't voted for Bush either.  Maybe there is hope.

I agree with Dave, we shouldn't have chuckled when the woman cop said she hurt her back...sorry, it was an honest spontaneous response on my part though...my body was "just doing it's job" and it was funny, but Dave's right. We need to stay focused on the goal of peacefully educating those that need it .   
Overall the security seemed okay, cautiously polite at times, it is a good thing if they begin to see activists as people. Maybe they will begin to question the idea of putting two women in cages for harming nobody and redressing grievances.  Maybe they will even read a document or two that they've all sworn to uphold.
It would be a good thing if more peaceful people showed up on the 30th(?) to support Kat during her trial.
   

     

[Russell Kanning]

I am copying people's responses to send to Kat and Lauren.

[Mike Barskey]

but i disagree with the name calling and laughing at the lady claiming she hurt her back.   One of the DHS workers claimed she hurt it picking lauren up.  you can scoff at that if you want but it is pretty easy to hurt your back lifting.

we're not doing  lauren any favors if we make them feel better about hurting us.  lauren didn't seem happy about the lady allegedly hurting her back neither should we be.

I wasn't laughing that Lapre hurt her back. I was laughing because Lauren had just asked her if she recalled ever being injured while arresting someone and Lapre thought for a few seconds and then said no, and then Lauren asked "so you weren't injured when you arrested me?" (or something like that) and Lapre contradicted her immediately previous answer by saying "I hurt my back."

it sounded so fake, to me; like Lapre was giving as honest responses as possible because she felt that would help to incarcerate Lauren, but when Lauren threw her a curveball question she chose to lie and say she hurt her back dealing with Lauren so that Lauren would seem more dangerous.

And more of my laughter was indeed directed at the cops, not because of their injuries but because of their lack of understanding of their job (yet they fully think they are doing their job well!). Lauren asked them "did you take an oath to protect the constitution?" and one, for example, said "yes" but when Lauren asked him if he knew if there was a phrase about free speech in the constitution he said "I don't know." He swore to protect the constitution, he does not know what the constitution is, and he is striving to incarcerate a peaceful person because his boss told him to.

[slim]

I realize I am not in the thick of things but from my vantage point I would say that the female cop that said she hurt her back brought all the snickering and remarks on herself. She was violating the oath she took and got hurt (I would love to see the MRI and X-ray of this injury too). If I jumped off a 40 foot cliff and broke my leg I would expect people to snicker and make fun of that stupid decision. Sure it may not be the most polite thing to do but I can see why people would have that type of reaction.

I give people respect but once they resort to kidnapping and stealing they loose all respect I would have given them. If they change their ways they can get that respect back but just like a credit rating it takes time to get that reputation back.

Kat, Lauren, and Dave are taking the risks I am not able to take at this point and I give my thanks for that.

[J’raxis 270145]

I just can't feel that bad for her. . . no one put a gun to her head and forced her to pick up another human being like a sack of flour.  Lift from the knees.

Regardless of how one actually feels, it does us no good to behave in a manner that makes us look bad. Arguments can sometimes be won or lost entirely on presentation alone...

[Sam A. Robrin]

When Lauren asked the female [LEO] if anyone was hurt on the day in question [the LEO] claimed [to have] hurt her [own] back.  

That's like the classic tale of the kid who shot both parents, and then begged the judge to take pity on a poor orphan . . .

[Sam A. Robrin]

i disagree with the name calling and laughing at the lady claiming she hurt her back.   One of the DHS workers claimed she hurt it picking lauren up.  you can scoff at that if you want but it is pretty easy to hurt your back lifting.

Even easier to avoid it by refraining form harassing citizens peaceably exercising their rights.  Pure direct comeuppance is one area where I think plain derision is justified.

[Becky Thatcher]

overall i didn't sense much animosity from the authorities in there...but i disagree with the name calling and laughing at the lady claiming she hurt her back.   One of the DHS workers claimed she hurt it picking lauren up.  you can scoff at that if you want but it is pretty easy to hurt your back lifting.

Surely they teach them in thug school how to lift with your legs and not your back?

I also don't think "lady" is the proper term here.  The term "sow" comes to mind for me.

[FTL_Ian]

Lift from the knees.

That's what I was thinking when she said that, besides how pathetic she was!

[FTL_Ian]

Violent people deserve laughter.  These govt people want to be taken seriously and laughing at their "business" of coercion is one of the things that can do the most damage to their legitimacy.

exCA Mike makes a good point as well.  She did not seem sincere at all when she spouted it.  That's why I used the term pathetic.

[FTL_Ian]

overall i didn't sense much animosity from the authorities in there...but i disagree with the name calling and laughing at the lady claiming she hurt her back.   One of the DHS workers claimed she hurt it picking lauren up.  you can scoff at that if you want but it is pretty easy to hurt your back lifting.

Surely they teach them in thug school how to lift with your legs and not your back?

I also don't think "lady" is the proper term here.  The term "sow" comes to mind for me.

She looked like she'd had lots of donuts.