Ian Freeman of FTL arrested (11/14/08)

[AnarchoJesse]

I plan on stealing Ian's couch and leaving it on the City Hall steps while he is prison. Maybe weigh it down or nail it down, make it a pain in the ass for them to remove.

[Ryan McGuire]

93 days? I'm fuckin pissed off. When I went to Ian's original court appearance I overheard one of the officers say that he'd like to "throw all of them in jail", meaning us activists. I think it's pretty much a forgone conclusion, that at this rate, a good deal of us will be going to jail in the near future.



Is Ryan going to jail?
By Ryan McGuire
posted at EnigmaCurry.com

I've come to the realization that I will be going to jail in the near future. Not for hurting anyone, but because the oppressive and unconstitutional powers that be see me as an Enemy of the State and an affront to their illegitimate power.

Two friends of mine have recently been thrown in jail. Neither of them have harmed, had any intention of harming, nor even inconvenienced, anyone. Their "crimes" are for having "contempt" for the state-funded thugs that wish to bully them into compliance with their procedures. Their only "crime" is that they had some questions, questions that the state did not want to hear.

Lauren Canario, who was invited to the federal court building to retrieve her camera (that the feds stole from her), walked through a metal detector checkpoint at a time when the guards weren't looking. She was ordered to go back through the checkpoint and was subsequently arrested when she asked why she was required to do so. She'll be in federal prison for 30 days.

Ian Freeman, of Free Talk Live, today was arrested over a couch. You can read the backstory of his case where his tenants have an old couch in his yard that the city of Keene wants removed. Ian is very willing to remove the couch, but simply wants to talk to the person who made the original complaint. Instead of hiding behind the force of government, the original complainant should speak to Ian in a friendly, neighborly way just as civilized communities ought to behave.

Instead, Ian was compelled to go to court today. He went there having every intention of complying with the request to remove the couch. He has also made this very clear to the court on previous occasions. He simply wanted to demand that he be confronted by his accuser, as is his constitutional right. However, within 45 seconds of entering the court room, he was railroaded into being found in contempt of court and was immediately arrested. The court removed the public observers from the room and only allowed them to view Ian on camera (without audio) to monitor the proceedings. The judge found him guilty, despite not being shown his accuser, and he has been sentenced to three days in prison for the matter of the couch and 90 days for being in contempt of the court's proceedings.

The Keene city court has today shown that it is a court that does not recognize the right to be confronted with one's accusers, a court that does not recognize the right to have a public trial, and a court which has gone way beyond simply upholding the "rule of law". What country is this exactly?!? The Keene city court has decided that it has a personal vendetta against all local liberty activists. Accordingly, the prospect of me going to prison is a virtual forgone conclusion. I will refuse to back down from asserting my rights when the time comes. My line in the sand was crossed quite some time ago.

The state thinks it can quell liberty simply by flexing its muscles. On the contrary, an equal, and very much opposite reaction is about to occur.

[lastlady]

Can I get Ian's "legal" name so we can insure he gets mail?

[Josh]

Ian Bernard (aka Ian Freeman) might be the safest way to address it. Just a thought.

[Tom Sawyer]

Wow... powerful stuff Ryan.
Double plus good on your signature line.  

93 days? I'm fuckin pissed off. When I went to Ian's original court appearance I overheard one of the officers say that he'd like to "throw all of them in jail", meaning us activists. I think it's pretty much a forgone conclusion, that at this rate, a good deal of us will be going to jail in the near future.



Is Ryan going to jail?
By Ryan McGuire
posted at EnigmaCurry.com

I've come to the realization that I will be going to jail in the near future. Not for hurting anyone, but because the oppressive and unconstitutional powers that be see me as an Enemy of the State and an affront to their illegitimate power.

Two friends of mine have recently been thrown in jail. Neither of them have harmed, had any intention of harming, nor even inconvenienced, anyone. Their "crimes" are for having "contempt" for the state-funded thugs that wish to bully them into compliance with their procedures. Their only "crime" is that they had some questions, questions that the state did not want to hear.

Lauren Canario, who was invited to the federal court building to retrieve her camera (that the feds stole from her), walked through a metal detector checkpoint at a time when the guards weren't looking. She was ordered to go back through the checkpoint and was subsequently arrested when she asked why she was required to do so. She'll be in federal prison for 30 days.

Ian Freeman, of Free Talk Live, today was arrested over a couch. You can read the backstory of his case where his tenants have an old couch in his yard that the city of Keene wants removed. Ian is very willing to remove the couch, but simply wants to talk to the person who made the original complaint. Instead of hiding behind the force of government, the original complainant should speak to Ian in a friendly, neighborly way just as civilized communities ought to behave.

Instead, Ian was compelled to go to court today. He went there having every intention of complying with the request to remove the couch. He has also made this very clear to the court on previous occasions. He simply wanted to demand that he be confronted by his accuser, as is his constitutional right. However, within 45 seconds of entering the court room, he was railroaded into being found in contempt of court and was immediately arrested. The court removed the public observers from the room and only allowed them to view Ian on camera (without audio) to monitor the proceedings. The judge found him guilty, despite not being shown his accuser, and he has been sentenced to three days in prison for the matter of the couch and 90 days for being in contempt of the court's proceedings.

The Keene city court has today shown that it is a court that does not recognize the right to be confronted with one's accusers, a court that does not recognize the right to have a public trial, and a court which has gone way beyond simply upholding the "rule of law". What country is this exactly?!? The Keene city court has decided that it has a personal vendetta against all local liberty activists. Accordingly, the prospect of me going to prison is a virtual forgone conclusion. I will refuse to back down from asserting my rights when the time comes. My line in the sand was crossed quite some time ago.

The state thinks it can quell liberty simply by flexing its muscles. On the contrary, an equal, and very much opposite reaction is about to occur.

[Tom Sawyer]

Can I get Ian's "legal" name so we can insure he gets mail?

I don't know. Ian might prefer the name he has taken for himself.

They could bounce it, but then again, maybe he deserves to be called whatever he wants.

Shit, I'll call him Sir from now on.

[Kat Kanning]

Wow Ryan.

Can I print that?

This is totally unbelievable.  I hope Ian will forgive me for saying this may be the best thing to happen to this movement ever.  WAY TO GO IAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lastlady]

Can I get Ian's "legal" name so we can insure he gets mail?

I don't know. Ian might prefer the name he has taken for himself.

They could bounce it, but then again, maybe he deserves to be called whatever he wants.

Shit, I'll call him Sir from now on.

Just a guess but 100 days is a long time to not get any mail. If it doesn't have his legal name written on the envelope he won't get it.

[lastlady]

Wow Ryan.

Can I print that?

This is totally unbelievable.  I hope Ian will forgive me for saying this may be the best thing to happen to this movement ever.  WAY TO GO IAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ditto Ditto Ditto!!!

[Tom Sawyer]

Can I get Ian's "legal" name so we can insure he gets mail?

I don't know. Ian might prefer the name he has taken for himself.

They could bounce it, but then again, maybe he deserves to be called whatever he wants.

Shit, I'll call him Sir from now on.

Just a guess but 100 days is a long time to not get any mail. If it doesn't have his legal name written on the envelope he won't get it.

Well, what's the penalty for trying once. Someone close by try Freeman and if it goes thru great.
Do it the way you like, I'm thinking of what he might like.

This stuff has symbolism. It obviously matters to Ian he changed his name.

[Ryan McGuire]

Wow Ryan.

Can I print that?

Sure

[Josh]

It could have been better for the movement had he actually gone to jail over the couch. I wish he had played by their rules and made them put him in jail for the couch, instead of giving them reason to change the subject.
Obviously, it's an easy thing for me to say sitting in the comfort of a cave in the woods as opposed to a cage.

It will be interesting to see where things go from here.

[Tom Sawyer]

I told family, that aren't Freedom Movement folks, and they see it as 100 days for a couch.

I prefaced it by telling a little of the backstory and that he questioned their right to make these arbitrary rules. Did the people vote these rules in? I find others are persuaded by these arguments.

3 days is not a story of injustice, as 100 days after a secret star chamber verdict.

[Sam A. Robrin]

I'd say Ian showed respect above and beyond the call--Judge Burke's court is clearly beneath contempt . . .

[Dave Ridley]

I wish he had played by their rules and made them put him in jail for the couch, instead of giving them reason to change the subject.

ditto, but i see this as ian's way of educating us by example...we will see things he did right and wrong and learn from them.