Nashua Trial for Jim

[Tom Sawyer]

Wickler is a statist thru and thru.  He wants to regulate and tax pot.

I bet he wants to replace incarcerating drug users in jail... with incarcerating drug users in "Treatment Facilities".

[Bill St. Clair]

I emphatically agree with the basic idea, but, of course, believe songs written specifically for the liberty movement are preferable.

I go to a Passover Seder almost every year, with 70 or so others. I'm not Jewish, but it's a yearly event at the community where I live. We always sing that song, making up verses until we're done. I think of it as a song for a long ago liberty movement. No reason it couldn't be used today.

[Tom Sawyer]

Two more arrested over pot protest

Nashua Telegraph article

NASHUA – Nashua police used YouTube and help from other area police departments to arrest two more people involved in a large protest of marijuana laws on Library Hill last month.

I think it would be fun to watch all the Youtube videos relating to this case in court... The cops have introduced this... Couldn't ask for a better venue for a public showing of the videos.

[Tom Sawyer]

My comment on the article.

Jim Johnson did not "clash" with anyone he quietly stood while the police arrested another person quietly standing.

The article also fails to mention that Lewis Labitue was the only black person at the event...
So when the police arrived at the event they zero'd in on the only black man present... in fact they were so focused on him that they didn't notice all the people that were open carrying pistols.

This has been a large blunder on the Nashua Police Departments part. They have continued this by not understanding civil disobedience. Arrests don't stop civil disobedience... they give wind to the sails.

[Sam A. Robrin]

I think of it as a song for a long ago liberty movement. No reason it couldn't be used today.

It's great to go back to the old and tested standards, but a good idea to keep a steady infusion of new, fresh sound as well.   "We Shall Overcome" immediately calls to mind the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s--the liberty movement should have an anthem all its own that is as easily identifiable.  I'll keep trying to provide one, and am encouraging others to do the same.

[Lloyd Danforth]

The problem with this is Nashua. Not even an 'armpit' of NH, it is an armpit of MA. It is too far away from everywhere.
Liberty Forum should not have been held there, to begin with. Same with the 420.  How will any sustained effort against Nashua cops be maintained that far away:qm:

[Tom Sawyer]

These events are like a wave... all that can be done is to ride it and get what can be gotten from it.

The victims invested the risk to their liberty. The payback is whatever mileage is gained from that sacrifice.

The authorities are trapped in their dominate and control mind set and world view. They create their own problem by continuing to keep the story alive.

[TackleTheWorld]

Jim is out on  personal recog.  He's at  Nashua police dept.  Can anyone help give him a ride west?

[Trifith]

Jim is out on  personal recog.  He's at  Nashua police dept.  Can anyone help give him a ride west?

Hooray!

[Friday]

Jim is out on  personal recog.  He's at  Nashua police dept.  Can anyone help give him a ride west?

Just saw this.  If he's still waiting for a ride, let me know; I can pick him up within 30 minutes.

[TackleTheWorld]

Jim is safely home.  Scrubbing the injustice out of his ears.  Thank you Kevin Dean!

[Pat K]

Glad Jim's home.

[J’raxis 270145]

So what the hell happened this morning? They had Jim in Keene District Court, then realized "oops, wrong court" and sent him down to Nashua in the afternoon? A bunch of us were in Nashua this morning but only saw Big Mike's arraignment, but left by 10:30 when the judge claimed (heh) they were done with arraignments.

By the way, when is Jim's trial? I'll add that to the 420@420 post so we can get word out.



@Sam A. Robrin,
On the topic of the songs, I like the idea of having our own songs, but I think Dave's idea is to make the immediate connection in observers' minds back to the civil rights movement. Maybe we need a version of "We Shall Overcome" with updated lyrics to reflect this movement, but maintaining the exact same tune and the famous and recognizable "we shall overcome..." verse(s). That call-and-response song you had at the Nashua PD on the day of the big arrests is pretty close to this whole idea, too.

[Jim Johnson]

Sorry it took so long to scrub the jail off me.

Thank Yous, to all of you for your support.   
Russell and I, as well as our cell mates, were greatly lifted by your actions.

Neither of us received any mail.  The jailers do not give people mail while they hold them in the intake areas.

I was taken to Keene Dist. Court, by Sheriffs, where the court refused the case.  They claimed it was a Police Warrant which had to be handled in Nashua and that the Nashua police had to deliver me there.  The Sheriff took me back to Westmoreland but almost there and no, take me to the State Prison in Concord.  There they exchange my shackles and put me in a paddy wagon.  Then on to Nashua and "I'm sorry the Court closed 15 minutes ago.  Will see what we can do."
They put me in a cell and I could hear them arguing about how the Nashua Police were supposed to have picked me up and the Sheriff's were saying, "I don't know, we were told to bring him here."
Then they seemed to work fairly hard to get me a VDO arraignment and I was coached on how and what to say to the Judge.... (Weird? I think so.)

They wanted $100 bail, I got Personal Recognizance bail.

They scheduled a trial for May 24, 2010 and asked that I be there at 8:15 am.

Thank You again.

[Sam A. Robrin]

@Sam A. Robrin,
On the topic of the songs, I like the idea of having our own songs, but I think Dave's idea is to make the immediate connection in observers' minds back to the civil rights movement. Maybe we need a version of "We Shall Overcome" with updated lyrics to reflect this movement, but maintaining the exact same tune and the famous and recognizable "we shall overcome..." verse(s). That call-and-response song you had at the Nashua PD on the day of the big arrests is pretty close to this whole idea, too.

"Someday, Someday Soon" was definitely written to be this movement's "We Shall Overcome."  I have to instruct people to just draw out the last syllable of "liberty" in the third line, because the natural tendency seems to be to give it the same inflection and note sequence as is given to the first "someday" in "WSO"! 
Biggest problem is that a five-syllable phrase is easier to improvise than a seven-syllable one.  But if you want appropriate five-syllable calls for "We Shall Overcome," try these:

Freedom is our right
Liberty is ours
No more government
Break oppression's chains
You can't cage our minds
In our hearts, we're free
Come be free with us
No one owns my soul
Fear can't hold us back
My life is my own
Unjust laws will change

     I can probably come up with a few dozen more, but it's late, and I'm sleepy.  Better still, everybody else here can come up with some!  Then come over some Thursday night, and we'll practice them!