Kelo Report, Part 2

[WinBear]

09-25-05 Kelo Report
by Mike Fisher
2:33 PM 9/26/2005

At our protest yesterday at the York women's prison, several important things took place.

Y'all are heroes, Mike.  Big Damn Heroes!

WinBear

[JonM]

Am I a leader now? <G>

[Kat Kanning]

Am I a leader now? <G>

Donno, is anyone following you?

[Kat Kanning]

Did y'all get interviewed by the press? 

A woman from The Day talked to us, and someone from Fox filmed.

[WinBear]

I'm not crazy about defending his moving to NY. Probably a career move.  But, I believe he has 5 years from when the FSP reaches 20,000 like everybody else.

Jason applied for NH positions in his chosen field.  Nobody offered him a position.   He needs to feed himself and his family.
If you think anyone _wants_ to move to Buffalo NY, think again.  I'm sure he'll continue seeking a NH based job until he gets one.

Same with Amanda.  She applied and was accepted to Harvard Law school.  Should she turn it down, just because she is supposed to move early in your mind?  If she graduates and becomes a lawyer in NH, that's better than her taking any ole job in NH she can get just to make the move....

Of the 7 current FSP board members, 4 have moved already.  That's better than 50%.
Of the current 'leadership' (meaning those with some sort of recognized titled role 'in charge'), despite the larger size group, the percentage consistently remains in the 40%s... with new people moving all the time, and many of those moving on to more NH focused roles, leaving their FSP role behind...

Any claim that 'FSP leadership' isn't moving themselves is just not true.  (And it can be successfully argued that having too much leadership all moved to NH is not good either, we need people all over, not all of us in NH (yet))

I've explained my particular situation before, but I guess it needs explaining here:

- I have an 86 year old mother-in-law whom I'm taking care of.  She can't move.  We can't right now, either.

- I have a kid in high school and two kids in university here in Texas.  Disruption of their lives for MY desires is not appropriate.

- I have businesses in Austin that are thriving, and generating capital, and ultimately that will prove very useful.  I also have an IRS debt I am paying back of a significant amount of money, because I too protested, and they nailed my ass to the wall.  Don't need to go into details, but I'm dealing with it. It tends to slow down one's options.

- I'm arranging my life, but frankly I signed a Statement of Intent with Participation Guidelines.  I am under no obligation to move and burn out before there is critical mass, nor before its right to do so *for me*.  This is an individual choice people have to make for themselves.  I salute the glass eaters.  I'd just like them to survive long enough until the rest of of us there, but then again, the glass eaters may just win the day without us.  Who knows?  Me, I have three kids.  I'm reminded of Mel Gibson in The Patriot.

BTW, Tim Condon takes care of *his* Mom and takes his obligations seriously as well.  He has bought property in NH.  Amanda is going to be very, very important to the freedom/patriot movement when she is a lawyer, Harvard trained.  We're going to need that type of ammunition, too.

Its real easy to slag those who have large families, businesses, obligations, and whatnot and simply bleat out a "if you're not moving now, you're shit" type line.  When someone does that, I know - I *know* - they're immature, stupid, and bound to get themselves or others killed for nothing.  If you're going to die a glorious death, kindly do so elsewhere.  I prefer to have Our Side win, and invoke Patton's Rule instead.  Too many really good patriots have been lost to stupidity, bad timing, ill-advised grandstanding, lack of planning, and so on.  Of course, hey, who knows - maybe this *is* "the time" to go all out and fight The Man on every front.   But I don't see a whole bunch of resources lined up quite yet.  I don't see the Other Side playing fairly, either.  I've been on the Net since it was UUCP dial-up Usenet.  I've seen a lot of so-called "brave statements" made by all kinds of idiots.  Damn few made much sense.  Jason's basic idea did.

WinBear

[Russell Kanning]

Did y'all get interviewed by the press??

A woman from The Day talked to us, and someone from Fox filmed.

I try not to talk to them .... I am no good at it.

[Russell Kanning]

....not more stinkin lawyers .... and harvard lawyers at that

look what a bunch of lawyers did to the american revolution .... turned it into a big government

[Michael Fisher]

Lauren's husband called.? Good news!? Lauren can now receive mail!?

Please write her something nice and send it here:

York Correctional Institution
Prisoner 334457 - Lauren Canario
201 West Main Street
Niantic, CT 06357

*I wonder, if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and a blank piece of paper, would she be able to find something to write with, and would they would let her mail it without actually asking?

[Kat Kanning]

That's great, Mike!

Was listening to an older interview with Michael Cristofaro:

http://www.prisonplanet.tv/audio/240605cristofaro.mp3

[JonM]

Well if it's anything like federal prison you can send a check (not cash) and they can deposit that in her commisary account to allow her to buy overpriced items. ?Hopefully she won't be there that long, but Oct 7th, geez Judge. ?Perhaps some of the residents down there can protest in front of the courthouse a few times between now and then.

[KBCraig]

*I wonder, if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and a blank piece of paper, would she be able to find something to write with, and would they would let her mail it without actually asking?

Don't send anything other than a letter. While I don't know how CT does things, most prison systems don't allow stamps or anything else by mail, except sometimes paperback reading material. Since she's in jail rather than prison (yes, it's a prison... but her status is "jail"), she'll have almost no property privileges. She'll be able to receive, read, and keep letters (anything beyond a certain number of letters will probably be stored in her personal property).

Don't send money without calling the prison and asking for their procedure. In the federal system, all money goes to Iowa, regardless of where the inmate is.

Kevin

[Michael Fisher]

Thanks for the info, Kevin. 

[KBCraig]

Don't know why I didn't just check the source first. Note the part in bold.

http://www.ct.gov/doc/cwp/view.asp?a=1492&q=265472#inmacct

Q. How can I send money to an inmate?

Inmates may receive money orders from individuals who have been placed on their visiting list. All money orders should be sent to:

Inmate Trust Fund
P.O. Box 290800
Wethersfield, CT 06129-0800

Be certain to include the inmate's full name and correctional identification number on the money order.  Please include a completed remitter form (PDF, 27 KB)  Do not include any correspondence to the inmate.

If you have any questions, please call 860-692-7670.  Please allow at least 10 working days for money orders to be posted to an inmate's account.

[Michael Fisher]

We need a nickname for Lauren.   

How about the Quiet Revolutionary?   

[Michael Fisher]

Here's the e-mail I just sent out to the Fort Trumbull residents and New London-area activists:


Hello everyone!

Right now as you read this e-mail, Lauren Canario is voluntarily suffering in a prison cell for our freedom.  Even Fox 61 news agrees that Lauren was arrested for refusing to leave a public meeting that everyone should have been allowed into.  She is suffering through nonviolent noncooperation to get the message out that WE WILL NOT COOPERATE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S DEMANDS ANY LONGER!

There's a time for political action and there's a time for non-political action.  Now is the time for non-political action that even Gandhi would be proud of.  This weekend's protest needs to be a very powerful message in order to maximize the positive media effect of Lauren's imprisonment.  Let her suffering be the catalyst for a major event that can turn the tide in our favor.

We should organize a "Free Lauren" and "Anti-Eminent Domain" protest, WITHOUT a permit, marching nonviolently from Fort Trumbull to City Hall or perhaps even to the York Correctional Institution where Lauren is being imprisoned.  This is very similar to the Dandi March of 1930, but that was a 240-mile walk.  It's only 8.3 miles from Fort Trumbull to the York Correctional Institution.  We start out with as many people as possible, announce it to the media and the general public in advance through any and all possible means, and gather more and more people during the march as they witness the crowd proceeding down the street and see the protest.

The key is that the marchers must remain completely nonviolent.  That means nonviolence in their thoughts, words, and deeds, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, just like Lauren Canario on Monday's video footage - calm and smiling peacefully even in the midst of chaos.  From these pictures, you can see that her source is not anger and hatred, it is hope and love.

Stand strong and march for your freedom, even if ordered to disperse, but remain completely nonviolent.  That is how Gandhi protested during his 40 years of nonviolent noncooperation and eventually won independence for India from British colonial rule without firing a shot.  This is how Martin Luther King protested for years and eventually won civil rights for his people without firing a shot.  This is how we will win our freedom as well - through nonviolent noncooperation.