July 31, 2006: Russell arrested

[Dave Ridley]

the agents who came through the front door of russell's place...were they homeland security?  WHo were they with?  HOw many?  Can you describe in more detail how they came in, did they burst in , storm in, ask permission, what are the details how it happened?

did he refuse to go with them and that triggered the tackle?  Is tackle the right word?  I don't want to be unfair to them but  I do want this to sound as dramatic as it was as i write up the next release.

[Dave Ridley]

i need help distributing the national version of the news release above .   someone please start emailing it out to national media.

[aries]

What section is the UL article in? I can pick up a copy of the print edition today but if it's online that's easier.

[d_goddard]

it's clear the state has overreacted.

I disagree.
The judge, the police, the Feds, and even the Gov't prosecutor took every opportunity to do as little to Russ as possible.

They only arrested him when he directly initiated force.
As I understand it, they were only present at the building that day because of the postings about intentionally destroying the office's paperwork and computers.

It is simply revisionist history to say that Russ was arrested "simply for handing out flyers". HE WASN'T.
They even invited Russ to hand out flyers, heck, while carrying a pitchfork if he desired -- just to do so outside, where he would not be in a position to break stuff or bother people who had business to conduct. Given that there were was the expressed intent to initiate force, they did the minimum possible in order to minimize the impact of the direct use of force on the other people, by removing the person directly inititating force.

Russ is a courageous man, who has done heroic things. And he does not deserve to be in prison.
But this was not a heroic act. And, based on his statements and actions, he had to be somehow restrained.
There was every reason to believe Russ would have directly damaged property.

I am truly sorry that all of this came to pass. You may crucify me now. I hold no ill wishes for anyone.

[Dave Ridley]

Is anyone else here willing to have me list them as a secondary contact for the media on this?

[Dave Ridley]

Third news release local version

This is a fifth draft of the new Local news release, and is ready to send.  Please do so!  What we are doing is 10% message, 90% getting the message out...and i think the latter is still our weak link.  So please distribute this as I am doing!


----

Feds to hold Keene demonstrator till September
  Leafleting attempt at IRS office triggers summary conviction

From NHfree.com
8/1/06
Concord, New Hampshire

Still wearing the shorts and T-shirt he had on when Homeland Security agents came through his door, Keene resident Russell Kanning sat in front of his accusers Monday and built a paper airplane.

"He refused to cooperate," says his wife, Kat Dillon. "I'm so proud of him."

Appearing in Concord District Court Monday afternoon, Kanning faced five Federal charges for attempting to enter Keene's IRS office during business hours and hand out a "quit your job" flyer.  But no one seemed thrilled to have him in the courtroom. 

After refusing an attorney, the libertarian activist - who normally wears glasses - squinted at court officials and shivered in the cold chamber but otherwise appeared to be in good spirits.

"Government prosecutor was totally playing softball," writes one of one of the six NHfree.com activists who rushed to the courthouse after the arrest but asked not to be named in this article. "Palmer and the ICE guy (the arresting officers) seemed to like Russ. I know that will sound crass, since they did arrest him."

The Federal prosecutor asked Inspector Palmer, a Homeland Security agent, what Russell was carrying while outside the IRS offices. 

"A pitchfork," replied Palmer, triggering grins from Kanning's supporters and some of the officials. 

Kanning, who had dropped the pitchfork before attempting to enter IRS offices, did not face charges related to the "weapon," or for leafleting outside.  Charges instead centered on his attempt to physically enter the IRS office with his leaflet despite police warnings. 

"I got the impression that the basic issue was that there was expected to be a 'disruption' of the business that day," continues the unnamed activist, who quizzed agents after the hearing. 

In planning the event on the NHfree.com forums, Kanning had indicated he might indeed eventually go to the IRS and disrupt operations, but that he would not do so before August 3.

"The judge told Russ he had a constitutional right to question the witness," writes the activist.  "Russ asked Palmer if he'd quit his job, which was a nice touch."

Halfway through the hearing a bailiff pointedly seized Kanning's paper airplane.

The judge eventually convicted Kanning on four of the five charges, and asked the 36-year-old when would be a good day for him to come in and face sentencing.   Kanning replied that he would not come back on his own.  The judge then ordered he be held without bail until sentencing on Sept. 6.

Kanning now sits in Strafford County Jail in Dover, New Hampshire.

For additional late-breaking details, or to learn how you can support Russell, visit the NHfree.com forums at

http://forum.soulawakenings.com/index.php?topic=4640.0

Contacts:  Dave Ridley 603.721.1490,  Kat Dillon 603.357.1490

[Tom Sawyer]

Denis,
I think you are partly right.

However, the arrest was not for conspiring to damage or disrupt the office. In fact during the discussion of ideas the damage or disruption was discounted as a negative. Russell when he talked with the officer, made it clear what actions he intended to carry out. The officer, through his words, only covered the offenses of handing out the flyers, and failure to comply to his order. When Russell stated he had business with the office ie. "I want them to leave" the officer said that would be another charge, "impeding a government employee".

When the officer told Russell outside that the pitchfork could be considered a weapon he opted to leave it outside.

The first arrest was triggered by Russell pressing against the arm of one officer to attempt to go up the stairs.

Russell wasn't sure if he would be arrested for handing out the flyers. That charge was in fact dropped, because he never did. Once a person enters into the system the initial crime doesn't matter any more... the subsequent charges can get you years in jail and felony status.

Each player can feel they were not being hard on the offender. But, Russell is in that noisy concrete and steel cage. The legitimacy of our system is the issue as far as Russell is concerned. Rosa Parks broke the law by not going to the back of the bus... only history can be the judge of the morality of someone's choices.

So in a legal sense you have made valid claims. However, when the persons in power in our country break laws with apparent impunity, over a long period of time. Should someone have faith that if they sue for redress it won't take years and in the end the efforts be dashed.

When the president refers to the constitution that he has swore to protect and defend as "a damn piece of paper". Where are the men to arrest him. When the courts determined that the "commerce clause" gives federal authority to almost unlimited laws... well us little guys just get run over I suppose.

I wouldn't have had the guts to do what Russell did... I just have to watch what happens to him for not bowing down. I have to be aware that we are all just data points in a computer system that is running algorithms to catalogue our political discourse. I feel that the whole thing is an iron fist inside a velvet glove.

Will my child be harmed by what we have allowed to be created in our names?

[d_goddard]

"Government prosecutor was totally playing softball," writes Dennis Goddard, one of six NHfree.com activists who rushed to the courthouse when he heard about the new arrest.

I would prefer that my name not be included in any press statement.
Feel free to direct folks to NHFree.com, if desired, where my posts are visible.
Thank you.

[Dave Ridley]

making changes to the news release, as requested sorry dennis i meant to ask you by pm first and then forgot

[Tom Sawyer]

Denis,
By the way I respect that you came to the court for this.

[Kat Kanning]

They knocked on the door.  Russell opened it.  They asked him to comply with the arrest, and he said something like I'm not helping you, so they threw him down on the floor.  4 of them came in.  More were out by their cars.

[Jared]

it's clear the state has overreacted.

I disagree.
The judge, the police, the Feds, and even the Gov't prosecutor took every opportunity to do as little to Russ as possible.

They only arrested him when he directly initiated force.
As I understand it, they were only present at the building that day because of the postings about intentionally destroying the office's paperwork and computers.

It is simply revisionist history to say that Russ was arrested "simply for handing out flyers". HE WASN'T.
They even invited Russ to hand out flyers, heck, while carrying a pitchfork if he desired -- just to do so outside, where he would not be in a position to break stuff or bother people who had business to conduct. Given that there were was the expressed intent to initiate force, they did the minimum possible in order to minimize the impact of the direct use of force on the other people, by removing the person directly inititating force.

Russ is a courageous man, who has done heroic things. And he does not deserve to be in prison.
But this was not a heroic act. And, based on his statements and actions, he had to be somehow restrained.
There was every reason to believe Russ would have directly damaged property.

I am truly sorry that all of this came to pass. You may crucify me now. I hold no ill wishes for anyone.

it seems russ looks for trouble in order to get media attention. there is some logic in this, as people will be directed towards the liberty movement as a result. however, i do agree with you to a large extent. the more i think about it, the more i feel that russell could have saved a month's jail time for a larger issue. we have to try to stay out of jail as much as possible in order to be effective. we should not comply with absurd orders from big brother, but we should not egg them on either. i support russell in this, but i wish he would have gone about it differently. in any case, i still hope he gives em hell for any real abusive behavior on their part.

[Lex]

in any case, i still hope he gives em hell for any real abusive behavior on their part.

I believe the point is to NOT give them hell so as to show how horrible they are and maybe even make them feel bad for what they are doing to Russell when he is simply being completely nonviolent and noncooperative. It's a lot easier to treat someone poorly when eventually you get them to lash out at you, but if you treat someone poorly and they recieve the abuse without retaliating, that can be very powerful. Of course there are people who get pleasure out of torture but that's a small minority. Most people are people after all ;-)

Gandhi won. MLK won. Russell will win too. I don't doubt it.

Still, I wish Russell had stuck to passing out the flyers outside, which would have been just as effective I think and could have kept him out of jail. But he did what he felt was right and I support him in that.

[Kat Kanning]

The only thing untrue said at the trial was that Russell "lowered his head and plowed through them"...making it sound like a bull charging or something.  That wasn't the way I remembered it.  I've reviewed the video now and it's perfectly clear that all he did was try and walk past them.  He did not lower his head or his shoulder to get more leverage or something.

[lildog]

The judge, the police, the Feds, and even the Gov't prosecutor took every opportunity to do as little to Russ as possible.

They only arrested him when he directly initiated force.
As I understand it, they were only present at the building that day because of the postings about intentionally destroying the office's paperwork and computers.

It is simply revisionist history to say that Russ was arrested "simply for handing out flyers". HE WASN'T.
They even invited Russ to hand out flyers, heck, while carrying a pitchfork if he desired -- just to do so outside, where he would not be in a position to break stuff or bother people who had business to conduct. Given that there were was the expressed intent to initiate force, they did the minimum possible in order to minimize the impact of the direct use of force on the other people, by removing the person directly inititating force.

Russ is a courageous man, who has done heroic things. And he does not deserve to be in prison.
But this was not a heroic act. And, based on his statements and actions, he had to be somehow restrained.
There was every reason to believe Russ would have directly damaged property.

So he was arrested for what he MIGHT have done?