Recently my bud Mike VanLare put the band Severed Fifth and their business model on my radar. From their website:
Severed Fifth are an innovative new metal band based in Oakland, California that are not only delivering a solid burst of metal, but are hell bent on changing the music industry while doing so.
Founded by Jono Bacon in 2008, Severed Fifth blends together Bay Area thrash with British metal, all the while infusing their wide range of influences, and delivering a tight, competent, rhythmic attack that has a constant heavy undertone. If you like metal, you are going to like Severed Fifth.
Severed Fifth is not just another metal band though, but they are changing how the music industry works. Led by founder Jono Bacon’s philosophy, Severed Fifth make all their music freely available under a permissive license, helping to bring their fans closer to the band, and encouraging fans to use Severed Fifth content in their own creative work. Severed Fifth’s vision is a music industry that is fairer for bands and fans.
To make this vision possible, Severed Fifth are growing a global community called the Severed Fifth Street Team that is advocating the band, producing content, and helping to make this vision a reality. Everyone is welcome. Join us.
Pretty cool huh? One example of this in practice is how they’re seeking to fund the $5000 cost of recording of their next album – through individual donations from supporters of their music and their business model. And they incentivize it:
we will print the name of everyone who contributes in the album liner notes, and list all of you in an article when we release. If you can afford more we have some additional perks:
For contributions of $50 or more – we will send you a signed photo of the band and a CD copy of Nightmares By Design.
For contributions of $100 or more – we will send you a Severed Fifth t-shirt, signed photo of the band and a CD copy of Nightmares By Design.
For contributions of $200 or more – we will send you a signed copy of the new album on CD, a Severed Fifth t-shirt, signed photo of the band and a CD copy of Nightmares By Design.
For contributions of $300 or more – We will dedicate a song to you at our next live show and send you the video of it, send you a signed copy of the new album on CD, a Severed Fifth t-shirt, signed photo of the band and a CD copy of Nightmares By Design.
When Ray Johnson, a character in John Ross’s Unintended Consequences, returns to the arbitrary political boundary known as the United States after decades abroad as a big-game safari guide, he was shocked at the level of victim disarmament that had grown in his absence.
Recently, something similar happened to me, but the thing that surprised me was TV.
I watched zero TV when on the road with MHD and LOT and not much between projects, and I didn’t have a TV when I lived alone, so recently, when I sat down and watched TV, I was surprised at the pretty-visible level of nationalism peppered throughout shows and commercials.
The pro-military rhetoric throughout part of the football game I watched, (replete with a segment about how FOX, disturbed that soldiers couldn’t watch professional football games on their base, built a facility where its games could be aired to show their appreciation for their “sacrifice”), was constant. B-roll of waving soldiers (who are killing strangers in the name of “freedom”) were shown. We were told the location of the base was “secret” since it’s used as a staging point for those fighting in the “war on terrorism”.
The biggest lies are in plain sight.
Those soldiers so-appreciated are paid, trained, transported, equipped and provided lifelong benefits through funds confiscated at the barrel of a gun. Still, most argue not against this stolen funding but about how much they should be allowed to steal. The political process and bureaucracy of government depersonalizes the action.
Most folks wouldn’t purposefully lie or hurt others, but if a mind absent of critical thinking is fed misinformation 24/7, fiction becomes fact. 2 + 2 = 5.
Coupled with the pro-State indoctrination peddled in gun-run schools, the mainstream media is the most-powerful vehicle advancing collectivism. So I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised when I saw the patriot fervor on TV. It is the State that approves their licenses and regulates their content after all. And it’s a classic example of rent-seeking. By playing the game big media companies shelter themselves from competition and the State gets an obedient mouthpiece.
But the rules are changing.
Thanks to the Internet, the long-tail of alternative media options is shattering the grasp of mainstream media and exposing more people to non-State censored news and analysis. People are waking up and seeing that the emperor has no clothes.
Also, as the invasiveness of the regulatory-, police- and nanny-state grow, so too do the number of those who become disillusioned with the Statist Quo. Yet many are still caught in the matrix, unsure of where to turn or what to do. That’s where we each come in. We must be good ambassadors. Live what we preach. Our reputation is all we have.
With the Internet, gatekeepers are bypassed, geographical distances (and arbitrary political boundaries) evaporated and ideas shared. That’s why it’s paramount that it not be censored or regulated no matter how benevolent intentions may be. And why it’s been so damn cool to see our skilled friends online rise to the occasion to back Wikileaks and their simple request of transparency for those who purport to work for us.
The enemy has mischaracterized their arbitrary dictate as “law”. They have one hand in your wallet and the other under the covers on the lap of the Fed. But we have reason, truth and a dynamic, growing community active in-person and online. And we’re having an impact.
Our decentralized-nature is our greatest strength. Let’s point out those lies that are in plain sight. It may seem rough at times but the evolution is ever-upward! Along with that – if you have have any feedback pro or con, about my activism, tone or videos, let me know. I’m always looking to better my skills. Thanks!
You may recall my earlier post about my interactions with the folks in Greenfield, MA about my and my colleague Adam’s Mueller’s arrest there on July 4th. I thought perhaps a fax would be more-difficult for them to ignore than have been my countless phone calls.
Note that I didn’t include their places of work in the fax so they are as follows: Guilbault – chief, Greenfield PD; Dodge – sergeant, Greenfield PD; McHale – Franklin County DA’s office; Habel – sergeant, MA State Police; Martin – mayor, Greenfield, MA; Macdonald – sheriff, Franklin Co.
Hopefully they act in accordance with their conscience, which aligns with what Greenfield-area taxpayers would demand.
ATTN:
David F. Guilbault / Todd M. Dodge
321 High Street
Greenfield, MA 01301
f. 413.774.6969
Michael A. McHale
Dist. Atty. Off. (Franklin Co.)
13 Conway St.
Greenfield, Massachusetts
f. 413.773.3278
Michael Habel
289 Mohawk Trail
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
f. 617.727.6874
William F. Martin
14 Court Square, 2nd Floor
Greenfield, MA 01301
f. 413.772.1519
Frederick Macdonald
160 Elm Street Greenfield, MA 01301
f. 413.774.3525
Gentlemen,
Please let this fax serve as notice of my request to receive back my property that was stolen from me on July 4th, 2010 by Todd M. Dodge and Greenfield Police Department officers acting under his command. These items include:
One (1) Canon FS100
One (1) Samsung cell phone
Also, acting on behalf of my colleague Adam Mueller who too suffered rights-violations at the hands of individuals wearing “Greenfield Police Department” on their costume, these items as well:
One (1) JVC video camera
One (1) LG cell phone
One (1) Bic-lighter-sized personal recorder (black)
At this time I would also like to request the following:
All communication related to my and Adam Mueller’s arrest including, but not limited to, reports, affidavits, video surveillance from the Franklin County Jail and Greenfield Police Department and any other sources known, dash cam footage and audio from all the Greenfield Police Department vehicles involved, police-dispatch interaction, the investigatory report and any internal memos, files or paperwork.
The property listed above can be returned to the following address:
Pete Eyre
c/o Adam Mueller
OMITTED FOR ONLINE PUBLISHING
Jackson, WI 53037
——————–
To remind of you how we arrived at this situation:
My and Adam Mueller’s rights were violated on 2010.07.04 by individuals working for the Greenfield, MA Police Department. (A two-part video published in early August and a blog post published in early November provide an overview of the incident: http://peteeyre.com/greenfield/)
I was told by William Martin in late July that an investigatory report was being complied about my arrest. Once completed he said, I would be given an opportunity to review and discuss its findings with him. That never happened.
I was then contacted by Michael Habel who told me that he was instructed by Martin to act as a liaison – to share the report findings and proceed accordingly. Despite dozens of phone calls that has yet to happen.
I followed-up with David F. Guilbault and Todd M. Dodge to no avail. In one case I’m pretty sure Guilbault purposefully hung-up on me after hearing my name, claiming there was too much background noise.
I have left dozens of messages with Michael McHale and his secretary (apologies but I don’t recall her name), but thus far haven’t heard anything tangible.
I contacted the court to inquire about how to move forward. I was given no answer despite diligently explaining my situation to each person, transfer after transfer
More recently:
On 2010.11.12 I was told by Michael McHale that he would watch the video captured on my camera per my request. I noted that it would prove that none of the charges levied against me should stand. We agreed that I would call him in one week.
On 2010.11.19 McHale told me that he had viewed the video but that prior to speaking with me about it, he first wanted to talk with Todd M. Dodge, who he said had been out sick that week. McHale stated that since his Monday was packed he would speak with Dodge on Tuesday. McHale and I then agreed that we’d talk on Wednesday. My calls to his office that day went unreturned.
Since then I received a call from Michael Habel. After I informed him of the previous unresponsiveness and unaccountability I’ve thus far received he said something like “Oh, you’ve been talking to Mike [Mike McHale]?” I inferred that they were either friends or at least work acquaintances. Habel concluded by saying that he would speak with McHale and that he and I would talk the next day. I haven’t heard anything and have left messages.
McHale informed me that he’s unable to proceed until I sign your paperwork that says I don’t want a taxpayer-funded lawyer. As I stated when in court on 2010.07.05 (and as seen at the end of the second of the two-part video already-mentioned) I didn’t sign a contract with you to agree to the terms you are now threatening to impose on me. The system you claim is objective is so perverted that I’m now threatened with years in your cages.
There is no crueler tyranny that that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice. – Charles-Louis de Secondat
Your agents used aggression against myself and Adam Mueller and your actions, or lack thereof, are only compounding it. You are each individually responsible for the continued injustice Adam Mueller and I have faced. Your actions, or inactions, are not absolved simply due to your occupation.
The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual crime. – Max Stirner
The tax-gatherer is the very man I have to deal with — for it is, after all, with men and not with parchment that I quarrel — and he has voluntarily chosen to be an agent of the government.– Henry David Thoreau
I wish you a good day and hope this concludes our interaction.
Put yourself in the shoes of one of the hundreds of thousands of concert-goers, who had lived their entire lives under communism. Paradigms were shifting. People were rejecting the bad ideas of collectivism and a command-and-control economy in favor of personal freedom and responsibility.
This concert was held as a tribute to the human spirit, which was not to be kept down by an oppressive government any longer. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Monsters of Rock show helped mark an end to communism in the USSR.
Last week I learned that a guy named Mark Ameswrote a hit piece on Nation.com that attempted to link a number of disparate individuals and events in a Koch-backed conspiracy targeting current TSA policies. Ames singled-out such folks as John Tyner III, Meg McLain, George Donnelly and myself and pointed to circumstantial evidence, omissions and misinformation to support his strawman thesis. I thought it worth responding to help set the record straight.
Ames hinted that Tyner, who “switched on his recording device before even entering the checkpoint” when going the TSA gauntlet at San Diego International Airport, may have planned his interaction (recording a TSA agent). Rather than be vilified for proactively protecting his rights, Tyner should be lauded for his actions. If more people documented their interactions with those who believe they have a “legitimate” right to use aggressive force against them I’d bet such instances wouldn’t happen as often.
About Meg McLain (who was escorted out of the Ft. Lauderdale airport after she inquired about alternatives to their body scanner and pat-downs after a TSA agent tore-up her ticket, which US Airways never refunded her as promised), Ames noted she had been in Florida visiting Liberty On Tour (LOT), a project myself and Adam Mueller had just concluded in Miami, that was “funded at least partly by Koch-backed organizations like ‘Students for Liberty.’” That is true. We were happy to have SFL on-board because they do good work. But it was damn convenient of Ames to neglect to mention any of the almost-30 other organizations, individuals and businesses who were also advertisers of LOT, none of which to my knowledge receive any funding from Koch.
Ames continued:
One of the libertarians that McLain met with, Peter Eyre, has spent much of the past five years on a variety of Koch payrolls: as an intern at the Koch-founded Cato Institute, a “Koch Fellow” at the Drug Policy Alliance and nearly three years as director for the Koch-funded Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University, home also to the Koch-funded Mercatus Center.
That’s pretty accurate except I wasn’t director for three years at IHS. I started at the bottom and 2 1/2 years later left at that title, which many others also had. I feel very fortunate for these opportunities.
Journalist Dave Weigel, writing at Slate.com, weighed-in on Ames’ article (here and here). He wrote, respectively:
I have known Pete Eyre for four years, and he is less an agent of the Kochs and more an anarchist (or voluntaryist, as he calls himself) who seeks out ways to drop out of society and get arrested. To run into Pete Eyre and the Free Keene movement is not to sync up with the Koch machine. It is to frolic with affable goofballs.
Though I don’t agree entirely with Weigel’s assessment he is much-more accurate than is Ames. And while Weigel rightly questions the Ames-manufactured-anti-TSA-Koch-backed-conspiracy – he too incorrectly paints all the activity occurring with the “political movement” brush. While that may be true for some (more mainstream think tanks and some individuals), it’s not an accurate label to ascribe to everyone. So far as I know, WeWontFly.com isn’t supporting legislation or candidates. They educating. That’s exactly what many active in Keene are doing and what Adam and I seek to do through LOT, CopBlock.org and our other projects.
Ames then sought to link McLain to George Donnelly, who he said is not only supportive of LOT but who “happens to be one of two men behind the WeWontFly.com” (the other being Jim Babb). George, Ames noted, provided funds for McLain’s return flight inferring that it had been arranged. Donnelly responded on Ames’ article (10:20pm on 2010.11.23):
I lent her the money to get home. So what? I lend money to people in need all the time. It was a lousy $200 bucks and I was immediately repaid.
McLain responded, saying she had never communicated with Donnelly before the issue of her return ticket came up.
Donnelly hadn’t acted due to some previously-hatched plan but because he cared about his fellow human being who found herself thrust into the forefront of an issue in which he was already active. That’s what civil society is all about.
As for Ames pointing to the timing of when WeWontFly.com was registered (three days before McLain’s incident, easy to find via WhoIs.com) that’s irrelevant. The TSA and their policies are so out-of-control someone was bound to speak up and be highlighted on the site, whether a day or month after the site was registered. If anything it proves that Donnelly and Babbs are forward-thinking entrepreneurs.
Ames continues:
everywhere you look, the alleged victims’ stories often turn out to be false or highly suspicious, promoted by lobbyists posing as “ordinary guys,” and everywhere the cast of characters is always the same: drawn from the cult-ish fringes of the libertarian movement, with trails leading straight to the billionaire Koch brothers’ network of libertarian think-tanks and advocacy groups.
The Ames-appointed wizards behind the curtain are Charles and David Koch, who head-up Wichita-based Koch Industries, one of the largest private companies in the US. When young, the brothers accompanied their father, who founded the company, to Russia where we was doing oil-related work. The trip had an impact. Charles and David saw the failures of collectivism and have been advocates of free markets ever since.
Koch Industries today is a very diverse and dynamic company operated via the principles of Market-Based Management (MBM), which seeks to introduce free market forces to the internal bureaucracy-laden structure of businesses. Any employee – whether a janitor or VP – who has an idea that advances the mission of the company is rewarded. Incentives matter.
I agree with most of MBM with the glaring exception of their “compliance” plank. I don’t think one should assist those using aggressive force. (Just imagine what a signal that’d send if a company as big as Koch Industries ceased funding the violence of the State.)
Some of the philanthropy Charles and David do is through the Koch Foundation (and to be transparent, the Arlington, VA-based Koch Foundation was one of many organizations that we solicited via a video pitch prior to hitting the road with LOT. They declined to get on-board, which I expected would happen due to our message of voluntaryism, which is more-hardcore than they typically support). Both brothers are active in the think tank world (some organizations they support I like and others I don’t) and David was on the Libertarian Party (LP) ticket in 1980 as VP (his deep pockets helped fund what is still the LP’s best presidential showing).
As for Ames’ claims that they have a hand in Free State Project (FSP) or Free Keene activities – I wish they would. Bang for the buck it’s where it’s at if you want to advance the voluntary society. A comment I left on his blog (2:25am on 2010.11.24):
Like many of our ancestors who crossed oceans and traversed wide plains in search of a better life free from tyrannical government, many of those involved with Free Keene very literally uprooted their lives and voted with their feet due to an idea: Individual liberty. It’s something the abolitionists who founded ‘The Nation’ understood and strongly advocated. And, as the State’s intervention continues (drug war, war on ‘terrorism’, police state, nanny state, regulatory state, etc.), one more and more people will come to support.
Ames goes on to talk about a politician and his staff/colleagues down in Florida but who cares? I can’t speak for Tyner as I don’t know him but I think it’s fair to say they’re moving in different circles than myself, Donnelly and McLain. These politicians are trying to use the force of the State to impose their wishes on each other. I’d rather act according to the non-aggression principle.
Rather than a top-down, one-size-fits-all government bureaucracy, which foots taxpayers with the bill and provides terrible “service” how about we advocate that the airlines be responsible for their own security like any other business?
But perhaps I shouldn’t be too hard on Ames. Maybe his misreading of these incidents isn’t intentional but accidental – he may be sheltered from the paradigm-shifting decentralized movement that’s emerging to bring about a freer society. If a conspiracy exists it’s that that mainstream outlets such as TheNation.com have turned from their pro-freedom roots into the mouthpiece for the State.
——
And, on a related note, Ames posted to his personal site a link to the Tats page I maintain called: Libertard tattoo bloopers!… “Don’t tread on my flabby bicep” and more than a dozen other dumbshit expressions of freemarket freedom by Koch groupies from the “Free State Project” Real mature buddy. Let me know if you ever want to arm wrestle. And I know Josiah Neff on that page said he’d go a couple rounds of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu if you’re interested.
On June 5th, 1989 one individual had enough of the oppression he and others had long-endured from one of the biggest and most ruthless gangs ever to exist. Left with few other options after decades of rights-usurpations, the man stood up to the aggressors and very literally put his life on the line by standing in front of a column of tanks. Though never identified with absolute certainty, he became known as The Tank Man.
Three weeks ago I got a tattoo depicting the incident to pay tribute to the actions of The Tank Man and to remind myself of the power of ideas. The bad ideas of collectivism have terrible impacts – war, famine and the denial of individual rights, whereas the good ideas of individualism have positive impacts - peace, wealth creation and respect of negative rights.
The Tank Man’s action – captured by Jeff Widener from a hotel balcony half a mile away – became one of the most-recognizable images from the 20th Century. That is unless you happen to be born within the arbitrary political boundaries of the “People’s Republic of China” where the event happened, as government censors there have all but erased the incident from history books.
After posting a picture of my tat to Facebook my bud Kevin Eric commented:
I met this girl from China the other day she’s 24 I showed her this pic she had no idea what it was…We showed her the vid and she called her mom in China all like freaking out becauase she hadn’t seen it and the gov’t was lying to them and her mom was all like don’t believe that stuff it never happened.
Just how did this event transpire? How did it get to this?
In the seven weeks that preceded The Tank Man’s actions hundreds of thousands of people had rallied for more freedom in nearby Tiananmen Square and elsewhere around China. Their peaceful demonstrations were met with violence – the only tactic known by those who claim the “legitimate” right to use force (government). External media placed the death toll from the crackdown in the thousands, yet the gang – the Communist Party of China – claims that there were no deaths within the square. Further, according to Wikipedia:
Chinese authorities summarily tried and executed many of the workers they arrested in Beijing. In contrast, the students – many of whom came from relatively affluent backgrounds and were well-connected – received much lighter sentences. Wang Dan, the student leader who topped the most wanted list, spent seven years in prison.
In late November, 2007 I was able to hear Dan speak at an event sponsored by the Mercatus Center. There, he gave an overview of the event and how he had rather spontaneously assumed his role before touching on the time he spent in Liaoning Prison for allegedly “conspiring against the Chinese Communist Party”. During the Q&A I asked him about his views on the climate of freedom in China today – he responded with a mixed outlook.
But, to provide a more-foundational answer to the question – Just how did this event transpire? – It was only because people granted authority to these criminals – paid taxes and obeyed arbitrary rights-violating man-made dictates.
Here in America we don’t yet have tanks rolling down the streets (unless you were at Waco in 1993) but don’t think such actions are impossible. All governments are based on violence – their natural tendency is to grow, and the U.S. government is no exception.
If we don’t stand against these criminals today it’ll be more-difficult to do so tomorrow.
A little video montague I put together using all the badass tat pics folks have submitted to “Air Force One” by As Blood Runs Black.
Got liberty-related ink? Send a picture and any related info you care to share (i.e. your motivation, tattoo shop, etc.) to: InkedLiberty[at]gmail.com and I’ll post it here! Also, to hopefully continue to build this community, if you want me to link to your profile on the various social networks (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) please include the relevant URLs.
And if you’re in the Auburn, AL area and looking to get some ink yourself be sure to hit up Leah Patrick – a friend and fellow lover of liberty who does excellent work. Check out the Tattoos by Leah Patrick on Facebook for pictures and to get in contact her.
“When we behave ethically, we should do so confidently.”
-Nathan Larson
This past July my good bud Adam and I were arrested while in Greenfield, MA and despite the fact that a picture taken after our release is on the homepage of this blog, I have yet to address it here.
I’m scheduled to appear on Jan. 1oth, 2010 but unfortunately have found that those involved haven’t been too helpful despite claims of impartiality.
If you have a few minutes and want to help get some accountability, call:
Mike McHale (DA, ultimately deciding what charges the State will bring) 413.774.3186
Right now I’m charged with:
Misdemeanor – Altering motor vehicle VIN – 266-139-A-0
Felony – Possessing a firearm/ammo w/o FID card – 269-10-G-2
Felony – Unlawful wiretap – 272.99-F-0
Misdemeanor – Resisting arrest – 268.32B-0
Misdemeanor – Trespassing – 160-1C
Click here for a text overview of the incident. Or, just watch the two-part video below:
I was told by the court that if I was indigent (unable to afford to hire a lawyer myself) and could prove it by providing my financial information I would be provided a court-appointed lawyer (for which I’d have to pay a token $150 fee). I declined as I don’t want to further burden area taxpayers. I say “further” as they were already forced to pay the costs associated with my arrest, jailing and court processes. So, to reiterate it’s not actually the State that would bear the expense of this attorney but the people with real, productive jobs who call Greenfield home.
I initially reached out to folks who have more experience with legalese. One lawyer quoted a $1,500 price tag for each Greenfield appearance he had to make. Another said that though he agreed with me in principle he could not take the case pro bono because he has a contract with the State and they wouldn’t look too kindly on him assisting a case such as mine. He cited a $15,000-$20,000 price tag for bringing him on-board. I understand that these folks have competing demands for their time and they have no duty to provide for me. I only note this to show that I did initially investigate this option.
I thought about my situation. I became more familiar with Marc Steven‘s work. I spoke with my friends and sought their input. And I concluded that I have nothing to worry about. I haven’t harmed anyone. And I believe that the charges levied against me were done so out of spite – since I exercised my rights.
Below I walk through each of my five charges to show how I arrived at my conclusion – that I won’t let their false accusations worry me.
Misdemeanor – Altering motor vehicle VIN – 266-139-A-0
Whoever intentionally and maliciously removes, defaces, alters, changes, destroys, obliterates or mutilates or causes to be removed or destroyed or in any way defaced, altered, changed, obliterated or mutilated, the identifying number or numbers of a motor vehicle or trailer shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than three years, or both. The possession of any motor vehicle or trailer by a person who knows, should know, or has reason to know that the identifying number or numbers of such vehicle has been removed, defaced, altered, changed, destroyed, obliterated or mutilated shall be a prima facie evidence of a violation of this paragraph.
Todd M. Dodge (the person who arrested us and ordered my RV, MARV searched) told me that the VIN number on MARV’s dash was manipulated, which then supposedly gave them the ability to enter my vehicle.
First, unlike most passenger vehicles, there is no VIN number on the dash of MARV, which means there’s no manipulated VIN number. Therefore it is impossible to “intentionally and maliciously” manipulate the VIN number or to have “reason to know” that this had occurred.
Second, all the curtains in MARV – including those on a track around the windshield – were closed. It was impossible to look into the vehicle. Yet a print-out of a picture taken that shows a portion of MARVs dash through the windshield was included in the paperwork I received from the Greenfield Police Department. Glaringly committed in this picture is a VIN number, let alone one that was manipulated.
Further, Todd M. Dodge and his colleagues at the Greenfield Police Department never obtained a search warrant (not that that’d legitimize their actions in my eyes, but they didn’t even follow their own rules) to search MARV.
The strangers who broke into my home had no right to be there. As shown on the picture, MARV was parked blocks away from the arrest location and was never involved in the incident in any way. Plus, when going through intake neither Adam or I ever admitted to ownership of the vehicle.
But most importantly, the fact that someone can be put in a cage for “manipulating” their own property is ludicrous. What right does a stranger have to tell you how you can use your justly-acquired property? None. You, as the rightful owner, are free to use, donate, destroy, trade, etc. your property as you see fit so long as your actions don’t violate the equal negative rights of another.
Felony – Possessing a firearm/ammo w/o FID card – 269-10-G-2
I was told this charge is 269-10-G-2, yet there is no such statute on the books, only a “G”, though “H”, the next statute down does have a “2″. The “G” talks only of firearms so is not applicable. The “H-2″ mentions ammo:
(2) Any person who leaves a firearm, rifle, shotgun or ammunition unattended with the intent to transfer possession of such firearm, rifle, shotgun or ammunition to any person not licensed under section 129C of chapter 140 or section 131 of chapter 140 for the purpose of committing a crime or concealing a crime shall be punished by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 21/2 years or in state prison for not more than 5 years.
Yet I know no intent to “transfer” the alleged ammo to any person. In fact, despite being a big proponent of each individual’s right to protect their property (especially their person), I know that the State of MA prides itself on its draconian victim-disarmament legislation so before I got to MA I proactively sought a safe place where I could temporarily leave my handguns and ammo. Before even crossing into MA we put out the call via Keene411, heard back from some people and ended up leaving that property with a friend. Our goal was to go to Greenfield, get our friends out of the cages in which they were being kept and then return to NH.
Further, the firearms/ammo charges carries with it a mandatory minimum of two and-a-half years, with 18 months served. Does that punishment fir the “crime”? I think not.
But most-importantly, since the VIN manipulation charge is null and void so too is the firearm/ammo charge due to the fruit of the poisonous tree.
Felony – Unlawful wiretap – 272.99-F-0
This is the statue number as communicated to me by the court. The DA has yet to return my calls. Here is the link for 272.99 about the interception of wire and oral communications.
First, a few related cases from MA:
Michael Hyde – Hyde was found guilty of wiretapping based on his recorded conversation with police without their knowledge during an interaction in 1998. One judge ruled, “The problem here could have been avoided if, at the outset of the traffic stop, the defendant had simply informed the police of his intention to tape record the encounter, or even held the tape recorder in plain sight.”
Emily Payton – documentary filmmaker arrested in 2007 in Greenfield, MA and charged with wiretapping (sound familiar?!). The police claimed she was trying to conceal her camera. She argued that her 6lb 1′-long camera were in plain sight. Her charges were dropped.
Simon Glik – arrested in 2007 and charged with wiretapping when interacting with Boston Police. His charges were dropped since the filming was not done in secret and earlier this year he filed suit against the city and officers.
Eli Damon – was charged with wiretapping in March of 2010 due to the recording made by his helmet-mounted camera when he was stopped while bicycling but the charge was later dropped as it was deemed to have not been done in secret.
Honestly I’m not really sure why this charge was levied. We were filming in plain view. A supervisor at Franklin County Jail stated that we could film. Todd M. Dodge, the arresting officer, was well-aware that we were filming when he approached us inside the jail lobby and he stated that we could film outside the facility on the sidewalk, yet when we moved to that location we were threatened with trespass unless we stopped filming.
Also, when first entering the the jail I noticed a full-page printout taped to the wall that stated that cell phone use in the lobby was prohibited but there was no such sign banning the use of video cameras. I read over the tri-fold “Visitors Expectations and Rules” pamphlet published by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and saw no text that indicated that filming was prohibited.
And then there’s the recent decision in MD (one of only two other states that – like MA, sometimes charges individuals with felony wiretapping when filming public officials) that ruled against such an offense. The ALCU attorney in that case stated, “‘it is likely to be the last word’ on the matter and to be regarded as precedent by police.” Plus, many mainstream publications such as TimeandPopular Mechanics are coming out against such anti-filming laws.
As a side note, this particular statute is housed under: “CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER”. Good thing we have government enforcing that…
Misdemeanor – Resisting arrest – 268.32B-0
Section 32B. (a) A person commits the crime of resisting arrest if he knowingly prevents or attempts to prevent a police officer, acting under color of his official authority, from effecting an arrest of the actor or another, by:
(1) using or threatening to use physical force or violence against the police officer or another; or
(2) using any other means which creates a substantial risk of causing bodily injury to such police officer or another.
I never used or threatened to use physical force. Nor did my actions cause substantial risk to anyone. I was peaceful. This will be supported by video evidence on my video camera and Adam’s video camera (both of which, along with our phones, are still being held by the Greenfield PD) and the ceiling-mounted camera’s mounted in the lobby of the jail the exterior cameras outside the front doors of the facility. Unless of course that footage somehow gets deleted or “misplaced”.
As for the resisting charge, I’m not too sure what actions on my part warranted such a charge, as I was never aggressive resisting, despite the fact that strangers with guns put me in handcuffs and roughly carried me to their waiting vehicle. Perhaps it was from when I went limp when arrested (note that we verbally communicated that we would not actively assist in our arrest nor would we actively resist).
Misdemeanor – Trespassing – 160-1C
A person commits the crime of trespassing if he or she enters someone’s property without permission or lawful excuse by any means. It is a trespass regardless of a person intentions or whether damage is done to the property. To be on someone’s property when permission to be there was granted and later revoked by the owner of the property. To get permission to enter someone’s property for one purpose and do something else.
Who is the owner of the property in question? Todd M. Dodge who arrested us? The deputies working at the Franklin County Jail who assisted Dodge? Residents of Franklin County who had money stolen from them to construct the facility? Please.
In late June of 2009 while at PorcFest I had a conversation with Kevin “Freeheart” Dean and his then-wife Lindsay. They explained their desire to move from West Virginia to New Hampshire to join the growing community of freedom-oriented doers, but had questions about the feasibility of such a plan due to their financial situation.
Having been working in the non-profit world since graduating, I didn’t have a ton of coin but I self-describe “cheap bastard”, which meant that I had saved some money. Since it was just sitting in my bank account I indicated that I could loan them some money to help make their goal a reality.
I figured it could help make a very real and very positive change in their lives and help bolster the ranks of good folks in the ‘shire. I had know Kevin and Lindsay since I had been at Bureaucrash. They were even part of the crew that helped assemble the Revolution In a Box. I considered both of them friends and since they were both employed, I thought it was a good investment.
After a couple more back-and-forths I loaned Kevin and Lindsay $4,000 on August 14, 2009. They used that money to get some work done on their RV and make the move.
I didn’t expect to get repaid within a month or two – I am realistic and knew that they would need some time to get on their feet. But I had no reason to believe the money would not be paid back.
The months passed and I didn’t hear anything about the money. I picked up a consultancy gig with the Future of Freedom Foundation between Motorhome Diaries (MHD) and Liberty On Tour (LOT). I approached Kevin to see if he had interest in helping with some of the higher-level stuff to help work off part of his debt. He agreed. We even spoke of Lindsay helping with some of the more tedious work to also work off some of the debt.
That’s when I first became aware of Kevin’s work ethic, or lack thereof. Work was not completed, or even started, on time. I tried to incentivize him. We set another deadline and agreed that he’d earn a bonus if he finished the agreed-upon work ahead of that deadline. That didn’t happen. Eventually I had to disassociate Kevin with the project and loop-in someone else.
Still, I sought to be repaid. I inquired about a payment plan. Kevin agreed to pay back $50 per month. At that rate it would take almost seven years to be paid back (not factoring in money lost due to inflation). Only one payment came on time.
Soon Kevin informed me that he and Lindsay were parting ways. And that he lost his job. Despite that, and many statements from Kevin noting that he was soon going to start looking for a job or that he had job leads, nothing panned out. And his frequency of communication about his job status has been infrequent if at all.
To date almost 14 months since the loan was made, Kevin has given me $110 in two separate payments and worked off another $25. Added to that is $450 repaid from Lindsay, leaving $3,415 outstanding.
I’m making this debt public this for two reasons. First, in the hopes that it incentives Kevin to repay what he himself admits that he owes. Second, to lessen the asymmetry of information – so that others who may interact with Kevin on a business level are aware his history (at least with me), so that they can make more-informed decisions.
I had hoped I wouldn’t have to write this post. But, as an advocate of individual freedom and responsibility and someone who believes that each of our reputation’s is the most-important thing we have, I feel it’s the best option I have. And, on a more personal note, doing the past couple of projects hasn’t exactly made me rich – MHD was mostly out of pocket and with LOT we’re aiming to break even.
And Kevin, if you think I’ve been unfair, spoken out of context, or omitted anything, please share your thoughts. Now let’s work together to bring this to a conclusion and move on.
ANNOTATED EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE
(note that date naming convention of annotated text corresponds directly to the caption of each screenshot below)
2009.08.14-a – Pete sends $4,000 to Kevin
2010.01.12-a – Pete inquired when Kevin could start repaying the loan
2010.01.21-a/b – Kevin responds “I’m not sure”. Says he’s working part-time and Lindsay is working full-time. Notes hesitancy to get on-the-books job but acknowledges “debts and obligations” of “YOUR money” and inquires about expectations for repayment
2010.01.24-a – Pete broaches idea of Kevin helping with web work to lessen debt owed
2010.01.24-b – Kevin responds “I’m very, very open to that idea”
2010.01.24-c – Pete responds “Awesome” and notes that he’ll call Kevin to discuss details
2010.01.26-a – Pete forwards more web-related documents and inquires about Kevin’s start-date
2010.01.27-a – Kevin communicates that he could start the following week. He also informed Pete that Lindsay could help with menial tasks to also help work off the debt
2010-01.27-b – Pete acknowledges that the start-date will work, floats a couple of options for payment (lump sum or sliding scale) and expresses interest in looping-in Lindsay for the web work
2010.04.12-a – Pete informs Kevin that “I honestly feel like I’ve been in limbo waiting to hear back from you to complete this project” but again stresses that this is business. Pete suggests a repayment plan of $312.50 per month to repay the debt in one year.
2010.04.21-a – Pete checks in with Kevin based on conversation from one week prior when Kevin stated that he may have more information on him getting a full-time job, which would then allow him to commit to a repayment plan.
2010.04.22-a – Kevin responds “I didn’t call you back because I haven’t heard from the I was supposed to have and interview with.” He concludes “I will start looking for a full-time job here in NH soon if I don’t learn more.”
2010.04.22-b – Pete states that “I had hoped we would talk on Tue., even if it were to just communicate the information below. Again it’s about sticking to what we states so we can keep each other in the loop . . . Honestly it just doesn’t seem to me that this is a priority for you. . . having access to my capital that’s tied up will help it [another project] be a success.” Pete floats the possibility of including Kevin’s Honda Element into the debt owed. He concludes “Let me know what you’re thinking today if possible so we can bring this to a conclusion that’s agreeable to both of us.”
2010.04.22-c/d – Kevin responds, and states that “To be honest, you’re right. It’s not been a major issue for me. . . I’ve been feeling like a moocher lately. Someone who takes advantage of the generosity of others.” He continued, “I was married, stable, employed when you met me. All of these things seem to have melted away since moving here.” He noted that the Element “isn’t a viable transfer.” Other statements from Kevin include: “I owe you money and I need to pay it back”, “Anything I own – my labor, my property – is yours if it helps reconcile the debt”, “I chatted with my best friend. She says I need to find a “stable job. She’s right. I do need to. Effective tomorrow I will be seeking full-time employment.”
2010.04.22-e – Pete responds and notes “it sounds like your intentions are there but what about your actions?” He encourages Kevin to consider cutting back on expenditures elsewhere and agree to a payment plan as “having that set-up would act as an incentive.” Pete asks Kevin to “update me via email ever couple/few days about your status so I know where we stand”
2010.04.27-a – Pete informs Kevin that he is “trying to handle this as fairly and transparently as possible” and notes that “I’d appreciate being kept in the loop.” If that doesn’t happen, Pete states, “I’ll post an overview of our situation with relevant dates and quotes . . . in the hope that ones’ reputation – which libertarians so-often point to as a mechanism for agreements to be enforced – will act as an incentive to bring this to an agreeable conclusion.” He again asks for Kevin to commit to a repayment plan.
2010.04.27-b/c – Kevin notes that “I need to make some changes. . . I’ve begun my search for a full-time job in NH.” He agrees to $60 per month and notes that “As my income goes up or expenses go down, I will increase this. I’m looking to do both very soon.”
2010.04.28-a – Pete thanks Kevin for the voicemail he left, which touched on a potential job lead. He asked to be kept in the loop and noted that if Kevin sold his RV then he could just give Pete cash when he was in the area.
2010.04.28-b – Kevin clarifies that the RV won’t be sold to someone else but will be possessed solely by Lindsay, who will “make payments to you for up to half the debt”
2010.04.29-a – Pete thanks Kevin for the information and asks if he should follow-up directly with Lindsay
2010.04.29-b – Kevin tells Pete that he’ll soon talk with Lindsay and will have more information in a day
2010.04.29-c – Pete says “Thanks. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible.”
2010.05.11-a – Kevin sends Pete $60
2010.05.11-b – Pete informs Kevin that the $60 came through and that the debt amount owed now stands at $3,940
2010.05.26-a – Pete inquires if Kevin could pick up some of Pete’s property near his location to deduct another $25 from the amount owed
2010.05.26-b – Kevin agrees, the total owed now stands at $3,915
2010.08.09-a – Pete informs Kevin that Lindsay sent him $450. The debt stands at $3,465
2010.08.10-a – Kevin notes that his former company “may be bringing me on again full time”
2010.08.10-b – Pete asks if Kevin knows of a date when he’ll know whether the job will pan out. He concludes “Again, I’ve heard such statements many times before and would like to have something concrete.”
2010.08.10-c – Lindsay asks “What statements?”
2010.08.10-d – Pete responds “Statements from Kevin about having leads yet nothing seems to pan out.”
2010.08.10-e – Lindsay replies “Kevin and I have yet to discuss the terms of our divorce, and the debt to you is the biggest issue. Let’s talk again at the end of the month.”
2010.08.11-a – Kevin answers Pete’s question about the start-date, noting that they’ll decide once he has DSL, which is to be installed in 10 days
2010.08.11-b – Pete responds “Ok thanks. Keep me posted please.”
2010.09.14-a – Pete asks Kevin if he’s “figured out a way to make some sizable dents in the amount still owed?”, explains his own financial situation and notes that “it’s now been over a year since the loan and Lindsay has been responsible for most of what’s been taken off thus far”
2010.09.21-a – Pete resends previous email per a Facebook message Kevin sent with an updated email address
2010.09.26-a – Kevin sends Pete $50 (When on Facebook that day, Pete had noticed that Kevin left a comment on another Free Staters page, stating that he’d be willing to donate money to cover some transportation costs. Pete left a comment noting that before offering to give money away he might want to make right his debts. Kevin comments that Pete’s right)
2010.09.27-a – Pete acknowledges receipt of money and lists debt at $3,765
2010.09.27-b – Lindsay inquires if that amount included the $450 she had sent
2010.09.27-c – Pete thanks Lindsay for the correction and notes that the total owed is $3,415
The Discovery of Freedom was published in 1943 – a year before Hayek’s The Road to Serfdomand five years before Mises’s Human Action, and though I do disagree with Lane in some areas (which I’ll get to), she has some of the most clear, thorough and positive prose about the evolution from authoritarianism to individualism and its waxes and wanes throughout history, of any book I’ve yet read.
(If it wasn’t clear, Rose – the character in Adam Mueller and my ‘Rose and Murray’s Tax Dilemma‘ – is named after Rose Wilder Lane. And, along with Isabel Patterson and Ayn Rand, she was one of the ‘three furies’ mentioned in Brian Doherty’s Radicals for Capitalism.)
Below are some of the excerpts that piqued my interest enough to dog-ear a page as I read, starting with one that really underscores that it is imperative for people to be accountable for their actions no matter their heredity, title or connections. Unfortunately for most of history, this hasn’t been the case.
When these revolts succeed, they are called revolutions. But they are revolutions only in the sense that a wheel’s turning is a revolution. An Old World revolution is only a movement around a motionless center; it never breaks out of the circle. Firm in the center is belief in Authority. No more than the Communist or the National Socialist (Nazi) today, has any Old World revolutionist ever questioned that belief; they all take it for granted that some Authority controls individuals.
They replace the priest by a king, the king by an oligarchy, the oligarchs by a despot, the despot by an aristocracy, the aristocrats by a majority, the majority by a tyrant, the tyrant by oligarchs, the oligarchs by aristocrats, the aristocrats by a king, the king by a parliament, the parliament by a dictator, the dictator by a king, the king by—there’s six thousand years of it, in every language.
Every imaginable kind of living Authority has been tried, and is still being tried somewhere on earth now.
That’s why I love the tagline on FreeKeene.com – “The Peaceful Evolution has begun”. Lane continues elsewhere in the book:
So long as any large group of persons, anywhere on this earth, believe the ancient superstition that some Authority is responsible for their welfare, they will set up some image of that Authority and try to obey it. And the result will be poverty and war.
This is a key point. Government – the great fiction that some people still cling to – does not create wealth but destroys wealth. And while the State has replaced religion as the Authority for many people today, that wasn’t always the case as Lane points out:
A majority of Europeans then believed so surely that the Pope was Authority on earth, that no Emperor could successfully defy him.
Even now, within the arbitrary boundary of the united States, religion still is granted special status:
Even in these United States, a shadowy claim of all churches to be Government is still recognized, in the fact that American churches, like all Government, pay no taxes.
Lane also had a long quote about Gideon from the bible in which his followers practically begged him to rule them but he resisted, knowing the harms that stem from unchecked arbitrary power. I’m sure you Christian Anarchists out there are already well-aware of this story but for someone like me who’s not exactly versed in the bible it was good to see.
And, to show just how powerful an idea is, Lane wrote at length about the seemingly impossible odds some colonists decided to confront. If you’re not familiar with Gaspee Point – an incident that happened in 1772 in Rhode Island – check it out.
My area of divergence, as eluded to earlier, centers around Lane’s tacit support of a limited government (a contradiction in terms if there ever were one) within the arbitrary boundary of the united States because she believes it can be constrained by a piece of paper. Huh?
American Government is unique in two ways. It is a kind of Government that is not superior to an individual, but permitted by the individual; and it is neither Government by superhuman Authority nor by living Authority, but Government by Law. . . Consider for a moment what this problem is. Every individual is naturally self-governing; but because men must combine their energies in order to live, and in any large number of men there are some who use force to injure others, there is a necessity for a use of force to stop them; that is, there is a necessity for Government.
Did she forget about all the other such documents throughout history that she wrote about that supposedly protected the rights of individuals from those who claim a monopoly on the “legitimate” use of force? We all know how that’s turned out… To be fair, Lane was without the insight of some of the contributions made by Austrian Economics that we today take for granted. I don’t want to dwell on this too much more but here’s a very real example of how those people react when confronted with ideas they find threatening:
The first reaction to the American Revolution had been The Terror in England; free speech and semi-free press suppressed; habeas corpus suspended; books burned, men jailed for being suspected of republican opinions; the death penalty for being in an assembly of more than twelve persons, even in a private house.
Lane ends her book, not with a striking statement of her own, but by sharing a clip from Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man:
Ignorance is of a peculiar nature; once dispelled, it is impossible to re-establish it. It is not originally a thing of itself, but is only the absence of knowledge; and though man may be kept ignorant, he cannot be made ignorant.
There does not exist in the compass of language an arrangement of words to express so much as the means of effecting a counter-revolution. The means must be an obliteration of knowledge; and it has never yet been discovered how to make a man unknow his knowledge.
I strongly recommend reading The Discovery of Freedom. The historical overview of how ideas spread among free people and were attacked by those who wanted to control them is worth the read. Such heavy-handed tactics will become a thing of the past as we continue to introduce more individuals to the ideas of complete liberty.
When I noted on my Facebook wall that I was reading the book a friend commented that it was the only book that has brought a tear to her eye. I can understand why.
pro-military rhetoric throughout part of the football game I watched, (replete with a segment about how FOX, disturbed that soldiers couldn’t watch professional football games on their base, built a facility where its games could be aired to show their appreciation for their “sacrifice”), was constant. B-roll of waving soldiers (who are killing strangers in the name of “freedom”) were shown. We were told the location of the base was “secret” since it’s used as a staging point for those fighting in the “war on terrorism”.
Last week I learned that a guy named 
” right to use aggressive force against them I’d bet such instances wouldn’t happen as often.
Though I don’t agree entirely with Weigel’s assessment he is much-more accurate than is Ames. And while Weigel rightly questions the Ames-manufactured-anti-TSA-Koch-backed-conspiracy – he too incorrectly paints all the activity occurring with the “political movement” brush. While that may be true for some (more mainstream think tanks and some individuals), it’s not an accurate label to ascribe to everyone. So far as I know, WeWontFly.com isn’t supporting legislation or candidates. They educating. That’s exactly what many active in Keene are doing and what Adam and I seek to do through LOT, 
The Ames-appointed wizards behind the curtain are Charles and David Koch, who head-up Wichita-based 
mes goes on to talk about a politician and his staff/colleagues down in Florida but who cares? I can’t speak for Tyner as I don’t know him but I think it’s fair to say they’re moving in different circles than myself, Donnelly and McLain. These politicians are trying to use the force of the State to impose their wishes on each other. I’d rather act according to the 
Further, Todd M. Dodge and his colleagues at the Greenfield Police Department never obtained a search warrant (not that that’d legitimize their actions in my eyes, but they didn’t even follow their own rules) to search MARV.
In late June of 2009 while at PorcFest I had a conversation with 
KEENE, NH – I just finished re-reading 