Title: Libertarian Talk Radio Activist Jailed For 100 Days For Having A Couch In His Yard Source:
http://www.pyrabang.com URL Source:http://www.pyrabang.com/contentedit ... aving-a-couch-in-his-yard.html Published:Nov 18, 2008 Author:Steve Watson Post Date:2008-11-18 13:31:17 by freepatriot32 Ping List:*libertarians*Subscribe to *libertarians* Keywords:libertarians, fascist judge, libertarian activist, Ian “Freeman” Bernard Views:495 Comments:14
Judge uses host as an example of what happens when you defy the state
Steve Watson Infowars.net Monday, Nov 17, 2008
A Libertarian radio host and political activist has been sentenced to 100 days in prison for refusing to remove a couch from his back yard.
Furthermore, the trial was held behind closed doors after the judge ordered proceedings moved to a private room away from spectators. The reason? The defendant took a full six seconds to sit down.
Ian “Freeman” Bernard, presenter of the nationally syndicated libertarian show Free Talk Live, was taken into custody and received a thirty day jail term for contempt of court last Friday.
When details of the closed hearing later emerged, Freeman had received another two thirty day sentences and a further ten day term for refusing to pay a fine and remove the couch in his yard.
In the video below, note how Freeman begins to sit down along with everyone else in the room, but as the judge calls his name he pauses and seems confused about whether he is supposed to stand to attention or sit down.
The original charge came about earlier this year when a housing inspector visited Freeman’s property in Keene, New Hampshire, following up a complaint, and cited him for having a couch in the yard.
Freeman managed to capture the incident on camera:
Freeman questioned the charge and agreed to remove the offending piece of furniture as long as he could speak with the person that made the complaint. This request was refused and the matter went to trial.
The Lew Rockwell Blog notes that the trial was used as a showpiece to send a message to activists like Freeman and his supporters.
There is a backstory to all of this. The local despots have been keeping a close eye on the activists, no doubt reading the web forums and keeping informed of their plans for peaceful noncompliance and civil disobedience. Thus, this entire court appearance was planned and executed swiftly.
Local activists did recently make some headway into getting the court to allow the panning of video cameras in the court. As a listener of the show, I believe that another reason why Bernard was moved to an alternate courtroom was to prevent video of this from getting out.
Also note that in the video, when the courtroom is ordered to all rise, the bailiff takes a long look at everyone else to make sure they are complying with the order. This is because everyone in attendance was threatened with arrest beforehand should they defy the judge as a form of protest.
The Free Keene blog, which bills itself as an outlet for “liberty minded activists”, has more on this.
“It was oppressive,” said Dale Everett, 40, of Keene. “They had a notice posted obviously targeting us, liberty activists, saying that anyone who didn’t stand for the judge would be ’subject to sanction.’ So I left. I wasn’t prepared to get arrested today.”
Another resident commented that the courtroom at Freeman’s trial was crammed with police “to try and outnumber the liberty activists.”
Freeman has clearly been used as an example of the treatment you should expect should you stand up for your own personal liberty and attempt to publicly expose any possible violations made upon it by state authorities.
Freeman’s show runs on 43 states across the country and will continue to air while he serves jail time.
#11. To: , *DEEK JACKSON*, *libertarians*, *Jack-Booted Thugs*, *Humor-Weird News*, *Ron Paul for President 2008*, lodwick, PSUSA, X-15, ghostdogtxn, Turtle, tom007, (#0)
UPDATE!!!! he is now out of jail and doing his radio show live right now 7 - 10 pm est and he is pissed lol http://www.freetalklive.com/
Contempt Sentences Suspended for Furniture Scofflaw
Brock Lorber Blog: Bloody Mary Breakfast Date: 11-17-2008 Subject: Criminal Justice System
Ian Bernard (Freeman), host of Free Talk Live appeared in Keene, NH municipal court on Friday to answer a complaint regarding a couch on his tenant's lawn. As reported, judge Eward Burke ordered him taken into custody within seconds and removed to a separate courtroom, where he received 90 days for three contempt charges and 3 days for the couch.
Now, the Keene courthouse is reporting that Bernard returned to court this morning and had the sentences suspended on the three contempt charges, though the charges stand.
The support for Bernard that blossomed over the weekend was tremendous. Websites 93days.com and jailedactivist.info sprung to life and chronicaled the various reports and information surrounding Friday's events.
It now appears that the original complaint about the couch was politically motivated, initiated by a Keene bureaucrat in response to questions posed to her by Bernard on WKBK's Talk Back radio show.
The scripted actions of court security in the video above and the harsh sentences may be evidence of a burgeoning backlash against Free Staters. Two weeks ago, Lauren Canario was sentenced to 30 days for walking through a courthouse security checkpoint although the checkpoint was closed at the time. The judge in that case compared Canario to Carl Drega.
Details about Bernard's release will most likely be sketchy until Bernard has an opportunity to describe his experience on Free Talk Live (7-10 pm ET, Mon-Sat).