Topic: Police State and Civil Liberty Violations
Free Sam Dodson! [with recent updates 05/04/2009]
Sam Dodson is being held captive in a cage in Keene, New Hampshire by armed and apparently violent people who work for something called "government". He is refusing to cooperate with these thugs. His story is told in this article.
by Steven McDuffie
(libertarian)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
First, a definition of government, courtesy of Prof. Hans-Hermann Hoppe:
Government - (noun) 1: Government is a compulsory territorial monopolist of ultimate decision-making (jurisdiction) and, implied in this, a compulsory territorial monopolist of taxation. That is, a government is the ultimate arbiter, for the inhabitants of a given territory, regarding what is just and what is not, and it can determine unilaterally, i.e., without requiring the consent of those seeking justice or arbitration, the price that justice-seekers must pay to the government for providing this service.
Sam Dodson, Free State Project (FSP) member and the brains behind the Obscured Truth Network (OTN), was hauled away to jail—on Monday, April 13th, 2009. Dodson is currently being held at the Cheshire County jail, in Westmoreland, NH. He is facing up to three years in jail, and bail is set at $10,000 (cash only).
One would naturally suppose that he must have committed some terrible crime. He must be a hardened criminal, with anti-social tendencies, or perhaps some pathological mental condition that precludes him from behaving in a lawful way... right?
Well, sort of. According to Dodson, he was arrested for asking for a copy of a sign that prohibits the use of cameras in the lobby of the Keene District Court, and for refusing to turn off his video camera when it became clear that the sign carried no legal weight. Here is an MP3 of Dodson's arrest, with commentary from Free Talk Live host Ian Freeman.
It is generally inferred, by the Free Staters, that the sign in question was posted by the order of YouTube star, District Court Judge Edward J. Burke. The sign did not include the judge's signature, though that would have made no difference. You see, the Rules of the District Courts of the State of New Hampshire include no prohibition on cameras in the lobby of a District Courthouse, nor is there any provision, that I could find, that allows judges, or anyone else, to set arbitrary rules in their courthouses.
Apparently not expecting to be arrested that day, Dodson wore a metal bracelet that had square edges. Naturally, when he was cuffed, these square edges began digging into the flesh of his wrist, causing bruises and lacerations. The arresting officers assumed Dodson was 'hamming it up' and/or attempting to agitate the Free Staters in the next room over. Keene police Sgt. Eliezer Rivera explained to a local newspaper that Dodson screamed every time a police officer touched him. It was only later that the police noticed Dodson's injuries, and readjusted the handcuffs.
Dodson was not booked, as he declined to give his name to the police. Throughout the arrest and the aborted booking process, Dodson refused to provide any information, submit to a TB test, or even walk. At no point was he belligerent or combative—and at no point was he cooperative. A hearing was held in Dodson's absense, and he was charged with three Class A misdemeanors carrying a sentence of up to three years in jail. Bail was set at $10,000.
Dodson is remaining silent. That is his right. Also among his rights are the rights to a speedy trial and the right to legal council. However, in Keene, NH, these rights are mutually incompatible—at least, insofar as they have been interpreted in Dodson's case. According to his captors, until Dodson abandons his right to remain silent, his rights to a speedy trial and to legal council have been suspended—indefinitely. Let me remind you, gentle reader, of Prof. Hoppe's definition of government above: "government is the ultimate arbiter, for the inhabitants of a given territory, regarding what is just and what is not".
Dodson is currently on hunger strike. He explained why in a letter posted on www.freekeene.com. Dodson said that "The state has taken away almost all of my freedoms. This is one of the few choices I have left." Dodson believes his hunger strike is the only way he can prove to himself, and his jailers, that—in the very least—he owns his own body.
So, why is Dodson really in jail? From what little I know about the case, I can make a few guesses:
- Dodson is refusing to bow down to the State. This is the main reason he is in jail, and has hitherto been treated like a recalcitrant brigand. Dodson, and the rest of the Free Staters are no longer a curiosity, or a handful of amusing kooks: they are now starting to represent a real threat to the power structure in New Hampshire government.
- Judge Burke has previously endured the humiliation of having one of his outbursts caught on video and posted online, eliciting peals of laughter—and/or dismay and shock—from thousands of YouTube users. If, indeed, the sign was posted at the behest of Judge Burke, it is because he cannot risk a repeat performance.
- It's probable that Sam's arrest (and the arrest of several other peaceful Free Staters that day) is meant to send a message to potential future Free Staters, that message being 'Stay home! Don't come to New Hampshire'. Indeed, there is reason to believe that someone in Keene government threatened all of the current and future Free Staters with arrest and imprisonment.
Since Dodson's arrest, there have been candlelight vigils outside the jail. Inside the jail, Dodson has reportedly been engaging his fellow inmates in conversations about liberty. According to Dodson, even his jailers have warmed to him.
Dodson is fond of quoting Ghandi who said "First they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." But Dodson, and the rest of the Free State Project activists, bring to my mind this quote from Samuel Adams: "It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."
Sam Dodson can be contacted at the following address:
IMPORTANT UPDATE & CORRECTION: Dodson was finally booked as John Doe. At the time of the writing of this article, Dodson had not been booked.
IMPORTANT UPDATE 2: Sam Dodson called Free Talk Live and discussed his case.
IMPORTANT UPDATE 3: Here’s an easy task to complete on Sam’s behalf. You can help get him on and his story covered by "Freedom Watch", the popular online-only FOX News show. Just visit this list of potential guests, scroll to Sam Dodson and click Vote and select 3 you may then spend up to seven more votes on other guests (I recommend also voting for Free State Project founder Jason Sorens.). Then you can do the same on this list of topics. Vote 3 for "Right to Record, Reporters Getting Arrested Everywhere" (and you also may want to vote for "Discuss the Free State Project").
IMPORTANT UPDATE 4: There is now a Free Sam Dodson! Facebook group. If you have a FB account, and this issue is important to you, please join.
IMPORTANT UPDATE 5: Carlos Miller has done an article about Sam.
Steven McDuffie can be contacted by emailing him at sdmcduffie {at} hotmail {dot} com.
©2009 Steven McDuffie, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Thursday, April 23, 2009
Last modified: Monday, May 4, 2009
The views expressed in this article are those of Steven McDuffie only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Steven McDuffie is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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Reader Comments:
Posted By: Phil Manger
Date: 2009-04-23 06:23:24
Where is the ACLU when we really need them?
I can't say I'm too surprised. Unfortunately, in this country there is some sort of mystique surrounding judges that allows them to get away with just about anything short of murder.
To change the subject (just a little bit), I've always questioned the wisdom of choosing New Hampshire as the target of the Free State Project. If you want to get a libertarian voting majority in a state, you need to pick a state that is small (no more than one member of the House of Representatives) and far from any large population centers.
New Hampshire may have a cool motto on its license tag ("Live Free of Die"), but southern New Hampshire is within easy commuting distance of Boston, which, after San Francisco, is probably the most liberal city in the country, and is located in the state that, after California, is probably the most highly taxed in the country. The problem is, people who work in Boston move to southern New Hampshire to escape high Massachusetts taxes. Unfortunately, they bring their voting habits with them, never for a minute stopping to think that the kind of people they elect to public office may have something to do with the taxes they end up paying.
States that would be better suited for the purposes of the FSP are North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska. None of these states is within easy commuting distance of a major population center, and they all have populations small enough to have only one seat in the House of Representatives. Even better, many of their current inhabitants already embrace a philosophy of rugged individualism and would be more receptive to having libertarians as neighbors.
Posted By: Kevin Dean
Date: 2009-04-23 13:42:06
Thanks for picking up the story of Sam! I applaud his courage and steadfastness.
I've always questioned the wisdom of choosing New Hampshire as the target of the Free State Project. If you want to get a libertarian voting majority [...]
The aim of the Free State Project is not to get a voting majority, it's to work towards a society where the MAXIMUM role of government is the protection of life, liberty and property.
Some people, like Sam, believe that the ballot box is not an effective way to achieve that goal, so he engages in civil disobedience and media evangelism. With the number of activists already in NH, that alone outweighs most of the other considerations.
southern New Hampshire is within easy commuting distance of Boston, which, after San Francisco, is probably the most liberal city in the country
"liberal" is not always tyrannical. The liberals are about half right, mostly on the social freedom side. The conservatives are about half right, on the economic side of the spectrum. No matter WHERE you go, you're surrounded by people who, one direction or another, will advocate stiffling your freedom for their agenda.
States that would be better suited for the purposes of the FSP are North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska.
Objectivly speaking, the federal government takes more of my income, kills more brown people in other plots of land, enforces destructive drug laws that states have abandoned, prohibits people from possessing firearms...
If you're in the USA and your state complies with federal mandates (almost all states comply with nearly all of them) then the LARGEST amount of tyranny in the nation is going to be your burden. Running into the middle of nowhere might make you see less of the tyranny, but it's not actually doing anything to lessen it.
There is, however, a group of people who aren't attempting to make a change but trying to live their lives as free as they want. They've chosen "good neighbors" and "smaller government today" and moved to Wyoming. The project is Free State Wyoming, if that suits you better.
Posted By: Darren
Date: 2009-04-23 15:38:52
Steven,
My friends on the left accepted a link to your article. I hope it helps.
http://www.opednews.com/populum/link.php?id=88266
Posted By: George Donnelly
Date: 2009-04-27 10:37:16
I called the NH ACLU and they won't help anyone unless the victim wants to participate in the legal system.
Posted By: George Donnelly
Date: 2009-05-06 08:22:47
See http://freesamdodson.com as well. Links are there to press releases sent out about this and opportunities for digital activism in support of Sam.
Posted By: Larry
Date: 2009-06-07 11:49:51
FreeKeene.com Mark your calendar! A trial has been scheduled for Sam on 6/15 at 1:30pm in Keene District Court. (2nd Floor, 3 Washington St., Keene, NH 03431) Word is Ivy sent notice to the city manager and council as well as some other bureaucrats to let them know they will be held liable under some federal code about deprivation of rights (USC 1983) for every day they have been complicit in holding Sam. A couple of days later, a trial has been magically scheduled.