Comments on: New Hampshire man remains in jail after filming inside courthouse

By: John Wagner

John Wagner — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:42:19 +0000

Are you aware that Sam Dodson’s “attorney” has been arrested in the past 24 hours on a fugitive warrant issued out of Rhode Island?

By: SteveL

SteveL — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:14:47 +0000

Sam is acting heroically. He has genuine courage. His cause is just.

But this could be the wrong battle.

Are his efforts helping the greater cause of liberty? What do ordinary people who learn about the case think of him? Many who aren’t already libertarians will dismiss him as a self-promoting crank or wing-nut who harps on trivialities and irrelevant legal minutiae. Libertarians can see the bigger picture, but we are used to examining the the implications of these kinds of issues.

There are many other cases of police/government abuse–such as the pastor who was recently (allegedly) beaten and detained at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint–that have a better chance of nudging people towards libertarianism. In comparison, Sam’s case is pedantic and therefore unlikely to change minds.

I could be wrong. Is there reason to believe that ordinary people, especially those in NH, are sympathetic to Sam? One of his jail messages mentioned that his fellow prisoners have become supporters; libertarianism is capable of influencing honest, open minds.

By: Anton Lee

Anton Lee — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:30:47 +0000

thanks for posting this Carlos. Sam is a true liberty hero and has gone far beyond what many of us would in order to protect the few freedoms we have left.

When you hang a ribbon around your tree this coming memorial day, make it a different color, and make it for those who do what you won’t in defense of liberty. . . the people who have been jailed for acting like free people.

By: Archie1954

Archie1954 — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:55:21 +0000

Thank you for your quote Voice of Reason. I hadn’t read that before. I will remember it.

By: Archie1954

Archie1954 — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:44:30 +0000

Thank you Ian. That episode was unfortunate and the judicial council response was also not proper in my eyes but do not discount the value of commencing the complaint. The very fact that it was launched has a sobering effect on wrong doers in the judiciary.

By: Voice of Reason

Voice of Reason — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:32:04 +0000

Note to Archie1954: You said, “Police and judges do not rule the country. They are civil servants and work for and on behalf of the people. Most of them unfortunately have forgotten that.”

Your post reminds me of a favorite quote. I’d like to share it. H.G. Wells said:

“The law giver, of all beings, most owes the law allegiance. He of all men should behave as though the law compelled him. But it is the universal weakness of mankind that what we are given to administer we presently imagine we own.”

By: Ian Freeman

Ian Freeman — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:02:39 +0000

Sorry, Archie. It’s been tried. Your solution presumes the system can fix the system. Here’s what happened when a local activist did exactly as you suggest:

http://freekeene.com/2009/02/19/committee-burke-broke-no-rules/

By: Archie1954

Archie1954 — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:46:35 +0000

The first thing to do is lodge a complaint with the judicial council ( the organization of judges that oversees the conduct of members of the bench). Each state should have such an organization.

By: Ian Freeman

Ian Freeman — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:37:09 +0000

Colorblind,

I moved to NH in 2006 as part of the Free State Project, a group of people committed to doing something about achieving liberty in our lifetime.

Sam moved up to NH this year. We’ve been protesting, making phone calls, doing media interviews, creating media, and later today may bring more camera disobedience.

Get the latest at http://freekeene.com

What are you going to do about it? That is the question.

Do you love liberty? If so, when can you get to NH? This is where it’s happening.

By: ColorblindJustice

ColorblindJustice — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:53:07 +0000

A clear case of tyranny from the bench…so what are we gonna do about it, huh?

By: Archie1954

Archie1954 — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:12:59 +0000

Police and judges do not rule the country. They are civil servants and work for and on behalf of the people. Most of them unfortunately have forgotten that. It’s time to remind them!

By: Sydney Carton

Sydney Carton — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:27:17 +0000

I don’t mean to remind people of him. I chose the handle because the character is surprisingly similar to me.

By: Comment

Comment — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:35:13 +0000

Here is a link to Eli Rivera’s story without having to go directly to Barack Oabama’s website. http://www.webcitation.org/5gQYtGtAV