According to AnarchoJesse, Dave Ridley and others on the NHFree forums the host of the internationally syndicated talk radio show Free Talk Live has been arrested and jailed for contempt of court on 3 counts and for saying he’d refuse to pay fines due to refusing to remove the couch. Ian has been dealing with the city of Keene, New Hampshire over a couch in his renters yard. An anonymous person complained and he was told to remove it and refused until he was able to meet his accuser. Today at 1:30PM he had his second court appearance.

The source for the news can be heard here, here and here.

I’ll update this post as more news comes in.

UPDATE #1:

http://nhunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=16058.0

UPDATE #2: Background info

http://freekeene.com/2008/08/26/the-couch-enforcer/

http://freekeene.com/2008/10/02/ian-threatened-with-arrest-in-keene-district-court/

http://freekeene.com/2008/10/18/will-they-throw-me-in-a-cage-or-steal-my-home-over-this-freedom-couch-pictures/

http://freekeene.com/2008/10/23/couch-enforcer-update/

http://freekeene.com/2008/10/31/freedom-couch-update-city-rejects-my-offer/

http://nhunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=15170.0

http://nhunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=15482.0

UPDATE #3: preliminary report from FreeKeene.com

Active FreeKeene blogger Ian Freeman today helped the Keene District Court prove that it is ready to crack down on non-violent peaceful people today. At least 6 officers of various rank were present in court to try and outnumber the liberty activists. Judge (James) Burke was obviously ready to order Ian’s arrest, and did so less than 45 seconds after entering the courtroom. Ian was then taken to a second room where his supporters could not go with him. He was viewed on closed circuit TV as he continued to question the system and not consent, and drew two further contempt of court charges, all three for 30 days in jail.

UPDATE #4:

If you wish to contact the Cheshire County D.O.C. or Ian Bernard:

Phone: (603) 399-7794
Fax: (603) 399-8334

Ian Freeman (Bernard)
Cheshire County D.O.C.
160 River Road
Westmoreland, NH 03467

UPDATE #5:

Keene radio host Ian Freeman jailed over couch

UPDATE #6:

NH Constitution, Part I, Art. 18
http://www.nh.gov/constitution/billofrights.html

[Art.] 18. [Penalties to be Proportioned to Offenses; True Design of Punishment.] All penalties ought to be proportioned to the nature of the offense. No wise legislature will affix the same punishment to the crimes of theft, forgery , and the like, which they do to those of murder and treason. Where the same undistinguishing severity is exerted against all offenses, the people are led to forget the real distinction in the crimes themselves, and to commit the most flagrant with as little compunction as they do the lightest offenses. For the same reason a multitude of sanguinary laws is both impolitic and unjust. The true design of all punishments being to reform, not to exterminate mankind.

http://freekeene.com/…

From the NH Free Press‘ Kat Kanning:

Russell Kanning’s vote for the November 2008 elections is up for sale! He’s doing this to demonstrate what’s really going on in the elections. Politicians promise you all sorts of goodies in order to buy your vote: new welfare programs, new roads, new wars, the list goes on and on. Russell just wants to lay it all on the table and deal honestly, so you can buy his vote directly. He’s delegated the actual task of auctioning off his vote to me. He’ll be voting in the City of Keene, NH. Bidders from the Keene area have the added incentive that he can vote for city issues for you, in addition to the presidential and congressional rat-races. I would be auctioning off my vote too, but when city officials heard about my auction plans, they removed me from the voter rolls in their fiefdom. About a year ago, we both asked the City of Keene to take us off their voter rolls, which they refused to do in Russell’s case.

Place your bid!

FK EDITOR’s UPDATE 8/24 EARLY AM: Ebay has pulled the auction. It’s sad how obedient businesses are to the state.

IIRC FTL had covered the recent story of the guy who had tried to sell his vote on eBay and was being charged with a felony so should have known this would happen. I’ve not looked to see it’s also illegal by New Hampshire law but I suspect it is and the punishment would not be welcome. I’ve considered doing this given my relative indifference to the candidates likely to be on the New Jersey ballot come November. There are two concerns. First is obvious, being fined and/or jail time. Second is losing blog of bile if I personally hosted the auction. No matter if you are share hosting, colocating or have an actual T1 coming into your home those companies which provide the service will have no problem terminating your account at the will of the government. I believe those who were charged with selling their vote in 2004 used Craig’s list. I don’t recall if Craig’s list did or would now take down the posts.

We will see if the government busybodies react to this act.

http://freekeene.com/…

Liberty activists called WKBK’s Talkback this morning to discuss education, but could barely get a word in as Fred Parsells talked over top OTN’s Sam and I and then hung up on us. Talkback used to be a show where callers could have their questions heard and answered, but it seems our questions are too challenging or thought provoking, so we are now being marginalized. Perhaps we just need more callers. Can you help?

Please join us in calling the program with a pro-liberty viewpoint. Get details and discuss on this Free Keene forum thread.

Download the MP3.

Appears some of the Keene bureaucrats have nearly had enough of the liberty movement there. It’s going to get interesting in the next few years and the number of activists increase.

Is the government really based on the consent of the governed?

Find more of Sam’s work at the Obscured Truth Networks’s Youtube page.

If you want to see the entire thing you can check it out at FreeKeene.com but I believe its a rough draft. In the least the aspect ratio is wrong. I’ll post the other official parts as they become available.

http://freekeene.com/…

What is the nature of this organization of people calling themselves the “government”? Is it based in consent, as their own founding documents claim? Or are they actually a group of men and women doing business by the threat of violence? The latter is what most of the people I associate with believe, but which is the truth? Earlier this year, I ventured into a similar area when I questioned the government people over a parking ticket. You can read parts one and two of that here. (Eventually, I will write a part three when time permits!)

So, now we begin a new saga into the world of “property taxes”.

If you’re like me, paying property taxes is a painful experience. (Read on …)

I understand why he used the language he did but I very much doubt that this legalese will be understood by this random city tax collector. Who knows.

Mark of FTL has in his case against the town he lives in was given a court date but apparently only to meet with a judge. The request for an injunction on the threat of a lean was refused.

This should be interesting. Hopefully Ian and Mark don’t end up with their homes taken.