Radio host jailed over couch

 

By Michael Hampton

 

Homeland Stupidity

 

November 14, 2008 11:51 pm

 

 

Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Ian Freeman will spend 100 days in jail because he questioned the legitimacy of a system which would penalize him for having a couch in his yard and conduct his trial in secret.

 

 

 

Keene resident Nick Ryder wrote on the Free Keene blog that the courtroom at Freemans trial Friday afternoon at Keene District Court in Keene, N.H., was stacked with police to try and outnumber the liberty activists.

 

 

 

Judge Edward Burke had hardly arrived in the courtroom before ordering Freeman jailed for 30 days for contempt of court and the proceedings moved to another room where spectators would not be allowed to hear what happened.

of the beginning of the proceeding indicates that Freemans arrest may have been orchestrated in advance and may have taken place regardless of what occurred in open court, according to witnesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When word finally filtered out of the closed proceeding, Freeman had somehow gotten two more 30-day sentences for contempt and 10 days for refusing to pay a fine for having an illegal couch. The official reasons for the contempt charges were not immediately clear.

 

 

 

It was oppressive, said Dale Everett, 40, of Keene. They had a notice posted obviously targeting us, liberty activists, saying that anyone who didnt stand for the judge would be subject to sanction. So I left. I wasnt prepared to get arrested today.

 

 

 

Freeman is the owner and host of the Free Talk Live radio show, which airs six nights a week on approximately 45 radio stations nationwide. Free Talk Live is an open format show, where callers can bring up any topic, with no caller refused. The hosts bring a libertarian perspective to the ensuing conversations.

 

 

 

The controversy began in August when Keene housing inspector Carl Patten visited Freemans duplex, half of which he rents out, and cited him for a couch on his tenants side of the yard.

 

 

 

Freeman said at the time he did not believe the city had a right to tell him whether he could have a couch on his yard. The couch was decorated for Halloween, complete with a pumpkin and lounging scarecrow.

 

 

 

After refusing to pay the fine and being threatened with arrest at his first hearing, Freeman attempted to negotiate with the city.

 

 

 

Patten claimed that he cited Freeman after receiving a complaint. Freeman said he would remove the couch if given an opportunity to speak to the original complainant, like an adult, instead of calling in men with guns. The city refused and demanded he come to trial Friday, where he was jailed for contempt almost immediately.

 

 

 

The Judge sees himself as royalty, wrote Jim Johnson of Winchester on the New Hampshire Underground forum, no one may question or disrespect his benevolent self.

 

 

 

Code enforcement activity has been on the rise nationwide with the failing economy reducing local governments revenues and local bureaucrats desperately trying to take money from anywhere they can get it, using any excuse.

 

 

 

Free Talk Live recently interviewed one victim of code enforcement, 83 year old Ageda Camargo of La Quinta, Calif., who is being harassed by bureaucrats there over a garage which was converted into a bedroom decades ago, before she bought the house.

 

 

 

When the laws are unjust, as the vast majority of todays laws are, then a court of law will dispense injustice. Freemans protest of the injustice done to him has not gone unnoticed. Many liberty activists have said the courts action has motivated them to get even more involved.

 

 

 

The tyranny was stifling, Everett said. Its the kind of experience that makes you rethink everything. And just to be clear, I dont mean rethinking everything in terms of backing off. Quite the opposite.

...What?

...What?

 

 

 

...The [bleep]?

Do we get a tl;dr?Or maybe I'm drunk and will read it when I'm not hungover.

So some douche decides to put a couch in his yard, the city tells him he can't, and it's tyranny...?

 

 

 

Move here to Texas. Our whole living room is in our yard.

 

 

 

EDIT: Oh, and he's "rethinking everything" because of this? God, this guy is stupid.

Seriously? What the [bleep]?

 

 

 

I don't understand... at all.

*facepalm*

 

 

 

 

 

I mean, what the hell?

A law against having couches in your own private space on your own property, which in no way imposes aggravation or pain on the general public? Councils will do anything to raise money :|

 

 

 

It should be the guy who came up with this law who is getting 100 days.

God, was that article written by someone who the entire world has literally shat on, while the radio guy is their son or something? While whoever whined about the couch was being quite a little [cabbage] about it, the radio host probably isn't the most humble of folks if he got threatened with with contempt. (Or he went to Judge Judy)

 

 

 

Just get over it and stop making such a fuss, and go through the right ways. Complain to your state's Supreme Court over it, if you have to.

We are sadly loosing our rights to do whatever we want to private property. Whats the harm with putting a couch on your lawn? I don't understand this at all...

I don't get it. You can put a couch in the backyard, but not the front?

Why didn't he just put the couch in the house when he got the warning?

Why didn't he just put the couch in the house when he got the warning?

 

 

 

Some laws are stupid and the people should let the authorities know what they think of them.

 

 

 

People shouldn't be scared of their governments - the governments should be afraid of the people.

Why didn't he just put the couch in the house when he got the warning?

 

 

 

Some laws are stupid and the people should let the authorities know what they think of them.

 

 

 

People shouldn't be scared of their governments - the governments should be afraid of the people.

 

 

 

So you'd spend 100 days in jail over a couch in your front yard?

Why didn't he just put the couch in the house when he got the warning?

 

 

 

Some laws are stupid and the people should let the authorities know what they think of them.

 

 

 

People shouldn't be scared of their governments - the governments should be afraid of the people.

 

 

 

So you'd spend 100 days in jail over a couch in your front yard?

 

 

 

If it meant that people would start paying attention to the government's tyranny - then yes.

Why didn't he just put the couch in the house when he got the warning?

 

 

 

Some laws are stupid and the people should let the authorities know what they think of them.

 

 

 

People shouldn't be scared of their governments - the governments should be afraid of the people.

 

 

 

[/V for Vendetta reference]

 

 

 

Anyway I thought this story was strange. I guess it's no stranger than some of the other stuff the government has done.

Yeesh... this seems to be nothing more than making mountains out of molehills on both parties' behalf. It seems odd that there would be such a law and that the officials would be cruel enough to force a person to take down something that was festively decorated. Yet, I can't say that the radio host was completely blameless. He seemed to purposely try to incite a response, and honestly what was he saying that would necessitate 100 days worth of contempt? Add in that the writer put in a red herring with the story about the 83-year-old woman as a distraction to elicit sympathy from the reader and pulls quotes from sources such as an underground forum and a blog, I find that this article was written quite poorly.

 

 

 

Any who... not as bad as accidentally breaking this obscure law:

 

 

 

97.18(5)

 

 

 

(5) The serving of oleomargarine or margarine to students, patients or inmates of any state institutions as a substitute for table butter is prohibited, except that such substitution may be ordered by the institution superintendent when necessary for the health of a specific patient or inmate, if directed by the physician in charge of the patient or inmate.

 

 

 

97.18(6)

 

 

 

(6) Any person who violates any provision of this section may be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 or imprisoned not more than 3 months or both; and for each subsequent offense may be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or imprisoned in the county jail not less than 6 months nor more than one year.

 

 

 

:|

this is so stupid. who comes with with these [developmentally delayed]ed laws?

OH MY GOD THE TYRANNY. WHAT NEXT, I CAN'T GO STABBING PEOPLE?!

OH MY GOD THE TYRANNY. WHAT NEXT, I CAN'T GO STABBING PEOPLE?!

 

 

 

Are you honestly comparing stabbing people to putting a couch on your front lawn?

The triviality of this is what makes it important if you ask me. If they're legislating things as petty as furniture in your garden, then there is a problem.

The triviality of this is what makes it important if you ask me. If they're legislating things as petty as furniture in your garden, then there is a problem.

 

 

 

Mhmm. Wow, a guy had his couch in his lawn, so what? It isn't hurting anything. I guess American governments will do anything for cash.

couches + trolls = spam

 

 

 

Haven't heard anything positive about the US in years :thumbdown:

couches + trolls = spam

 

 

 

Haven't heard anything positive about the US in years :thumbdown:

 

 

 

Cause there's nothing positive to say?

couches + trolls = spam

 

 

 

Haven't heard anything positive about the US in years :thumbdown:

 

 

 

Cause there's nothing positive to say?

 

Oh snap, my city's firefighters are on strike so they can't put that flame out.

 

 

 

Aren't these things called blue laws? Laws that were made years ago, but no one cares about them anymore, and they aren't enforced? Except apparently, this one is enforced? I know there's a law here that says the mayor must give everyone a pig or something, where the hell is my pig? Methinks I'll go sue him now.