FREE AT LAST!

Ok, not free of anything nearly as dramatic as slavery, but thanks to the judge's ruling today, I won't have to be checking in to pretrial services in person once a week at the courthouse, and I am now in full possession of my first amendment rights and am able to poster in the District of Columbia again. Not being able to poster in the district was a condition of my pretrial release. Thankfully, no one noticed [section redacted]

Today was the long awaited trial for the charges of defacing public property for defendants Tina Richards and Adam Kokesh and assaulting a police officer for defendant Ian Thompson. Carl Messineo and Mara Verheyden-Hilliard represented Tina and I respectively and Mike Madden represented Ian Thompson. These guys are the best. Carl and Mara work at the Partnership for Civil Justice and are the best at what they do. Mike is sharp as all hell and I give him a big part of the credit for getting the September 15th charges dismissed against us.

After all of the preliminary motions, the prosecutor said that he wanted to introduce two videos as evidence in the case. He referred to them as the “Fox Video” and the “YouTube Video.” Then, “with the permission of the court” he took us downstairs to the witness room to watch the videos. When it came time to introduce them as evidence in court, he ran into some technical difficulties. About two hours worth of technical difficulties. They even tried to bring up the computer from the basement, but then couldn't log on because it was set up for the network. (Sounds like NMCI.)

[Section redacted]

By then, she had already granted the motion for judgment of acquittal in the case of Tina and myself. After the prosecution rested, the motions were requested and the judge granted them on the basis that the government had not proven that the box in question was under Parks Department jurisdiction rather than DC.

Anyway, so Tina and I got off and Ian and Carl had to call all of their witnesses and go through their defense, only to get a guilty verdict. For assaulting a police officer. For picking up a bucket.

So we scored a victory for freedom of speech in our cases, but the criminal justice system has managed to disgrace itself yet again.


This is me checking in at pretrial services. Since they screwed me at my arraignment by saying that I was delinquent by not calling in once a week, (which led the judge to order that I come in person) I requested a record of having checked in every time I went. Only once did I get a hand-written note saying I had checked in that day. Every other time I took a photo with my camera phone. Then, as I was walking away, someone would say, "You can't do that! You need to erase that photo. Seriously, I'm going to call security." "OK."

[There's a lot more to be said here, but I'm tired and have a plane to catch for a fundraiser in Santa Cruz in a few hours. Look for a video soon with interviews from key players in this case.]

Pack the courtroom!

Defend anti-war activists, defend free speech!

Come to the courtroom:
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 9am
Judge Kaye Christian
DC Superior Court
500 Indiana Ave. NW
The ANSWER Coalition urges everyone who can to attend an important free speech trial that begins Tuesday, Feb. 26 (tomorrow). On trial are three anti-war activists arrested on Sept. 6, 2007, while holding a press conference to publicize a mass anti-war march held on Sept. 15. The arrests, captured on video, provoked national outrage. The youtube video, which has drawn over 80,000 viewers, can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EAfPgX7gs0. Despite these intimidation tactics, 100,000 people turned out on Sept. 15 for a spirited march from the White House to the Capitol.

Now the activists -- Tina Richards (CEO of Grassroots America and mother of a disabled Iraq war veteran), Adam Kokesh (of Iraq Veterans Against the War), and Ian Thompson (ANSWER organizer from Los Angeles) are facing up to 6 months in jail wrongfully charged with defacing property and assault on an officer. This case is a fight for free speech: whether or not the anti-war movement has the right to publicize its events without persecution.

Come pack the courtroom, and let these brave activists know that they are not alone, that they speak for all of us, and we will not let the Bush administration persecute them for their pursuit of peace and justice.

Come to the courtroom:
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 9am
Judge Kaye Christian
DC Superior Court
500 Indiana Ave. NW

*from an email from the ANSWER Coalition*

Iraq Veterans Against the War DC & Ft Meade Outreach

Love and Hate and Cell Phones

Yes, I have a serious love/hate relationship with my cell phone. And it’s probably not healthy. Let me start with the love. I love people. I love talking to people. OK, some people, some times. But the soothing sound of my Alberto Gonzales (I don't recall) text message alert ringtone telling me that there is a new text from my girlfriend is always exciting. And when I hear "it’s business time" (by Flight of the Conchords) and I know there’s good news, it’s pretty exciting. It is, after all, business time. Oooh yeah, it’s business time.

But there are a lot of times when I don’t want to talk to anyone, and when I’m trying to get away from work, the last thing I need is for it to be "business time." I have another ringtone for restricted calls, and I get the appropriate apprehension when I hear Nixon say, "Well, when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal." When I get a call without caller ID, I’m reminded by Bush himself that, "I’m the decider!"

Caller ID is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, it’s the greatest invention since the cell phone itself. OK, to be honest, there have been a lot of good inventions since sliced bread, and that’s a damn stupid thing to say anyway. But I love caller ID because it let’s me say, "Cool, I can just let this person leave a message, and I don’t actually have to talk to them!" But if they listen to my voicemail recording, it tells them that they’re better off sending me a text message. That way, I can even answer them without having to talk to them! Actually, it’s just a lot quicker than having to dial into my voicemail and listening to a tedious voicemail.

I never want to talk to reporters who don’t know what they’re doing. I just got asked by someone who is covering PTSD issues to give me some examples of my daily symptoms. "For instance, do you drink more now than you used to and does that effect your life...missing meetings, getting out of control, sitting alone depressed and crying?" How fucked up is that? I don’t even drink. And I get a lot of calls from people who want to invite me to something because I’m an IVAW member and then want me to tell them my whole story as if they don’t believe I’m a real Iraq vet. That on top of the phony soldier bs that messes with my head on a whole other level.

Then there’s the death threats. Apparently, calling out the YAF for their racism set off a lot of their old timers. When I get a call from an unrecognized number, that’s the worst because I have to answer it. It could be a vet in need of help, it could be a big interview request, but it could also be a whacko "Eagle" who wants to castrate me and then try me for treason.

Love or hate, I am undeniably dependent on my phone. It is my lifeblood and my livelihood. It is the alpha and the omega.

The best of my ringtones I got from http://americastandswatch.org/freeringtones.

Stop-Loss Congress!

STOP-LOSS CONGRESS!

This was an idea I came up with over dinner at Busboys & Poets about a month ago. I was with Ashley Casale and Robbie Diesu (who are organizing Our Spring Break) my roommate Geoff Millard, Jamilla El-Shaffei, and David Rubinson. We were just brainstorming for stuff around the anniversary and this campaign just popped into my head almost fully formed. Of course, I am focusing on Winter Soldier right now, and there is no way I could imagine taking on organizing a project of this scope, but David and Jamilla liked it enough that they decided to give it a try. I did the basic graphics for the banner with some conceptual help from Geoff (we brainstorm together a lot) and let them have at it. What they have developed now is something powerful beyond my wildest dreams. It is such an honor to be able to share a vision with someone and see it get stronger and stronger the more that it is shared. When I finish the video for Sick Of It Day, I'll tell that story too.

NWNW Call to Action

Maybe This Will Help Put Things In Perspective

Every day there are news reports about more deaths. Every night on TV there are photos of death and destruction. Why are we still there?
We occupied this land, which we had to take by force, but it causes us nothing but trouble. Why are we still there?
Many of our children go there and never come back. Why are we still there?
Their government is unstable, and they have sporadic leadership. Why are we still there?
Many of their people are uncivilized. Why are we still there?
The place is subject to natural disasters, from which we are supposed to bail them out. Why are we still there?
There are more than 1000 religious sects, which we do not understand. Why are we still there?
Their folkways, foods, and fads are unfathomable to ordinary Americans. Why are we still there?
We can't even secure the borders. Why are we still there?
They are billions of dollars in debt, and it will cost billions more to rebuild, which we cannot afford. Why are we still there?
It is becoming clear...

WE MUST PULL OUT OF CALIFORNIA

(from a chain email I got about four years ago, still poignant)

Marlboro Announces New Healthy Cigarettes With Vitamins & Minerals

Unfortunately, a lot of folks didn't get this because they didn't know about Diet Coke Plus, which isn't really a bad thing. I figured if I had heard of Diet Coke Plus, (considering I don't watch TV) then most people probably had. For those of you who really live in a cave, you can read more about Diet Coke Plus at Wikipedia.



Now, eager to cash in on the latest fad, Marlboro is getting in on the action:

Too funny, have to share these

Thank You and One Final Sign Waving

I got this wonderful email from a friend I met through a Ron Paul meet up group in Virginia. This seems to capture the sentiment of a lot of us in the "Freedom Movement" as I have heard it called, or those of us who proudly call ourselves part of the "Ron Paul Revolution." So for all of you who thought we might go away after this election and were breathing a sigh of relief because McCain has all but locked up the nomination, think again. You cannot stop freedom.

-

I can only speak for myself and echo the words of so many with whom I have
spoken. Failure to get the party nomination for Ron Paul does not end it for
me. I've been called delusional for supporting Ron Paul. I would be delusional
to think that our movement ends with Dr. Paul not being elected as president
or that we would be able to reset this country over night. I've been honored
to meet and get to know so many good hearted people, true patriots, who I am
honored to know and stand with against corruption and oppression. We have
accomplished so much in so little time. Because I know you're still there, you
know who you are, and willing to continue the fight so stand I here with you.
I'm not quitting, sitting down or shutting up. I continue daily to educate
myself, friends and family. I continue to take action when and where I can. I
continue to believe that someday, hopefully in my life time, that we will once
again enjoy the freedom, liberty and way of life that made this country the
envy of the world, a safe haven for an ideal to emulate and a true source of
individual pride when one say's, "I am an American." Thank you all for being
there and letting me know that I am not alone.

semper vigilance,

Bill