Par for the Course

(originally launched into cyberspace on 08/05/2008)

Well, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has, at long last, ruled
on the appeal of my conviction. They have decided that the First,
Fourth and Sixth Amendments don't really mean what they say.
They've decided that it's perfectly okay for the feds to steal
every copy they can find of a perfectly legal video. They've
decided that it's perfectly okay for the feds to do a giant fishing
expedition, under the guise of a "search warrant," without
bothering to limit the search to evidence of supposed "crimes," and
without even alleging the existence of any evidence or information
not already in the government's possession. They've ruled that it's
perfectly okay, in a trial hinging entirely on a defendant's
beliefs, to prohibit the defendant from showing the jury anything
he ever said or wrote.

Am I surprised? No. The "referees" are all appointed and paid by
the other team. How fair and objective would anyone with a brain
expect them to be? It's nice timing, though. Since "Kicking the
Dragon" just came out, it makes a nice example of what a joke the
"justice" system is. Now people can read the whole ridiculous
story, and then say, "Wow, three appellate court judges thought all
of that was just fine." Like I've said before, control freaks
perform a very valuable service when they drop the facade of
fairness and justice, and expose themselves for the god-complex
crooks they are. That's all this ruling does.

It would have be nice to get my $10,000 fine back (especially right
now), but other than that, if I had won, all the government would
do is say, "Oops, you're not convicted after all; sorry we locked
you up for a year." I would get no compensation for that anyway. So
on a practical level, it doesn't make much difference for me. And
as a matter of exposing the fraud, it makes for another fine
addition to the already astounding array of examples of people in
power lying, cheating and stealing, ignoring the law, the truth,
and justice, in order to maintain their power. Par for the course.

Larken Rose
http://www.kickingthedragon.com

Getting Them to Look

(originally launched into cyberspace on 08/02/2008)

In the little town where I grew up, I expect that most people by
now have heard of my "adventures" with the IRS, at least to some
degree. I know there has been plenty of gossip, no doubt based 99%
upon false assumptions and baseless assertions (just like
everywhere else). Yet even there, almost no one has shown any
interesting in reading what actually happened, as laid out in
detail in my new book, "Kicking the Dragon."

Why is that? Well, if they just didn't care at all, that would be
one thing, but since I KNOW that people have been talking about it,
that can't be it. Why jabber and gossip about something, and then
avoid finding out what you're talking about? Simple: Because most
people don't want to endanger their preconceived notions by seeing
what the FACTS actually are.

"Oh, he's that guy who wouldn't pay his taxes, and went to jail for
tax evasion, right?" No, and no, but that's a very comfortable
belief to hold. It's a lot more comfortable than finding out what
really DID happen. And my own little adventure isn't at all unique
in that way. Whether it was Waco, or 9/11, or the (misnamed) Civil
War, or how the U.S. government treated the American Indians, or
your everyday example of police abuse, or a zillion other things,
people WANT there to be some pleasant, simple explanation which
doesn't upset their world view, and they are willing to shut their
eyes to all sorts of contrary evidence in order to maintain their
illusions.

My case is pretty puny and insignificant on the grand scale of
things, but it makes an outstanding example of "conventional wisdom
versus evidence," because it is so thoroughly documented. I
challenge anyone who reads the book to afterwards say, "Yeah, I
don't see anything suspicious about any of that." No one honestly
could. In fact, I'm happy to report that a lot of people who knew
little or nothing about the issue or my own little story, have
since told me, after reading the book, how they were truly stunned
to learn how our government actually behaves.

But most people avoid being stunned, shocked and offended by using
the time-honored method of intentionally remaining uninformed.
People don't WANT opposing views, and if they inadvertently get
exposed to some, they want a quick and easy excuse to dismiss them
out of hand, without actually thinking about it, or even looking at
the evidence. And that right there is the main problem that pro-
freedom folk face: getting the common man to even LOOK at things
that don't already match his beliefs and assumptions.

And believe me, that's no small task. One person who knows just a
little about my case declared, to my face, after looking at the
outside of the book and handing it back to me, "I already know all
I..."--I had to finish the sentence: "all you WANT to know about
it?" The person walked away. Wow. They know me personally, are
friendly with me, know I spent a year in prison for doing something
I believed in, and yet went out of their way to NOT FIND OUT what
actually happened. Why do you suppose that is?

The ignoramuses of the world have a weapon that no amount of
evidence, logic, words and images can overcome: "willful
blindness." It took me a long time to come to grips with the
gruesome truth of the matter: these people aren't clueless by
accident; they are clueless by CHOICE. You can lead a horse to
water, but you can't make it drink. And it's clear that most
Americans would rather die of intellectual thirst than have to
question what they've always believed.

So the good news is, "Kicking the Dragon" seems to make a real
impact on the people who actually read it, even if they knew little
or nothing about me or the issue beforehand. The bad news is, most
people aren't going to read it, unless they are bribed and/or
tortured into doing so. I'm not sure what to do about that. Any
former federal thugs out there who could contribute some of their
water-boarding skills to the effort?

Larken Rose
http://www.kickingthedragon.com

Wolfeboro (NH) Talk

(originally launched into cyberspace on 07/15/2008)

Okay, here's the deal. This Friday, July 18th, beginning at 7:00
p.m., I'll be giving a talk entitled "The Illusion of Legitimacy"
(about political stuff, not the tax thing). It will be at the Moody
Mountain Farm barn--the same place the Wolfeboro Folk Festival
happens--which is located at 100 Pork Hill Road, in Wolfeboro, New
Hampshire (40 miles northeast of Concord, 50 miles north of
Manchester). The following link gives the exact location and
driving directions:

http://www.wolfeborofolk.com/directions.html
(Notice that they have two locations, but the one you want is the
Moody Mountain Farm.)

You do NOT need to order tickets or get reservations for my talk,
or even tell us you're coming. Just show up. Again, we might
pathetically beg for a two- or three-buck donation at the door, but
even that is optional. After the talk, we'll have questions,
discussion, and general hanging around for a while. I'll have both
of my books there, and will be selling them at slightly below the
normal cost, and signing them for people who like that sort of
thing.

And again, while radical "extremists" are always welcome, I'd love
to also have some people there who AREN'T already steeped in pro-
freedom issues. So if you can, drag along a devout statist or two.
And while there should be refreshments and snacks there already,
feel free to bring your own, too. Hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Larken Rose
http://www.larkenrose.com

Larken Rose in NH (RSVP)

(originally launched into cyberspace on 07/14/2008)

Dear Subscriber,

I think we finally have some details for my talk this Friday
evening in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. At this point we're looking
for some idea of how many people will be there, so we can plan for
seating, refreshments, etc. So if those wishing to attend just
fling me an e-mail saying so--and how many folks you'll be bringing-
- -that would be a big help. You don't need reservations, and it's
not a commitment or anything--we just need a general idea of the
attendance to expect. (If you forget to tell me you are coming,
come anyway.) Incidentally, I hope all the "radical extremists" who
are coming bring along a NON-radical or two, too. I'm interested to
see how "normal" people react to this particular rant.

Anyway, the thing will probably start at around 7:00 p.m., and will
take place at a barn about a mile off of route 28 in Wolfeboro, NH,
which is about 40 miles northeast of Concord, or 50 miles north of
Manchester. (By a barn, I mean a place where they do concerts and
events; we won't be pushing livestock out of the way or anything.)
There will be a suggested donation of a few bucks at the door, but
even that is optional.

Again, if anyone expecting to be there could let me know how many
to expect, that would be great. Then I can let the owner know, and
finalize all the details by tonight. Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

Larken Rose
http://www.kickingthedragon.com

Illusion of Legitimacy

(originally launched into cyberspace on 07/10/2008)

Next Friday evening, I'll be giving a talk in the area of
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (about 30 miles north of Manchester). It's
now evolved from a fairly ad-lib rant to a slightly coherent talk,
titled "The Illusion of Legitimacy." It will still be followed by
questions, discussion, and general extremist rhetoric. Again, I'll
be giving the details of exactly where and when in the next couple
of days, but it will be next Friday evening (NOT tomorrow) in the
Wolfeboro area.

Sincerely,

Larken Rose
http://www.kickingthedragon.com