by Rich Paul
April 10th, 2013 via Facebook

My name is Rich Paul. Last year, on May 31st, I was arrested by the Keene Police department. I was transported to the police station, where I expected to be booked for some crime. But I was not booked. Instead, I was taken to Special Agent Philip Christiana, who attempted to blackmail me. I was threatened with 81 years in prison, for delivery of marijuana and delivery of a substance purported to be LSD. I had, indeed, delivered marijuana as alleged, but had not purported anything to be LSD. The told me I had only one chance to save myself from them … that was to go on selling marijuana, but at the same time to spy on my friends at the Keene Activist Center, a political association of which I am a member.

I invoked my right to council, but Christiana said that if I did not relent, that the offer would be withdrawn, and that I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that no plea bargains would be offered to me at any time. I wanted to hear what he had to say, so I did relent and waived my right to council. I said that I would not make any kind of deal with him without being represented by council, to protect my interests. I also told him that we would not be negotiating with him, because he did not have the authority to give me immunity, and because law enforcement officers are permitted to lie to suspects, and that I could not trust him for that reason. He responded with a lie … he said that he was not permitted to lie to suspects. This is patently false. He went on to assert that if he perjured himself that he would be fired. This was probably true, but was a half lie … he could not perjure himself in conversation with me, because he was not under oath. Perjury is the crime of telling a lie under oath. I explained this to Christiana, and he reacted as if that information was new to him. At this point I lost all respect for Special Agent Philip Christiana of the FBI.

Christiana spoke with me about what he intended for me to do. He wanted me to return to the KAC wearing a hidden transmitter, and to lie about the reason for my arrest, and to determine how people reacted, and who questioned my story. This was clearly not the actual intent of the whole operation. He repeatedly told me “You are going to have to do things that you don’t want to do”. I asked him “Like what?”. He said that some of my friends would be selected, and I would be expected to lure them into felonious drug transactions with me, in order that they could be blackmailed in the same way. I told him that if I knew anybody who was making a bomb or planning violence that I would have come to him, rather than waiting for him to come to me. He did not seem to care. He veered from solicitous to aggressive, at one point suggesting that “nobody had to go to prison”, but at another saying that “somebody was going to go to prison, it was all about who”. I answered that it was not about that, it was about right and wrong.

At this point, Christiana started to question me. When he asked the first question, my address, I again invoked my right to council. Christiana repeated that if I invoked my right to council, that I would be going to jail for a long time. I said “OK, we’ll do that, then”. At this point Christiana appeared to end the interview … he had a KPD officer process me to be sent over to the jail. I was fingerprinted and my personal information demanded. Then I was placed in a cell for a short time. Then I was removed, and returned to the interrogation room where I had spoken with Christiana previously. At this point, to my astonishment, he told me that I was going to be released on my own recognizance, and that I could contact a lawyer, but that I was only to ask this lawyer whether an FBI had the power to give immunity. I made non-committal noises that might have sounded like agreement, but I had no intention of limiting my conversation with my attorney when I had obtained one, or to accept legal advice from law enforcement, especially from an agent who had already attempted to mislead me repeatedly. I insisted in getting a business card from Christiana, and he finally agreed, but crossed out the “ip” in his first name and his entire last name, his email address, and other identifying information. I could not believe how amateurish this appeared. I thanked Christiana for leaving his water board at home, and he ushered me out the front door of the police station and told me to start walking, not even waiting for my ride to arrive. I half expected to be shot in the back as I walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached Marlboro Street.

I was delighted when, a few hundred yards later, my lady’s car rolled into view, and she returned me to the Club.

To be continued …

Coming up: How the blackmailer was exposed, why Rich posted a confession on YouTube, and why he still expects to win the case!

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FBI – Your Tactics Aren’t Welcomed In This Peaceful Community

by Pete Eyre
May 31st, 2012

Phillip “Phil” Christiana – an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – has for years been snooping-around the peaceful community in Keene, NH. His interest seems to have stepped-up, having recently solicited activist Rich Paul to wear a wire when visiting the Keene Activity Center.

Visit http://www.copblock.org/?p=16421for a complete overview, including relevant links and pictures, the transcript of this video and an embedded version of the related Crimethinc document “Inside the FBI Entrapment Strategy.”

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Phone Tag with Phil Christiana

by Pete Eyre
June 6th, 2012

This video is a follow-up to “FBI – Your Tactics Aren’t Welcomed In This Peaceful Community” posted on May 31st, 2012: http://youtu.be/IEGIuZSJbpA

The purpose of this video is to make transparent the conversations had with FBI employee Phil Christiana.

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Inside the FBI Entrapment Strategy: An Analysis

by Pete Eyre
June 8th, 2012

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Update: Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

Police to Release Heroin Dealer to Bust Cannabis Dealer? by Ian Freeman posted to FreeKeene.com points to the video at the top of this post, and notes:

This is the insane “war on drugs”: The KPD & FBI bust a heroin dealer then promise to set him free in return for helping them bust a cannabis dealer! The story goes deeper – turns out it was all about targeting Rich Paul’s political associates. The FBI’s Phil Christiana was handling the case and tried to get Rich Paul to set up his fellow liberty activists for arrest. Rich refused to turn snitch and is now going to jury trial on Tuesday at 9am at Cheshire “superior” court. In this video from CopBlock‘s Pete Eyre, Rich Admits he sold cannabis and plans to ask the jury to nullify the war on drugs. Rich says, toward the end of the video, “The time has come to end…this war on drugs”.

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Update: Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

2013.04.09 KEENE Rich Paul Update
Streamed to Bambuser.com/channel/CopBlock

Rich shares some ideas then lights up at in Keene’s Central Square then Pete Eyre gives some background and points to CopBlock.org/RichPaul.

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Update: Thursday, April 11th, 2013

On Wednesday, April 10th Rich Paul was a guest on Free Talk Live – a radio station on over 100 stations, two XM stations and satellite.

LISTEN TO April 10th Episode of Free Talk Live

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Update: Friday, April 12th, 2013

On Wednesday, April 10th, in his post to Pileusblog FBI Trying to Infiltrate Keene, New Hampshire, Jason Sorens wrote:

Here are some questions the FBI ought to answer, that is, if they were in any way accountable to those of us who are paying their salaries under duress:

1. Why is the FBI taking such a keen interest in these small-scale marijuana offenses?
2. Is the FBI targeting Keene libertarians, anarchists, and “voluntaryists” for their political views?
3. Does the FBI countenance or authorize the deceptive and coercive interrogation tactics reportedly used by this agent?

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Update: Monday, April 15th, 2013

Coverage for Rich Paul via Cannabis Culture:

Activist Facing 81 Years Admits to Selling Pot, Seeks Jury Nullification

CANNABIS CULTURE – In a story that seems like a Hollywood screenplay, a political activist is making a stand against laws he feels are unjust. Rich Paul, the founder of the New Hampshire based 4:20 Foundation, is facing four felony charges for selling marijuana.

The trial is set to start on April 16th, 2013 at Cheshire Superior Court in Keene, NH. Paul has admitted to the selling the pot and is going to be seeking jury nullification; the common-law right of juries to acquit a guilty defendant when the law is unjust or misapplied. Add the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the mix and the story gets much more interesting.

Rich Paul participates in a Keene, New Hampshire based political activism club called the Keene Activist Center (KAC). Many members of the KAC have caught the ire of local city officials and law enforcement while performing various acts of civil-disobedience. Paul has organized large marijuana rallies and peaceful protests on Keene city commons. At one of the earliest and largest such events in September of 2009, Paul was arrested for marijuana possession.

On May 31st, 2012 Paul was arrested in Keene, NH by Keene Police. When he arrived at the Keene Police Department he was interviewed by Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent Phillip Christiana, assigned to the joint terrorism task force out of the Manchester, New Hampshire office. Agent Christiana alleged that an informant had made multiple purchases of controlled substances from Paul and indicated that the maximum sentence he would face was 81 years in prison.

Agent Christiana then offered to make the charges against Rich “go away”. If Rich would agree to wear a wire into the Keene Activist Center, surreptitiously record the other activists, and persuade them to sell drugs to Paul, the charges would disappear. Rich doesn’t recall being asked if anybody at the KAC even sold illegal drugs.

Rich Paul took a heroic stand, rejecting the offer and instead informing his fellow activists of the Agent Christiana’s request. Rather than fleeing the State or the Country, Paul has elected to fight the charges in his own way. Recently, juries have begun to nullify the marijuana law. Doug Darrell, a 59-year-old Rastafarian charged with marijuana cultivation, was acquitted by a jury who felt that the marijuana laws were unjust, despite taking the stand and confessing.

As of 2012, New Hampshire has a unique state statute that explicitly legalizes, “the right of a jury to judge the application of the law in relationship to the facts in controversy.” Paul is looking for a similar result and will be focused on informing the jurors of their right to nullification. Political activism, honor, and courage should not add up to a life sentence.

Paul is available for interview at 603-762-6614 or rich.paul.freeman@gmail.com; alternative contact Ian Freeman at 603-513-2449 or ian@freekeene.com.

Court of Record: Cheshire
Superior Court, Keene, NH
Case Number: 12-cr-131

– Press release from Free Keene.

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Update: Monday, April 15th, 2013

Rich Paul had a motion hearing this morning after which time he posted to his Facebook profile:

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Update: Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Eighty-One Years for Weed? by Harry Cheadle via Vice.com
Rich Paul practicing some civil disobedience.

Here’s how absurd the war on drugs has gotten: firstly, an activist from Keene, New Hampshire, is facing 81 years in prison for dealing marijuana; and secondly, even though he’s admitted on camera that he did sell about a pound of pot to an FBI informant, he’s still fighting the case in court in hopes the jury will acquit him.

The man’s name is Rich Paul, and his ordeal started last May, when he was arrested for selling weed and LSD (he claims he sold a legal chemical compound that wasn’t LSD). Instead of being charged with a crime, he wrote in a Facebook note about the incident and was taken to see an FBI agent named Philip Christiana, who threatened to throw the book at him unless he turned informer on his friends. According to Rich, Phil wanted him to wear a wire into meetings of a local political group he belonged to called the Keene Activist Center, lie to them about his arrest, and encourage them to commit crimes. Rich said no, and shared his story with the public—even going so far as to explain on video that he had been busted after selling ounces of weed to a confidential informant on multiple occasions.

There are several odd things about this trial, which started today. (Follow live updates through this Facebook page.) First, it’s not clear why the FBI, or this particular agent, was so keen, pun intended, to go after the KAC. Although the organization is “liberty-minded” (in other words, not fans of the police or other forms of government), it’s also explicitly nonviolent. Those kind of libertarian/anarchist/whatever-you-want-to-call-it politics are common in New Hampshire—in fact, groups like the Shire Society and the Free State Project encourage people who are tired of being hassled by the Man to move to the state, and the Keene area in particular. Acts of civil disobedience by the KAC and other activists are relatively common; Rich himself organized 4:20 PM “smoke-ins” at Keene’s Central Square to protest drug-prohibition laws.

In an email to me late last night, Rich said that his prosecution is an outlier. “Local law enforcement in Keene has always been extremely respectful, courteous and professional. Many of them, I will not say which, sympathize with us on many of our concerns, though most do not condone civil disobedience,” he wrote.

“The FBI, however, has stumbled around this investigation blindly, not bothering to understand who [the KAC was] from our published works before they made the clumsy attempt to infiltrate us… They may really be concerned that we may be violent, but if they are, they do not understand us. Our nonviolent rhetoric is matched by our actions. The club is not a hive of scum and villainy.”

The other striking thing about the case is that Rich had the opportunity to avoid a court fight without going to prison at all—he was offered a plea deal that would have included no jail time shortly before the trial. He turned it down, however, “both to make a point, and because I do not want to be a felon, because that would interfere with my right to keep and bear and arms,” he told me.

Rich appears lighthearted in a video from last week where he lights up a joint and yells about “hope for a day when people do not fear the government because the government fears the people!” while wearing a Ron Paul T-shirt (no relation). But his activism has some serious, emotional roots—he told me that his inspiration for fighting the war on drugs was his girlfriend, Julie, who died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 31. She didn’t use medical marijuana because it was illegal, but in 2009, Rich started smoking pot, and his life changed for the better. “I found that I started recovering from Julie’s death,” Rich said. “It helped me open up to life again. Something with that much power for good must be available. I started dating for the first time in seven or eight years. I fell in love again. I finally had the life I wanted… and then the hammer fell.”

The thing that Rich is counting on to stop the hammer from falling—and reward him for standing up for his why-can’t-I-sell-some-fucking-pot-to-my-friends principles—isn’t a traditional legal argument. It’s pretty much assumed that Rich did technically break the (unjust) law by selling weed. What he’s banking on is that the jury will “nullify” his case—in other words, they’ll come to the conclusion that the statutes he violated shouldn’t exist in the first place and there’s no reason to send him to jail. That’s not such a far-fetched idea. Although judges and prosecutors throughout the country hate the idea of jurors deciding the law for themselves, it’s technically legal, and a law that came into effect this year allows defense attorneys to inform juries that they can reach a not guilty verdict if they object to the law. A Rastafarian named Doug Darrell had his marijuana charge nullified by a New Hampshire jury last September, so there’s at least a sliver of hope for Rich. Meanwhile, 420 celebrations have started up again in Keene’s Central Square in solidarity with him.

“Somebody had to stand up and say that this is wrong, and I thought I might well be that guy,” Rich told me. “I took the risk and now we’ll find out whether I bet my life well.”

@HCheadle

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Update: Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Content below comes from Twitter.com/CopBlock, Bambuser.com/channel/CopBlock, YouTube.com/CopBlockRaw, YouTube.com/Fr33ManTVRaw and YouTube.com/AdemoFreeman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ademo Freeman, Pete Eyre, and Garret Ean ambush interview Federal Bureau of Investigations agent Phil Christiana of the joint terrorism task force. Interview commences outside of the Cheshire county superior court during the first day of Rich Paul’s trial for cannabis distribution. Recorded at approx. 4:20pm, Keene, NH.

Christiana has been interested in finding a confidential informant within the Free State Project, having wanted to gather information confidentially from independent videojournalist Dave Ridley a few years prior. He declined to speak at all to Dave Ridley on the record, as well as declining to speak to Pete Eyre on the record. Earlier during the trial, Phil admitted to suggesting that Rich Paul wear a wire to investigate the Keene Activist Center. When further asked, he communicated that he “could not” answer questions about it. April 16 2013

Shortly after, Rich and some friends gathered at nearby Central Square, where he shared some thoughts on the day’s events.

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Update: Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Free Concord posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Ambush Interview with FBI Agent Investigating NH Libertarians

Today outside of day one of the historic trial of Rich Paul for cannabis distribution, myself, Pete Eyre, and Ademo Freeman had the opportunity to interview FBI Special Agent Phil Christiana. Earlier in the day, on the witness stand, Phil admitted to working for the joint terrorism task force, and was very reluctant to reveal any information about his asking Rich Paul to wear a wire. When asked directly why he was investigating the Keene Activist Center, he stated that he could not speak about the KAC. Coincidentally (or not) two weeks after Rich’s arrest, city bureaucrats obtained a search warrant to inspect for smoke detectors and evidence of a ‘lodging house’.

As he exited the courthouse following his testimony today, the three of us asked Phil about his investigations into peaceful people in the Keene area. According to him, Rich’s case is the only time he has worked with the NH Drug Task Force, receiving approximately six calls for service from local and state agencies per year. His responses were brief and slick. When Kim Kossick, Rich’s public defender, inquired why Christiana offered to drop charges if Rich would wiretap others at the Keene Activist Center, the agent responded that he was not at liberty to discuss an investigation relative to the KAC. Christiana has had an interest in finding informants within the New Hampshire liberty movement for a few years. He approached Dave Ridley in 2005 but ceased interacting with him once informed that everything he relayed to Ridley would be shared publicly. According to Dave:

My experience with him was that he was more or less polite and professional…but creepy. He came to the same Keene house when I lived there, to learn more about Russell Kanning’s plans for civil disobedience at Manchester Airport’s TSA checkpoint.

He also requested to have lunch with me and indicated, not in so many words, that he wanted me to be an informant. I told him I would be interested in having that lunch but would report everything we said to the public. He decline to interact with me after that.

Shortly after Rich was released on bail for the charges he’s currently on trial for, he spread the word that the FBI was looking to make him into a confidential informant. When Pete Eyre, who was at the time living at the KAC, tried to contact Phil about why he wanted to wiretap his home, the federal agent declined to discuss anything on the record, and insisted on an undocumented conversation with Pete.

During the trial, Christiana stated that it is FBI policy not to record interrogations. For this reason, no record exists of himself trying to convince Rich to covertly record others. What does it say about an individual whose job is to record others without their consent, for the purpose of collecting incriminating evidence against them, that does not feel comfortable discussing the nature of their work on the record?

The trial of Rich Paul has caught the interest of a number of media outlets in recent days, with The Examiner, Vice, Cannabis Culture, and CopBlock running independent stories. Ademo published his angle of the interview with Christiana to his youtube channel earlier this evening. Live updates from the trial will be posted to the Free Keene twitter feed as proceedings resume in the morning.

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Update: Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Coverage ab0ut Rich Paul’s first day of trial by Free Talk Live – a nationally-syndicated radio station on over 100 stations, two XM stations and satellite.

LISTEN TO April 16th Episode of Free Talk Live

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Update: Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Today is Day One in Rich Paul’s fight against legal prosecution for an act that the libertarians at CopBlock call “victimless actions.”

Paul, a political activist in New Hampshire, is charged with selling marijuana and faces up to 81 years in jail on felony charges.

Paul had a chance to get the charges against him dropped; all he had to do was take a plea bargain and then become an undercover spy for the FBI against his friends.

Instead, he rejected all behind-the-scenes deals and has gone to trial where he will admit to being a drug dealer and seek acquittal using a jury nullification defense.

While marijuana use, possession, cultivation and distribution are still illegal, New Hampshire is the only state in the nation to legally recognize jury nullification as a defense.

According to a news release from Free Keene, a website that advocates for a voluntary society, Paul and other members of the Keene Activist Center “caught the ire of local city officials and law enforcement” for exercising their Constitutional rights through acts of civil disobedience, holding marijuana rallies and other peaceful protests on the Keene city commons.

After being set up by a police informant who bought marijuana from him in an undercover sting operation Paul was arrested and taken into custody. But then, again according to the Free Keene news release, he was interviewed by an FBI agent “assigned to the joint terrorism task force.”

While this information leaves the impression that selling the marijuana weed is somehow an act of terrorism no other explanation was offered to explain why such an FBI agent was involved in a simple marijuana distribution case.

Paul was told the charges against him would “go away” if he would wear a concealed recording device, convince his friends at the Keene Activist Center to sell him drugs, and surreptitiously entrap them by recording them.

Paul refused to cooperate and chose to take his chances in the courtroom.

Others have successfully used the jury nullification defense in the recent past. Rastafarian Doug Darrell, charged in New Hampshire with marijuana cultivation, confessed in court and was acquitted.

Another Rastafarian, Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion, successfully used jury nullification in his medical marijuana case to escape conviction in New Jersey even though that state doesn’t officially acknowledge the right to jury nullification.

Rich Paul detailed the background on his case in a CopBlock video.

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Update: Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

Today the “state” rested after Charles Newton, now with the NH State Highway Patrol finished his testimony, his former bosses James “Jim” Mayer and Barry Hunter of the NH Drug Task Force testified, and Richard “Richie” Dupont, who wore the FBI camera/wire testified. Tomorrow (Thursday) Rich Paul is expected to testify, closing statements will be made, jury instructions, then deliberation.

 

We had all the exits covered yet he slipped past us – apparently strolling out the front door wearing different attire and possibly a wig, into a waiting van.

 

 

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Update: Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

The raw footage of Rich Paul’s trial will be uploaded to YouTube.com/FreeKeene at some point in the near future…

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Update: Thursday, April 18th, 2013

At approximately 9:00 AM, the third day of Rich Paul’s trial began. Rather than Rich taking the stand, the defense chose to rest. In closing arguments, Rich Paul’s attorney argued that jurors have a right to vote their conscience, even if they do believe the “state” has proven the elements of the supposed “crime” beyond a reasonable doubt. That said, she pointed out the numerous contradictions and dishonest answers in the testimonies of “state” witnesses – it was reasonable to believe that the FBI had a hidden agenda. In regards to the purported LSD charge, she highlighted that at no time during the interaction did Rich refer to the substance as LSD. “LSD” never came out of Rich’s mouth, nor was the substance actually LSD.

John Webb, the prosecutor for the “state,” claimed that there were red herrings in defense’s closing arguments. His argument was not very convincing, unless you are a person who believes words on paper can justify forcing a person who has harmed no one into a cage.

After closing arguments, the jury was released for deliberation. A couple hours into deliberation, a lunch break was called. Shortly after returning from lunch break, the jury returned verdicts. Rich Paul was found guilty on all five ‘felony’ charges for his victim-free actions. After the verdict was returned, still facing the jurors, Rich Paul said, “I forgive you.”

The jury was released and the judge asked to hear counsel on bail. He then ordered Rich Paul be taken into custody and transported to the Cheshire County House of Corrections, where he will be caged until sentencing. The date of sentencing was not announced.

Afterwards, none of the jurors were interested in a 5-minute interview for $20, but one juror who was asked why he chose not to make history responded by saying that “the law” has to be obeyed.

If you’d like to write to Rich while he awaits sentencing, you can do so through mail-to-jail.com by clicking here.

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Update: Thursday, April 18th, 2013

Ian posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Rich Paul Found Guilty – Juror admits, “We didn’t want to break the law.”

In yet another sad jury decision, activist Rich Paul, the creator of the historic 420 celebrations in downtown Keene, was found guilty of multiple felony counts of selling cannabis to other consenting humans and one count of selling a substance prosecutors said he claimed was LSD. (Paul never claimed the substance was LSD but that didn’t matter to the jury.)

As is so typical, the jurors left the building together for protection from the raining questions from people who love the peaceful human the jurors sent to a cage. Not one juror would take $20 for a five minute interview.

However, there was one juror willing to speak, albeit only for a moment. He admits when asked why he didn’t make history today, that “We didn’t want to break the law.” and then accuses me of threatening him. He then gets into a dark blue minivan with a Romney sticker, tinted windows, and the license plate FISHERS:

They took three hours, so presumably some of the jurors were voting not guilty, but were turned. That’s just like in the occupy trial, where we actually did get one juror to talk on camera, AFTER the other jurors and bailiffs had left. Hopefully someday, one juror will develop a spine and stand up for their beliefs, even against a group. It’s OK to hang a jury! I also believe jurors need to be told this. A jury does not have to return a verdict. One must wonder what pressure they are under to vote against their conscience. They must know how scary and dangerous the state people are and are easily swayed to guilty, after all, wouldn’t want to cross “the state”!

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Update: Thursday, April 18th, 2013

Jay posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Write to Rich Paul in jail

While he awaits sentencing, you can write Rich through the Mail to Jail service at the link below:

http://www.mail-to-jail.com/node/1801

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Update: Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Ian posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Rich Paul’s Follow-Up Interview for Vice.com – Recorded from Jail

Rich Paul’s story has already been covered once by Vice.com prior to the trial and now journalist Harry Cheadle has a couple more questions for Rich. I went to the Keene Spiritual Retreat aka the Cheshire “House of Corrections” to ask him the questions on video:

 

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Update: Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Ian posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

FIJA Calls for New Trial for Rich Paul

In an editorial piece, the Fully Informed Jury Association calls for a new trial for Rich Paul based on “superior” court judge John C. Kissinger’s biased jury instructions:

Helena, MT—A Cheshire County, New Hampshire jury convicted local marijuana and liberty activist Rich Paul today on five felony counts of victimless drug charges. Paul had disputed one of the charges on the facts and had openly pursued jury nullification on the other four charges, which involved the sale of small amounts of marijuana. The buyer turned out to be an FBI-paid informant who had entrapped Paul in exchange for leniency for his own heroin offense.

In 2012, New Hampshire passed HB 146, a fully informed jury bill, which guaranteed defendants the ability in court “to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.” The measure took effect on January 1 of this year.

While the defense did make the case for jury nullification, the judge undermined the intent of the law through misinformation in the instructions he issued to the jury. An attendee at the trial reported on the Free Keene Facebook page that, “Judge John C. Kissinger is reading jury instructions, where he is emphasizing the word “I” in his claim that the jury “must follow the law as *I* explain it”.”

Iloilo Jones, Executive Director of the Fully Informed Jury Association comments that, “This is a case in which a dishonest judge committed perjury in the instructions, by speaking against the authority of the jurors of New Hampshire. He used the influence of office and costume to persuade uninformed jurors to sacrifice the authority of conscience and the true role of jurors. Judge Kissinger intoned once again from the robe of office to confuse and convince the intimidated jurors to obey the laws of the government. It is no surprise that completely confused jurors would scatter in disarray before the overwhelming and intimidating power of the state.”

“Few (uninformed) jurors understand that their role is to protect fellow citizens from government tyranny, and that their first consideration is to protect the person on trial from the viciousness, greed, and ambition of government-paid employees of the same government that is making these laws, which violate human rights no less than slavery laws violated human rights,” Jones said. “It was informed jurors who helped to end slavery. Informed jurors today can help end all government abuses of human rights that are committed by government employees. Jurors are to protect people from these cruel laws, which make us slaves of government. Government wishes to own our bodies, our lives, and our productivity.”

FIJA National Coordinator Kirsten Tynan notes the blatant and unfair double standard at work in this case. “Judge Kissinger reportedly refused to include any information about jury nullification in the jury instructions and then explicitly misinformed jurors by telling them that they must follow the law as he gave it to them. He seemed intent on bullying jurors into following the letter of the law, yet he was perfectly willing to undermine it himself with false information in the instructions he delivered to them.”

Jones notes that such bullying behavior has a dramatic and chilling effect on our rights to due process and trial by jury. “If jurors are threatened, taught, and warned not to render a verdict based on their own conscience by the dishonest, government-paid judge running the courtroom, then jury trial even in New Hampshire is a sham designed to uphold the government and its employees and enforcers, rather than what jury trial is meant to be: a protection of the individual person against the ravages, greed, ambition, and dishonesty of government employees, including dishonest judges.”

In the face of such misconduct, says Jones, there is only one just remedy. “A new trial before a fully informed and honestly selected jury, with an honest judge presiding, is necessary in any case where the judge lies to the jury. This case, as with all cases before dishonest judges, must be retried before an informed and unintimidated jury,” said Jones.

About the Fully Informed Jury Association
FIJA is a non-profit association dedicated to educating the general public about their full rights, powers, and responsibilities in delivering just verdicts as trial jurors. The organization publishes and distributes educational literature and maintains a web site at FIJA.org to inform the general public of their Constitutional authority to protect human rights by refusing to enforce bad laws. FIJA encourages all jurors to consult their consciences when deliberating over a case, and to refuse to enforce any law that violates the human rights of the defendant.

 

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Update: Friday, May 3th, 2013

Wendy French posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Greetings to all! To those who are following the Trial of Rich Paul, the saga continues. . .So much gratitude is going out to each individual for the overwhelming flood of loving support for Rich that is flowing his way! It has come in many forms, food, prayers, visits, mail, cash, paypal, bitcoins, oh my! Most important has been the activism supporting Rich with juror outreach and education, and the independent media coverage done by Rich’s friends right here in Keene, where history is being made and the world is able to watch thanks to them! A very special thank you goes to Ian Freeman for the incredible feat of filming the entire trial! Please tune in to this documented display of this cast of prohibition enforcement characters weaving a tangled web in the attempt to make a martyr out of Rich Paul.

Ian also did juror outreach every day of the trial (and for the last five years!), filmed Rich’s jurors as they left the courthouse after the verdict, and also filmed Rich’s interview from jail and posted it on vice.com. Thank you also to vice.com for covering Rich’s story before the trial began, and for also posting the interview with Rich from inside the jail.

As for any local NH newpapers covering this, thank you to the Manchester Union Leader for linking to the ambush interview video with Special Agent Philip Christiana of the FBI, and linking to thedailychronic.com, where Terry Franklin wrote “Despite Guilty Verdict, Rich Paul victorious in NH” in which Rich is highly honored with the statement “Like Martin Luther King, the victory is in the righteousness of his stand.” No other mention has been found in any of the NH newspapers, including the local Keene Sentinel which has been notified and has chosen to deem this story unimportant, so far. An important suggestion was made on how to get Rich’s story covered by the NH papers, thank you to David Ridley for his youtube.com video, FBI vs. Rich Paul. If we draw attention to the fact that the day after the Boston event of April 15^th, the FBI’s Philip Christiana, a bomb specialist for the Boston region, was not in Boston, but was in fact sitting on the stand testifying against Rich Paul, then perhaps the NH papers may find enough of a story to deem this important! When I say “testifying” I really mean perjuring himself, multiple times, blatantly, and then just refusing to answer questions under oath, at which point Christiana was allowed to leave the stand, not charged with perjury or contempt of court, off to possibly attempt more blackmail and entrapment of other Free State Project individuals or who knows? Drawing attention to these behaviors and terrible tactics makes them much less likely to succeed, because this is not the first time the FBI has chosen a Free Stater as political target, so it may not be the last. Exposure is effective, sadly at great cost and personal sacrifice for Rich.

To help Rich make it through this unknown, I keep sending positive energy to whatever outcomes the universe is sending us, believing all the while that there are more surprise endings in this story! We have watched this go from threats of an 81 year sentence, saying that no plea bargains would be offered if Rich refused to wear a wire, that he would go to jail for the rest of his life. Then he was offered a plea bargain of serving one year in the county jail rather than the state prison, followed by the last plea offered the day before Rich’s trial began, which was to just plead guilty to the felonies and not serve any time in jail. To accept any of these pleas would have been caving in on his principles, and Rich Paul is a man who stands for his principles all the way. In making his stand, Rich put many agents of the state on the stand, who were in the process exposed as excessive and expensive enforcers of laws that will not be on the books for much longer. After having to testify against Rich, the Cooperating Human Source Richard “Rat” Dupont, Jr. will likely not be able to continue his brief career as a Rat in the Keene area due to being exposed.

Good jurors nullify bad laws, bad jurors follow biased judges, uneducated jurors convict innocent neighbors, ignorant jurors cage peaceful peers, educated jurors acquit victimless charges, coerced jurors vote unanimous guilty, competent jurors comprehend hung verdicts, juries of conscience trump juries of executioners. . . “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” It’s true, it has been said, and immediately after the word “GUILTY” was announced five times by Rich Paul’s jury, Rich’s reaction to them was “I forgive you.” As the jury members walked to their cars to drive off with their freedom, I said to them, “I will say the same thing that Rich Paul said, I forgive all of you, and I hope you find it in yourselves someday for not letting a peaceful man go free.” Check out the video.

So was it a cruel and unusual twist of dark sarcasm from the universe that Rich’s trial happened the week of 4-20, and that his 4-20 was not spent at the Statehouse rallying with a hundred of his peace-loving friends, but instead was spent alone in a solitary cell with no phone calls or visits? Since I couldn’t make much sensimilla out of it, I had to sing some songs about it. . .

Jurors had to be given the chance to do the right thing, to acquit Rich, for just one out of twelve, or even twelve out of twelve, to say “Not Guilty.” If that had happened, a unanimous Not Guilty verdict or a Hung Jury verdict, then Rich Paul would be out of that cage right now, not a convicted felon, but a Freeman on the land. If each juror had a conscience of their own, they would each act like a true peer, and set their peers free from the court with the same rights that all peers have, to leave the country and travel freely, the right to vote, and the right to keep and bear firearms. These rights, which were granted by birth on this Earth, not by any Bill of Rights or words on paper, can be temporarily taken away by tyrannical governments, and ignorant jurors. Rich chose to give his jurors the chance to stand with him against tyranny, the chance to say that the law is wrong and to love their neighbor more than they love their laws. Let it be known that the true reasons for Rich refusing the pleas were to get a fair trial by jury, to face his accusers and expose the undercover agents of the state, to put forth the jury nullification defense, and to be cleared of all felonies protecting his right to keep and bear firearms. These rights are of such great importance to Rich that he would face 81 years fearlessly, at great personal risk and sacrifice, for which I greatly admire his mighty stand, and stand by his side every step of the way. Word even has it that Rich’s righteous stand is right now inspiring new movers in the Free State Project to move to NH now and be a part of this history in motion!

I can see the way the legendary tale will be told to future Shire generations to come, as Rich Paul’s crusade to keep his piece by peace becomes known as the second shot maybe not heard ’round the world, but sure heard around the keepers of the rounds, as they remember the tale of the first shot not heard, back during the storming of Fort William and Mary on New Castle island in Portsmouth NH. It was December 13, 1774 when Paul Revere made a less famous but crucial ride to let the locals know that the British were coming, this time not yet to Lexington Green but to the fort. So in response to the crisis, the locals stormed the fort on the nights of December 14^th and 15^th of 1774, and legend has it that these raids were not of mortal combat since amazingly these locals brought no gunfire or deaths on these British fort guards, and brought out their cannons and kegs of powder to use in their own defense against the British throughout the Revolution! What a tale! So in keeping their pieces by peace, they fired a shot not heard ’round the world, and Rich is now peacefully firing this shot. . .

When Rich gets his appeal, another jury of his peers will be chosen. Between now and then, many outcomes are possible! Since the verdict on April 18^th, there have been post-trial motions filed, including a Motion to Reconsider Bail and a Motion to Reconsider Confinement Prior to Sentencing. The Cheshire County Superior Court has already responded to these motions, and much to our disappointment and sadness, the Court denied both motions, finding in the light most favorable to the state, of course. The state really has not proven that Rich is a flight risk, in order to justify his confinement, and deny him any kind of bail or bond. He was free prior to this trial for eleven months since his arrest last May, so there was plenty of time to take flight, and Rich is clearly not a flight risk. He faced his accusers, he faced his jurors, and now he is facing 81 years, fearlessly. It should not be within the discretion of a biased judge to say someone is a flight risk merely because they have been convicted of felonies, since there are clearly many convicted felons running around free. Bernard von Nothaus is one such person, convicted of so-called felony counterfeiting in March of 2011, and over two years later remains free to prepare his appeal while waiting for sentencing.

There has been another post-trial motion filed, called JNOV for Judgment Notwithstanding Verdict, which is very similar to a Motion to Set Aside Verdict, and we are still waiting for the court’s response on this. In this case, there is a strong chance that the “Guilty” verdict on one of the five charges will be reversed, which would dramatically reduce the number of those 81 years Rich is facing. The “Purported Sale of LSD” verdict is being challenged because the three elements of the indictment were definitely not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, no doubt about it. Anyone of reasonable mind listening to all of the facts, evidence, and law presented would have to come to a different conclusion, of “Not Guilty.” This leads to my conclusion that because this one charge was included in this trial with the four other charges, some of the jurors may have convicted Rich based on perception of mixed drug charges together, even though they heard no purporting of “LSD” spoken by Rich at all, and even though they heard clear proof that the substance was not even illegal.

A Motion to Sever Charges was discussed prior to trial, which would have made two separate trials, but was not a realistic option. Other attempts were made with Motions to Dismiss Charge filed the day before the trial and during the trial, after the state rested. Judge Kissinger denied those motions, finding in the light most favorable to the state, of course. He even accepted the testimony of the Rat (Richard Dupont Jr.) as that of an expert, as if the word of a three-time heroin dealer snitch is of any value when he told the jury that “acid” is always “LSD” in street slang. At least the two Lab Analysts who testified were asked to state their training and credentials to be accepted as experts. Most importantly, it was clearly stated that the 25mm size piece of paper analyzed by the lab was proven to be not LSD, but actually 2C-I, described as a research chemical known to produce hallucinations. At this moment in the analyst’s testimony there was an objection by the Defense, which was sustained by the Judge, who then ordered the statement stricken from the record. Kissinger also had another chance to dismiss the “Purported” charge in March during pretrial, after both lab analysts had appeared for depositions, and the testimony clearly states that the 2C-I is not outlawed by any Controlled Drug Statute, but he chose to proceed with the charge, in the light most favorable to the State, of course. Now this is not the first time the State has accused a friend of “purporting” the sale of something, which was in fact a lie intended to harm this friend. In that case, this friend ended up taking a plea instead of facing over 20 years, so we will never know how a jury might have perceived that false charge when presented mixed with a Marijuana charge also. In Rich’s case, he did not take any plea, facing 81 years, giving his jury the chance to see and hear the truth presented to them, and find him “Not Guilty” on at least the “Purported” charge. However, the Marijuana and “LSD” on trial together caused such prejudice that irreparable damage was done that was not curable by jury instructions, even if they had been proper, legitimate, and unbiased instructions, and thus Rich’s jury reached a unanimous verdict of “Guilty” on a crime not even committed. This will all change upon appeal with a new jury and a new trial.

When Rich’s appeal happens, it will be based on the grounds of the evidence issues in combination with the improper jury instructions by John C. Kissinger, who really should remove “Justice” and “Honorable” from his titles since he demonstrates neither. In fact, in the event of this appeal, it may even come to a Motion to Change Venue to leave behind the bias inherent in the Cheshire County Court system, especially since Rich has gained such local fame as the highly prominent founder of the 420 Foundation. We may never know if Kissinger or any of the jurors acted on a preconceived perception, so changing venues to a different court may be helpful to the overall outcome. We do know, however, that Kissinger should have studied his case law more thoroughly as he clearly neglected to follow suit from the case of State v. Aubert. Ian Freeman referred to this case in an earlier post on jury nullification, saying “the New Hampshire Supreme Court announced that if the defense puts forth evidence to support a theory of defense, the trial court must issue an instruction concerning that theory. Thus, because the law grants defendants the right to present a nullification defense, it follows that courts may be bound to instruct the jury as to the law of nullification.”  As far as getting the appeal in order to remedy the improper jury instructions, Rich is being assisted by the Fully Informed Jury Association, who have graciously offered to file an amicus brief on Rich’s behalf to address this serious 6th amendment violation Rich’s right to a fair trial. Thank you to Kirsten Tynan for interviewing Rich right before his trial to get his heroic story out to the world, so please visit fija.org, and read the interview here.

Thank you also goes out to nhjury.com for the wonderful article about Rich’s story posted by Bob Constantine, who himself has quite a tale of jury nullification success that has inspired many. Check it out at nhjury.com.

In addition to the amicus brief as a very positive show of support for Rich, there is the potential for some individuals to testify at the sentencing hearing, to support Rich as character witnesses and in doing so strengthen his chances of being released on some terms at his sentencing hearing. This would a miracle that we are all wishing for right now! Once we finally know when the hearing is actually scheduled there will be more announcements, and coordinating with anyone who will be preparing testimony. We would all be so relieved to see the state go from their plea offer of no time served to another offer of no time, and we just never know what the state will come back with, so Rich needs all the help he can get. On another positive note, we have to look into the potential assistance of testimony by Richard Van Wickler, who is the current Superintendent of the Cheshire County Department of Corrections, and who is a well-known member of L.E.A.P. (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition). Van Wickler has spoken with Rich before the trial, and there is the possibility that he may be able to speak on Rich’s behalf or to advocate for his release at the sentencing hearing. This would be an act so appreciated and so powerful in the message coming from the man who is in charge of the cage holding too many prisoners of victimless crimes, stating that this man, Rich Paul, deserves to be released from the cage to be free to work on his appeal. Thank you to Richard Van Wickler for his outstanding testimony at the Legislative Office Building in Concord on February 25, 2013, speaking in support of HB 492, relative to the legalization and regulation of marijuana. Here is the video of his testimony.

So at this moment in time, when time is ticking toward Rich’s appeal, the two most incredibly helpful and appreciated ways to support him are to send Lawyers, no Guns, and Money! Well seriously now, we have lawyers, Rich needs to win back his right to a gun, and needs plenty of money to do it! Mail-to-jail.com deserves much gratitude for serving as the means in between to keep mail and donations flowing for Rich’s Commissary Fund and his Legal Defense & Recovery Fund. Letters from Rich are coming soon! So please visit mail-to-jail.com for the latest posts, and for any donations to Rich through paypal or bitcoin which are so greatly appreciated!

Letters to Rich can be sent to:

Rich Paul

c/o Cheshire County D.O.C.

825 Marlboro Road

Keene, NH 03431

Checks or money orders can be sent and made payable to:

Wendy French

75 Leverett St.

Keene, NH 03431

So these are really the two most important ways to help Rich, with mail or money, and since he was taken to jail on April 18^th he has been gifted a generous and growing amount of Bitcoins=3.7, Paypal=$52.80, and a phone account to call out. Thank you universe! We are visualizing an amount of funds in the realm of $5000-$6000 to raise for Rich’s attorney to prepare this appeal all the way. We have experienced miracles in visualizing these funds when last week, Rich saw $800 gifted to him to hire an attorney, followed right away by another $800 gifted in an incredible matching of funds! So it is quite miraculous that Rich is already about a third of the way to his goal for an appeal that he can win! At this rate, Rich will definitely reach his goal and get by with a little help from his friends!

Once the appeal is filed, apparently Rich can seek an appeal bond, and get released at that time, so that is yet another positive outcome that may yet come! So many ways this story can go, we never know! One thing is for certain, it will be a beautiful day when Rich Paul is walking out into the fresh air once again letting his “Freeeeeeedom!” ring!

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Update: Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

Ian posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Sundays at 4pm, join us on 101 across from the jail in Keene for a rally to support Rich Paul, jury nullification, and the release of all peaceful prisoners. Bring your own signs, or you can use ours.

Rich Paul also called in to Sunday night’s live edition of “Free Talk Live”. You can listen to that here.

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Update: Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Jay posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

From Rich Paul: “Letter from a New Hampshire Jail”

http://www.mail-to-jail.com/node/1810

I have been in the Keene Spiritual Retreat for a week or so now. I have been pretty busy with business and legal issues since then, so it has taken me a while to collect my thoughts. Here they are, I hope they were worth the wait.

First I want to thank my supporters for all their help, whether emotional, spiritual, or economic. Many have helped, but I especially want to thank my girl Wendy, my parents, Ian, James, Bill and Gail, Joan, Carla, and Jay. You guys make this bearable. You rock!

Secondly, I want to address all those who participated in the trial. I want you to know that whatever your involvement, whether Judge or Jury or Bailiff or Prosecutor or Cop, that I forgive you. The only exception to this is Phil Christiana, of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. He has shown himself to be malevolent. Richie ratted out a friend, but not out of evil… just out of weakness and cowardice. I understand the fear he felt, and though I don’t condone his actions, I cannot blame the weak for their weakness… I can only pity them.

As to Phil, the central perpetrator of this injustice, the best I can do is hope to save your soul. You tried to blackmail me into betraying and entrapping my innocent but politically active friends. This is an unforgivable offense, until you realize the magnitude of your crime. I hope that a flood of postcards will reach you at your office:

Phil Christiana
FBI Boston Division
Independence Place
15 Constitution Drive, 2nd Floor
Bedford, NH 03110
Phone: (603) 472-2224
Fax: (603) 472-9419

and remind you of the Commandment “Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”. Hopefully a good mashup of your testimony with that of those who told the truth, like the DTF agents, will remind you of your perjury. If blackmail and perjury by law enforcement see to you to be a good way to convince Voluntaryists of the usefulness of government, please think again.

-Rich Paul

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Update: Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Free Concord posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

What Is ‘Joint Terrorism’ the FBI Investigates?

FBI Bomb Technician Phil Christiana spent the day following the attack at the Boston Marathon at the trial of Rich Paul in Keene. He gave the least consistent testimony of any of the state’s actors, and even altered specific facts as his cross examination evolved. At first, it is alleged that the investigation into Rich had nothing to do with the Joint Terrorism Task Force that Christiana is employed by. It ends with Christiana admitting that he wanted Rich to cooperate with a JTTF investigation in exchange for the dismissal of charges against him.

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Update: Friday, May 10th, 2013

Bradley Jardis posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Governor Hassan & Executive Council: Free Rich Paul Immediately

Rich Paul remains incarcerated for exercising his right to have a peaceful revolution against unjust laws.  ”Unjust laws” in my humble opinion are those laws that are unsupported by science, immoral, and completely unchangeable by democracy.

I find this completely unacceptable.

I (like everyone else) have the right to ignore RSA 311:7‘s oh-so-mysterious “commonly” reference (wink, wink) if it means peacefully practicing law in court to reform the government.  The law belongs to The People…  not a private monopoly organization beholden to the government and centered on control and profit.

Rich Paul is a good man who has been following the direction given him in Part I, Article 10 of the New Hampshire Constitution.  He has been doing it even though he has never sworn an oath to the document.

If I’m not mistaken… all of you all have.

I demand the NH Constitution be followed and Rich be released by 05/13/13.  If Rich does not walk free, I will be taking on his appeal.  Pardon him, commute his sentence, leave the back door unlocked, let a bird fly up to his window with a key…  it really doesn’t matter to me.

Let him go.

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Update: Monday, May 13th, 2013

Jay posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

Rich Paul needs your help with his appeal

(transcribed from a letter Rich wrote from jail)

Hey, everybody!

First of all, I’d like to thank all of those who have written to me and/or donated towards my commissary fund. It is  you who keep me going through these dark days, and in reality make them less dark…

My spirits remain high, despite my setback, and I have hope, still, for my appeal! I have been responding to every letter I have received!

The stakes on my appeal are much higher than just what happens to me. The primary issue on appeal will be the anti-nullification jury instructions which the judge gave my jury. A successful appeal will set a precedent for all future attempts at Jury Nullification… which is much more important than where I spend my next couple of years! If you care about Jury Nullification, please donate to this cause! Only appeals courts create binding precedent!

I hope to raise $6,000.00, which I realize is a staggering sum, but which will hire the best appeals guy in New Hampshire, I am told. He will be our greatest hope for future nullification.

I am also considering a hunger strike. Please let me know what you think of this idea by mail.

In Liberty,

Rich Paul

You can donate to Rich’s Appeal Fund using Bitcoins, through GoFundMe, or by mail:

Bitcoins: 1EDcfhp6UJSNQV8sunnSXw4iFGLT1vEPmX

GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/FreeRichPaul

Mailing address:

Rich Paul Defense Fund
75 Leverett St.
Keene, NH  03431

P.S.: Publicity is vital to raising awareness of this case, and to successful fund raising as well. If you have access to any pro-legalization, pro-nullification, or Libertarian celebrities, please, please, please bring my case to their attention. The attempt by the FBI to infiltrate the Liberty Movement with Agents Provocateurs is unsettling at best. This unconstitutional move against the Liberty Movement MUST NOT STAND! Remember that publicity for me is publicity for the FSP!

P.P.S.: Thanks to all who have protested outside the jail! My fellow prisoners were intrigued and the climate warmed toward me as a result! I hope that protests will continue through my stay! I love you guys, and appreciate all you have done for me and the cause!

P.P.P.S.: If you are an attorney interested in the case, but need to wait for a request to contract me, please consider this an invitation!

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Update: Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Wendy French posted to FreeKeene.com the following:

The question we have all been asking has been answered. When is Rich Paul’s sentencing event?

Date: Friday, June 7th, 2013
Time: 1:30pm
Location: Cheshire County Superior Court, Keene, NH

All it took to answer this question was one person who loves Rich to walk into the court and ask, and to send him this much needed message. As of this moment, Rich’s counsel has not informed him that the sentencing event is on the court calendar, and has not returned his last phone calls to her. Yes she is busy in another trial, State v. Next Victim, but a 10-minute phone call to Rich would be appreciated.

Well, the message has been sent, and just knowing when the sentencing event is happening makes a major difference in the mind and spirit of someone incarcerated indefinitely. Without knowing how this event will go, at least we now know Rich can begin his appeal by July 6th, 2013, if he chooses to go all the way in that direction. There is a great deal of comfort walking in to this sentencing event knowing that come what may, Rich has the will and the way to follow this through.

Will Rich get 81 years? Will they send him to Concord or Berlin? Will Rich get a year or less in Cheshire County? Will Rich get a suspended sentence? Will Rich get probation, work release, or rehab? Or all of the above? Will the prosecutor stick close to his pre-trial plea offer of “no jail time”? Or will Webb offer a post-trial punishment to Rich just for going to trial? And with Kissinger on the bench, what can we expect from the man who says to jurors, “You must follow the law as I have explained it!” It’s a mystery making history. . .

Prepare for the worst, but wish for the best, and let’s do be careful what we wish for. I am sending love to the moment in time, Friday June 7th at 1:30pm, when Rich Paul appears to hear his sentence. I wish that sentence would be, “You’re not the droid we’re looking for. You’re free to go.”

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Update: Tuesday, June 4th, 2013

Rich Paul Sentencing event on Facebook, created by Ian Freeman:

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Update: Tuesday, June 7th, 2013

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Update: Tuesday, June 7th, 2013