Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Your Tax Dollars At Work: The Free Speech Saga Continues

In our last very exciting episode, our protagonists Jeff and Sarah had been arrested for the crime of making public criticism of our leaders. Well, okay, those weren't the official charges, which were the supposed throwing of "unknown objects" down onto the roadway, and the impersonation of a traffic sign, causing dozens of motorists to get off at the next exit thinking they'd found Impeach Bush and Cheney Avenue.

And now, the plot sickens. Here's a note from co-defendant Jeff:

Hello All,
The absurdity continues.......

Sarah and I went to court this morning with our attorneys Shawn Collins and Julie Anderson of the Collins Law Firm in Naperville. They filed a motion to quash the fraudulent case against us. As a result, the State dismissed the "Reckless Conduct" and "Unauthorized Display of Sign" charges and added a new "Disorderly Conduct" charge.

I am now falsely accused of making a throwing motion. Yes, you read that right. I allegedly made a throwing motion.

The new official complaint reads:
"...Committing the offense of Disorderly Conduct in that said Defendant: Acted in such an unreasonable manner as to alarm and disturb Charles Hardin, and provoke the breach of the peace in that said defendant or one for whose conduct he is legally responsible, stood on an overpass above highway I-355 and made a throwing motion in the direction of vehicles traveling on I-355."

Sarah and I still have to appear in court on the 15th for a preliminary hearing on the new false charge. Technically, the original "Disorderly Conduct" charge is still pending, though I've got a feeling it'll be dropped. Of course you're welcome to attend the hearing on Monday. Please bear in mind, it will be very brief, like our previous hearings.

Due to the change of events, we've decided to scale back on the demonstration scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. A handful of us will be there as planned, but we've asked the Master of Ceremonies and Speakers to postpone indefinitely. We will re-schedule depending on how the circumstances develop. If all the charges are not dismissed and a new trial date is set in the future, then we will organize another protest. If that happens, we want a BIG turnout!

Please help spread the word. I've heard that people from all across the Midwest have planned on attending the demonstration and trial.

I'd like to remind everyone:
Sarah and I demonstrated on the bridge peacefully and within our Constitutional Rights. We did not throw anything. We did not act like we were throwing anything. There were no traffic disturbances.

We Are Not Backing Down!


You see, they never actually threw objects off the bridge. But Birkett and company thought that they had. And since nothing is ever your fault when you're a right-winger, Jeff and Sarah have to be held responsible for that.

This, in a nutshell, is how the Republican government of DuPage County thinks your tax dollars should be spent. And may I be the first to suggest: Let's draft Collins or Anderson to run against Birkett when his current term is up.

2 comments:

Barb Dahl said...

Is the court date tomorrow- November 15th? When and where? I'm sure many will want to show their support of free speech. And Gary - I agree- attorneys with the integrity of Collins and Anderson would be ideal candidates to oppose Birkett. Thank you.

Gary Kleppe said...

Last I heard, the trial had been delayed and no firm date is set. There will, as I understand it, be a pre-trial hearing on December 13 to determine when the actual trial will take place or if the case will just get thrown out of court.

Per Jeff Z., Shawn Collins has declined to run against Birkett, but Ms. Anderson is still a possibility. It's currently too late to file for the primary, so if she did run the party would have to slate her after February when new management takes over.