Edward429451,
It was an article in Backwoods Home magazine, Jan/Feb 1993 about 'Fully Informed Juries" that got me started down this road. Read that article got in touch with Zeno Budd of Ovid, Michigan who was holding a meeting in Hillsdale, Michigan about property rights on April 19, 1993. Went to that meeting, had my 'epiphany' and have never been the same since! You don't know how many times I've asked, why did the light bulb come on in my head, why me?! I took on the crusade of property rights, started passing out literature about 'land patents', probably something like 4,000 copies were passed out in Hillsdale County, Michigan over a six month period! I found out later that Michael R. Smith, the Hillsdale County Prosecutor had already started a 'file' on me, that 'land patent' booklet was the first piece of 'eveidence' in the file. At that time my wife and I owned 43 acres just south of Hillsdale, Michigan, we were in the process of building a 40' diameter 'geodesic dome home', I had taken out all the 'required' permits, but was told by the Hillsdale County building inspector, Galen Borten that I didn't need to worry about getting one for the 15'X20' portable barn that I had built to store my tools in while I built the geodesic dome. In August of 1992 upon returning from a wargaming convention in Pennsylvania I had received a nasty letter from Mr. Borten stating that I needed to get that $14 permit for my portable barn afterall. I went in, reminded Mr, Building Inspector that he had told me that I didn't need the $14 building permit and since that was the case I wasn't going to get it, well actually I said alot more than that, but I can't type here what I told him! I didn't hear any more about the $14 permit until January 10, 1994, while I was in Chicago on business my neighbor told me that two State Police vehicles and two Hillsdale County Sheriff's vehicles were at my place. I went down to the Sheriff's Department the next day to find out what was going on, at which time I was arrested for failing to get that $14 building permit. In the State of Michigan it's a criminal offence not to get a building permit, possible fine was $500 per day and possible jail time of 90 days for each day that you didn't have the permit, each day was a new and seperate offence! Since I had built the portable barn in May of 1991, something like 2 and one half years had gone by, if these people were serious, I technically was facing $450,000 in fines and a possible 230 year jail sentence! Pretty serious for not getting a $14 building permit! This time I made the mistake of posting 10% of a $250 bond, big mistake! I decided to do my own legal work and at my pretrial hearing on February 2, 1994 Judge Donald L. Sanderson informed me that I was not in a Constitution Court, so I was not to be bringing up the Constitution! I of course asked Judge Sanderson, then what the hell am I doing here? We had a trial in March of 1994, after picking the jury and opening statements, Judge Sanderson called for a recess, the assn't. Prosecutor, Neil Brady asked to speak with me, he told me that after hearing my opening statement that it sounded like I had a good case and just might win it, but that if I would just pay the $14 fee they would drop all the charges (yes they had loaded more charges on the original charge of no building permit, I guesss they thought that would make me comply!) against me. I told Mr. Brady that I was told by Galen Borten, the building inspector that I didn't need a building permit for that barn and therefore I had absolutely no intention of getting one now and that even if I lost the case I wouldn't compromise my principles. We finished the trial that day, I was found guilty, fined $200, given 6 months probation, and ordered to get in compliance with the building code. I told Judge Sanderson to his face, while he sat on the bench that I would not pay the $200 and that I would not get in compliance with the building code. I was 'asked' to sign a probation order, I told the clerk that I would have to read the order before I would sign it, one of the conditions of probation was that I would not leave the State of Michigan without getting permission from the court. Needless to say I told them that I would not asked permission and refused to sign the probation order. The clerk told me that they 'needed ' me to sign the probation order! You see a probation order is a contract, if you sign said contract, you can and will be held liable for any violation of the terms of that contract.
to be continued
