By Kat Kanning

Lauren Canario was tried on 11/10 for refusing to empty her pockets. On September 19th, she had attempted to enter the federal courthouse in Concord to retrieve the video camera the feds had stolen from her a year earlier. She walked through the security checkpoint, and the cell phone in her pocket set the alarm off. Court security officer Ahern testified that he recognized Lauren as a “Brown supporter,” referring to jailed tax-truthers Ed and Elaine Brown.

Lauren then headed on up the stairs to get her camera, but the court security officers yelled at her to stop. The officers asked her repeatedly to return to the checkpoint and empty her pockets, and Lauren repeatedly told them, “No.” She also suggested they empty THEIR pockets. She told them she had been invited there to retrieve her camera. During this conversation, she had her hand in her pocket. Ahern asked her to remove her hand from her pocket, but she refused. Officers physically removed her hand, but she objected, saying, “Don't touch me.” She put her hands back in her pockets afterwards.

The court security officers called for a federal marshal to come help them handle this one small woman. Deputy Barry came down and explained the court rules to Lauren. When this did not result in her compliance, they called Chief Marshal Gary DiMartino down. He convinced Lauren to exit the secure area with him and talk for a while. DiMartino could easily have brought the video camera to her and she would have left the building. Lauren even requested that he do this. Dimartino refused. She agreed to go back in through security, and walked through again, but still refused to empty her pockets. She was then arrested.

In Lauren's statement to the judge at her sentencing, she pointed out that no one was hurt during all of this, no one really inconvenienced, and there was no victim. Magistrate Muirhead became incensed, and relayed the story of a man who had come to the federal court a few years ago, refusing to show what was in his hands. When turned away, the man went up north and killed a judge and two police officers.. - obviously referring to Carl Drega. He said that was why they needed the court security rules. Muirhead then sentenced Lauren, in a fit of temper, to the maximum sentence of 30 days for disorderly conduct.

Why do courts need so much more security than the rest of us? Why doesn't Walmart require security checkpoints at their doors? I'm sure Walmart employees are sometimes threatened with weapons or even killed. Why is security of the government so much more important than the security of the rest of us? It was clear that those laws effecting government's own security was most important, and damn the rest of us who wander the streets without even knowing what's in everyone's pockets.

It seems the government fears the people. Do we have liberty? Maybe Thomas Jefferson got it wrong, after all.