Smoke and Mirrors 20

   What an emotional roller coaster this journey has been. There have been days that I just wanted to cry, there have been days were I have been so mad that I really could not think straight. There have been days that laughter and jokes were the only way too get past the other emotions. There have been days throughout this experience when I felt like I could not allow myself any emotion, or risk completely falling apart. Today, I have an overwhelming sense of joy, and peace... It's a feeling that comes from deep inside and it's really kinda hard to describe. I have only had this feeling a few time in my life, and I hope it is something I can remember forever.

   I would like to start today by addressing Mike personally. CONGRATULATIONS buddy... I can't tell you how happy I am for you and your family. I also want to tell you, if you have never realized it before, you are an inspiration to me. For as long as I have known you there is one thing that I can be certain of... Mike Meeks will always be Mike Meeks. You are an honest and genuine person, you don't put up fronts, you don't present yourself falsely, you are who you are - take it or leave it. I love that about you. I want to thank you, more than anyone else, for staying true to yourself. There was a time when you were offered a plea bargain, and you didn't take it. There were a number of people who expressed to me that maybe that wasn't the best move. They were wrong, and I told them as much. It took a lot of courage to let that opportunity go by and maintain your innocence to the end, and I respect you to and even greater degree for it. I never once had a single doubt in you. From the time you were arrested until today, not one doubt. WELCOME HOME!!!

   Next I would like to address Judge Victoria Roberts. Thank you... Thank you for making the picture above possible. Thank you for making a difficult decision, under what I am sure was a great deal of pressure. From a man who has become jaded, from a man who has all but given up on "justice" in our courts, I thank you for teaching me that there are still people who uphold the values of justice and truth. Thank-you for doing what you believed was right and fair, even when you will probably receive criticism for your decision. Thank-you. I know that it is not your job to make people happy, but you have made many people very happy this day. And while I have confidence that you did what you did because you felt it was the right thing to do, it is my hope that knowing you have given joy to so many people, may offer you a little happiness and peace in your own decision. Truly and sincerely... Thank you.

   Roy and Sylvia... I don't even know what to say to you. I can not even describe how I feel for, or about you. I am overwhelmed with joy for you. It has been a long hard road, and I have seen it take it's toll on the both of you. I am so glad this nightmare is over for you. You both hold a very special place in my heart. I have never known finer people. We go a long way back, and it hasn't all been pleasant. In my younger days I am sure that some of the things I was involved in with your other son, were the cause of more than a few of your gray hairs. But through the years you have never turned your back to me, or anyone that I know of. You have never closed the door of your home to me, but instead your doors stay open to all - to come in sit at your table, to laugh and visit, and to many... to have a place of solitude, peace, and safety. Through every struggle in my life your family has been there for me in some way. To help me along, without judgement, with love and genuine concern for my well-being. I can not repay you for that. I can only try to give you that in return. I love you both. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

   Mr. Mark Satawa, http://www.lawyer.com/mark-satawa.html first I'd like to apologize for spelling your name wrong throughout the rest of my blog. I'd then like to thank you for your dedication to defending my friend Mike. Thank you for defending my rights as well. I am thankful there are people like you who are willing to stand up and fight for what is right.
   I would like to thank all the attorneys for all the defendants; Mr. William Swor for David Stone Sr., Mr. Micheal Rataj for Tina Stone, Mr. Todd Shanker and Richard Helfrick for David Stone Jr., Mr. Arthur Weiss for Tom Piatek, Mr. James Thomas for Josh Stone, and  Mr. Henry Scharg for Kris Sickles. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to this trial.

   My vote (If I get one) for MVP, is Mike's brother and legal advocate, Attorney Doug Meeks. Dude, you are a freakin' superstar. Your daily presence in the courtroom is only outdone by the countless hours you have spent making sure your brother was being taken care of, and properly represented. I am happy for you that your brother is free, and you can regain some type of normalcy in your life. Take ten deep breaths, and then take a vacation... You deserve it.

   Aunt Ann... You are a warrior. You have a very unassuming presence about you, but if a person takes up conversation with you, they had best be prepared for a confidant woman with passion and conviction for what she believes in. You are awesome. It has been a pleasure and an honor to have gotten to know you even  just a little. (Sorry I didn't get a better picture... But I could not leave you out of the honor roll.)

   Greg and Todd, I know how worried about your brother you have been. I am so glad that this will soon be a distant memory. You guy's are not just my friends, your my fishing buddies, in my world there's no higher honor... Salmon camp is looking good this year boy's... (You gonna make it this year Doug???)
   Greg, on a separate note, I can't express how happy it makes me that Sam will know his Uncle Mike. I think Mike missing a full year of Sam's life is a tragedy in itself, but there will be plenty of time now to turn that around. CONGRATULATIONS! There are too many blessings to be counted.

   There have been so many people to show Mike their support and friendship. Every single day, Mike had friends and family sitting in the courtroom. There have been too many for me to remember. I am sure that in his own time, and in his own way he will show his appreciation. But I would personally like to thank all of you. It was your love of Mike and your thirst for the truth that encouraged and inspired me to do what I did. I am still in a bit of a state of shock, as I am sure many of you are. But this is real. We did it. Mike is home.

   I want to make one more honorable mention, last but not least. Matt Anderson. Without Matt, much of what I have been able to do would not of been possible. Matt was my ride to court nearly every day. And he is a dedicated friend of Mike. And just an all around good guy. I have received many compliments and kind words about my blog, and I really do feel honored that so many people have followed the trial through me. But much of this praise is due Matt as well. Please remember it if you see him. Thanks Matt, more than you know, I appreciate what you did.
   Stan Piatek... sorry I missed you on your way home. CONGRATULATIONS! It is obvious how much you care about your brothers. Hat's off to you. Tom good luck in your life ahead. I hope the best for you. If ya' all are ever in town again...
   My best wishes to all the defendants (victims) in your futures. I wish for you all, that this had never happened, but it did. I am so happy it wasn't worse. Good luck. Enjoy your families and lives.
   On one final note. David Stone Jr., as I watched this trial unfold and talked with you outside on breaks. My heart broke for you. The absolute lack of any evidence of anything that you did, ate at me, and ate at me. I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet you personally. I hope that you are able to walk away from this and move on with your life, don't let this drag you down. Walk through life with your head high, be proud of who you are... You're a good man. I hope that you and Britanny drop me a line every once in a while and let me know how things are going. Good luck, best wishes...
   The smoke is dissipating, the mirrors are shattered. I will walk away from this very proud. I am proud to have been involved. But it doesn't end here. Not for me anyway. While we will all go our own way from here, and paths may cross here and there. I will walk away feeling like I witnessed something important, and I tried to do something about it. And through it all, the only thing I can guarantee... It wont be long before I'm back speaking my mind... 

   Update, Thursday March 29 2012


   I made it back to the courtroom one last time, David Stone Sr. and Josh Stone both plead guilty to one charge of possession of a machine gun. They now await their sentencing from home. I personally am sorry that it even came to this. I don't believe the FBI handled the investigation properly from the get go, and I don't believe that they had any cause to conduct the arrests and raids in the first place. None of them did anything to anyone. None of the defendants have ever been convicted of a crime before this. It just doesn't seem fair that their lives have suffered such a disruption, their worlds have been turned upside down, and their futures altered for ever. Overall, I am glad that things did not turn out worse, but I still think it is a tragedy.
   After the business of the court was over today, the Judge called the Jury in (as they were scheduled to be there) and addressed them, explained what happened over the time they were absent, she thanked them graciously, and then dismissed them. It was a very unique day in court. The first thing that was different about the day was that I walked through the doors of the courtroom with Mike. Matt Anderson and Wendy Lineweaver were also present to see the job done. The next thing I noticed that was different was the metal detector "check point" was gone from in front of the courtroom. And when I walked into the courtroom , most of the defendants and their lawyers were in the seats that have normally been filled with friends and family.
   One highlight of my day was after the Jury was dismissed, they were allowed to enter the courtroom and meet and talk to people if they so chose. So I got to meet several of the Jurors personally. And  in talking to them it became fairly clear that the same results would have been likely even if the trial had continued, and the decision was left to them. Then I had the honor of meeting Judge Victoria Roberts. Myself, Mike, Matt, and Wendy were led to Her Honor's chambers, and we had the very unique honor of chit-chatting with her for a few minutes and the opportunity to thank her personally.
   Then to top the day off, after we left Detroit we met up just a few blocks away from my home and shared a meal and a drink with David Stone Jr. and his wife Brittany.
   God Bless The United States Of America...

Smoke and Mirrors 19

   ALL CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY HAVE BEEN DROPPED, FOR ALL THE DEFENDANTS!!! MIKEY IS COMING HOME!!!
   Thanks to everyone for all your support. Life is good...

Smoke and Mirrors 18

   Well, Judge Roberts did not make her decision today. Court started early, and went into overtime. That seems to be par for the course with this trial. The jury was asked not to come in for another day while she reviews the arguments of the day, the proffers of the attorneys, and the evidence presented through out the trial. And she will give her decisions tomorrow. There won't be any open court tomorrow, so it will just be a matter of waiting for word of her decision. She will either dismiss some or all of the conspiracy charges, for some or all of the defendants, or the trial will go on as scheduled...
   The Lawyers made their arguments today, there wasn't really any new information to share. All of the attorney's who have worked in this trial have been... exceptional. I don't know, I don't really know a lot about this stuff. But I have been impressed by everyone in the courtroom at one time or another. This experience will change me. Not only has it been educational, it has been eye opening. And to be honest, it has given me an...uneasy feeling. 
   A thing happened today that I have been waiting to see for this entire trial. For all this time I have been talking about how I feel like our (mine and your) rights are on trial in this deal. And that's the uneasy feeling I'm talking about. What I have seen literally scares me. If these people, these American Citizens get found guilty of these charges we are in trouble. Today in court Mr. Michael Rataj stood up and not only did he defend his client, he defended all the defendants. He stood up in court today and defended me, and you. He stood up in court today and defended our Constitution, our way of life. And he did it with passion, and conviction. For that Sir, I salute you...

Smoke and Mirrors 17

   The prosecution continued with their case. Their next witness to the stand was Brett Laetherman. An agent for the FBI since 2003. He is a FBI crisis negotiator. He was tasked as a negotiator for the arrest of Josh Stone at Bob Dudley's property. He testified that they did not know for absolute certain where Josh was, and if he was in the house for sure. He testified that he had tried to call cell phones of people they believed to be inside. He said that they tried to call the house's land line phone. He said they had received no response. The FBI had set up a command post at a local church. And they had family members and Bob Dudley meet them there and made recordings of messages. They approached the house twice in an APC (armored personnel carrier) once around eleven to twelve noon, and once in the late afternoon. He addressed the house personally with a public address system, and played the recordings that they had made at the church command post. At some time around seven o'clock Josh and the others exited the house and surrendered peacefully.
   FBI Agent Jonathon Brand followed him on the witness stand. He manned a checkpoint near the Dudley Residence during the operation to arrest Josh. He said that he had interviewed Richard Booty. I'm not completely sure, but I believe he was in the house with Josh when the arrest took place. Agent Brand said that Booty had helped the agents perform a preliminary search of the property, and they recovered a bucket of ammunition by or in a barn and a 20 ga. shotgun by a tree in the woods. He stated that it got to dark to continue the search of the property. They continued their search of the property the following day and found additional weapons and ammo. He said they were found about a quarter of a mile back on the property in the woods.
   He also testified that he had no knowledge as to the ownership of these weapons, but he did know that Bob Dudley had told the FBI that they were his. He testified that there weren't any weapons fired during the "stand off", and that he never even saw Josh with a weapon in his hand. He also didn't know if the weapons they had confiscated had been finger printed. I'd be willing to wager the only reason he didn't know if the weapons had been fingerprinted, is because he knew Josh's prints weren't on them. I mean really, he's an FBI agent, he knows how things work. He knows those weapons were fingerprinted. I know those weapons were fingerprinted.
   Brian Luettke was next in line. Agent Luettke has been with the ATF for thirteen years. Before that he was a patrol officer. And he was with the Airborne in the Army. He is a firearms instructor, and a weapons expert.
He identified several weapons that were seized from Bob Dudley's property. Including two .50 cal. weapons (which belonged to Bob Dudley) that were missing their carriage bolts and were completely non-functional in their demonstrated condition.
   He also testified to the length of the barrels of a few guns that had already been admitted.
   And  they showed video of him firing automatic weapons that were proposed to belong to Dave Stone Sr., Josh Stone, and Ray Stone (who is not a defendant). It was brought up that no one from the defense team was present for the firing of these weapons. Nor was there an expert witness to stand for the defense present at the test firing.
   He was asked how many firearms he owns, he said somewhere around thirty. He was asked how old he was when he started collecting guns, he said when he was twelve right after his hunter safety course. He was asked if there was a limit to the number of guns a person can possess, he said there was not. He was asked about the .50 caliber weapons (which admittedly belong to Bob Dudley), he stated they were perfectly legal.
   He was also asked what he might infer if he saw gun powder near a loading press with uncased bullets next to it. He said he might assume someone was loading their own ammo.
   And finally we come to Agent Stryker, FBI explosives expert. I have seen some pretty fishy shit throughout this trial, but this rates right up at the top. Only to be outdone by the confiscation of David Stone Jr.'s Bibles... In my opinion. Agent Stryker took the stand first on Thursday morning. I came in a little late that day, and Stryker had already started his testimony. He was talking about some pipe bombs, I was immediately confused because I hadn't heard about any pipe bombs before this. I leaned over and asked the person next to me what was going on, where did the pipe bombs come from? She said the FBI. I was still confused, I gave her a look that said so, she told me they built them. I was still lost... So I just watched and figured I'd catch on. I did. And once again I could not believe what a farce the prosecution laid out for the jury. This guy was here to demonstrate the destructive power of the things the Hutaree had. Sort of...I have tried to write about this several times now without getting mad, but I can't do it.
   He talked all about explosives, and narrated his testimony with scientific terms, and chemistry, and physics, and made us all very impressed with his knowledge of explosives. But the real kicker of his testimony were his movies, filmed in high speed so you could watch everything in super-slow motion.
    Before I go any further I want to clarify some things. In Dan Murray's and Agent Houg's two year investigation of the Hutaree it was not shown one time that any member had ever been in possession of a pipe bomb or an EFP (explosively formed projectile) at any time. They did not confiscate any pipe bombs from any search of any members homes. It was never shown throughout this entire trial and investigation that any member of this group was ever involved in the construction of any pipe bomb or EFP. And yet here we sit getting a very impressive demonstration of what the FBI is capable of. And I'm not just talking about building bombs. This is the biggest smoke and mirrors show yet.
   They played a number of videos. In the first sequence I saw they were suspending a pipe bomb, that had a layer of ball bearings taped around it, in the center of a plastic fifty(?) gallon drum. When the bomb explodes, and we get to watch it in High Def at three different speeds, it distorts the drum, blows a couple holes in the drum were the end caps were expelled. There was a good size rip in one side of the drum. It was an impressive explosion. It ought to have been... They used an eight inch length of two inch diameter pipe.
   The next series of movies was of a pipe bomb on a fixed pole. It was surrounded by six or eight plastic human targets. Placed at strategic points to be most likely to incur damage in a sort of circle around the pipe bomb. For as large of a bomb as it was, I actually would have expected more damage, but it was still an impressive explosion. Again an eight inch length of two inch diameter pipe.
   From knowing Mike and his family, and watching this trial, I know of at least a dozen homes, and properties searched. They raided Mike's parents place with a joint task force of FBI, ATF, and Homeland Security, they surrounded their house with Humvees, multiple helicopters overhead, they came with a dog catcher, an ambulance EMT team, and a SWAT team. I think I was told there was over thirty agents (please correct me if I'm wrong.) that were on the property. And the arrests had already been made, Mike was already in custody. Mr. and Mrs. Meeks are not members of the Hutaree, their not accused of being terrorists. Mike didn't live there. The FBI knew Mike didn't live there. The Meeks' family are some of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I'll bet the U.S. Government wasted a million dollars in that raid alone. At least a dozen properties that I know of. And all they presented for pipes as evidence was two (It looked like two to me) three-quarter inch pipes, six inches long. In a dozen properties, with all the alleged conspirators, with all the money wrapped up in this mockery of justice. You show me two little tiny pipes, that could have been sitting in someones plumbing bucket in their basement. And expect me to believe... WHAT? I don't care that the pipes you used in your demonstration hold more than four times the volume of explosives as the pipes you entered as evidence. All this and you only got two pipes... six inches long...and their going to levy war on who??? Come on, insult someone else's intelligence. Let me see you blow something up with a cardboard tube. They had some of those.
   The next series of of movies was of EFP's that the FBI guys built to blow up a Crown Vic. Ironic choice of cars guy's. Is that some FBI humor I smell. They put EFP's with FOUR POUNDS of smokeless and black powder in various positions around the car and set them off. They blew holes through the car. They were impressive explosions. But I don't think the FBI confiscated four lbs of smokeless powder from the entire Hutaree combined. Not one member ever had an EFP, no one built one, not one of them demonstrated one, not one of them ever even asked for one. What kind of crap are you tryin' to pull here???
   They blew up a suburban with C-4, detonated with blasting caps! Where the hell did that come from? C-4? Blasting caps? Did I miss something. Did the Hutaree have some C-4??? NO, of course they didn't.
   I can't believe this stuff was even shown. That is smoke and mirrors friends.
   I only have the recross-examinations of Leslie Larson, and Agent Houg left in my notes, but I can't get into it here. I am already to pissed off, and may say things that I will later regret. I may write about this in day's to come but I need to cool off for a while.
   As it stands right now, the prosecution has rested their case. The judge has ordered the prosecution to provide her with a proffer, that individualizes evidence against each defendant and shows a preponderance of evidence that supports the charges of a conspiracy. There are a lot of people sitting in the courtroom that are hoping that they will not be able to show this, that the judge in her wisdom will see through this farce the prosecution has outlined, and possibly dismiss some charges on Monday. There have been discussions of this nature for a little while now but I have not said much about them, I hate to lead someone to let down. From what I have seen, I certainly have not been convinced at even a notion of a conspiracy of sedition or any threat to use weapons of mass destruction. And I hope that things will call for a party on Monday...But to be brutally honest I don't have a lot of faith in our judicial system, and I have been astounded by the foul play of the government and it's agencies throughout this hoax.
   I will be in court Monday morning wearing the happiest face I can, hoping that my bud' Mike comes home. I'll have my camera in hope of some pictures of a happy Mother. But I have already decided that regardless of what happens with Mike, if any conspiracy charges stand for any of the defendants, I intend to see this thing to the end. My buddy Matt Anderson feels the same. What started as a plea for my friend, has turned into so much more. The longer I sat in the courtroom, the more I listened, the more I could not believe what I was seeing. And I am telling you the truth, if you value your freedom you should be hoping for dismissals too.

Smoke and Mirrors 16

   After Houg's testimony was finished, the prosecution called Walker Sharp. He works for the FBI doing computer Forensics. I think he said he has eleven years in his field of forensics and six years with the FBI. I didn't like the evidence he was testifying to, but as far as FBI operatives have shown, I thought he seemed like a pretty stand up guy. He answered questions readily, thoughtfully, and I thought honestly. He reviewed the digital evidence relating to the case. He accessed their computers and hard drives, as well as some cell phones and other digital devices. The evidence the prosecution admitted was ten chat sessions taken form Josh Clough's computer. 
   The conversations here were not any less ridiculous than any others we have heard in the recorded conversations. Some of it was even more ridiculous. Like a conversation that was proposed to be Josh Clough and Kris Sickles (broadydudester is proposed to be Kris's screen name), it seemed like they were relating to an unpleasant experience with law enforcement. Supposed Sickles mistypes something along the lines of - I ate cops. Supposed Clough says something along the lines of - Did u say u ate a cop? lol. Supposed Sickles says something like - yeah, after I kill them I eat them...lol.
   I don't understand how the prosecution can argue this stuff as evidence of sedition, or anything for that matter. At least in an audio recordings you have the possibility of recognizing a voice, you can hear tone and inflection, and at least feel like you can better understand of the mood or the sentiment of the conversation. I have some issue with the audio recordings too, especially the way they are snips of conversations strung together to paint an uninformed image to the people who hear them. But these chat sessions are beyond that. Mr. Walker himself said that there was no way to tell who was physically sitting at the keyboard. The chats were full of acronyms, pseudonyms, abbreviations, misspellings, improper grammar. There was really no context to the chats as they were missing beginnings and endings. There was no reference to the links that were included in the chats. Whether they were links to games, or photo's, or articles, or if the links were even good. There isn't really any way to tell if the persons involved in the conversations are serious or joking. There aren't really any facts you can guarantee the validity of in these chats.
   Matthias Savino also took the stand. At the time of the arrests he was a state commander in another MI based militia. It was shown that he knew at least some of the Stone Family. All of his testimony dealt with Josh Stone though, and the Jury was instructed only to relate Savino's testimony to Josh.
   Savino said that he had received a phone call from Josh after the arrests were executed. He set up a meeting for Josh to meet a couple his friends at a 7-11. They then proceeded to Savino's residence were Josh  Stone and the people he was with along with Matthias Savino and the people he was with, sat in Savino's living room and talked about the situation. Savino said that there was a child with them. Savino testified when asked by prosecutors that during this conversation, he thought Josh seemed scared, he said that Josh had said he didn't know why everyone was arrested, that Josh had asked him for back up, and arms. Savino stated that he told Josh that he couldn't be of any help without more information. And then referred, or brought (I wasn't clear) them to an abandoned trailer in a trailer park. He said the following day he went to state police because there was a child involved. 
   One of the things the prosecution was trying to show with Savino's testimony, I believe, is that Josh was following some sort of emergency "protocol" by contacting Savino. The defense stated that there was no connection between the two militias. Savino agreed. There was no prior agreement between him and the Stones. Savino agreed.
   After Savino was finished, Mark Vaghn took the stand. He is with Homeland Security, He is a Border Patrol agent. He is detailed to a "joint terrorism task force". He testified that he had notified the Hudson PD of potential danger. But no specific threat was described. In cross-examination Mr. Thomas pointed out that the Hudson PD had not received notification until the arrests were already executed. 
   Next was George Nikolopolis. He's an FBI agent of twenty-four years. And an FBI SWAT team leader. He led the team that executed Josh Stones arrest. The arrest took place at a North Adams property. I am not clear how Josh got from the trailer to there, but the arrest was executed at Bob Dudley's house in N. Adams. Agent Nikolopolis stated that they set up "observation" points, and set up a command post at a local church.
   He said they approached the house twice in a CPV with a public address system, and tried to make contact with the occupants of the house. He said at one point in the afternoon a light on the outside of the house came on and then went off. Then he said sometime around seven (?) o'clock Josh and the others exited the house and peacefully surrendered.
   There jury was dismissed for the day and the attorneys debated with the judge about  possible Brady violations. I talked about this once in a previous post, but basically implies that the prosecution knowingly withheld pertinant facts, and that in doing so they may have denied the defendants due process of law by affecting defense strategies, and blocking possible lines of questioning for the defense to explore with Leslie Larson. It was also brought up that Agent Houg may not have been completely truthful either.
   Judge Roberts had Agent Houg return to the court room temporarily and asked him a couple of questions personally. She asked him if he had any involvement with militias before this case. At first he said he had not. But it was shown that while he has not had any undercover experience with militias he had worked on cases with militia relations.
   Houg was also asked his definition of the word militia, he said a group of people, training in military fashion, some of which may be illegal...According to Webster a militia is:

1 a : a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency b : a body of citizens organized for military service 2 : the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service

   The defense had earlier reserved the right to call both Leslie Larson, and Agent Houg back depending on these decisions. And the court decided that they would both be called back to the stand.
   I  have to take another break. I think I will have everything up to date in one more post. I will probably do that tomorrow morning, but I may not be able to resist the impulse to start still tonight. Either way you'll hear from me again soon...