Canadian who stole Freedom Convoy donor info arrested over 2021 Texas GOP hack

Aubrey Cottle, the Oshawa website administrator who claimed responsibility for the 2022 computer hack of GiveSendGo's Freedom Convoy donor information, has been charged with a similar hack of the Texas GOP in 2021. 

Canadian Freedom Convoy donations hacker arrested for U.S. cyberattack on GOP | The Counter Signal | TCS Wire:

March 31, 2025 -"The Canadian hacker who claimed responsibility for leaking Freedom Convoy donor data in 2022 has been arrested following charges filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

Aubrey Cottle. X screenshot.

"On Friday, March 28th, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas announced the charges against Canadian left-wing hacktivist and self-proclaimed founder of 'Anonymous', Aubrey Cottle, 37 of Oshawa, Ontario.... He was arrested Wednesday by Canadian authorities and faces criminal charges both in Canada and the U.S. 

"The unsealed complaint in the Western District of Texas accuses Cottle of using illegal means to access a backup of the Texas GOP server containing sensitive personal information. The stolen data was exposed online, where prosecutors alleged Cottle also took credit openly via social media.

"Cottle also claimed responsibility for hacking the Christian donor site GiveSendGo in February of 2022. The hack, similar to his Texas GOP stunt, was intended to leak donor information, including names, addresses and donations amounts, leading to widespread harassment of donors. Cottle admitted to the hack on an unhinged TikTok livestream, resurfacing on X since his arrest broke to the public....  

"[I]n 2021 during an interview with Vice News, Cottle admitted to being involved in the 2008 Anonymous attack on the Epilepsy Foundation’s website where the hacker created flashing animations used to target users with photosensitive epilepsy....

"Cottle has been charged with unlawfully transferring, possessing, or using a means of identification to commit or aid unlawful activity. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to five years in prison."
Read more: https://thecountersignal.com/canadian-freedom-convoy-donations-hacker-arrested-for-u-s-cyberattack-on-gop/

OPP charge Oshawa suspect in cyber crimes investigation | Durham Radio News:

March 31, 2025 - "OPP [Ontario Provincial Police] aren’t saying much about a cyber crimes investigation that led to charges against an Oshawa resident. The case is under a publication ban.... Aubrey Cottle, 37, is charged with mischief to computer data, unauthorized use of a computer and possession of a device to obtain unauthorized use of a computer. The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa on March 31, 2025."
Read more: https://www.durhamradionews.com/archives/195774

Oshawa man linked to Anonymous facing charges in Canada and U.S. after internet hack targeting Texas Republican Party | Toronto Star | Calvi Leon:

April 1, 2025 - "A GTA man known for his alleged ties to the notorious hacktivist collective Anonymous is facing charges in Canada and the United States stemming from a 2021 data breach targeting the Texas Republican Party. Aubrey Cottle ... who goes by the online alias 'Kirtaner' ... appeared in court in Oshawa on Tuesday morning. None of the allegations have been tested in court.

"Cottle, who describes himself on social media as the founder of Anonymous, was reportedly involved in the data breach targeting the Christian crowdfunding site that raised money for the so-called 'Freedom Convoy' in early 2022.... During the protests, the names and personal details of donors to the GiveSendGo convoy crowdfunding campaign were breached and shared across the internet. According to Vice, Cottle admitted on the social media platform TikTok that he was responsible for the attack.

"'Yes, I doxxed the truckers, I did it, it was me, I hacked GiveSendGo baby, and I’d do it again,' Cottle yelled in a TikTok livestream on his account. 'I’d do it a hundred times. I did it. I did it. Come at me. What are you going to do, what are you going to do to me, ha?'...

"When OPP executed a search warrant at Cottle’s home, they seized more than 20 terabytes of data, including correspondence from his email address in February 2021 that claimed he had access to Epik’s networks, customer virtual machines, web domains and customer data. The email told the unknown recipient to “delete this message after reading'.... Court documents do not specify when OPP searched Cottle’s home. In 2022, he told CyberScoop that OPP had raided his home and took 'all my equipment' on Aug. 30 of that year. Cottle said a police detective told him the FBI was involved."
Read more: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/oshawa-man-linked-to-anonymous-facing-charges-in-canada-and-u-s-after-internet-hack/article_5aa7503d-3c57-48b2-90f9-a8d9358a8408.html

Tamara Lich's criminal defense being crowdfunded

The Democracy Fund announces crowdfunding campaign to defend Tamara Lich | The Democracy Fund (news release):

June 28, 2023 - "The Democracy Fund (TDF) is pleased to announce that it will crowdfund the costs of the legal defence for Tamara Lich, the peaceful protester who was a leader of the trucker convoy last year. Tamara has been charged with several minor, non-violent offences including mischief. Her trial is scheduled to run for four weeks, beginning on September 5th.

"Tamara's legal team is being led by Lawrence Greenspon, a senior criminal lawyer in Ottawa.

"'Tamara's prosecution shows how a prominent political dissident is treated by our justice system,' said Alan Honner, TDF's director of litigation. 'Many people see Tamara as a political prisoner as her prosecution has been impassioned, and she has already been imprisoned for 49 days on relatively minor charges. She is now facing a month-long trial, which is prohibitively expensive for the average person.'

"TDF is crowdfunding Tamara's criminal trial. The Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms continues to provide a legal defence to Tamara Lich and many other truckers who are being sued by Ottawa resident Zexi Li.

"'The trucker convoy exposed the government's willingness to invoke extraordinary powers to suppress a nationwide protest that was remarkably peaceful,' added Honner. 'Tamara has become the face of that protest, so there is a lot at stake in the outcome of her trial.'

"To assist with Tamara's case, please make a donation on this page. Donations are eligible to receive a charitable tax receipt.

"Founded in 2021, The Democracy Fund (TDF) is a Canadian charity dedicated to constitutional rights, advancing education and relieving poverty. TDF promotes constitutional rights through litigation and public education. TDF supports an access to justice initiative for Canadians whose civil liberties have been infringed by government lockdowns and other public policy responses to the pandemic."

https://www.thedemocracyfund.ca/democracy_fund_announces_campaign_defend_tamara_lich

5 Quebec candidates gave $$ to Freedom Convoy

Conservative Party of Quebec candidates donated to Freedom Convoy | CBC News: 

September 8, 2022 - "Five candidates of the Conservative Party of Quebec (CPQ) donated money to support the Freedom Convoy protest against COVID-19 measures that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for weeks during the winter, Radio-Canada has learned. The donations were made at the height of the crisis on GiveSendGo, shortly after the popular site GoFundMe ended payments to convoy organizers.... The protest lasted from Jan. 29 to Feb. 23.

"Radio-Canada consulted a list of 93,000 donors linked to the crowdfunding campaign on GiveSendGo. The list [was] leaked by Distributed Denial of Secrets — also known as DDoSecrets — an American whistleblowing organization.

"The five CPQ candidates, who are running in ridings in Montreal and Laval, contributed amounts ranging from $20 to $125....

• Along with her $125 donation, Louise Sexton, who is running in Montreal's Maurice-Richard riding, left a written message on the website that described COVID-19 measures as "useless." She also said they threatened to erode freedoms. 
• Stefano Piscitelli, who is vying for the seat in Laval's Vimont riding, donated $85 and left a message on GiveSendGo that read 'Hold the line,' in an apparent show of support to the protesters.
• Chakib Saab, a CPQ candidate in Jeanne-Mance–Viger wrote 'We love you,' to go along with his donation of $20.
• 'For me, for you, for them, for freedom. Lots of love,' wrote Carmel-Antoine Bessard, who is running in Montreal's Bourassa-Sauvé riding. She donated $50....

"The CPQ told Radio-Canada it has no intentions of asking the candidates who donated to the convoy protest to step down. 'As long as a protest remains peaceful, for us, the right to protest is part of freedom of expression and is essential to our democracy,' said Cédric Lapointe, a spokesperson for the party. 'Our candidates did not act violently by participating in the truckers' protest in Ottawa.'"

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/donations-freedom-convoy-conservative-quebec-1.6575829

Who funded the Freedom Convoy?

I've noticed the story that Freedom Convoy 2022 was "foreign-funded" creeping back on my twitter feed, though with a new twist: Now it's MAGA rather than Putin supplying the money. So I've blogged a story from earlier in the year about that.

Fundraising execs say Freedom Convoy cash was overwhelmingly Canadian | Western Standard:

May 3, 2022 - "Liberal allegations the Freedom Convoy truckers were largely funded by foreigners were completely inaccurate, MPs heard Thursday. Executives with crowdfunding sites that attracted millions of dollars for truckers said individual donations were small and overwhelmingly Canadian.

"'Our records show 88% of donated funds originated in Canada and 86% of donors were from Canada,' Juan Benitez, president of GoFundMe, of Redwood City, California, testified at the Commons public safety committee. Blacklock’s Reporter said donors contributed $10.1 million to the Freedom Convoy by the time GoFundMe suspended the account February 4.... Foreign funding was insignificant, said Benitez.... Nor was there any evidence neo-Nazi or criminal organizations contributed to the Freedom Convoy....

“Did you ever identify there was anyone on a terrorist watch list in the United States or Canada or anywhere in the world who donated through GoFundMe? Any sort of organized crime elements?” asked Conservative MP Dane Lloyd (Sturgeon River-Parkland, Alta.).

“We do extensive screening,” replied Benitez.

“So you didn’t identify any problematic people donating to the convoy and if you had identified those people you would have stopped it, is that correct?” asked MP Lloyd.

“That’s correct,” replied Benitez.

"GoFundMe’s suspension of the Freedom Convoy account prompted donors to contribute $10.6 million through a separate platform, GiveSendGo LLC of Boston. About 63% of contributions were from Canada, GiveSendGo executives testified. 'Most of the donations were under a hundred dollars,' said Jacob Wells, co-founder of GiveSendGo.... The Government of Ontario on February 11 obtained a Superior Court order to freeze the GiveSendGo account.

"Lloyd noted the testimony directly contradicted cabinet claims of foreign interference. 'There has been a lot of rhetoric that we’ve heard in Parliament about foreign financing, that this was a foreign-funded campaign to undermine Canada’s national security, but we see numbers that 88% of donors were Canadians.'

"Cabinet on February 16 repeatedly claimed foreign extremists were using Freedom Convoy protesters to threaten Canadian democracy. 'It is important that we follow the money because for a number of weeks there have been alarm bells going off about the rate at which the leaders have been able to raise significant funds, much of which has been raised from abroad,' Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said at the time. 'We have seen strong evidence that it was the intention of those who blockaded our ports of entry in a largely foreign funded, targeted and coordinated attack which was clearly criminally intended to harm Canada, to harm Canadians,' said Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair....

"Commons public safety committee hearings on the Freedom Convoy were requested by MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat, B.C.), New Democrat public safety critic. 'People are rightly worried about American interference,' MacGregor said February 7. The MP had no comment on evidence that few Americans and no extremist groups were among Freedom Convoy donors."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/fundraising-execs-say-freedom-convoy-cash-was-overwhelmingly-canadian/article_8f3c0c0e-a92c-5b13-bbfc-9b39196f846e.html

CBC retracts 2nd false story on Freedom Convoy

CBC deletes story falsely claiming foreign money behind Freedom Convoy | Post Millennial - Angelo Isidoru:

Image: Post-Millennial, 2022

March 11, 2022 - "CBC has pulled a second false story about the Freedom Convoy, according to Blacklock's Reporter. The story in question claimed foreigners played a role in the protest....

"[T]he claim was made on a radio broadcast of The World This Hour, self-described as 'Canada's most trusted audio newscast.' According to the Western Standard, the network released a statement on the matter. 'On February 10 in a report about the protest convoy CBC Radio's The World This Hour incorrectly said GoFundMe ended a fundraiser for the protesters over questionable donations to the group.' No explanation was given in CBC's statement.

"The network claimed to have completed an analysis of Freedom Convoy donations and concluded there were suspicious donations from foreigners. CBC then ran multiple headlines of this false story. 'Convoy Protest Received Hundreds Of Donations That Appeared To Be From Abroad,' a February headline read. 'In recent days, questions have emerged about how the protesters raised so much money so quickly and where it came from' ... the article read. 'An analysis of GoFundMe donations by CBC News has revealed at least one-third of them had been made by donors who chose to remain anonymous or who listed names that were obviously fictitious or political commentary.'

"Both false stories were by Elizabeth Thompson, a CBC reporter who has a history of speaking against the truckers. This was the case at a Parliamentary Press Gallery event on February 15. 'Personally I felt a little uncomfortable because there were all these guys roaming around the street,' said Thompson.

"GoFundMe executives testified at the Commons public safety committee on March 3 and confirmed only a small minority of donations were from outside Canada. 'Our records show 88% of donated funds originated in Canada,' said Juan Benitez, president of GoFundMe. 

"Furthermore, Canada's top anti-terror financing regulator said the convoy donations were entirely innocuous. 'There were people around the world who were fed up with COVID and were upset and saw the demonstrations,' Barry McKillop, deputy director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre [FINTRAC], testified on February 24 at the Commons finance committee. 'I believe they just wanted to support the cause.'

"This is the second time CBC has been forced to pull a false story. On February 3, the network corrected an earlier television story suggesting Russians were behind the Freedom Convoy. The claim of Russian involvement came from Power And Politics host Nil Koksal, who claimed: 'there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows or perhaps even instigating it from the outside.' The claim was entirely false and the network was forced to correct itself."

Read more: https://thepostmillennial.com/cbc-deletes-story-falsely-claiming-foreign-money-behind-freedom-convoy

Freedom Convoy crowdfunding continuing

Frozen out of GoFundMe, Canadian protest convoy raises millions on Christian site | Washington Post - Paulina Villegas and Reis Thebault:

February 7, 2022 - "After being denied several million dollars raised on GoFundMe, organizers of a trucker-led protest disrupting life in Canada’s capital have found a new platform: a Christian crowdfunding site where they raised more than $3.5 million in two days to demonstrate against the country’s vaccine mandate. The new fundraiser hosted by GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the '#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,' reported Sunday that the 'Freedom Convoy' campaign had raised several million dollars two days after GoFundMe announced that it was freezing more than $8 million in donations to the cause....

"GoFundMe said Friday that it had removed a fundraiser for the convoy that had raised more than $8 million because it violated its terms of service. The company said it had released an initial $1 million in donations to Freedom Convoy organizers last week after they provided a clear distribution plan and confirmed that they would only be used for those participating in a peaceful protest. But after receiving evidence from law enforcement that the 'previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation,' the company said no additional funds would be distributed to its organizers and instead donors would have two weeks to submit a request for a refund, the company said. GoFundMe then would work with convoy organizers to send the remaining money to other charities.

"GoFundMe’s decision aroused conservative ire on both sides of the border, drawing special scrutiny from several Republican attorneys general, who pledged to investigate the platform. On Friday evening ... West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) asked residents who have 'been victimized by a deceptive act or practice' to report it.... By Sunday, at least four other states — Florida, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas — had done just that, promising to investigate GoFundMe for allegedly deceptive practices. The threats of an investigation continued even after the platform announced Saturday that it would refund all contributions automatically amid the donor backlash. The company did not respond to an inquiry Sunday from The Washington Post."
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/07/canada-protesters-fundraising-platform/

illustration courtesy TallyCoin

This is just gonna explode’: How Bitcoin bigwigs’ ‘HonkHonk’ came to fundraise for Canada’s ‘Freedom convoy’ | Toronto Star - Alex McKeen:

February 7, 2022 - "Bitcoin investors who want to 'orange pill' the world and create a financial system outside of government regulation are rallying to join forces with — and raise money for — the 'Freedom convoy' protest in Canada. The group of five men will exclusively control the donations — which have so far reached around $500,000 CAD — and they say they want to show that cryptocurrencies are the libertarian money of the future....

"Greg Foss, Jeff Booth and two other men who go by the pseudonyms BTC Sessions and Nobody Cariboo all invest in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and create videos, books and online courses promoting cryptocurrency as a key component of a future financial system that is free from government oversight. Now, they’ve teamed up with B.J. Dichter, one of the original organizers of the Freedom Convoy to Ottawa — and pulled in donations from cryptocurrency-rich investors known as 'whales' — to raise money for the protest’s anti vaccine-mandate and anti-restrictions cause.... The bitcoin fundraiser is being hosted on the website TallyCoin and has attracted more than 4,000 donors....

"The convoy, which has been carrying on an occupation-style protest in Ottawa for 11 days, and has inspired other anti-mandate protests across the country, had raised more than $10 million on the fundraising platform GoFundMe. It was started by Alberta woman Tamara Lich, with Dichter having been added later as another organizer. GoFundMe cancelled the fundraiser, however, after Ottawa police contacted the platform.... The cancellation of the fundraiser ... created an immediate backlash from supporters of the convoy, as well as a host of American right-wing politicians, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said it was evidence of bias from GoFundMe. It also appears to have been a launching pad for Bitcoiners promoting their own anti-establishment messages.

"Two days before the GoFundMe was cancelled on Feb 4, an online personality known as “HonkHonk Hodl” had set up an alternative fundraiser — and its pitch for 'censorship resistant' fundraising using Bitcoin started to take off. On Sunday evening, the fund even got a donation of an entire Bitcoin, more than $50,000 CAD from Jesse Powell, who heads Kraken, one of the highest value cryptocurrency exchanges in the world....

"Foss, 58, is from Oakville, Ont., and had a long career in the financial industry before retiring and diving headfirst into Bitcoin enthusiasm. 'I believe it to be the most beautiful financial and technological innovation I’ve ever seen,' he told the Star in an interview Monday. 'And it was made for situations like this weekend, where you have a centralized platform that decides upon on their own volition that the funds raised on that platform are not going to be distributed to the people that the funds were raised for. And it’s very scary.'"
Read more: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/02/07/this-is-just-gonna-explode-how-bitcoin-bigwigs-honkhonk-came-to-fundraise-for-canadas-freedom-convoy.html

Freedom Convoy's one condition for ending its Ottawa protest

Justice Centre lawyers in Ottawa representing Freedom Convoy truckers | True North - Jonathan Bradley:

February 3, 2022 - "The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) is now representing the Freedom Convoy organizers and has a team of lawyers on the ground in Ottawa to provide legal assistance. JCCF constitutional lawyer Keith Wilson gave a press conference on Thursday in the nation’s capital alongside convoy organizers.  

"According to [organizer Tamara] Lich, accountants and lawyers working for the convoy have been communicating with GoFundMe, who said it stopped the truck convoy’s crowdfunding page on Wednesday.... Wilson said that most of the money is being held by GoFundMe because they were 'bombarded with an orchestrated social media campaign to try and shut it down.' He said that all of the legal and accounting requirements have been met.... The funds raised by the GofundMe at the time of the suspension had reached almost $10.1 million....

"Lich had begun the press conference by reiterating the purpose of the freedom convoy.

"'We are calling on all levels of government in Canada to end all COVID mandates and restrictions,' said convoy co-organizer Tamara Lich. 'We will continue our protest until we see a clear plan for their elimination.'

[Lich told those in attendance that "As of today, Sweden, Denmark, UK, Norway, Finland, Ireland, and Switzerland have removed all Covid mandates and restrictions." She praised Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe for showing "leadership" by pledging to do likewise, adding that "hopefully these words will turn into long-lasting actions." She thanked the people of Ottawa who have supported the convoy, and assured them that ""we have no intention of staying one day longer than necessary. Our departure will be based on the Prime Minister doing what is right: ending all mandates and restrictions on our freedom."  - gd]

"Lich said that so far, no one from the Canadian, Ontario or Ottawa governments has spoken with them.  She said that the governments are instead using the media to portray the truckers as 'racists, misogynists and even terrorists.' Lich said that as a Métis woman, she is offended by these allegations. She added that the truckers are 'average, peace-loving and law-abiding citizens from all walks of life who are fed up with being disrespected and bullied by our government.' 

"The protest entered its twelfth day on Thursday. The scene on the ground was peaceful on the eleventh day, with protestors singing and dancing for most of the day while free food and coffee was served up at every block on the closed stretch of Wellington Street."

Read more: https://tnc.news/2022/02/03/justice-centre-lawyers-in-ottawa-representing-freedom-convoy-truckers/

Truckers' Freedom Convoy sets out from B.C.

Hundreds of truckers headed to Ottawa in 'Freedom Rally' convoy against vaccine mandate | CBC News:

January 23, 2022 - "Hundreds of truckers set off from British Columbia to Ottawa on Sunday to protest a federal vaccine mandate despite the urging of the country's largest trucking federation to comply. The protest has been dubbed the 'Freedom Rally' against the federal mandate for cross-border truckers, which went into effect on Jan. 15. Canadian truck drivers now need to be fully vaccinated if they want to avoid a two-week quarantine and pre-arrival molecular test for COVID-19 before crossing into Canada. The Canadian Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations say up to 26,000 of the 160,000 drivers who make regular trips across the Canada-U.S. border are likely to be sidelined as a result of the vaccine mandate.

"'The goal is we're going to get [to Ottawa by next weekend] and demand these mandates get stopped,' said rally attendee Candace Hill. Hill was speaking from Delta, B.C., where supporters and truckers had gathered Sunday before setting off on their cross-country trip. The convoy is scheduled to meet up with another that left from Prince George, B.C., in Calgary on Sunday night. But the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), a federation of the country's carriers, owner-operators and industry suppliers, released a statement on Saturday strongly disapproving of the protest. "
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/freedom-rally-bc-jan-23-1.6324942

Cross-country truckers convoy departs B.C. for Ottawa to protest vaccine mandate | Driving.ca - Courtney Greenberg:

January 24, 2022 - "The first leg of the convoy, dubbed  The Convoy For Freedom 2022, is set ... to arrive in Ottawa on Jan. 29, where truckers from other provinces will join.... B.C. truck driver Colin Valentim ... will lead the B.C. leg of the convoy taking the western route and expects to be accompanied by others along the way. Two other convoys have different starting points: The eastern route is to begin on Jan. 27 in Enfield, Nova Scotia. The southern route will leave on the same day from Windsor, Ont. A Go Fund Me page for the cause has raised more than $560,000 to help with food, lodgings and fuel for the truckers."
Read more: https://driving.ca/auto-news/local-content/cross-country-truckers-convoy-departs-b-c-for-ottawa-to-protest-vaccine-mandate

Recap of Day 2 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy across Canada | True North - Harrison Faulkner

January 24, 2022 - "Today was the second official day of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy 2022 across Canada to protest vaccine mandates, forced vaccines and other heavy-handed government restrictions. Truckers in the West made their way through Alberta today and are expected to be in Saskatchewan by Tuesday.... 

"Supporters lined the roads in Kamloops as the convoy passed through the city.... Early this morning, a large group of truckers on their way to Calgary were spotted outside of Edmonton.... In Windsor, Ontario near the Canada-US border, trucks joined the convoy and were seen doing a slow-roll. 

"Canadian author Jordan Peterson retweeted news that approximately 500,000 Canadian truckers will descend on Ottawa Saturday. He warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he’s in for 'a very bad week.'

"Asked twice today about whether or not he supports the trucker convoy and if he will meet with the truckers when they arrive in Ottawa on Saturday, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole refused to answer both questions definitively and instead encouraged truckers to get vaccinated. Unlike the Conservative leader, Alberta Conservative MP for Bow River Martin Shields publicly supported the truckers. He posted a video on Twitter in support of the convoy, saying “I am in Ottawa awaiting the trucking convoy on its way to the capital' and 'It’s time to get our freedoms back.'

"Dragon’s Den star Brett Wilson called out the legacy media and in particular, CBC, CTV, Global News and Fox News for their lack of coverage of the convoy saying that they have 'no right to ignore' the trucker protest. The GoFundMe in support of the truckers at the time this article was published has reached $3,739,140."
Read more: https://tnc.news/2022/01/24/recap-of-day-2-of-the-truckers-for-freedom-convoy-across-canada1/

Canadian trucker convoy's GoFundMe fundraiser frozen | City News Vancouver - Christopher Reynolds, Canadian Press: 

Jan. 25, 2020 - "GoFundMe has frozen access to the nearly $4.5 million in funds raised by the trucker convoy now wending its way across the country toward Ottawa in a protest against vaccine mandates.... Rachel Hollis, a spokeswoman for the crowdfunding platform, said ... 'Funds will be safely held until the organizer is able to provide the documentation to our team about how funds will be properly distributed.'

"As of Tuesday afternoon, funds were raised from 58,300 donors, according to the GoFundMe page of the 'Freedom Convoy.' Tamara Lich, who is also secretary of the fledgling Western separatist Maverick Party, launched the campaign on Jan. 14. It states that the money will go toward fuel as well as food and lodgings for big-riggers taking part.

"The Canadian Trucking Alliance, which has denounced the convoy protest, says more than 85 per cent of the 120,000 Canadian truck drivers who regularly traverse the border are vaccinated, but that up to 16,000 may be sidelined due to the new restriction, exacerbating supply chain problems.... Last Saturday the U.S. barred unvaccinated Canadian drivers from entering the country, mirroring Canada’s border filter for American truckers.

"In a Twitter thread Monday showing pictures of depleted grocery store shelves, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he was 'on the phone with U.S. governors' that morning who share his concerns. He said he is was working on a joint letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end the dual vaccine mandates.

"Reese Evans, general manager of Evans Trucking, said 14 of his 36 drivers who typically haul lumber across the Alberta-Montana border are unvaccinated — and largely out of commission following the vaccine mandate. His outfit donated $5,000 to the campaign. 'When are they going to stop to realize that you’ve got to stop screwing with people’s livelihoods,' he said."
Read more: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/01/25/canada-trucker-convoy-gofundme-frozen/

Bernier booted from Conservative shadow cabinet

Kicked out of shadow cabinet, Maxime Bernier raises $30,000 - iPolitics - Kyle Duggan:

June 15, 2018 - "Just a few days after being booted from his role as innovation critic after he re-circulated a controversial promo-chapter from his shelved book project, Maxime Bernier raised a cool $30,000 in one day.

"In an email sent to supporters with the subject line 'Are you still with me?' on Thursday (Bernier was booted from shadow cabinet late Tuesday), he asks his followers to contribute $5 or “any other amount you can afford today” so they can 'show the country how much you care for the perspective I bring to our national political debates'....

"'I just wanted to tell you that I’m as committed as ever to defending our conservative principles of freedom and small government. And I will continue to fight for them in whatever position I find myself,' it said.

"'Do you still want me to champion these principles in Ottawa, at a time when it is so important for our country’s future? If so, please help me pay down what remains [of] the debt from my leadership campaign, and fund my team’s work and my travels across the country to reach as many Canadians as possible'....

"Friday morning, he sent out another email announcing fundraising succes.... 'I am flabbergasted by the results,' Bernier announced. 'In just 24 hours, we raised $30,000!!! That’s several times more than the previous record of the past year. You can be assured [that] the response was received loud and clear!'

"On Wednesday, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer told reporters he wouldn’t discuss internal caucus matters when asked about ejecting Bernier from his industry critic role, although Scheer did strongly hint at the reason. 'When a member of our shadow cabinet makes a commitment to the rest of the caucus, then that commitment must be respected,' Scheer said....

"Back in April, Bernier canned his book project after releasing a chapter that railed against the supply management system – a position he’s long held and ran on during his leadership bid. It suggested Scheer won party leadership with the help of 'fake Conservatives,' a sort of astroturfing-to-victory aided by the dairy lobby.

"It was reported that earlier this month, Bernier reposted the chapter to his website – news that came as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on Canada’s dairy sector amid a Canada-U.S. trade dispute, and as parliamentarians throw their support behind Canada’s trade efforts."

Read more: https://ipolitics.ca/2018/06/15/kicked-out-of-shadow-cabinet-maxime-bernier-raises-30000/
'via Blog this'

Crowdfunding helps illegal barber pay $2K in fines

Reason Readers and Ajit Pai Helped Memphis Barber Pay His Absurd Licensing Fine - Hit & Run : Reason.com:

"Thanks to readers of Reason, Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, and other random strangers who had never met him, Elias Zarate was able to pay off a $1,500 fine (plus another $600 in fees) imposed by Tennessee's haircut cops.

"What crime warranted such a stiff penalty? Zarate cut hair without a ... high school diploma. What's finishing high school got to do with being a good barber, you may ask? Well, nothing, but Tennessee is one of 13 states to require completion of high school as a prerequisite to getting a barber license....

"Zarate dropped out of high school midway through the 12th grade to help raise his two younger siblings — their mother had died in a car accident and their father abandoned the kids to tenuous living arrangements with relatives — and ultimately got a job working as a barber in Memphis.... After getting busted, Zarate approached the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, hoping for some help with getting a legitimate license. They slapped him with a fine and told him he'd have to go back to high school before he could work again. 'I was thinking, how am I supposed to pay for this fine, you know, because they're stopping me from working," Zarate told Reason....

"With the help of licensing reformers at the Beacon Center of Tennessee, a free market think tank, Zarate set up a GoFundMe account to help pay off his fine. After our story about his situation — and a clutch tweet from Pai — the page was flooded with donations.

"Zarate ended up raising more than $3,200, with most of it coming in the form of small donations from people who likely have never met him and never will.... 'I just want to thank everybody who donated, it means so much to me," says Zarate in a video posted by the Beacon Center. 'I just want to be able to get into barber school and make everything right with the state and provide for my family.'

"But now that Zarate has paid off his fines ... he's still no closer to having a career as a barber. Righting that wrong will require action from the state legislature. After Zarate's story became public, Gov. Bill Haslam called for a bill to reduce the educational requirements for a barbering license. Legislation introduced in the state House and state Senate would require the completion of 10th grade....

"It's not clear why there should be any educational requirement attached to a barber license. Cutting hair well does not require knowledge of trigonometry or a careful study of the meaning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Proper sanitation for the equipment used by licensed barbers — the only thing that could remotely be considered a reason for government to intervene — could be, and indeed is, taught during the mandatory training that all barber licensing applicants must complete in Tennessee. It is not taught in Tennessee high schools.

"The closer you look, the less sense it makes. You can become a licensed emergency medical responder in Tennessee without a high school diploma ... Getting an EMR license in Tennessee requires only that an applicant can 'read, write, and speak the English language,' according to Tennessee Department of Health guidelines....

"Individuals pitching in to help a guy like Zarate is a heart-warming story; but the reality is that state boards can issue more fines than could ever be paid off in such a fashion. Eliminating unnecessary licensing laws that have nothing to do with public health and safety is the only way to ensure that barbers, hair braiders, and cosmetologists in Tennessee and elsewhere have the freedom to pursue their careers without fear of the haircut cops."

Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2018/03/20/reason-readers-and-ajit-pai-helped-memph
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Reason webathon raises record $375,000

Thank You for a Record-Shattering Reason Webathon! - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Matt Welch:

December 7, 2017 - "Reason's 10th annual webathon crushed all its predecessors like a bug on a windshield, for which we thank you, mouths agape, and vow to leap back into the fray like Popeye after 10 cans of spinach.

"The final tally: More than 1,300 of you generous souls made tax-deductible donations totaling an unbelievable $375,000+, doubling last year's haul of $187,000, and clearing far above our previous record (the year before that) of $246,000. This gobsmacking sum, which included a single gift of $75,000 worth of bitcoin (way back when the crypto currency was trading at like $11,000) allows us to be even more editorially independent and financially resilient, a rare and precious combination in today's creatively destructing media landscape.

"Your gifts also allow us to do new stuff you like — redesign the magazine, develop a podcast line, bring John Stossel into the fold — while keeping ourselves well-covered on the classics of cutting government, combating criminal injustice, fighting tyranny in far-flung locales, defending alcohol sales at cinemas that show unicorn-masturbation scenes. As we enter our 50th anniversary year, this massive jolt of adrenaline gives us the step on another half-century of innovative irreverence, sober number-crunching, and flying the libertarian flag in all kinds of unlikely places.

"On behalf of Katherine Mangu-Ward and Nick Gillespie, as well as the many behind-the-scenes heroes who made not only the webathon but our entire day-to-day existence here at Reason possible, THANK YOU."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2017/12/07/thank-you-for-a-record-shattering-reason
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Johnson money bomb exceeds $1.5 million goal

Gary Johnson raises nearly $1.8 million in money bomb over two days | Independent Political Report - Krzysztof Lesiak:

August 17, 2016 - "Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, often says that the only way he can win the election is if he is included in the presidential debates along with his major party rivals.

"Yesterday, Johnson’s campaign decided to make a full throttle attempt to get Johnson into the presidential debates by launching a money bomb. The money bomb is called '15for15,' highlighting $15 donations to help Johnson’s campaign get the candidate’s name out there so he can hit the magic number, 15%, to be included in the debates (donations of all sizes are accepted in the money bomb).

"As of 11:48 CT, over the course of just two days, Johnson’s money bomb has raked in $1,804,202, easily surpassing the campaign’s original $1.5 million goal and putting the money bomb well on its way towards the new $2 million goal....

[At Reason, Matt Doherty reports that the $1.7 million one-day total is "the largest single-day take for an official Libertarian Party presidential campaign in small donations ever." - GD]

"The Washington Post reported earlier today that Johnson’s campaign has raised over $2.9 million since the beginning of August. The Post quoted Johnson as saying, 'The fact that we received more than 90,000 individual small contributions is overwhelming.'"

Read more: : http://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/08/gary-johnson-raises-nearly-1-8-million-in-money-bomb-over-two-days/
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Petersen's social media 'campaign of the future'

Kansas Citian lost Libertarian Party race, but likely ran campaign of the future | Kansas City Star - Rick Montgomery:

June 10, 2016 - "Austin Petersen recently finished second in a national race to be presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party..... Welcome, perhaps, to the presidential campaign of the future....

"Last October, Petersen was living in a sixplex behind a midtown QuikTrip when he announced his candidacy on Facebook.

"Never a public officeholder, he was chided by some in his party as an attention-seeking, trash-talking internet troll. Yet he won the affection of former GOP strategist Mary Matalin and conservative radio host Glenn Beck.

"That helped Petersen break from what was a 16-person field of Libertarian presidential aspirants to challenge the front-runner, former two-term New Mexico governor Gary Johnson.... Johnson ultimately took the nomination again at the national convention last month. On the second ballot, delegates convening in Florida cast 518 votes for Johnson and 203 for Petersen.....

"Just two months earlier, Petersen had finished behind 'uncommitted' on the Libertarian ballot in the Missouri presidential primary. Now Matalin, Beck and others in the conservative podcast circuit (Dana Loesch called him her instant best friend) had made Petersen a third-party wunderkid.

"His campaign of a few paid staffers and assorted volunteers, livestreaming daily and crashing nightly at the Overland Park headquarters, raised about $100,000 through online crowdsourcing. His Facebook page swelled to more than 95,000 likes.

"'Millennials are growing up and becoming a political force,' said Joe Trotter, 29, a Petersen friend who served as campaign communications director.

"'And the technology we’ve grown up with lends itself to a more decentralized organization, where we can work together and communicate remotely,' Trotter said. 'You don’t need a TV studio to speak to voters'....

"Said Petersen of the technology: 'That’s democracy.'

"As for his future, ... Petersen plans to be in Washington next week to launch a nonprofit called the Stonegait Institute, a think tank and political action committee named after his family’s farm.... He is producing footage of himself that Matalin hopes to distribute among her cable TV friends, according to her office."

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article83153432.html
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Toronto man charged with 'criminal' tweeting gets crowdfunding help with legal bills

Only The Internet Can Save Gregory Alan Elliott - Milo Yiannopoulos, Breitbart News:

November 17, 2015 - "His name is Gregory Alan Elliott. He has been on trial for three years, in a costly Canadian court battle with drastic implications for free speech. For two years, he was banned from the internet, where he previously earned much of his income. His artwork, hanging in a local coffee shop in Toronto, was recently defaced by a mob of enraged activists.

"Crippled by loss of work and the ongoing court case, Elliott and his family have been forced to turn to an online crowdfunding campaign to cover their legal costs. What did he do to bring about such persecution?... Elliott criticised feminists on the internet.

"The story begins in 2012.... Stephanie Guthrie, a young Toronto woman looking to raise her media profile, had a bright idea: she would lead a Twitter mob against a critic of professional feminist whingebag Anita Sarkeesian....Her target was Ben Spurr, an unruly video games designer who had created a game that allowed players to punch an image of Sarkeesian in the face.... Guthrie plotted to 'sic the internet' on Spurr, in a way that would 'impact his real-life experience'.... Elliott, a well-known local artist who closely followed Toronto’s online political scene, objected to Guthrie’s plan to ruin Spurr’s life. Online mob justice was 'every bit as vicious as the face-punch game,' he tweeted....

"In November 2012, Guthrie accused Elliott of 'criminal harassment' on the basis of his tweets. She was joined by ... Toronto feminists Heather Riley and Paisley Rae. With no evidence showing that Elliott’s tweets were in any way threatening – the arresting officer, Jeff Bangild, admitted as much in court ... Elliott was arrested, detained and charged by the Canadian crown....

"According to Gregory Elliott’s son, Clayton, the Canadian courts initially sought to detain him for the duration of his trial.... Eventually, the Crown was persuaded to grant bail, although, as part of his bail conditions, Elliott was prohibited from using 'the internet and any device with access to the internet.' A graphics designer by trade, this was crippling to his career. Before he even had a chance to figure out how to continue doing his job of 17 years with these restrictive bail conditions, he was fired without cause. Forced to withdraw his pension early, the 55-year old father of four has spent more than $50,000 in legal fees, and still owes a further $40,000.

"Guthrie and Riley do not need to win their case. Without a serious surge in his crowdfunding campaign, Elliott’s livelihood has already been destroyed. The process has been the punishment – and it is still not over yet.

"Christie Blatchford of Canada’s National Post describes how his accusers 'convened a meeting of friends to discuss how Elliott should be publicly shamed; they bombarded their followers with furious tweets and retweets about him (including a grotesque suggestion from someone pretending she was a 13-year-old that he was a pedophile); they could and did dish it out.'

"Paisley Rae, one of the women who accused Elliott, has mates at the Toronto PD.... Twitter archives show that Rae has maintained a friendly relationship with Detective Jeff Bangild, the officer in charge of the Elliott case, since early 2012. In 2013, while she was still a complainant in the Elliott case, she was still giving Bangild public pep talks on his social media presentations.... Rae, with her close connections to Toronto Police, dropped out of the trial. But it didn’t matter. Elliott had already been charged....

"Freedom of Tweets, a campaign launched today on behalf of Gregory Alan Elliott ... hopes to raise the $100,000 paid by Elliott in legal fees, and repair some of the damage to his livelihood and public reputation.

"The campaign is co-ordinated by an acquaintance of mine, Lauren Southern, a ferocious Canadian libertarian activist.... Southern told me today: 'I hope that supporters of free speech on the web will recognise the importance of this case, and lend their support to Gregory Alan Elliott. Some good can come of this if we show the world that the public will be galvanised when an individual’s free speech is threatened.'"

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2015/11/19/a-life-ruined-by-feminists-and-the-state-only-the-internet-can-save-gregory-alan-elliott/
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Donate here: http://www.freedomoftweets.ca/donate/

Neil Armstrong's spacesuit saved by private funding

Kickstarter Saved Neil Armstrong's Spacesuit | Foundation for Economic Education - David J. Herbert:

August 11, 2015 - "Last month, the Smithsonian Institute launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to preserve the spacesuit that Neil Armstrong wore on the moon 46 years ago. Not only was the goal met in just four days, but, with a week left, the campaign has already beaten its target by over $135,000....

"Let’s set aside for now the question of whether preserving a spacesuit constitutes a worthwhile government project and instead focus on the important lesson here: We don’t need to automatically think that only government should fund public projects. Where Neil Armstrong took a giant leap for mankind, the American public has taken a small step towards smaller government.

"Traditional economic literature contends that (1) public goods exist, (2) the market cannot supply them, (3) these goods must be supplied by government, and (4) government must tax citizens in order to pay for providing them. These taxes are, as the old saying goes, 'the price we pay for a civilized society.'

"In successfully funding this campaign, the American people once again demonstrated that chain of reasoning is not as sound as econ textbooks assume. When Congress refused to fund preserving a part of the nation’s history, the American people stepped up and did it themselves....

"While crowd-funding public projects in this fashion is relatively new, it nevertheless has been used in other situations where conventional wisdom suggests a need for government funds....

"This speaks volumes to the American people. Despite the fact that Congress has a budget of many trillions of dollars this year, we’re already hearing that some organizations are going to have to economize and prioritize what projects they undertake, and there’s even a looming threat of sequestration in the fall.

"What this Kickstarter campaign effectively says is that the American people have had enough with a Washington bureaucracy that systematically fails to provide the things we care about. We don’t care about politics, grandstanding, or budget tricks. We care about getting things done. Today, we have yet another shining example of how unnecessary government is for getting what we want.

"Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowd-funding websites provide a way for the American public to fund projects in a way that has previously been prohibitively costly. It allows all of us to contribute what we think is right towards causes that we as individuals care about. Thanks to these websites, there is no mystery as to where your dollars go because you specifically chose which projects to fund.

"The time has come for the American public to wrest control of the public purse from Washington bureaucrats who would rather grandstand and bicker with one another than effect real change. Crowd-sourcing and crowd-funding public projects provides a means of returning this power directly to the people. "

Read more: http://fee.org/anythingpeaceful/kickstarter-saved-neil-armstrongs-spacesuit
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NB retiree sues for right to buy Quebec beer

Retiree at heart of cross-border booze-run case getting funding help - Colin Perkel, Canadian Press:

July 23, 2015 - "A man whose drive from New Brunswick to Quebec to buy cheaper beer ended in arrest said Thursday he's looking forward to airing his constitutional challenge in court next month as a defence crowdfunding campaign gets underway.

"In an interview from Tracadie, N.B., Gerard Comeau said he just wants to know whether he has the right to buy his beer in Quebec....

"As part of a sting operation, RCMP arrested Comeau, now 62, in October 2012 when he returned with 12 cases of beer and three bottles of liquor which he bought legally in Pointe-a-la-Croix, Que., just across the river from Campbellton. Police seized the booze and charged him with illegally importing alcohol into his home province.

"Cross-border alcohol shopping is a regular thing in the area and the retired power lineman had been making the run two or three times a year into Quebec to score beer — which costs about half the New Brunswick price — and lottery tickets.

"However, provincial law in New Brunswick — related to federal anti-smuggling efforts implemented at the height of Prohibition — forbids importing more than one bottle of wine or 12 pints of beer — about 19 regular bottles — from any other province. The restrictions, stiffer than importing alcohol from the U.S., carry a $292.50 fine for violators.

"Comeau's case has drawn support from the Canadian Constitution Foundation, which this week launched a crowdfunding drive in an effort to raise $20,000 for a fight that seems destined to be decided by the Supreme Court of Canada.

"A lot of people don't even know that provision is in the law," Karen Selick, the foundation's litigation director, said from Ottawa.... Section 121 of the Constitution is supposed to allow for the free flow of goods across provincial borders but, Selick said, a Supreme Court decision dating to 1921 that narrowly interpreted the section is at the heart of the dispute.

"'We think that case was wrongly decided and that enough time has gone by that the Supreme Court should look at it again,' Selick said.

"The foundation, a registered charity that bills itself as an independent, non-partisan organization that aims to defend Canadian constitutional freedoms, said the trade barriers benefit government monopoly sales agencies while constraining private business and citizens."

Read more: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5749137-retiree-at-heart-of-cross-border-booze-run-case-getting-funding-help/
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Crowdfunding site: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/free-beer#/story

LSD ban worst censorship in history of science, says former top UK drug advisor

Psychedelic drugs like LSD could be used to treat depression, study suggests | Science | The Guardian - Hannah Devlin:

March 5, 2015 - "Psychedelic drugs could prove to be highly effective treatments for depression and alcoholism, according to scientists who have obtained the first brain scans of people under the influence of LSD.

"Early results from the trial, involving 20 people, are said to be 'very promising' and add to existing evidence that psychoactive drugs could help reverse entrenched patterns of addictive or negative thinking.

"However, Prof David Nutt, who led the study, warned that patients are missing out on the potential benefits of such treatments due to prohibitive regulations on research into recreational drugs.

"Speaking at a briefing in London, the government’s former chief drugs adviser, said the restrictions amounted to 'the worst censorship in the history of science'.

"After failing to secure conventional funding to complete the analysis of the latest study on LSD, Nutt and colleagues at Imperial College London, are now attempting to raise £25,000 through the crowd-funding site Walacea.com....

"There has been a resurgence of medical interest in LSD and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, after several recent trials produced encouraging results for conditions ranging from depression in cancer patients to post-traumatic stress disorder.

"A US study in 2014 showed that LSD helped patients with life-threatening illnesses overcome anxiety about death, in 2012 MDMA (the active ingredient in ecstasy) in combination with psychotherapy was shown to be effective at treating post-traumatic stress disorder and a 2006 study from scientists in Arizona found that psilocybin relieved symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"But government and funders in the UK remain unwilling to engage with the potential clinical benefits of psychoactive drugs, Nutt claimed.

"He equated the barriers to research to the Catholic church’s censorship of Galileo’s work in 1616. 'We’ve banned research on psychedelic drugs and other drugs like cannabis for 50 years,' he said. 'Truly, in terms of the amount of wasted opportunity, it’s way greater than the banning of the telescope. This is a truly appalling level of censorship.'"

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/05/psychedelic-drugs-like-lsd-could-be-used-to-treat-depression-study-suggests
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Silk Road trial sparks jury-rights campaign in NYC

Jury rights activists rally in NYC around Silk Road trial - National Libertarian news | Examiner.com - Garry Read:

January 3, 2015 - "The trial of Ross Ulbricht, accused by the federal government of running the Silk Road 'dark web' site on the Internet, kicks off on Monday, January 5, in New York City. Libertarians see the trial as yet another unjust victimless crime prosecution.

"Jury rights activist James Babb issued a press release Friday announcing a month-long jury nullification campaign in the area around the US courthouse in Manhattan to coincide with the Ulbricht trial. The protest will feature large phone kiosk advertising posters in the area while an army of activists distribute nullification pamphlets in an effort to educate people about their rights and responsibilities as jurors.

"A grassroots Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched in December and scheduled to run through February 5 has already raised more than their target goal. 'Early support has come from libertarians and redditors,' George Donnelly of the Jury Rights Project/NYC explained on the Indiegogo site. Because of that six kiosk jury nullification posters are already prominently posted, ringing the area around the courthouse.

"While the immediate goal is to support Ulbricht the long range objective is to end victimless crimes prosecutions in the city in 2015. Many Libertarian News Examiner readers will remember that former Penn State professor Dr. Julian Heicklen was repeatedly arrested and sent to jail or to psychiatric hospitals for distributing Fully Informed Jury Association outreach pamphlets at this same Manhattan courthouse.

"The 30-year-old Ross Ulbricht faces life in prison as the alleged creator and operator of 'Silk Road,' an 'illicit online marketplace' that was shut down by the feds in 2013. Silk Road, according to the libertarian Reason Magazine, was a secretive 'darknet' site operated as an online commerce website like Amazon or Yelp where people around the world could anonymously buy and sell non-legal drugs and have them delivered to their door by their country's postal service."

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/jury-rights-activists-rally-nyc-around-silk-road-trial
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Reason magazine's Webathon 2014 raises $200K

Reason Webathon 2014: We Reached $200,000 Thanks to You! - Hit & Run : Reason.com:

December 9, 2014 - "With six hours to go, we've already reached our goal of raising $200,000 in tax-deductible donations to support Reason's print, online, and video journalism. Thank you for opening your wallets to further the cause of "Free Minds and Free Markets."

And if you haven't given yet, don't be shy! You've got until midnight tonight (or even the wee small hours of the evening and next morning) to make a donation....

"Make no mistake: The Libertarian Moment is not about politics per se. It's about the radical decentralization of information, power, and autonomy that is leeching authority out of all the old established places (goodbye, New Republic) and into the hands of people who are ready, willing, able to grab it with both hands and innovate and live their lives without asking permission. As Matt Welch and I argued in The Declaration of Independents (2011), politics is a lagging indicator of American society and it's no coincidence that the places where your life is mostly likely to suck — education, health care, and retirement — are mostly or wholly run and regulated by the government....

 "We cannot do what we do without your help and the fact that we have already raised 33 percent more than we did last year is one more sign that our vision of "Free Minds and Free Markets" is becoming more interesting and attractive to more and more people.

"Our numbers are up — Reason.com has more than doubled its audience since 2011 alone and is now pulling over 4 million visits per month — across every possible measure. And so is our energy and drive, thanks to your gracious and generous support."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2014/12/09/reason-webathon-2014-we-reached-200000-t
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The way to help ALS victims: Legalize marijuana

Want to really treat ALS? Legalize pot | TheHill - Andrew Gargano:

August 27, 2014 - "The Ice Bucket Challenge continues to generate viral waves across social media, garnering awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — popularly known as 'Lou Gehrig’s Disease.' Meanwhile, over half of the 30,000 Americans who suffer from the illness continue to be denied a viable medical treatment that has been proven to mitigate their painful symptoms and even to help increase their life expectancy....

"Over the past few weeks, the Ice Bucket Challenge has promoted awareness for ALS and has raised over $15 million in funding for the ALS Association. The challenge has attracted attention from many notable celebrities, public figures, and even a few politicians. However, as awareness burgeons, many remain unmindful of the significant benefits that cannabis has in treating ALS and the continued governmental restrictions that impede research and treatment.

"A number of studies have shown that cannabis functions in many ways that are beneficial to those with ALS, from serving as an analgesic to acting as a soothing muscle relaxant. Cannabis also functions as a saliva reducer, and so it has the ability to reduce symptoms of uncontrollable drooling that is common among those with ALS. Additionally, cannabis has been found successful in use as an antidepressant, results which have also been confirmed by an anonymous, self-reported survey of ALS patients conducted by the the MDA/ALS Center at the University of Washington.

"Most importantly, however, is that a 2010 study found that cannabis offered anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects when tested on laboratory mice. The researchers found that cannabis slowed the progression of the disease and prolonged cell survival, ultimately concluding that 'it is reasonable to think that cannabis might significantly slow the progression of ALS, potentially extending life expectancy and substantially reducing the overall burden of the disease'."

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/215689-want-to-really-treat-als-legalize-pot
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