Brown supporters lose appeal

[notorial dissent]

I just think this result was never contemplated by Jason. ....

I quite agree, of the whole bunch, Jason is the one who has always puzzled me. I still have not figured out what moment of sheer stupidity and monumental dumbassedness ever led him to get involved with this pack of losers. I'd be hard pressed to even willingly sit next to any of this crowd on a bus, let alone take up residence with them or contemplate dieing for them. There doesn't seem to be a vein of ongoing and deeply running stupidity through his family like there is in the rest of this group of wanna be revolutionaries, which is what they are, well the head revo was in it for himself, but that's a whole 'nother story as they say. The only other thing that comes to mind is what a friend of mine used to call "the GI Joe" syndrome that always seemed to infect some of the recruits coming in to the military thinking that the Army was like what they were seeing on GI Joe on the TV, and Jason strikes me as the type who who get so far in to that fantasy that when the real Army didn't live up to his dreams, he'd go off in the weeds for something that would, and this would seem to have have filled the bill nicely. And back to where we started, No... I don't think he ever contemplated, or was ever able to contemplate just where this particular fantasy was going to land him. Of all of them, I almost, I said almost, feel sorry for him, but that is as far as it goes. On the bright side, he and the rest of the wannabe's are now safely locked up and will remain so until they are too old or dead to cause any more problems.

[mr2008]

I have known Jason personally when he was in highschool and a few years after that and although his view on governent has always been a little crazy and extreme. I never in my wildest dreams thought that he would take it this far. Never. He was always a very sweet and thoughtful boy and was very caring towards me but i do have to admit he was kind of a jerk to other people. He grew up with a verfy overprotective life and had a rough childhood. I know that it shouldnt be an excuse to do what he did but seriously saying that u are going to hurt people an actually doing it are two very different things and i believe that if he could go back in time he would have never done what he did again. I really think he just trusted these people and wanted to help and jsut got pulled into this extreme behavior. I dont know why or how he thought he could really get away with what he was doing and that there would be no consecuences for his actions and whats worse is that he pushed himslef into an even deeper whole by the statement he maid to the judge the day of his sentencing. He was always such a big mouth UGH!! so stupid but yet soooo damn smart. He writes so well and he was going to be a journalist. I was soo proud of him because he accomplished sooo much after we stopped speaking. I hope he gets another chance to appeal and they lower his sentence. He trully does not deserve this punishement. He is a good kid with an impresionable mind. I wish him the best. - M

[wserra]

I hope he gets another chance to appeal and they lower his sentence.

Unless he provides substantial assistance in investigating or prosecuting another person - and the government requests the sentence reduction - the law doesn't even permit it. And, in all likelihood, that particular ship sailed a long time ago.

He trully does not deserve this punishement. He is a good kid with an impresionable mind. I wish him the best.

Spoken as a loyal friend, which is fine. But Gerhard and the rest of these mopes needed friends the most when they were throwing their lives away on someone who didn't give a damn about them. At least from what we read, the only "advice" they received then was to damn the torpedoes.

But welcome to Quatloos.

[mr2008]

Well trust me if he had kept me in his life and we had remained friends. I would have for sure told him he was an idiot for throwing his life away like that for a couple of people he didnt even fucking know but then again im pretty sure he knew that he was doing something stupid and he prob. wouldnt have told me anyway bvecause out of all of the boso freinds he had i was th eonly one that always tried to tell him exactly what i thought about his stupid ideas. He Imed me once to ask me for advice on wether or not he should go to college and i tol dhim he should. Which he did and i was so proud of him but after that he never Imed me again to talk just a a "MERRY CHRISTMAS" or "HAPPY BIRTHDAY". Its hard stay friens with someone that is doing stupid shit with their lives and just sit back and watch them ruin their lives. After high school he had a really great job but he was always the rebellious type, didnt like to follow rules and so he fucked that up and got fired. That is when he messaged me and asked if i thought it was a good idea for him to go school. I never thought that he was going ot tkae this anti governent thing thata far and if he wouldn have kept me in his life. I would have told him how retarted it was. Believe it or not i sometimes feel responsible for not being there but he didnt want me to be there for him. So what was i suppose to do....

[Lambkin]

Despite being in prison, he still has some choices to make and might benefit from the support of old friends. (ie, real friends, not enablers.) Assuming he is currently able to receive mail, you could try sending him a letter. His address should be findable on the BOP web site.

[VanMeters Revenge]

Jason Gerhard
20229-045
FCI FAIRTON
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
P.O. BOX 420
FAIRTON, NJ 08320

[mr2008]

i dont know i tried to get his address from one of his old friends who contacted his twin brother to get it for me but, his twin brother told him he wouldnt want to hear from me. So i dont want to push it.

[wserra]

So what was i suppose to do....

I didn't mean to imply that you personally should have done anything. I have no way of knowing if you were in a position to do anything, and have no problem accepting your word that you weren't. But it seemed as though, with only a couple of exceptions (how ya doin', SheWolffe?), the people closest to these idiots were telling them that they were freedom fighters. That's the opposite of what they needed to hear: that they were throwing their lives away.

[Demosthenes]

Prisoners are really lonely, bored, and isolated from the real world. Drop him a line, and hope that he appreciates it. Best case scenario, you'll brighten his day. If he responds negatively, at least you tried.

Otherwise, you've done all you can do. The idiot made his own bed.

[friend of jasons]

this is jasons response to this thread


After reading some of the posts concerning me it's evident there's a lot of confusion as to my motives. As the previous gentleman correctly stated the taxpayer is paying for me daily 'three squares and a cot' for many years to come so it seems only right to share a little about myself.

Concerning what led to my involvement in the standoff in the first place we need to travel back to the summer of 2006. Since graduating from High School I worked throughout NYC and the surrounding area supervising industrial steel painting contractors. After two years though I decided to enroll in college online in order to continue working full-time. By August it became obvious a choice had to be made between work or school so I enrolled in a local community college and quit my job.

Initially engineering seemed like a logical choice to study due to my previous work experience. As an English elective I took journalism. This college course was to change my life. Due to an impassioned teacher a whole world opened up to me. One especially important day was when we were shown Noam Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent." Government corruption wasn't new to me (afterall I had been working in NYC) but the idea of exposing it was.

If you remember back in mid-2006 National Guard troops were having their tours extended due to troop shortages. Since my twin brother had served a tour in Iraq the war effort hit close to home. Though it does sound cliche I felt the need to do something for my country instead of just mooch off of it. Believe it was late September when the Army put me in for the ASVAB test.

Even though the score was sufficient for enrollment into any MOS (job) a previous possession of pot charge meant that a security clearance wouldn't be obtainable. When asked by the recruiter what I wanted to do, without thinking, I blurted out "write." As you would imagine this left a puzzled look upon his face. To this day writing is still my passion, but as we all know writing is not exactly a viable, or desirable, Army job. Previous research online steered me towards Combat Engineer cause it sounded exciting, plus who doesn't like to build things? Only problem was the earliest ship date wasn't until June. Despite the recruiter's sales pitch that shipping out in December to be a cook or truck driver would yield significant bonuses my mind was made up.

Back at school the journalism professor required everyone to write an article for the school paper, The Compass. The first meeting of the paper I attended was initially nerve wracking because I expected to be a novice among professionals. In reality it was an organizational mess.

During this period significant time was spent researching. Never one to take on a new endeavor with out at least a little background info it was straight to the library to discover what to expect in Iraq and Afghanistan. First a book by a Washington Post correspondent who was stationed in Iraq, "Tell Them I Didn't Cry." Next a very good documentary, "Why We Fight," based on Pres. Eisenhower's farewell address warning us of the Military-Industrial Complex.

Then one night luck would have it that an 1/8 of magic mushrooms made it into my hands. This was my first and (unfortunately) last experience with this odd drug. Describing it is difficult though imagine leaving your body and looking down upon yourself from about 10 feet up. With complete objectivity I surveyed my life, something that at least for myself is challenging. Why did I say this? Why did I do that? What am I doing?

Of course we all do this daily, but those instances are quite superficial in comparison. At a certain depth we stop, not with shrooms though. While pondering my course in life I picked up my laptop and perused the favorites list.

[friend of jasons]

...perused my favorites list. An entry was there that that to this day I don't remember adding, it was a documentary by Aaron Russo, "Freedom to Fascism." For those who are unaware that movie deals with the creation of the Federal Reserve and the legality of the Federal Income Tax.

That whole night was spent researching Russo's claims. Come morning I stumbled upon a site advertising a protest that coincidentally was later the same day. Apparently NYC police wanted to limit the number of pedestrians and bicyclists that could be in a group absent a protest permit. There was a public comment session about the proposed law which on the spur of the moment I decided to deliver an impromptu speech. Stepping down from the podium a man stopped me and invited me to a meeting of his group, We Are Change, a 9-11 Truth group. These meetings were essential to opening my eyes to that whole issue.

Although by now I had fallen quite far down the rabbit hole there was still more to go. In late December two important things happened. First, the head of the school paper offered me the position of News Editor. At a libertarian meeting on Long Island an NRA representative who was addressing the group had discussed how working through an already established organization is much easier than starting from scratch. His personal example was offering shooting classes within the AARP. Putting that advice to work I decided to radically alter the viewpoint of the Compass. Secondly, for the first time, via MySpace, I learned of Ed and Elaine Brown.

Switching to journalism for the spring semester more and more free time was spent researching just about everything. Long held beliefs were challenged. From 9-11 to Oklahoma City a real education began. Putting the skills obtained in my various journalism classes to work an awful truth was coming to light--government, including our own, was capable of horrendous acts.

In January (2007) I attended my first major anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. That was quite an experience, especially after stumbling upon Students for A Democratic Society (SDS) (a left-wing group from the 60's that was reformed in the mid-2000's) as they out-flanked the capitol police several times, making it all the way to the steps of the Capitol Building where they attempted to break through the final line of police (and almost succeeded).

The Compass had been awarded some prize or another by the New York Press Assoc. and was subsequently invited to an award presentation in beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY in February. After attending two days of workshops I headed due east to interview Mr. Brown for the school paper. This was on Feb. 18 and 19 which was documented in detail within the March 7th Compass.

[friend of jasons]

Fast forward to August 27th (the new ship date after the previous one had been delayed), honoring my commitment to join the US Army from back in September, I took the oath to defend the Constitution and soon was halfway across the country in Missouri at Fort Leonard Wood attending boot camp. And as they say the rest is history.

Now this is probably not the most exciting story but it is the truth. Initially I wasn't going to respond but decided that it is was important to state the facts and let people make up their own mind. Tear this apart if you want, it isn't hard to find fault with me, after all I have more flaws than a Soviet-era car. However, at the end of the day the only conscience that I must answer to is my own. And in my mind I did the right thing based not only on emotion (though I am passionate about my beliefs) but also on logic. Once you know something is wrong there are only two choices, either you do something or you don't. Perhaps my solution wasn't politically correct, though going against the status quo is never considered so.

P.S. MR2008 if you wish to talk I would appreciate hearing from you. My brother is not my keeper and we tend to disagree quite often (surprise, surprise). This forum just doesn't seem the appropriate location to go much further than that though. Take care.

[Demosthenes]

So, it was a magic mushroom that sent him down the rabbit hole?

Moron.

[wserra]

So, it was a magic mushroom that sent him down the rabbit hole?

Mushrooms, Aaron Russo, the SDS and troof.

Lots of crazy there.

[LPC]

Now this is probably not the most exciting story but it is the truth.

Not only is it not exciting, it's not even relevant. Nothing you've written explains your decision to aid a convicted felon and fugitive who was both potentially violent and self-destructive, and whose crimes were entirely self-serving.

Except maybe the "magic mushrooms."

Once you know something is wrong there are only two choices, either you do something or you don't. Perhaps my solution wasn't politically correct, though going against the status quo is never considered so.

The problem is not that your "solution" wasn't "politically correct," but that it wasn't a solution.

[Thule]

Once you know something is wrong there are only two choices, either you do something or you don't. Perhaps my solution wasn't politically correct, though going against the status quo is never considered so.

Stockpiling guns, initiating an armed standoff, and building bombs and booby traps. And the best way you can describe this is "not politically correct"? You just don't get it, do you?

[Burnaby49]

His justification for his actions sound a lot like this guy;

Los Angeles Times/February 9, 2012
By Kim Murphy
Reporting from Spokane, Washington -- Three sanitation workers found it along the route of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march: a nest of wires in a backpack.

The homemade bomb was equipped with an unusual remote-controlled trigger and stuffed with more than 100 heavy fishing weights coated in rat poison. The Spokane County bomb squad disarmed it hours before the route would have been flooded with marchers last year.

If the device had detonated and the weights had torn into the intended victims, the poison would have prevented their blood from coagulating, all but ensuring their deaths, lab analysts concluded.

The intense manhunt that ensued led authorities to a remote cabin in the pine-shrouded hills north of Spokane. In it lived Kevin W. Harpham, an Army veteran who had posted venomously for years on a white supremacist website, the Vanguard News Network.


When Harpham spoke at his sentencing hearing his position was that he was just involved in a normal bread and butter first amendment right to protest;

During his sentencing in December, Harpham argued that his intention had been merely to shatter the glass of a nearby medical building and cause general alarm as a form of protest.

"Just these kinds of social concepts — unity, multiculturalism. It was no different than a Christian person out there protesting gay marriage," Harpham said. "Just making a statement that people are out there who do not agree with these ideas."

Apparently he didn't bother to explain how the rat poison was supposed to help break windows.

[.]

His first brush with conspiracy theory was to be impressed by Chomsky. He was too ignorant to understand that Chomsky is a far-left-wing peddler of his own pet conspiracy theories and has been for many decades.

It was all downhill from there. One ignorance piled on top of another, from Noam to Eisenhower's silly "Military-Industrial Complex," throw in a few mushrooms for good measure, then on to Russo's idiocy, internet "research," 9/11 troofers, SDS, Ed Brown, all snow-balling into entirely predictable and very bad results.

Some people are stupid. Some people are ignorant. This guy is both, and has been for a long time. The irony is that a right-winger started down his path to destruction based on the goofy burblings of a tenured, ivory-tower, left-wing radical.

[Pottapaug1938]

His first brush with conspiracy theory was to be impressed by Chomsky. He was too ignorant to understand that Chomsky is a far-left-wing peddler of his own pet conspiracy theories and has been for many decades.

It was all downhill from there. One ignorance piled on top of another, from Noam to Eisenhower's silly "Military-Industrial Complex," throw in a few mushrooms for good measure, then on to Russo's idiocy, internet "research," 9/11 troofers, SDS, Ed Brown, all snow-balling into entirely predictable and very bad results.

Some people are stupid. Some people are ignorant. This guy is both, and has been for a long time. The irony is that a right-winger started down his path to destruction based on the goofy burblings of a tenured, ivory-tower, left-wing radical.

Chomsky is the perfect example of the "mentally musclebound" individual, of which there are examples on both left and right. The man is fantastically brilliant and extremely articulate; but when you listen to him or read his writings you get the impression that his Great Thoughts can't get out of the way of each other. When he sticks to his primary field, lingustics, the man is invaluable; but when he moves into the realm of politics. he is insufferable.

[Cathulhu]

I find myself wanting to know if Jason ever had a "WTF am I doing?" moment--but if he did, he drank more of the kool-aid and went right along. I don't think he ever imagined he'd get 20 years. It's a lot more flattering to think of yourself as a political prisoner rather than as someone who did something incredibly stupid, so pass the kool-aid.