John Irish, a New Hampshire man who is affiliated with the "patriot" group the Oath Keepers, claimed last week that his newborn baby was taken away from him and his fiance because of his association with the organization, and quickly rallied like-minded libertarians to his cause.
The founder of Oath Keepers sent out an alert, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones interviewed the couple, and soon enough there was a Facebook page to support the parents -- based, in no small part on a heavily redacted affidavit posted by supporters that the Concord Monitor later reported eliminated all reference to Irish's alleged history of domestic violence against his fiancée and her other children.
Before long, the hospital began receiving threats, and an FBI agent and state bomb-sniffing dog team swept hospital property, Kieran Ramsey, supervisory special agent to FBI officers in New Hampshire, told the Monitor.
Although Concord Monitor reporter Daniel Barrick read the unredacted affidavit on Friday and reported that the baby was seized by police officers and state social workers because Irish had a history of allegedly beating his fiancée and her two other children, Irish's supporters nonetheless continue to focus on the references to his ownership of weapons and affiliation with the Oath Keepers.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/oath_keepers.php?ref=fpbThe director of a self-described anti-totalitarian group is urging supporters to rally outside a New Hampshire courthouse this week in support of an Epsom couple whose newborn was taken last week by state social workers.
Johnathon Irish and Stephanie Taylor say their baby was seized because of Irish's association with the Oath Keepers. Court documents, however, charge Irish with a history of violence toward Taylor and her children.
Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, told his group's members yesterday that the rally, scheduled for Thursday outside the Rochester Family Division Court, would be "in support of the First Amendment-protected right of freedom of association."
The case has shined attention on the Oath Keepers, a Las Vegas-based group that describes itself as an affiliation of current and retired military and law enforcement officials who promise to fight government tyranny. Members of the Oath Keepers swear to uphold their oaths to protect the Constitution. Members also pledge 10 specific vows, including, "We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps."
http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/219975/oath-keepers-plans-rallyThe issue turned the parents, Johnathan Irish and Stephanie Taylor, into instant celebrities in the online libertarian community. By mid afternoon, about 20 people who had never met the couple gathered at Concord Hospital to protest what they termed the state's unconstitutional interference in a family matter. None claimed to know anything about government's allegations that Irish had beaten his fiancee or her young children, but they said they were outraged that the affidavit supporting the taking of his newborn mentioned Irish's association with a group called the Oath Keepers. The group's website describes it as an affiliation of current and former military and law enforcement members who promise to resist totalitarian actions by the government.
"All I heard was that a baby was kidnapped, literally kidnapped, because the father posted on an online forum," said Ofer Nave, a Manchester man who did not know Irish or Taylor but described himself as active in "pro-liberty" causes. He said he heard about the protest from a friend, who likely heard about it through Facebook.
The internet played a big role in rallying support for the couple. A Facebook page dedicated to the couple spurred the 20 or so protesters at the hospital yesterday. Many held signs, and conversational references to the Nazis and Stalin-era Russia were common. Someone brought poster board and markers for sign-making; one man held a sign that read "Infant Political Prisoner."
A woman who only identified herself as Tiffany held a sign that read "I am an Oathkeeper. Are you gonna take my kids too?"
http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/219670/couple-state-took-our-baby
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