Land Rights Network

American Land Rights Association

PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604

Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973

E-mail: [email protected]

Web Address: http://www.landrights.org

Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003

 

Corrected—Boise Boycott Begins Now, Todd Golden Trial May 1st

 

Wounded Warrior Todd Golden Persecuted By Boise Airport Police and the TSA (airport Transportation Security Administration). 

 

Please plan to boycott the Boise Airport, Boise Hotels and avoid Boise in any way you can.  The boycott begins now.  It will last at least one year.  

 

Trial date is currently set for May 1st although the Airport and Boise police and TSA have set numerous court appearances before only to have Todd and his mother drive 500 miles to have the court date postponed again and again because the prosecution wasn’t ready or some other procedural matter got in the way.  It appears like a deliberate effort to harass Todd Golden using the Courts as the tool.

 

This Boise Airport Boycott is scheduled to go on for at least one year.

 

This kind of attack on Wounded Warriors like that described below must not be allowed to go unchallenged.

 

American Land Rights is a grassroots association with thousands of members and allies throughout the country.  Occasionally ALRA takes on special cases simply to right a wrong where the Federal, state or local government his thrown their collective weight around and damaged landowners and others by their heavy-handed top down command and control behavior.  American Land Rights tries to protect private citizens from overreach by the government. 

 

This Todd Golden Wound Warrior Boycott case is an extreme example of excessive force, vindictiveness and improper behavior by the TSA, City of Boise, Boise Airport and Local officials.  The only way to get them to treat people with respect is to hit them where it hurts.  In their collective wallets.

 

What is especially damming is the influence exerted by the TSA (the national airport screeners).  Their Seattle office is insisting that this case go to court and they are trying to inflict as much pain on Todd Golden and his family as they can.  Federal agencies cannot be allowed to carry out personal vindictiveness through the courts. 

 

American Land Rights has many members and allies in Boise and the surrounding area.  ALRA does not wish to hurt them economically but this boycott is the only way to get the Boise Airport, Boise Police and the TSA to change their behavior. 

 

You can help do that by trying the best you can to boycott the Boise Airport, Boise hotels and buy your services outside the city.

 

You must call, call, and call again the airport, City of Boise and the TSA to express your feelings.  There is an action item list below.  Please follow up and help a Wounded Warrior. 

 

Somehow we need get these government agencies attention that they cannot continue to bully Wound Warriors and private citizens without consequences.

 

 

PERSECUTION OF A WOUNDED WARRIOR IN BOISE, IDAHO

 

A number of lawyers in Boise, Idaho, have taken on the pro-bono representation of a wounded soldier, Todd Golden, (PTSD  - two Iraq tours and one Afghanistan tour) who is a member of the “Wounded Warrior Battalion” at Ft. Lewis, Washington (officially, the Warrior Transition Battalion.”).  Here is undergoing care there for his PTSD.

 

His Army Capt. Capt. David Raines writes more below.

 

After Todd had taken his shoes off at the airport screening and he held up his feet to show lady TSA officer that his shoes were off, she continued to ask him three more times to take his shoes off, Todd was physically slammed down (with further injury to an injury suffered in IRAQ) and arrested by the police at the Boise airport when he finally erupted out of frustration and told the lady TSA officer that maybe he should take his f…… pants off so she could see everything.  There is a video of this whole event. 

 

The woman TSA officer didn’t like his language and (confrontationally with hands on hips) told him “You’re going by Grayhound!”  He made his military status known, dog tags showing.  

 

He was shunted to the side, the Boise police came over, a discussion ensued (audios: he referred to them as “Sir”), but the TSA lady was adamant that he was not going to fly and when he protested that he did not get up that morning with the intent to have a bad day, one of the police instantly contradicted him.

 

The police stopped his effort to explain and very physically escorted him to a chair and told to sit down, which he did. Then they told him was under arrest for “interfering with airport screening” (a city misdemeanor), whereupon he stood up with his hands down and open in a gesture of pleading (see video). 

 

Todd was immediately jumped on by the police, slammed to the floor, and further charged with Resisting and obstructing a public officer.  (Ref: complaint in State of Idaho v. Todd David Golden, Case No. CR-MD-2012-0008208).

 

Todd was taken to the hospital by paramedics to deal with his injury.

 

Others have come forward with pro bono help: Dr. Rick Sonnenberg, Psychologist, has offered his services to review his medical records from Ft. Lewis and testify as a forensic witness.  John Glenn Hall has kindly offered his help pro bono to provide the technical help to prepare the airport video for presentation at trial on May 1, 2013 in Boise.  Ft. Lewis has provided witnesses and support to the extent it can.  The lawyers:  Jon Steele, Karl Shurtliff, Mike Southcombe, and John Runft.

 

Background: Todd came down to Boise from Ft. Lewis on special leave to help his widowed mother move out of her house that was being foreclosed on. (She and her husband, Keith, owned the former business, Ralph’s Toys and Hobbies that went Bankrupt when Walmart moved in down the street.) 

 

Todd's medical team at Ft. Lewis felt it was best to let him make this trip because he was getting stressed out worrying about this mother. So the orders were cut.  He helped his mother pack and move and actually slept on the floor that night, so he was tired and stressed when he arrived at the Boise airport with his mother and grandmother to return to Ft. Lewis.

 

The City of Boise has refused to dismiss or even to lower the charge to disturbing the peace.  It turns out that the pressure is coming from the TSA in Seattle which insists on compliance to its version of order at the airport.  Apparently, a TSA lawyer will be coming down from Seattle May 1st to “observe.” 

 

Action Items:  (Trial date is Wednesday, May 1st, 2013.)

 

-----1.  Please forward this e-mail to at least 10 people.  Your whole list would be best. 

 

-----2.  Call the Idaho Statesman to express your concern about this matter.  Try to talk to a reporter.  Call the Statesman newsroom at (208) 377-6400.  E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

 

-----3.  Send a letter to the editor of the Idaho Statesman.  Keep it short.  Just support Todd Golden and Wounded Warriors.  Ask why Boise is getting a bad reputation for their treatment of Wounded Warriors. Call the Statesman at (208) 377-6400.  To send a letter to the editor, go to www.idahostatesman.com/letters     You can cut and paste a short letter to the editor there. 

 

-----4.  Call, fax and e-mail the Boise Airport at:

 

Phone: 208-383-3110 M-F, 8a-5p

Fax: 208-343-9667

Email: [email protected]

 

Airport Marketing/Media

Patti Miller, Airport Marketing/Media

Phone: 208-383-3110 M-F, 8a-5p

Fax: 208-343-9667

Email: [email protected]

 

-----5.  Call and e-mail the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at:

 

Tricia Bierle, Contact for TSA specific questions or comments

Phone: 208-338-8210 M-F 8a-5p

Email: [email protected]

 

-----6.  Call and e-mail the TSA in Seattle at:

571-227-2829         [email protected]

571-227-2830          

 

Additional Background and contacts:

 

Boise Airport Administration

3201 Airport Way, Suite 1000

Boise, Idaho 83705

Phone: 208-383-3110 M-F, 8a-5p

Fax: 208-343-9667

Email: [email protected]

TTY: 208-424-5609



Airport Marketing/Media

Patti Miller, Airport Marketing/Media

Phone: 208-383-3110 M-F, 8a-5p

Fax: 208-343-9667

Email: [email protected]

TTY: 800-377-3529

 

Transportation Security Adminstration (TSA)

Tricia Bierle, Contact for TSA specific questions or comments

Phone: 208-338-8210 M-F 8a-5p

Email: [email protected]

TTY: 800-325-0778

 

TSA - Boise Coordination Center

Transportation Security Administration, Screening Lost & Found Only, Specific Security Screening Questions

Phone: 208-338-8250

Email: [email protected]

TTY: 800-325-0778

 

Please make sure you send copies of this message to at least 10 other people. 

 

This is an important opportunity to remind the Federal and state governments that they work for you.  We cannot allow the use of the courts to harass and intimidate private citizens.  Please call, call and call again.  Keep sending faxes and e-mails.  Your help is much appreciated.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

 

Sincerely,     

                                                                                                             

Chuck Cushman

American Land Rights

(360) 687-3087 – [email protected]

 

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