Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner, age 50 (as of 2006), is a former attorney
and current CEO of Cleveland Genomics, Inc., which provides DNA
sequencing services, and has doctorate degrees both in law and in
pharmacy. Dr. Baumgartner graduated first in her class from the
University of Toledo College of Law. She is a Christian and the mother
of two adult daughters by her husband, pharmacist Joseph Baumgartner.
She is currently facing criminal charges in the U.S. state of Ohio
carrying prison sentences of 66 years and 6 months in one case, and 42
years and 6 months in another case, for peaceful political speech.
Currently she is free on bail.
The specific criminal charges against Dr. Baumgartner are
intimidation, retaliation, falsification and possession of a criminal
tool (the criminal tool being a laptop computer) for her criticizing
Ohio government officials and accusing them of corruption, such as
against retired Judge Richard Markus. Note that Dr. Baumgartner isn't
being accused of making threats to aggress against anyone, but that
the intimidation and retaliation charges directly refer to her
accusations of corruption on the part of Ohio government officials.
Dr. Baumgartner previously had served 231 days in jail on the charge
of falsification for accusing Ohio government officials of corruption
at a ****t Clinton City Commissioner's meeting (i.e., a city council
meeting). Ten of those days were spent being held incommunicado,
having been denied access to legal counsel, visitors, clergy, the
op****tunity to make a phone call, and not allowed to send mail out or
receive mail.
In 2003, Dr. Baumgartner was permanently disbarred as an attorney for
accusing Ohio government officials of corruption in a hearing where
she was not allowed to be present and where the sole evidence against
her was those who had been accused of corruption denying the charges.
In December 2005, Dr. Baumgartner was committed against her will for
39 days to the North Coast Hospital under court order for a mental
evaluation, even though Ohio state law requires that a person released
on bond, as Dr. Baumgartner is, be evaluated on an out-patient basis.
She was found competent. Two times previously she had been
psychologically evaluated, and each time found competent.
A number of critics of the actions taken against Dr. Baumgartner by
the Ohio judiciary contend that she is being made a political prisoner
in order to silence her and punish her for speaking out on government
corruption by the very parties accused of corruption as a means to
protect themselves from the legitimate consequences of their crimes
and to make an example out of her by creating a chilling effect to
intimidate others from speaking out against their corruption. These
critics note that she has already been jailed for peaceful political
speech and that the Ohio government is currently attempting to
imprison her for a total of 109 years for peaceful political speech.
Such critics further contend that even if all of her accusations were
false that a person ought not be made a criminal or suffer
imprisonment for mere peaceful speech (i.e., not threatening to
aggress against another), even if said speech is false, and that the
ultimate reason for the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is
precisely so that people can be free to criticize the government and
officials in government, and say things which said officals greately
dislike, without fear of retaliation by the government.
References:
1. Interview of Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner by Greg Szymanski, on the
radio program Investigative Journal, March 24, 2006, MP3, first part:
http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Greg/0603/20060324_Fri_Greg1.mp3
, second part:
http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Greg/0603/20060324_Fri_Greg2.mp3
2. Interview of Dr. Elsebeth Baumgartner by Greg Szymanski, on the
radio program Investigative Journal, March 29, 2006, MP3
http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Greg/0603/20060329_Wed_Greg1.mp3
3. "Ohio Case Showcases Judicial Tyranny At Its Worst," June Maxam,
Empire Journal, July 24, 2005
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:88k-XRx7EAcJ:www.libertyforum.org/showthreaded.php%3FCat%3D%26Board%3Dnews_constitution%26Number%3D293816553%26page%3D%26view%3D%26sb%3D%26o%3D%26t%3D0
4. "Ohio Attorney Persecuted And Jailed For 232 Days Under Nazi-Like
Treatment Right Here In America," Greg Szymanski, Arctic Beacon, March
27, 2006 http://www.arcticbeacon.com/27-Mar-2006.html
5. "EV Investigation: The Baumgartner Chronology," Bryan DuBois, Erie
Voices, March 16, 2005
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Vd7Ew74yJCIJ:erievoices.com/blog/static.php%3Fpage%3Dstatic050316-191152%26PHPSESSID%3D023a1733be93fec44a880f655ba1a893%26PHPSESSID%3D77bf28310fc1d35bdf6787f0a1ca853d
6. "Island Express Chronology," Bryan DuBois, Erie Voices, December 8,
2004
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:II8b-7x1n9IJ:erievoices.blogspot.com/2004/12/island-express-chronology.html
7. "231 Days of Maximum Felony Confinement!," Bryan DuBois, Erie
Voices, September 9, 2004
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:hxvI_F9UomgJ:erievoices.blogspot.com/2004/09/231-days-of-maximum-felony-confinement.html
8. "Trial Monday In Ohio Free Speech Case, More Charges Lodged," North
Country Gazette, March 25, 2006
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/032506Baumgartner.html
9. "Ohio Free Speech Trial Gets a Continuance," North Country Gazette,
March 27, 2006
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/032706TrialContinuance.html
10. "Three Dirty Words--First Amendment Rights," North Country
Gazette, March 21, 2006
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/032106ThreeDirtyWords.html
11. "Judicial Tyranny Continues In Ohio Free Speech Case," North
Country Gazette, October 1, 2005
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/100105JudicialTyranny.html
12. "Judicial Tyranny, Misconduct Continue In Ohio Courts," North
Country Gazette, October 14, 2005
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/101405OhioTyranny.html
13. "Ohio Bloggers Charge Prosecutorial Misconduct, Seek Dismissal,"
North Country Gazette, October 16, 2005
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/101605OhioBloggers.html
14. "'Blogger Favors Freedom First," an interview of Bryan DuBois by
Lady Liberty, The Price of Liberty, September 7, 2005
http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/05/09/07/ladylib.htm
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