Letters (Nov 26, 2014)

• Three To Go Free?
• One Of The Top Ten
• Disconnected
• Fleece The Defendant
• Vote For Immigration
• Surprise!

THREE TO GO FREE?

Editor:

"We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure Domestic Tranquility, provide for the Common Defense, promote the General Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

On November 13, 2014, at approximately 9:30 AM the Lake County Sheriff's Department task force took it upon themselves to stomp on another citizen's constitutional rights.

It seems more and more as of late the doors of law-abiding citizens are being kicked in by an overzealous police force. Recently there have been a number of warrantless raids on people for marijuana well within the legal limits.

On the morning of November 13 Peter Hart and his wife were enjoying a morning at home when their "domestic tranquility" was rudely and frightfully interrupted by their door being kicked in. Now Mr. Hart and his wife are sitting in jail on trumped up charges. You see, Mr. Hart has a 215 card and the two pounds of processed marijuana and a couple of tubs of untrimmed marijuana still on branches are well within the legal limit. But because baggies were found (normal, everyday Ziploc bags used to store meat, vegetables etc.) this constitutes sales?

Mr. Hart is a homeowner, a taxpayer, a hard-working citizen of Clearlake, who is a victim of the good old Lake County motto, "Tell on three and go free!" Or the age-old, "Why go to the pen when you can send a friend?!"

Someone, likely someone who had gotten in trouble themselves and was not a man or woman enough to face the consequences, gave bogus information to the Lake County Sheriff's Department so they could fabricate a warrant for "suspicion of felony activity."

What the people would like to know is, when did the Lake County Sheriff's Department or any sheriff's department for that matter become independent of these United States of America? Are they not governed by the laws they want to uphold? Is the Sheriff's department a sovereign nation?

The search of Mr. Hart's home and subsequent seizure of property is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

This and many other cases have made it clear that law enforcement when given unrestrained discretion will use it to deprive citizens of their constitutional rights! If a citizen violates the law they are held to answer on charges. What happens to officers of the law? To say they are out of control would be a gross understatement.

Billy Bond

Lakeport

ONE OF THE TOP TEN

Dear AVA,

Looks like that classified ad offering my Minolta camera for sale may have worked.

I learned about the Western Lands Project (see enclosed brochure) from Alex Cockburn years ago. He listed them as one of his top 10 charities to donate to. And I have been, ever since.

I'm enclosing their latest fund-raising letter just for your information. They can be reached at westernlands.org. PO Box 95545, Seattle, WA 98145. 206-325-3503.

With the Republicans gaining hold of our political system more so than they already had, we are ever more vulnerable to destruction and devastation in the name of corporate greed.

Coast Hospital? I will keep a sharp eye on the new board and let you know.

Louise Mariana

Mendocino

DISCONNECTED

Dear Editor,

Last month in Off the Record you mentioned that official inflation has not risen, but that anyone buying groceries can see the prices going up, and up, and up. This reminded me of a comment a year or more ago that the government office tracking inflation had simply disconnected food and energy from the equation for setting the rate of inflation, thus eliminating the need to report rising inflation. I don’t know how to research this, but perhaps some of your audience does. Is this true?

Thanks,

Rixanne Wehren,

Albion

FLEECE THE DEFENDANT

Editor,

I want to first thank you for your dedication to your paper. In this age honesty is rare, especially in the news arena. Receiving your paper week to week gives me confidence that somehow the world can make it!

My saga continues here in prison. I have been assured by every attorney I have "paid" that my conviction will be overturned. However, five years has now passed and I'm still confined to this concrete bathroom! I can say I am somewhat fortunate in that I am solo (without a cellmate) for the past year or so. Prison is a very negative place, mainly because the cops who work here do everything they can to make life difficult, miserable if they can. My Savior has been my trust in God controlling everything. That being said I am a saved proud Christian. I sleep very well at night.

There is a lot brewing of late with the courts, hopefully my freedom is looming close! I believe you're in touch with a friend who has been helping me with my legal advice. Howard wrote to me after working for my appeals attorney in San Francisco. He said he had read most of my transcripts and advised my attorney on gross violations of law that were allowed in my persecution in Mendo courts. The problem was he didn't listen, and most everything was left out. What I have since discovered is that the state courts never overturn anything! (Almost never — 2% maybe.) The feds are different; they aren't in bed with all their buddies sitting on benches all around the state. As you know my folks paid Attila Panzcel to bring an appeal to the Mendo Courts in hope that they would see all that was done and fix it. As you wrote me, they are all in on things (all the judges and attorneys). Panzcel just took our money ($10,000) and filed two motions (both written 100% by Howard), never spoke to the judges nor the district attorney. He put things off for so long I may now be barred from even bringing a federal Habeas. Nice! Hopefully, I will get past that. Anyway, I see you have some documents regarding what prosecutor Tim Stoen really did to me. As you know, he is as dirty as his former lover Jim Jones!

Question, in the letter to District Attorney Eyster, Howard pointed out something I feel is big: the fact that Mr. Stoen forced my paid attorney out, after doing so the County had to appoint several replacements and pay them: 1. Tim Laughlin (paid I think $50,000 or so?) who prepared the case then got ill, 2. Petersons were appointed, after several months they decided they had a conflict. (Who knows why, they aren't free either!) 3. Idiot Markham who milked the county for $80,000 and did nothing for it but suck up to Stoen and Judge Brown. What do you think about the taxpayers in Mendocino County having to pay all that plus trial fees just because Mr. Stoen didn't want to lose in court? The fact is it was Stoen who offered me 90 days in county jail originally.

The transcripts I asked Howard to send to you where Mr. Stoen advises the court that the offer was in the best interest of justice and "I stand firm on that!" (Quoted by Stoen!) Then after Mr. Simon and then District Attorney Lintott got together, they organized a meeting with Stoen, Simon, Velma Bowen (a witness), went out and several Westporters at the Tradewinds to plan a way to get the "bound" judge's plea deal reversed. (I read about that meeting in the Fort Bragg Advocate sometime between August to November 2007.)

I am in prison for conspiring. But what did Mr. Stoen and his "klan" do? I have been told over and over to keep quiet about all this. I am tired of doing so. I feel the Mendocino taxpayers deserve to know how dirty their county officials are. If the Mendo grand jury looked into all this Mr. Stoen could be held liable financially. A citizen complaint needs to be filed. What are your thoughts? Hopefully the feds will see what really happened. When they do, look out, the gloves come off. I have been sitting in prison for nothing. I really am guilty of hiring a couple of losers to give them gainful employment. It was not to hurt people. The Peacocks were scumbags, yes. I never should have tried to help them. For that I am guilty. I also grew some pot! Bad me! What I did do was piss off Mr. Simon, Mr. Stoen, and Ms. Lintott. All power-hungry people with hate in their hearts toward people who are different. Especially nasty Christian Republicans! I know I can count on you and your paper to print the truth. I still plan to be a civil servant as I was in the past. Hopefully this conviction will be reversed and my record will be as it was before, unblemished! I have much focus on my future which includes a car company like no other. My past business was once was named Once Again New. It was an auto repair company that did just what the name states. I had a pilot program when all this hit that was looking at the viability of taking high mileage cars that were polluters and retrofitting them with completely new running gear. The fact is the auto business is one of the largest polluting industries in the world. To build the car takes tons of raw materials and energy to produce. Once built the cars produced continue to pollute. The carbon footprint from start to finish is huge! I propose to take five or 10 or older year old cars and trucks and restore them to "new once again." I have contacts in the banks who will finance this. Anyway, get ready!

I hope to return home to Mendocino soon. I can't wait to talk over a brew. Thanks for all.

Sincerely, your friend,

Kenny Rogers

Vacaville

Ed note: I've read the entire Rogers oeuvre, including the transcripts referred to here, and I think (1) there was no solid evidence whatsoever that Rogers conspired to shoot up Simon's front door; it all looked like a conspiracy of some kind but I think the gunman, a professional criminal, was simply repaying Rogers’ many kindnesses to him. The transcripts, however, even by Mendo standards, are shocking. They reveal the late Judge Ron Brown, a go along to get along character if there ever was one, blandly presiding over a series of appointed lawyers who disappeared for no real reason at all other than Brown let them, while the taxpayers shoveled large sums of public money to these hustlers who also stripped Rogers of many thousands of dollars his own money, leaving him unable to defend himself. The case is on appeal and, judging from the transcripts, Rogers will win.

VOTE FOR IMMIGRATION

Editor,

Obama has underscored the truth with his decision to do something about immigration. Congress has been asleep at our will. They are not serving for our will, but for some agenda that is political, unwilling to settle or compromise. They are contentious, bullying and not doing their job. The ridiculous notion of a mandate is based on 14% of Americans out of 27% voting. It actually points back to Americans saying, ‘you don’t care enough to use your cherished right to be represented. ‘ The real message is to us. If you did not vote, then you are leaving your fellow American’s in the lurch. Vote!

Yes Obama was correct that this decision should be made and in the end will be made by congress but a President must act when his decision process is not working. He did not want to make this decision but Congress has failed big time. He has simply made direction and is provoking Congress to act now, 16 years late.

Americans do not generally come out for midterm elections but these elections are important for local and Federal office. If we cared like other countries, we would have a voting holiday but we should all vote. Too many Americans have died for this right. Many have struggled greatly to vote. It is more than a privilege. It is like going to the cemetery to support your fore Americans. Voting is like flowers on their graves to say you respect their actions, their convictions, Vote.!

Republicans underscore the political action of a few voters; passing one bill after another in states to make it harder for Americans to vote because of nonexistent Voter Fraud. That’s democracy? Actually there was fraud in our voting system when W. Bush was elected, but it was in the system not in the voting. No one challenged that in a way to insure it did not happen again except for the removal of some electronic voting machines.

In Mendocino County Supervisors have lost because of one vote. One Vote. Imagine that, your vote, that one vote.

As the immigration system is broken, it leads to disrupted family, stupid driving laws and trapped immigrants, who often simply come to work and want to go home. Lack of a law with the tortilla curtain on the border, only creates corruption and traps immigrants, who want to work here. They are human with human needs and consequently create second families and must find other jobs when their traditional jobs are filled. American needs immigrants to do the work that young Americans will no longer do. Agriculturalist know this and W. Bush even asked for it during his office. Conveniently forgotten in all of this is that the so called undocumented often pay taxes and the employers that do not set aside taxes are also part of the fraud. The latter compete with legal businesses unfairly.

President Obama is doing what a President must do when his board or congress fails to act. He has asked for legislation for 6 years and nothing had come out except stalling political moves. Congress is supposed to consider different ideas and come up with compromise, not be disrespectful. The whiners in Congress are stallers and since they are doing so little we should demand a pay cut and lower the level of benefits they get. Further the disrespectful way that Congress has been working needs to stop. It is bad government and it sets a bad model for everyone. Congress people and the President are elected and disrespecting these offices is essentially disrespecting our process of democracy, and those we elect. The term Honorable Representative extends back to the voters that installed this person.

If anything what Americans should be doing right now is demanding Congress get to work. Our slogan:

Represent us or get out of the way! No pay for another stalled Day!

Vote!

Greg Krouse,

Philo

SURPRISE!

Dearest Relatives and Friends,

Thank you so very much for helping me celebrate my 80th birthday. I was overwhelmed and speechless when daughter Jennie drove Jimmy and me to the Grange and there I saw all your smiling faces. (I thought we were on our way to Mendocino for lunch.)

The potlicker’s son Steven’s crew, did an outstanding BBQ and Marilyn Pronsolino’s raviolis were delicious. Jennie and daughter-in-law Terri Rhoades performed many roles and made certain a surprise party was going to happen and it did!

My thanks and love to all of you.

Gloria Ross

Boonville