Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jun 2014
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Author: Garry Cooper

POLICE, COURTS FIND WAYS TO PROTECT THEIR LIVELIHOOD

Our national police/prison industry, and right down to the local
members of that over-reaching bureaucracy, are abusing the rights of
Americans, as well as the intent of our people.

It has become standard operating procedure for law enforcement to
charge people who are arrested for various acts, such as growing pot
at their homes like the folks from Washington mentioned in your
article in the June 2 newspaper, with "possession of a firearm in the
commission of a felony" while there was absolutely no intent to use a
firearm at all. These folks just happen to be one of the 70 percent of
rural living folks that possess a gun legally for hunting and
protection, which is their constitutional right.

We Americans have no problem with sanctioning criminals whose intent
is to use a firearm when committing a felony, but using this law to
overcharge and enhance penalties for plea bargain negotiations and to
enrich the prison guards union with longer sentences is on its face
wrong, abusive of our citizens and a rape of our Constitution.

The courts, who are usually well connected political appointees or
elected people who often have taken funds for their campaigns from the
massive law enforcement/prison lobby, seem to have no problem with
this constitutional abuse.

Sadly, the three generations of family arrested in your article were
growing 77 plants and the feds want them all to serve 10 years in
their "system." They must have been politically outspoken to be
singled out in such a way.

- - Garry Cooper, Durham
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MAP posted-by: Matt