You Only Have Rights Until You Need Them

When did our Bill of Rights die? At what point in the history of our Republic did the Natural Rights of all freeborn men and women just disappear? It would seem to some that we are still a free people, with all our rights and liberties intact – unless you have the temerity to speak up and point out that we aren’t. Then, for some reason, you are labeled as anti-American, anti-government, or even a domestic terrorist.

Among the “go along to get along” and “if you have nothing to hide” crowds that permeate our Republic, there is a pervasive mindset that anyone who does not maintain the status quo is somehow delinquent and deficient. We who recognize the rapid erosion of our Natural Rights and Liberty are vilified by those who don’t, can’t, or won’t see what is staring them in their faces. It’s rather sickening to say the least.

On April 15, 2016, Ammon Bundy and others were in Nevada to face federal charges for their participation in the 2014 Bunkerville, NV Stand Up. Bundy and some others charged with multiple federal felonies are also facing felony charges for their recent Stand Up in Oregon. The Department of Justice has opted to hold these trial concurrently, causing these six men to be frequently shuttled between the two jurisdictions. This alone is greatly hampering their effective defense.

The 6th Amendment reads: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.” Our 8th Amendment is a follows: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Both of these amendments (Natural Rights that are codified in the Bill of Rights and are supposed to be zealously preserved by our State and federal governments) are being trampled and ignored for these men by the DOJ. Not one of them has yet to be convicted of a crime, yet the vast majority of those who have been indicted in both cases are being held, in segregation no less, pending trial and without bond. Might that in itself be construed as excessive bail as well as cruel and unusual punishment? Especially when you consider that the vast majority of them have zero criminal history, and are currently convicted of any crime!

Ammon’s Oregon attorney, Mike Arnold, was in the courtroom with him in Nevada as he had promised him he would be. Mr. Arnold doesn’t represent him in Nevada, he was there for moral support on April 15th. During the Nevada proceedings, Mr. Arnold received an emergency text message from his firm regarding a very last minute order from the court in Oregon; with a deadline of the same day by 4:30 pm PST. The text arrived at 3:00 pm, giving him an extremely short deadline to gather all the necessary information and file the response. Obviously, he wouldn’t be able to confer with his client since he was actively participating in a different case at that moment.

Mr. Arnold attempted to handle this business with the Oregon court via text messages while remaining in the gallery of the Nevada courtroom, but a US Marshall would not have that. Instead, he was rudely ejected from the courtroom, and opted to put this on the official Nevada court record by making open mention of it to the judge as he was being removed. This strategy was employed because the Oregon court is under the misapprehension that the concurrent trials are not a hardship on the effective defense of the clients, which it obviously is.

It has been further revealed by Mr. Arnold that upon arrival in Nevada, both Ryan and Ammon Bundy were chained to a bench while waiting for cells to become available for them. They are forced to be placed in segregation for their protection, because these are high-profile cases. While neither man had timepieces available to them, it is alleged that Ryan was chained for approximately 6 hours, and Ammon nearly 11 hours before being taken to his cell – where he was chained again. Ammon was not fed any meals during this time, and had missed the lunch hour, able to see the freely moving inmates in being fed. He did finally get the attention of another inmate and was able to mime to him that he was hungry, and that inmate got the attention of a guard. Cruel and unusual punishment to say the least.

Where are the people and groups who rage against prisoner abuse? Why aren’t these same people and groups not shouting from the rooftops about these clear and obvious 6th and 8th Amendment abuses? Is it because these men are “welfare ranchers” and therefore deserve anything they get? Or is it because we in America have become so jaded and brainwashed that we only care about the disenfranchised who are identified as such by the mainstream media? Wake up America, this federal double standard of prosecution and stacked decks can and will affect us all some day. Political dissent is not for ranchers alone; every one of us is directly and personally affected by the power abuse of a bloated and overgrown federal system. If you don’t believe me, just sit back and wait your turn, because your turn most certainly is coming.

By The Lady Federalist – DontComply.com