There are many liberty activists in prison in the Police State of America. Irwin Schiff, Dick Simkanin, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Brown, Sherry Jackson and myself, Rick Stanley, are all in prison, as we do not back down from our liberty convictions in the face o government tyranny and oppression. Convictions, real convictions, are not conveniently set aside in fear of tyrants. Your editorial piece entitled “Warning to Government Thugs” rang hollow with the phrase, “sometimes we will back down when the government yells 'take a seat'... In the article “Keene Radio Host Jailed over Couch,” another committed liberty activist Ian Freeman was noted by the editor at the end of the article as such: “Pressure from government thugs proved too great for Mr. Freeman and family. On his third day being jailed, Ian contacted the judge, apologized and agreed to remove the couch and pay the fine. The judge suspended the 90 day contempt of court sentence and had Ian released.”

Besides the few liberty activists I mentioned earlier who are in prison, there are many, many more who were true to their liberty activism convictions, still languishing in those prisons.

Henry David Thoreau said, “under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also in prison.”

If a country is jailing innocent people, then good people will protest this even if they end up in jail, too.

Idealistic words, easily spoken. For me, the reality of my liberty activism was like charging up a hill in battle, looking back to an empty hillside, all alone. Hard to stomach, but very real.

I would encourage your readers to go to http://www.stanley2002.org for a reality check to see that real convictions have real consequences.

America is losing the battle against tyranny and oppression. Now, you and your readers know the real reason, fear and false conviction. On behalf of my fellow prisoners of war, perhaps some self introspection is in order.

Rick Stanley
137125
Delta Correction Center
4102 Sawmill Mesa Rd.
Delta, CO 81416