Living in an Imperial World: What Is Coming For Each of Us

David Codrea posts this letter from David Olofson and his wife:

July 4

Yesterday was the hardest day of our lives, writing this, right now seems to be the second. We drove David, along with Larry Pratt of GOA, to the Sandstone institution yesterday. Larry’s presence, words of wisdom and comfort were invaluable. We would be faring a lot worse today if it would have not been for him – thank you Larry from the bottom of our hearts. We would ask all of you, if you can, to please support GOA in the defense of David for this unthinkable miscarriage of injustice. This conviction MUST be righted for ALL Americans, for David, and for the 2nd Amendment of America’s Constitution. With this present ruling, anyone who owns a firearm can be made guilty of owning a machine gun.

We just received a call from David early this AM. He is doing fine, so far. He did admit that he under estimated how badly all the people there are being gouged for everything they must buy. The $200 he took with him will not get him very far. I told him we would see the he gets his allotment of $300 for every mo. Please DO NOT send him any money. We will talk to a few people on how to handle that subject, and if there is something you all can do we will pass that information on. As an example David indicated he is getting a tooth ache and a small bottle, 24 pills, of ibuprofen cost him $7.

The few people he has talked to indicated that they are treated well - to which we replied: follow your new counsel’s advice. And we know his new representation has HIS best interests in mind, as opposed to his prior.

He did ask that we pass on his address for everyone, and please pass it on so everyone who wants to can write him:

David R. Olofson
08632089-K1
Federal Correctional Institute
PO Box 1000
Sandstone, MN 55072

David also indicated that there is no e-mail, so snail mail is the only option.

We hope everyone has a happier 4th, and please keep David in your prayers.

Dave & Pat Olofson

As terrible as it is to consider, many Americans in the upcoming affray will suffer even more than the Olofsons have so far, whether through torture, midnight terror-raid executions, police gunshot wounds, or other forms of statist unpleasantness.

For the Olofsons and all who believe in individual freedom, political liberty, and limited government, Mike Vanderboegh has a few words:

Folks,

On this Independence Day, an innocent man sits in federal prison in Sandstone, MN, torn from his wife and his kids, from everything familiar, by an ATF frame up. He needs our help -- our prayers, our letters of support, our contributions to his appeal fund. Below you will find a copy of the letter I have mailed to him this day. I hope you will all do the best you can to support him and his family. The bumper sticker idea we had here in Alabama can be duplicated anywhere. So do it. Help free David Olofson, victim of an out-of-control ATF. -- Mike Vanderboegh

PS: There are strict rules for sending items to federal prisoners. I'm sure more info on how and where to send assistance to the Olofsons will be posted on web sites like Larry Pratt's Gun Owners of America and David Codrea's War on Guns Blogspot, which is where I got the address below.

Please see them before sending something to David Olofson that will otherwise simply be confiscated and dropped into a wastebasket or a guard's pocket before it reaches him.

4 July 2008

David R. Olofson
08632089-K1
Federal Correctional Institute
PO Box 1000
Sandstone, MN 55072

Dear David,

I am glad my brother-in-Christ Larry Pratt was able to be with you as you began your journey into the business end of federal injustice. I have known Larry now for probably fifteen years, and he is a man of deep faith and iron principle. If there was anyone who could help sustain you on such a terrible day it was Larry. It is scant comfort though, I know, given the grim situation you find yourself unjustly thrust into. Few of us have any idea what you are going through. Just know that those of us who can will be trying our best to get you out through supporting your appeal, petitioning for a pardon, and shining a bright antiseptic light on the dirty business that is the ATF. Roaches are allergic to the light and we will do our best to flip that switch.

If everything falls into place, the first batch of "Free David Olofson -- Framed by the ATF" bumper stickers will be printed next week here in Alabama. Any and all profits will be sent to your defense fund.

I pray that your case will be "the stone upon which the system is broke," to quote the Irish song "Long Kesh". If not, you'll have plenty of company before long, for the tyrannical appetites of the Jody Keekus of the world are rarely satisfied with one victim. If they get away with this, they'll try it again on another innocent man or woman, next week or next month.

As the days pass, I will pray on every one of them that God sustains you and your family through this bitter injustice. I will pray too that our fellow gunnies wake up and come to realize that all of us are potential victims now -- that in the ATF's eyes when you're an American gunowner, we are "guilty one and all."

Not for them a judge and jury
Nor indeed a trial at all
Being Irish means you´re guilty
So we´re guilty one and all.
-- Irish ballad, "The Men Behind the Wire"

And know this.

The thugs of the ATF have done their best to break you, but I'll bet they haven't, nor will they. Every day you endure without knuckling under to the loneliness and depression, you beat them. They've imprisoned your body, but you're still a free man. They will find, like the English found with the Irish, that imprisoning an innocent man is a dangerous example to set to all the other innocent men outside the wire, for not only does it make folks very angry but there is no incentive for them to behave.

May God give you strength in that fight, and know that we are doing our best to aid you. When it's over, and may God hasten that day, we'll hoist a glass to you while we sing a chorus together, "We may have brave men, but we'll never have better. Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men."

Mike Vanderboegh
PO Box 926
Pinson, AL 35126

Read below the lyrics of "The Men Behind the Wire".

Listen to the music.

And steel yourself - and your families - for the coming struggle:

Chorus:
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire

Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire

Verses:
Through the little streets of Belfast
In the dark of early morn
British soldiers came marauding
Wrecking little homes with scorn

Heedless of the crying children
Cragging fathers from their beds
Beating sons while helpless mothers
Watched the blood pour from their heads

chorus

Not for them a judge and jury
Nor indeed a crime at all
Being Irish means you´re guilty
So we´re guilty one and all

Round the world the truth will echo
Cromwell´s men are here again
England´s name again is sullied
In the eyes of honest men.

chorus

Proud we march behind our banner
Firm we´ll stand behind our men
We will have them free to help us
Build a nation once again

On the people step together
Proudly firmly on their way
Never fear never falter
Till the boys are home to stay

chorus