Saturday, June 23, 2012
Feds Jail New Mexico Family, Seize Everything They Own for Being Honest Legal Firearms Dealers
VERBATIM POST
Rick and Terri Reese, along with their two sons Ryin and Remington ran a federally licensed gun shop in Deming, New Mexico. They kept meticulous records of all the firearms and ammunition they purchased and which were purchased by customers. They performed the required FBI background checks when necessary. Basically, they ran their gun shop by the letter of the law for 17 years.
Even much of their hired help was legal as the Reeses often hired law enforcement officers who were either retired or off duty, to work in the gun shop. This brought in a substantial amount of business with the law enforcement community and agencies.
In 2011, Terri noticed a customer that had made an unusually large number of purchases. The customer, Penny Torres, told Terri that they were having a family reunion at a ranch in the area and that they all liked to shoot. Terri was suspicious of Torres story and being the law abiding gun dealer she is, she reported her suspicions to one of her friends that worked with the Luna County Sheriff’s Department. Terri told him that she suspected Torres might be a ‘straw buyer’ (someone who purchased guns for illegal purposes such as going over the Mexican border to the drug cartels, kind of like what the US government did with Operation Fast and Furious).
The Luna County Sheriff’s Department officer Terri reported to was someone she trusted and who she always turned to if they had any need for law enforcement. He told her that he would promptly report it to ATF and would let her know what happened with the case.
Torres was subsequently arrested, but ended up making a deal with the feds for leniency by implicating the Reese family as knowingly selling guns that were to illegally cross the border into Mexico. This launched an investigation by a recently formed federal agency known as Homeland Security Investigators (HSI), who set up a sting operation to entrap the Reeses.
HSI hired a confidential informant called Roman, who was seeking a reduced sentence for human trafficking and drugs smuggling. Roman agreed to go to the Reese’ gun shop, purchase weapons and drop hints that they would be heading across the border into Mexico but to do so in such a way as not to alarm them and cause them to refuse the sale. Roman was fitted with a wire to record everything that was said. HSI figured that if the Reeses sold the guns to Roman, that they could then arrest them on gun walking charges.
Shortly after Roman made his gun purchases, the feds swooped in to arrest all four members of the family. HSI and local law enforcement raided the gun store and the Reese home. They came in helicopters, armored vehicles and too many heavily protected and armed law enforcement officers to count. Not only were the four members of the Reese family arrested, but the feds confiscated every gun, all ammunition from both their store and their home, then they confiscated the home, cars, bank accounts, coin collections and virtually everything the family owned.
Each member of the family was eventually taken to a different jail or prison facility to be held without bail until their trials. The prosecution argued that they were flight risks or might even stage a Ruby Ridge type stand off because their home had a well and solar panels and they had found guns on the premises. Can you imagine that? They actually found guns and ammunition in the house and place of business of federally licensed gun dealers. It was also noted by the prosecution that Rick and Terry Reese were part of the local Tea Party, which must have made them look violent in the eyes of the prosecutor.
Six months after being arrested, Terri Reese was allowed to post bail, but the courts continued to withhold bail for the father and two sons.
Recently, the first preliminary hearing was held for the four members of the Reese family. According to a WND report, the prosecution revealed a number of revelations during the preliminary hearing. For one thing, Roman spoke little broken English and that most of the hinting of guns going to Mexico was said in Spanish, which none of the Reese family knew or understood. However, the transcripts that the court had to read had all been translated into English, so that it appeared that the conversation had taken place in English.
Additionally, the prosecution admitted that all of the Reese’ gun sales had been properly logged and all transactions appeared to have been legal. They also admitted that the Reeses has paid all of their taxes and that there was no evidence of any under the table transactions and that all banking and financial evidence indicated that all members of the family never received any money other than their normal paychecks.
When the defense pointed out to the prosecution that they used so many law enforcement personnel in their store, the prosecution replied that it didn’t matter because ‘a lot of them [cops and former cops] are dirty.’
Now the Reese family is awaiting the main trial which is scheduled for some time in July. Since all of their worldly possessions, even personal items accumulated over 25 years of marriage, have been confiscated, they have no money with which to use to pay for their defense. And if by some miracle they are acquitted of all charges, they have no home and no business to return to.
What galls me to spit in anger is that this family, even by the prosecution’s own statements in the preliminary trial, have never done anything wrong. Their lives have been raped by the federal government based on promises made to two convicts in lieu of lighter sentences. Roman’s statements should not be admissible since he spoke Spanish and the Reeses don’t. This is a horrible case of entrapment and what’s worse is that they are accusing the family of doing what the feds did in Operation Fast and Furious and NO ONE IS BEING PROSECUTED in that case!
We need to pray that the Reese family is exonerated and that the feds are forced to replace all of their possessions, guns, ammunition, house, cars, bank accounts, coin collection and pay for wrongful imprisonment. If anyone belongs in jail for gun walking, it’s Eric Holder, not the Reese family.
Big Brother?
Hi David, Brock, Bubba
Best Regards,
Hans
STATISM and LIBERTY cannot coexist ...
One must perish !
~ Kerodin, III To Liberty
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Exodus: Wisconsin Government Workers Abandon Unions in Droves
First, a mea culpa: I'm several weeks late to this story, but it's so significant that I figured I'd adopt a "better late than never" approach and bring this to your attention anyway:
Wisconsin membership in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - the state's second-largest public-sector union after the National Education Association, which represents teachers - fell to 28,745 in February from 62,818 in March 2011, according to a person who has viewed Afscme's figures. A spokesman for Afscme declined to comment. Much of that decline came from Afscme Council 24, which represents Wisconsin state workers, whose membership plunged by two-thirds to 7,100 from 22,300 last year.
A provision of the Walker law that eliminated automatic dues collection hurt union membership. When a public-sector contract expires the state now stops collecting dues from the affected workers' paychecks unless they say they want the dues taken out, said Peter Davis, general counsel of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. In many cases, Afscme dropped members from its rolls after it failed to get them to affirm they want dues collected, said a labor official familiar with Afscme's figures. In a smaller number of cases, membership losses were due to worker layoffs.
Marvelous Story (Below the video)
Thursday, June 21st was a HOT... MUGGY... HOT, (Did I mention HOT?) one in the Capital of the Confederacy! Thermometer read 98 and the weather man said the heat index was sitting at 105! Still, 14 Va Flaggers made their way to the Boulevard to forward the Colors and protest the VMFA.
Traffic was light, but conversations were plentiful and for the most part, very positive
Despite the heat and humidity, Jimmy Creech fired up the grill and served up rotisserie chicken, squash and taters, and had fresh, ice cold watermelon to keep the Flaggers cool, hydrated, and very well fed.
The highlight of the night was a visit from Ronnie Ragland.
October 1st, 2011, my very first day Flagging the VMFA, I met Mr. Ragland, a Vietnam Vet and homeless man who makes his living playing guitar around Richmond. I walked and talked with him for 1/2 hour that day, and he has visited us frequently ever since. One day in November, he stopped by and we teamed up for an abbreviated version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. I posted the video on youtube:
Not bad for impromptu on the boulevard
Since then, Mr. Ragland has been a frequent visitor on the Boulevard, and is well known to the Flaggers. Here he is at Christmas...we called him "Confederate Santa". :
Yesterday evening, June 21st, I was sitting on the Chapel portico, writing my notes for the evening, when he stopped to tell me a most amazing story. It seems that 25 years ago, Mr. Ragland fathered a child just before he and his wife divorced. He knew nothing of the child and she knew nothing of him. A few years ago, the child's Grandmother told her a little about her father, including his name and the young woman began to search for him. A few months ago, the same young woman was looking through YouTube videos, came across our video, and recognized the name as being that of the father she had been searching for.
She contacted the VMFA and asked about him and was told that he often played in the Carytown area. For the next few days, she and her friends searched during the day and night, and finally found him.
Mr. Ragland told us it was an incredible reunion, shocking in its revelation, but sweet in the instant bond that was formed. Since that time, they have formed a relationship and are getting to know one another. He considers what happened nothing short of a miracle, and we agree.
We have often said that Flagging serves to accomplish MANY things in our ongoing fight to preserve our heritage and honor our ancestors, but having a part in bringing a long lost father and daughter together is a bonus we never expected! :)
We will be back on the Boulevard tomorrow, June 23rd, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!
See you on the Boulevard!
Oh No! Don’t Drink Water From The Garden Hose
A new study conducted by Healthy Stuff finds drinking water from a garden hose can be dangerous to your health.
Of the 90 water hoses used in the study, all contained lead and phthalates that exceeded levels set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Thirty-three percent of those hoses contained lead levels higher than the guidelines set in the federal Safe Drinking Water Standard.
More @ CBS DC
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More @ M-1 Thumb Saver