Friday...

Veteran's Day.

Plan something good for the veteran you know or one you don't.

Send a card, send some popcorn and a movie, contribute to a veteran's group or even stop by a veteran's hospital.

If nothing else, pause in your day and say a prayer of thanks.

You owe your daily freedom to each and every one of them.

Miss you, Doc, I really do....

Explain this to me - and your constituents...

All of the following are good Bills, but not going anywhere. Why? Stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by supposedly Pro-Gun Senator, Alan Cropsey.

Could it be because MCRGO didn't develop them and no Pro-Gun Bill that they didn't develop isn't going to be allowed to move? Could it be that because the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is more concerned with making MCRGO look good, while he uses his office to slander me and interfere with my Civil Rights, than he does about good, solid, pro-gun legislation?

HB 4186 of 2005 House Bill Weapons; concealed; renewal date of concealed pistol permit; establish as same day as expiration of permit when renewed prior to expiration date. Amends sec. 5l of 1927 PA 372 (MCL 28.425l).

HB 4186

3/24/2005 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY - STALLED

HB 4643 of 2005 House Bill Weapons; licensing; issuance of concealed pistol license renewal; require within certain period of time. Amends sec. 5l of 1927 PA 372 (MCL 28.425l).

HB 4643

8/31/2005 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY -STALLED

HB 4642 of 2005 House Bill Weapons; other; licensed spouse to carry or transport another licensed spouse's inspected pistol; allow. Amends sec. 12 of 1927 PA 372 (MCL 28.432).

HB 4642

9/14/2005 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY - STALLED

None of them were "developed" by MCRGO and none of them are moving. Why? Whose Committee is not moving them?

If the only pro-gun bills that are allowed to move are those originating from MCRGO, then the folks blocking them are not pro-gun, they're only pro-MCRGO and that's not good enough.

Someone commented to me this morning, "My Dad is now 82 years old. I was so proud to help him get his CPL."

I've helped hundreds get their CPLs and I've been very proud of that as well. I've worked with hundreds of children via the Eddie Eagle program as well, but Mr. Perricone, the Fugacious Former Speaker of the House (an office which he is widely known to have purchased, by the way), blocked that program from becoming a part of every child's life in one Michigan County. Why? Because I would have done the training and he couldn't have that once he became irritated with me. He has worked, it would seem non-stop, to block every effort I made since October of 2003 to work on any firearms rights issue.

What happened in October of 2003? I found out that he wanted to put Ralph Mabry on our Board of Directors, and then went on to find out that Mr. Perricone had lied to me on many, many occasions. Character assassination is his stock-in-trade, I am afraid.
Who is Ralph Mabry? That's for another day, but for a start, Google up the words Ralph Mabry fraud department justice and see what you get. The man isn't even allowed to get anywhere near the pension fund of the Union he is President of and Mr. Perricone wants him on our Board? He heads up a Union that has endorsed Anti-Gun candidates to the tune of millions of dollars worth of donations over the years and Mr. Perricone wants him on our Board?

One word. "WHY?"

And as I said to the poster on my site’s forum, “Proud of your dad getting his CPL? My family was proud of me, too.”




What kind of man disarms a woman because she wins a court case against him? What kind of so-called Conservative, albeit transitory, Legislator puts so much work into silencing one woman?

Well, to quote another poster of my site, "That would be an inadequate "girly-man."

Ten Days...

Ten days until the First and Second Amendments of our Constitution are reinstated for me.

I can't wait.


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How Could She Sue a Pro-Gun Senator?

I've watched slam after slam (mostly from the self-serving Charles R. Perricone, once-upon-a-time Speaker of the House) on how I am such a terrible person because I have included in my suit a supposedly pro-gun Senator, Alan Cropsey.

Short answer is, I believe in the law and Senator Cropsey isn't following it. He's one of the people who sat back and watched the law be broken and was fully aware of it.

But there's a longer answer as well.

Despite Mr Kliemann, also on MCRGO's Board of Directors, and his demand that I stop emailing any member of the Board that was also a sitting Legislator, I know who I sent emails, letters, etc. to. Senator Cropsey made the same decision to violate the laws and Bylaws that various other members of the Board did. If anything, frankly, I would think that his ethics, as a sitting Legislator, would demand that he follow the law, which he knew was legitimate, and the Bylaws of the organization he professes to love so well, not to mention those Court Orders that keep coming down the pipe.

Years ago, I explained to him that our Bylaws didn't allow for him to be the Legislative Chair. I pointed out the Bylaw, quoted the Bylaw - but no, the good Senator decided to heck with any of that. He'd do as he pleased and as Mr. Perricone pleased and on with the show.

Of late, he has even used his office to personally attack me to tens of thousands of Michigan citizens in an attempt to make them believe that I am wrong for expecting our organization, his and mine, to follow the law, the Bylaws and standing Court orders.

That would seem like enough, wouldn't it? Well, frankly, it is.

But let's take a look at that "Pro-Gun Senator" idea.

For the last seven months a very good Bill has been stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which the Senator is Chair. For those of you who know how committees work, you know that if the Chair wants it to move, it will move.

H.B. 4186 would give everyone the full 5 years they are paying for when they apply for the Concealed Pistols License and was passed by the House 109-0 on March 23rd.

109-0.

As it stands now, if someone has a CPL and then has to apply for a renewal, and they apply early to avoid letting their CPL run out before their renewal comes through, it is entirely possible to lose a month or two or even, as I did, four or more months. Introduced by Representative Tory Rocca in the first few days of February, 2005, the Bill would establish that when a person renews an expiring CPL, the starting date of the renewed license will be the expiration date of the old one, even if the person renews the license before it has expired.

Good Bill, seems sensible, no big deal, really. However, it was developed and offered by a Pro-Gun group that Senator Cropsey and Mr. Perricone, who served briefly as Speaker of the House and was then sent home, have decided are their "competition." How that works, I have no idea, but it's past time Senator Cropsey abandon that ill-founded idea and do more than give lip-service to the idea of being Pro-Gun.

Certainly, Mr. Perricone has been demonstrating for years that he was an Anti-Gunner, from working to establish Criminal Empowerment Zones to his recent interference with my Right to Keep and Bear Arms as a law abiding citizen.

But with Senator Cropsey heralding the Castle Doctrine Bill (also a good Bill) and shouting from the rooftops how Pro-Gun he is, I'm asking for some proof and so are a lot of other Pro-Gun activists.

H.B. 4186 is an excellent common sense Bill. It's been sitting waiting for a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee since March 24th. Two-hundred-twenty-two days.

Move it, Senator Cropsey - the ball is in your Court, so to speak. Make it happen; you know you can. Put aside your feelings about the so-called competition and guide this Bill though to the success it deserves. Give CPL holders their money's worth.

Heaven knows gun owners are the reason you're in office. How about a little loyalty to your constituents?

But They Still Don't Get It...

Here is a perfect example of why this case has dragged on as long as it has....

Compare the Court Order of April 13, 2005 and the information contained in the following with what has been offered by MCRGO as a plan for compliance.

The addendum at the bottom of the page that refers to the "Ex-Parte Motion to Recall Warrant" was soundly rejected by the Judge, as earlier referenced.

The warrant remains outstanding and our attorney will be filing an objection to this "plan" today.

Such a foolish waste of time, energy and money.

Do the Right Thing - Part 2

Well, it's been five days since the Judge issued an arrest warrant for Dale Shantz President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners.

He has neither acknowledged the warrant, nor, as far as anyone knows, responded to it. He continues to ignore the Court's orders and has certainly not turned himself in, as any responsible, upright and law-abiding citizen would. Perhaps he is being told not to worry, that the warrant is no big deal, that Mr. Perricone will "take care of it" as he was told so often over the last three years.

Let's review that last three years. No, Mr. Shantz was not the organization's Chairman for all of that time, but he certainly sat on the Board of Directors and he has certainly defended the actions of an overpaid former Speaker of the House (please don't ever forget Mr. Perricone once briefly held office - he'd be quite upset if you did) and others who have blatantly violated the law and the Bylaws.

The organization went from over 12,000 members to its current 5,900. That is the number being given, but a recent discussion with a PAC member revealed it was more like 4,000. Either way, it is more than a fifty percent loss in three years. How long before it ends up just the hundred or so Life Members are left at this rate of attrition?

The organization has spent almost two years in Court fighting doing what is both legal and right. The cost has been tremendous. Their behavior cost them thousands of members and supporters and the cost of dragging this through the Courts in terms of dollars has been incredible. Certainly, the Cost to MCRGO members must now be approaching $100,000, especially because the Board continues to be in contempt and the fines and costs continue to mount. There is the contempt fine of $100 per day for every day they ignore the orders, and there is also the costs of any attorney fees, not only on their side, but to our attorney as he continues to try to get them to comply.

We will be back in Court today with yet another Show Cause motion, sadly enough.

When will this end? When the Board fully complies and the second Slander/Defamation suit is settled. That could also be years from now, but is not a case where the individual members of the Board will be able to hide behind MCRGO's corporate veil.

I don't know about you, but I think it's time Dale Shantz resigned. From the Chairmanship and from the Board. If he is not willing to set aside personal animosity and do the right thing for the organization, then he needs to relinquish the reins.

Before he does any further damage.

Anonymous Asked...

How is it that you are unarmed now? What have you done to lose your license? Details, need details.
--
Posted by Anonymous to Neva at 10/30/2005 12:24:12 PM

My answer:

Nothing - absolutely nothing. Read the rest of the blog, especially this post. I was notified that I had to appear in front of the Gun Board and that my license was immediately suspended. No details, no charges, no reasoning given.

I have done nothing other than continue to fight this case in Court. I have not been arrested or charged, and I have taken no action that would warrant such an egregious violation of my rights. When I know more, everyone will know more. I have never hidden anything and I will continue to bring all of this into the light.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant." I love that quote - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis was right on target, I believe.

Read - you'll see. Look at the public documents available here. In fact, check back on Monday and look at the latest transcripts. You'll read of the MCRGO's attorney's objections to public documents being posted. They want to avoid the members being informed of the realities of what has happened.

I believe the membership has the right to know. I believe that Michigan State law must be complied with. I believe that the Bylaws, flawed as some of them are, must also be complied with. I believe in ethics and putting aside personal feelings to make sure that our organization is following the right and legal path.

That's what this two year long fight has been about and that is what this fight will continue to be about.

The fight will end when the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners Board of Directors makes the decisions, and follows through on them, to correct its violations and get back to the business of the fight for firearms rights.

Some Thoughts...

I wonder if the attorney for MCRGO, who should be reporting to the Board and explaining their legal rights and responsibilities to them, is doing so.

I wonder if he is doing what he is supposed to be doing for the organization or just reporting to, listening to, and taking orders from Mr. Perricone.

I wonder if he's told Dale Shantz, "Don't worry about the warrant; Chuck and I are taking care of it."

I wonder if some of the members of the Board of Directors might be considering getting their own attorneys since this has now gotten to the point where individuals are going to jail.

I wonder how soon we will see Dale Shantz resign as Chairman, President and Director on the Board.

I wonder if it's already happened.

I wonder if the rest of the Board is now ready to see Mr. Kliemann step up to the plate as Acting Chair.

I wonder when the Board will start complying with the Law, the Bylaws and the Court's orders.

But Why Would They Defy the Law?

People have asked me what Mr. Perricone and the Board of Directors are hiding that they would go to the lengths they have to avoid compliance with the law and Court orders. Some ask if it's financial wrong dealings, some ask me if it's something to do with Campaign Finance, one even asked, "Could there be something he is hiding that if found out could get him killed by one of his mob buddies?" I don't know what kind of "buddies" Mr. Perricone has, if any, but I do know he is expending a huge amount of energy to stomp on one lone schoolteacher from SE Michigan.

Sometimes I think that it's nothing major, just Mr. Perricone's escalating reaction to being thwarted at something he wanted.

He wanted the Board hand-picked so they would rubber stamp everything he wanted to do. He got that, except for Barbara Stockford (now President of SAFR), Rich Dillard, Gary Bengtson, and Ian Kinder. From Day One, he treated Barb and Ian totally without respect. If they wanted anything, he set out to block it. His emails to both of them were disrespectful and clearly, he wanted them gone. Dillard was more tolerable to him because he thought that Rich had political aspirations and that he could manipulate him through that. Bengtson he thought he could work because "any attorney will go for the money."

As time went by, he harassed Ian, even using both me and Carol Bamberry to push, threaten, etc. until finally, Ian saw his whole livelihood threatened and he resigned from the Board.

Then Dillard resigned, citing personal reasons.

Then we got emails from Bengtson complaining that the other members of the Board - Kliemann specifically - but others as well, were calling and trying to force him to resign, but he wasn't going to do it.

Then the next day, after who knows what happened during the night, he resigned.

Then Barb went, but that wasn't good enough - they advised the Board to have her removed as a member.

Then there was me. I'd watched him, looked at things, found evidence of tampering with the election, with him using our organization for both political and financial gain, not for our organzation, which was his job, but for himself and for this other organization, the Michigan Regional Carpenters Council, long associated with such activities as illegal Union issues, multi-million dollars "loans" to casino people (later barred for organized crime connections) and headed by a man Mr. Perricone openly admitted he wanted on our Board of Directors - a man barred by the Federal Government from having anything to do with his own Union's pension fund due to illegal loans. This same client supposedly endorsed a pro-gun candiate for Governor, MCRGO's choice for governor, but through my explorations (and with the help of some others) I found that they had given a vast amount of money to anti-gun candidates and an extremely small amount to our choice for Governor. The implications of this are obvious.

The more I looked, the more I found. The more I asked questions, the more my efforts to serve on the Board were blocked. From the moment that I challenged the idea of Mr. Perricone's refusal to assist Barbara, while she was still on the Board, to get the records and answers she was looking for, he never had another civil word to say to me and I became "The Enemy," despite my only trying to do what any reasonable individual would - my fiduciary duty as a Board member.

Follow the law, follow the Bylaws and do the ethical thing in representing our members, which is where my loyalty lies. To the membership, not to Mr. Perricone, not to the Board. The people of this organization, the ones that current practices have driven away and the members removed (often for no other reason than opposing the way the organization was/is being run) are the ones to whom I owe my loyalty and my efforts to bring this organization back to what it once was.

Mr. Perricone, and the Board, seem to be doing several things:

1. They'll do anything to try to make the membership believe that they are right and I am wrong, despite the Court's decisions and the obvious facts. This has been an ongoing smear campaign that has resulted in a second lawsuit, against the Board members personally, that will go on and will result in a jury trial with me as Plaintiff and all of them as Defendants, along with the organization itself.

2. They take one step further, and further and further to try to force me to give up on the suit. They have tried to force my attorney to quit, denying me representation just because we have positively affirmed every point in Court. They have enlisted TNUSA, and even slandered Sam Washington and MUCC (and I am not a member of MUCC and have never met Sam Washington). They have gone so far as to enlist legislators and the Speaker of the House (Mrs. Perricone's employer) to call MUCC in an effort to pressure our attorney to quit this case.

3. Simply not recognizing that the Court has the right, and the responsibility, to make the decisions that have been made in accordance with the law and in the best interests of the membership. Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” a quote from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, refers to the benefits of openness and transparency. As Judge Giddings told the MCRGO attorney the other day, "We don't do things in the dark around here."

Macomb County Attorney Jim Simmons has volunteered to appear in front of the Gun Board with me and that will ease some of the burden on Mr. Winters, which I greatly appreciate. Jim knows gun boards, knows the issues and has been in front of the Oakland County Board before. I am sure that with the incredible amount of proof we have to offer on Mr. Perricone's motives for this "one step further" in his pattern of slander and defamation, we will have my CPL restored, but this is completely undeserved and as previously stated, will have the opposite effect from what he hoped for.

I will not give up this fight. It would be wrong and I am not going to do anything less - I owe that to the membership and I pay my debts.

I appreciate the support I am getting from so many people, and from our attorney, who is not only an excellent attorney but extremely supportive - he'd make a great cheerleader, God love him - he called me this AM with nothing more than a "How are you holding up?"

And in the end, I'm going to hold up just fine.

Underhanded Dealings Don't Always Work...

Sometimes they do for a little while, though.

I've been stripped of my concealed pistols license temporarily. Of course, I will challenge it. There's absolutely nothing to support this action and it is, without a doubt, at the instigation of Mr. Charles R. Perricone - the man who purports to support concealed carry for all law abiding citizens.

Today, the attorney for MCRGO went to the Judge ex parte and tried to have the warrant for Mr. Shantz' arrest vacated. He claimed that we had everything and we were ok with it and that there were no remaining issues.

Except.

We had the hearing Wednesday and the warrant for Dale Shantz arrest was issued. Since that time we have received no further information nor was a corrected copy of the database was sent or delivered to us, but still Mr. Robert G. Fleming (P44610) went to the Judge and claimed that we had everything. Mr. Fleming, if we didn't have it two days ago and you haven't give us anything since then, sir, it appears to me that you just told a great big whopper.

The Judge immediately called our attorney via speaker phone (not Former Speaker of the House phone but still...) and went through the issues fairly quickly and then explained to the attorney for MCRGO the facts of life on things such as this. One of his main objections, it seems, is that I am posting public records documents on the internet, which the Judge promptly informed him was my Constitutional right.

Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, eh? And their idea of Pro-Gun is to go after my concealed pistols license and work to abrogate my Second Amendment rights as well as my rights under the Michigan Constitution.

Nice work, boys. Truly the honorable thing to do. Lose in Court - make sure a woman is unable to protect herself.

That'll teach me, won't it?