Publicola

Nicki Fellenzer writes of a man in Oklahoma who was harrassed, persecuted & prosecuted by local government. It seems the man in question, Mr. Dennis Maly was approached by local police because they suspected the conversation he was having with his daughter was actually solicitation of a prostitute. when it was discovered that his daughter was not a prostitute they arrested him anyway.

"The charges? Carrying a concealed weapon (the knife Dennis Maly still had in his pocket), not notifying the arresting officer that he was armed (even though the arresting officer screamed at Maly to "SHUT UP!" every time Maly tried to inform him that he had a gun) and not following a police officer's instructions (attempting to inform Officer Jason Skaggs he was armed, as required by the law, even after being told to shut up)."

Mr. Maly was aquitted of all charges, but only after a long & costly court battle. The D.A. simply wouldn't drop the charges & admit that the police officers had done wrong. All in all it was a terrible ordeal for him to go through & an example that the police can be just as bad, if not worse than criminals. After all, criminals rely strictly on force or the threat thereof: police have the weight of the government behind them. While Mr. Maly was aquitted, no monetary compensation can undo the wrongs which were done to him. It is unlikely that the officers in question will receive anything more than a reprimand & it's doubtful they'll receive that.

& remember that gun control advocates maintain that the police will protect us therefore it's unecessary for the citizen to have arms.

Ms. Fellenzer sums it up best:

"Remember Dennis Maly next time an impotent oppressor in a three-piece suit tries to place limits on your right to keep and bear arms. Because next time it could be you in fighting to keep your dignity, maintaining your innocence and defending yourself against trumped up charges meant to cover up incompetence and paranoia on the part of those who want power over you. The more you allow the government to erode your rights, the closer we will all be to a society where the case of Dennis Maly is the status quo."