Criminal Justice and the Grace of God

8/6/2019 Criminal Justice and the Grace of God

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Criminals, Justice, and the Grace of God.

An exposition:

By,William R. LewisW.V. C.F.l.D.O.C. # 866155PO Box 1111Carlisle, IN 47838

Thus it is demonstrated that to capture a man it is not enough toenslave his body it is necessary to enlist his reason; that to free aman it is not enough to strike the shackles from his limbs hismind must be liberated from the bondage to his own ignorance.~~(Manly P. Hall, 1901-1990, Founder of ThePhilosophical Research Society.)

There are none so enslaved as those who falsely believe they are

free. (Goethe)As a Convicted Habitual Criminal having spent most of myteenage and adult life in and out of the Indiana Department of Corrections my genuiness as a rehabilitative and changed personis of course questionable.

Personally I would be skeptical of any convicted criminal claiming

to be rehabilitated because the process of rehabilitation involveschange; and change involves pain and pain is something we ashuman beings naturally strive to avoid. The reason changeinvolves pain is because in order to experience true rehabilitationone must first engage in the painful work of honesty and self-reflection:


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But while consciousness is the whole cause of pain, it isalso the cause of our salvation, because salvation is the processof becoming increasingly conscious.

When we become increasingly conscious, we go further intothe desert instead of burrowing into a hole like the people whochoose not to grow up.

And as we travel onward, we bear more and more pain-because of our very consciousness.

As I said above, the word salvation means healing. Itcomes from the same word as salve, something which you put onyour skin in order to heal an area of irritation or infection.

Salvation is the process of healing and the process of becoming whole. And health, wholeness, and holiness are allderived from the same root.

They all mean virtually the same thing. Even old AtheistSigmund Freud recognized the relationship between healing andconsciousness when he said that the process and purpose of psychotherapy healing of the Psyche was to make theunconscious conscious; that is, to increase consciousness.

Carl Yung further helped us understand the unconscious,

ascribing evil to our refusal to meet our shadow, or that part of our personality that we like to deny, that we like not to think about, notto be conscious of, that were continually trying to sweep under therug of consciousness and keep unconscious.


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Note that Yung ascribed human evil not to the shadow itself but to the refusal to meet this shadow. And refusal is a very activeterm. Those people who are evil are not just passivelyunconscious or ignorant; they will go far out of their way to remainignorant or unconscious; they will kill or start wars to do so...

It is no accident that people who commit the most evil in thisworld are people who see no power higher than themselves...

(Further Along the Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott PeckM.D. 1993, Touchstone Pub.)

I can certainly testify to the truth of Dr. Pecks words. In factmany of the most notorious criminals I have encountered withinprison, those who have committed the most brutal and heinouscrimes, who show no feelings of regret or shame, are the oneswho do not believe in God or the nature of evil itself. They are, intheir own minds, a god unto themselves!

To deny, or be unaware of the nature of evil as a real forcewithin the world and human nature itself, is to open oneself to the

influence or in many case even the possession of evil.

Whether we realize it or not, there is an unseen battle thatexists just outside our normal range of perception. This battle isfor the souls and the minds of mankind itself and in order toprotect one self, you have to recognize and understand theenemy and how the enemy works:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but againstprincipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(Ephesians 6:12)

The mind is a battlefield and we all must becomepsychological gardeners if we are going to defeat the enemy of


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our souls. The mind is like fertile soil and thoughts are seeds thatare planted either by ourselves or by outside influences. Whenyou plant seeds eventually they begin to grow into desires.Desires can be either good or bad; positive or negative; light vs.darkness, etc.

These desires can manifest themselves in many ways;greed, lust, hate, pride, and etc. eventually if you entertain thesethoughts and desires long enough, they will grow into fully matureactions; greed will turn into theft, lust may turn into rape, hate canturn into murder, and pride can cause a person to step all over thefeelings of others without any consideration whatsoever! Theascension or descension of the personality always follows threesteps;

1. Thought 2. Desire 3. Action

When we begin to entertain and dwell on negative thoughtsthat become desires we are opening the door for negativeenergies to get a foothold and this is very dangerous.

The Bible calls Satan the Prince of the Power of the Air, thespirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.(Ephesians2:2)

As the Power of the Air, Satans influence is received viathe mind. For many criminals within prison, especially those whohave committed the most horrible crimes, the reality of who theyare and what they have done is too much and to painful of a

reality to allow them to pursue an intense and honest self-reflection of themselves which is needed for true positive changeand so they instead choose denial and justification as a meansto cope with their own feelings of guilt and self-condemnation.

Denial A mental mechanism; a person disowns anintolerable thought, wish or need.. .an effort to allay anxiety and


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Indeed, why did Jesus Christ choose it? if there is nothingmore to life than just the here and now, and there is nothing moreto be had and experienced other than what we can see and touchwith our physical senses, then of course my decision to turn the

other cheek and surrender my pride and respect would have beenfoolish.

But if life does have a greater purpose, and if the world wecurrently inhabit is only a temporary training ground and preludeto something greater and eternal, then its only natural and wisethat one gives consideration and attention to the more importantspiritual and moral principles of life and conscious. Life is aboutchoices we make, either for good or bad. The choices we makeare based upon our understanding and perception of how we seeourselves and the world around us. The ancients taught that thefirst discipline of a wise man is to know thyself; the seconddiscipline is to know the enemy. More often than not youlldiscover that you are your own worst enemy.

= People of the Lie =

For most of us, if there is evidence around us that mightpoint to our own sin and imperfection, if that evidence pushes usup against the wall, we usually come to recognize that somethingis wrong and we make some kind of self-correction. Those whodo not, I call people of the lie because one of their distinguishingcharacteristics is their ability to lie to themselves, as well as toothers, and to insist on being ignorant of their own faults or wrongdoing.

Their guiding motive is to feel good about themselves, at allcosts, at all times, no matter what evidence there may be thatpoints to their sin or imperfection.

Rather than using it to make some kind of self-correction,they will instead often at great expense of energy set about


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trying to exterminate the evidence. They will use all the power attheir disposal to impose their wills unto someone else in order toprotect their own sick selves. And that is where most of their evilis committed, in that inappropriate extermination, that

inappropriate blaming... (Further Along the Road Less Traveled,M. Scott Peck M.D.)

Our jails are filled with people who are there preciselybecause they do not have any guilt, or do not have enough guilt.We need a certain amount of guilt in order to exist in society...(Further Along the Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck M.D.,copyright 1993, Touchstone Publishing)

It is easy to play the blaming game rather than takingresponsibility for ourselves and moving on to a more positive andrealistic path. In prison I meet a lot of individuals who alwaysattempt to justify themselves by placing the burden of evil on GodHimself, claiming that since God created all things then He musthave created evil as well and therefore all of the evil and sufferingin the world is a result of God creating it, therefore God is toblame! In most cases when I attempt to offer an intelligent andeducated explanation to this seemingly mysterious concept wecall evil and its origin, they do not want an answer at all, rather their question is to seek support for what they have alreadydetermined to be the answer in their own mind. Any attempt toenlighten them is of course a wasted gesture. There is an oldsaying, A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinionstill. How true that is?

However, for the reader of this current exposition, I willattempt to answer the question.

The rise of evil is not so much a creation but a result of free-will. When God created the angels and later mankind as well, Hebestowed within and upon all of us free-will. If not for free-will wewould all be like robots and slaves without any responsibility to beheld accountable for our actions. When God granted all of His


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creatures the gift of free-will (free thinking) He left all of us free tomake our own choices. Yet He also instilled within and upon Hiscreatures an instinctual code of morality as well.

Since God is Love and desiring love in return, then it wasnecessary that His creatures have total and complete freedom of thought and freedom of choice! Anything less would not haveresulted in true love and worship from the angels or mankind.

God takes no pleasure from a forced allegiance. However,freewill also opened the door for evil and rebellion from Hiscreatures as well if they chose such a path. God knew the danger involved of course, yet He recognized the necessity of allowing itto proceed according to the ultimate divine purpose and plan. Godis in the process of creating a perfect and holy divine familythrough those who choose willingly to repent and serve Himthrough Jesus Christ (who is our example first born of the divineplan; see 1 Peter 2:5, Romans 8:29, and Colossians 1:15-18).

Of course this explanation has been given from my ownunderstanding, so I will now offer my readers a more respectedand educated answer from one of our classical Philosophers of Antiquity:

Title: The Consolation of Philosophy

By: Amicus Manlius Severinus Boethius; born 480 A.D. and

executed in 524 A.D. for sharing his philosophy.

Subject:God and free will

. . Much of the discussion focuses on the question of howhumans could have free will, the capacity for genuine choice over what they do, and yet at the same time there could be a God who


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knows in advance precisely what they will in fact do. Without freewill there cannot be rational action; yet if God can see what weare going to do, it is not at all clear in what sense we genuinelyfree to exercise choice. 1

Philosophys answer to this conundrum in part turns on thedistinction between predestination and foreknowledge. Those whobelieve in predestination argue that God has brought it about thatcertain events will inevitably happen in the future. Philosophyargues that Gods knowing that certain choices will be made doesnot cause those things to happen human beings can still make achoice. So divine foreknowledge is compatible with genuinechoice for humans since knowing what will happen does notpredestine it to happen.

And yet it might seem that if God knows in advance what wewill choose, our apparent choice is an illusion, not really free will,but the fantasy of it.

Philosophys response to this line of criticism is that our idea of foreknowledge erroneously, but understandably, rests on humanexperience of time. But God is not like us in important respects. Inparticular God is outside time, His foreknowledge is comparableto our knowledge of the present: past, present and future are allas one to Him. Our perception of what is happening now doesntmake what is happening happen. Nor then does Godsforeknowledge wipe out the possibility of genuine free choiceabout what we do. Our mistake is to think of Gods relation to timeas like our own. God is aware of everything that has happened, ishappening, and will happen.

Philosophy ends the book by exhorting Boethius to virtuesince he is living in the sight of judge who, from a position outsidetime sees and knows everything. (Excerpt from; Philosophy: TheClassics, 2nd Ed., by Nigel Warburton; Published by Routledge)


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This intelligent man Boethius was executed for hisconvictions and in that sense he is worthy of our respect. Theproblem with most criminals who lack wisdom is they make themistake of thinking that they are smarter than everyone else

which is why they always, and eventually, get caught! When youtake into consideration Murphys Law (whatever can go wrong,will go wrong) and the reality of ~karma (what goes around,comes around) one wonders why any intelligent criminal wouldchoose to continue in a life of crime anyway?

I speak from experience, because it took me over half my lifeto figure this out. Even if we consider life from a worldlyperspective, one has to ask the question, What is the purpose of life? The answer is (or should be) to be happy and successful!However, for those who would choose to be a gangsta areknowingly choosing unhappiness and failure because everybodyknows there is no future in becoming a gangsta except prison or death! Yet many people choose this kind of self-destruction andanti-social life every day.

The illegal sales of drugs is alluring because it represents aquick and easy profit minus hard work and you get to be your ownboss in the process without sacrificing a little of the ego or pridefor having to take orders from someone else who holds a positionof authority.

However, a drug dealers prosperity is always short lived due tothe nature of the business itself. If someone else doesnt kill you,you will eventually be taken down by one of your own customerswho will be used as a witness to set you up and testify againstyou in court. Understand, the drug dealer doesnt get caughtbecause someone snitched on him (thats going to happenanyway) the drug dealer gets caught because he chose to selldrugs! Now he finds himself in prison living on $20 a month andtaking orders from people who have absolute authority over himtelling him when he can eat, sleep, stand, or use the restroom!And if you ask him if, while he was making all that quick and easy


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money, did he put any on the side for attorney fees later on, mostof the time his answer will be No, because he didnt think that hewould get caught. Go figure!

Hear, 0 my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; Ihave led thee in right paths.. .Take fast hold of instructions; let her not go; keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of thewicked, and go not in the way of the evil man. Avoid it, pass notby it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except theyhave done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless theycause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, anddrink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shininglight, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.(Proverbs 4:10-11, 13-19)

The criminal always blames his capture and failure onsomeone or something else never realizing that his choices andhis failure to remember God are what cause him to stumble andfall:

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. (Job 5:12)

The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. (Psalm14:1)

As Dr. Peck stated before, ignorance is an active term, aresult of choosing to ignore or deny ones own evil nature(shadow). This helps us to better understand what Jesus meant inthe Gospel of John:

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deedswere evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither


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cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he thatdoeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be mademanifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:19-21)

In preparation for this manuscript, I decided to do a littleresearch in the facility library on Criminology itself. I did not wantmy own observations and experiences of crime and the criminalmentality to be based solely on my own understanding whichhowever substantiated may be fraught with ignorance. I thereforechose two books in particular that I felt addressed the issues athand quite eloquently. These two books are as follows:

1. Theoretical Criminology, Third Edition; by George B~ VoIdand Thomas J. Bernard, copyright 1958, 1979, 1986, byOxford Press University)

2. Correctional Treatment, Theory and Practice, by ClemensBartollas, copyright 1985, by Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Using these two books as a main point of reference alongwith several other sources I was able to formulate (with Godsguidance) a fairly enlightening and accurate understanding of crime, criminals, the justice system and Gods grace.

What soon became apparent to me after only a brief examination of the material selected is that there really are noanswers to this problem we call crime and the criminals whocommitit. After all is said and done, the experts cannot offer any concreteexplanations or solutions to the problem of Americas rising crimerate. No matter how much money, time and energy is spent, thecriminal justice system cannot stop the rise of crime and chaos inour streets:

Although rehabilitation programs were found to benefit offendersin a variety of ways, in general these programs did not appear toaffect recidivism.., this finding indicates that participation in


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rehabilitation programs apparently has little effect on whether acriminal does or does not return to crime. It does not necessarilymean, however, that most criminals do return to crime...(Theoretical Criminology, chapter eighteen)

In recent years most criminology theories have focused onsocial factors as causes of criminal behaviors. Given the presentstate of empirical research, it seems reasonable to conclude thatthis present focus is appropriate. A substantial majority of criminals are apparently biologically and psychologically normalindividuals whose criminal behaviors arise because they areplaced in particular kinds of social situations... (TheoreticalCriminology, chapter nineteen)

While I will not attempt to examine all of the fields of research related to criminology in this current work, I will onlyattempt to touch base on the more pertinent issues that I feel arethe core of the problem.

Further research can be pursued individually as a matter of personal interest as the reader desires. I will say however that thefield of research is extensive and involves many differentbranches all connected to the same tree. These include, but arenot limited to the following: spiritual explanations-naturalexplanations-criminal behavior as freely chose-criminal behavior as caused... These categories involve such issues as: Theoriesrelated to intelligence-biological factors-personality disorders-poverty and inequality factors... in conclusion to all of thesefactors or ~causes there is always inconclusive evidence andquestions concerning the validity to any one cause or causes.

Over the years Ive noticed a change in the personality andthe demeanor of the younger generation entering the justicesystem. They seem to be increasingly more violent and ignorantlacking severely in attention and reading skills. They arenoticeably more angry and confused, arrogant and devoid of anynormal feelings of remorse. They seem to have no direction or


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of injustice in dealing with it. Prosecutors are concerned morewith the conviction of criminals than they are with Truth andAppropriate Justice. When I say appropriate justice (from aBiblical perspective), should always be tempered with Mercy.

Mercy and truth preserve the King (Judge): and his throne(bench) is upholding by mercy. (Proverbs 20:28 *italics mine)

Prison and correctional institutions are designedunintentionally, to ensure that the criminal learns his or her values and behaviors by associating with other criminals. Justplacing all criminals together results in prisons serving as aschool for crime.

Once out of prison, ex-offenders often find it hard to get theopportunities needed for successful change. In a country thatemphasizes material gain as the standard for determining onesself worth, a young man just getting out of prison and alreadyplagued with feelings of low self-worth will not accept living inpoverty for very long. Frustrated, they often feel that crime is theonly thing they can turn to in order to escape the hopelessness of poverty.

The poor and less well educated are also more likely to beinvolved in crimes of violence (a result of living in violent andturbulent neighborhoods), which increases the probability of aharsher prison sentence. The justice system places moreemphasis on punishment rather than treating the problem(because just warehousing inmates is less expensive thantreatment programs, but the consequences of rising crime and theburden on tax payers becomes worse in the end).

Psychologists point out that most juvenile delinquentchildren and adult offenders suffer from what is termed,Psychopathic Personality Disorder (anti-social).


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Reviews of the use of personality tests sometimes concludethat most criminals fall into one of three personality types: theneurotic or conflicted offenders, who is characterized by someform of mental illness; the unsocialized or psychopathic offender,

who lacks any feelings of guilt; and the normal offenders, whosecriminality is derived from close social ties to other offenders...(Theoretical Criminology, Third Edition, chapter seven)

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Anti-socialcriminal is the extreme resentment and hostility towards authority(especially law enforcement and correctional officers). Thishostility goes far beyond normal resentment that a functionalperson may have (because we all harbor some form of resentment towards authority at certain times). In prison thecorrectional officer is not recognized by the anti-social offender asa responsible citizen performing a duty necessary for the safetyand security of society. On the contrary, the anti-social offender esteems the officer as the enemy and the cause of his, theoffenders, discomfort and pain. As a result, the anti-social criminaldirects all of his frustration and rage at the officer as a means torelease the turmoil he has bottled up inside himself.

In my younger years I also harbored such feelings of rageand resentment towards the correctional officers as well. Myattitude and my understanding began to take on a more realisticand positive perspective when I began to embrace the teachingscontained in the Bible:

" Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For thereis no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained by God.Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance

of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselvesdamnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to theevil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which isgood, and thou shalt have praise of the same; for he is theminister of God to thee for good. but if though do that which isevil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the


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minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doethevil. (Romans 13:1-4)

This does not mean to imply that corruption and injustice

does not exist within prison and government; abuse andindifference to personal and due process rights does indeed exist:

Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and byslow operation, perverted it into tyranny. (Thomas Jefferson, 3rdPresident of the United States I 1743-1826:)

Correctional administrators also frequently abuse the authoritygiven to them by denying the due process rights of inmates.Frogel believes that one of the most fruitful ways the prison canteach the non law-abiders to be law abiding is to treat them in alaw abiding manner. (Correctional Treatment, Theory andPractice, #3)

However, above and beyond this corruption and abuse of power, the justice system is honorable and worthy of our respect.There has to be a balance, a reckoning force between the forcesof evil and chaos. The whole purpose in society coming together as one and forming a government is to bring order out of chaosso that mankind can live in peace and harmony!

Sadly in todays world all we have in our streets is chaos andmurder. Society pushes this rising problem onto the already over burdened justice system and expects the problem to just go away.however, unless society as whole comes together and puts realeffort and finances into treating the problem, then the endresults are going to be far worse than what we already see as aserious problem in and of itself. Humiliation and harassment bysome correctional officers intent on provoking the already angryand unsocialized offender is a common practice in prison;especially on segregated units where the inmates are confinedbehind closed doors twenty four hours a day. This kind of


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programs which are highly structured and rigid. (Craft,Stephenson, and Granger, 1964: Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, 1985)

I think it very crucial that efforts be focused on reaching our troubled youth and giving them the understanding and skillsneeded to free themselves from how their dysfunctional family or environment has conditioned them to become anti-social people:

Conduct Disorders; A group cfdiagnoses commonly givento children and adolescents who are referred for Psychiatricevaluation and treatment because of anti-social behavior...

Categorization; DSM-1 11 categorizes conduct disordersaccording to the presence or Absence of Aggression in the anti-social child, and as to whether or not the child is socialized. TheAggressive Conduct Disorder child violates the rights of others byeither physical violence against persons or property (e.g.,vandalism, rape, fire setting or thefts outside the home whichinvolve confrontation with the victim)...

Undersocialized, Aggressive; These patients will be seento have a high degree of egocentrism with no meaningfulrelationships. Their orientation toward others is in terms of whatthey can get from the other person, giving nothing in return. TheAggressive Anti-social behavior may take the form of bullying,physical aggression, and cruelty toward peers. Toward adultsthey may be hostile, verbally abusive, defiant, and negative (non-goal directed)...

These individuals have often experienced parental rejection,frequently alternating with unrealistic overprotection, especiallyfrom the consequences of their behavior.. .the child is labeled abad kid, and punishment at this time invariably increases themaladapted expression of rage. There is also persistent enuresisto an advanced age.


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Typically, these individuals are described as hostile,provocative, and uncooperative... (Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, Edited by David G. Benner, copyright 1985)

This behavior is carried over into adulthood by the anti-social:

In adulthood these behaviors usually continue . . .anti-socialbehavior continues, apparently compulsively, usually evidencedby a growing police record... (Anti-social Personality Disorder,Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, 1985)

If we as a society do not treat this problem while the child isstill young and impressionable, then we will have to deal with itwhen they are adults and less likely to be reached by the voice of reason.

America is called the Land of the Free yet people are afraid tostep out of their own house for fear of being assaulted or murdered by some young ignorant gang banger who knowsnothing about life other than what we as a society have taughtthem to see, violence, greed, dishonesty, sex, etc... Americahouses more criminals than any other country in the world, maybeeven Russia itself. We as a people need to address this problemnow, by ourselves as a community. We dont need moregovernment, we need leadership and action. We need to focusour resources and give up some of our everyday luxuries andwasteful spending. We need to teach our children about moralvirtue and bestow a sense of self-worth within themselves that isnot based on what one has but on who one is! We need to holdthe media and entertainment industry responsible for the contentand the images that they are shoving down our childrens throats!As an American citizen you need to know your position as aSovereign individual.

The Constitution of the United States declares you to be asovereign individual created in Gods image and government


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In the United States the people are sovereign and thegovernment cannot sever its relationship to the people by takingaway their citizenship. (Afroyim vs. Rusk, 387 U.S. 253, (1967))

We have stacked the whole of all our political institutionsupon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon thecapacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to controlourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the TenCommandments of God. (James Madison, 4th President of theUnited States)

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men arecreated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certainunalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and thepursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governmentsare instituted among men, deriving their just powers from theconsent of the governed, that whenever any form of governmentbecomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people toalter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying itsfoundation on such principles and organizing its powers in suchform, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety andhappiness. (The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776:)

This is not a call to incite rebellion or anarchy; this is a callfor conscious awareness; a call for action through appropriatelitigation.. .ln a court of Law, if you do not know and exerciseyour rights, then you have no rights!

The use of physical force against established government both

civil and federal only creates opportunity for Martial Law which

gives even more delegated power to the government to control

your life, as long as this current government exists under the

Constitution of 1776 then it remains bound by it, and you have the


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power to litigate in a Court of Law any and all violations contrary

to the U.S. Constitution.

There is an old saying:

Mental prowess will always overcome brute force in theend...

For those inmates who may be reading this, let me breakthat word down for you:

Prowess; 1. Strength, skill, and courage, especially inbattle. 2. A daring and valiant deed. (Funk and WagnallsStandard Dictionary)

Notice I said, mental prowess, not physical!

Change for me was a direct result of God working in my lifethrough a desire to understand truth.. .Jesus stated:

And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make youfree. (John 8:32)

The truth that sets you free is knowing who you are and whyyou are. who are you? you are a man created in the image of God(spiritually). As the image of God you are governed not by instinctalone~ but by reason of free thought, freedom to choose, Why areyou? you are because God loves you:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowedupon us, that we should be called the Sons of God: therefore theworld knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now arewe the Sons of God, and doth not yet appear what we shall be:but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for


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Criminal Justice and the Grace of God