Wednesday, August 20, 2008

David Olofson Update

From Dave and Pat Olofson:

Hello everyone.

Please feel free to pass this message to those who will care.

I would like to pass on an update on David, as I see it has been more than four weeks since the last.

He tells us he is doing fine, and we have been getting about one call a week, so it is good to hear from him. He is trying to help others when he is in the law library. I remind him not to let his guard down or become complacent, as I’m sure they will be looking for an opportunity to go after him for anything else they can. He says he is losing weight with all the free time, exercise and the great food they have.

All packages are now being received that we now know the proper methods of sending: Letters can be no more than 10 pages. I have started to print on both sides, that way we get twice the bang per stamp: 5 pages cost the standard .42/1oz.envelope. 10 pages cost .59/2oz.envelope, both being first class postage. I try and send him an average of 5 per week, and he looks forward to it every day. I challenge all of you to send him something once a week. Believe me it will not be too much.

Magazines and soft cover books are best/recommended shipping from a commercial book store. This method is preferred and quicker to get to him. You may have to look for a store to work with you as some will not ship if not purchased from them. And yes to buy new mags from a store so they can ship them would be expensive, but we might do a book that is on special. USPS has worked but it must be marked on the outside what it is: i.e. ‘soft covered magazines’ or soft covered books’, or it will be returned to you. I have sent books at book rate and it is very reasonable, as long as you box and wrap at home. If you purchase your box, bubble wrap & tape at the post office it will cost 3-4x more, I’ve tested it both ways and you do not want to do it at the post office if you don’t have to. Be reasonable on what you send him and please use common sense, as it will be reviewed and censored ‘appropriately’. I know he would like every gun and shooting mag out there, but they will only end up in the wrong hands. I know it shouldn’t make a difference, but it does. And nothing sexist or racist will not go thru to him and will again only end up in the wrong hands. Fishing he loves, computers he loves (which I am sure is driving him crazy), any sportsman/outdoors magazine and any good car mag would do the trick.

He has told me that the GOA fund has made its first payments from their Olofson fund toward his mortgage and auto. He sincerely thanks you all for your support and GOA’s efforts to help him and his family. Thank you, thank you and thank you. He worries daily about his family, but indicated that it was a tremendous relief for his wife when the payments went thru. Thank you, all of you and we hope your efforts and prayers continue, because YOU DO make a difference. If not YOU, then who?

The briefs will be submitted to the court of appeals next week. But as you may already know the govt has 30 days to respond, and then the defense gets another, I believe, 14 days to respond to them. David has had a chance to read over transcripts and information that his past attorneys would not give to him, gee I wonder why?? He now knows why! He says we will be surprised, and most probably outraged when these are made known. But what will this court do with it? I truly hope more than the last court. I’m sorry that I do not have more that I can tell you, but he is doing as his new defense is telling him, and as they have said, they do not want to tell the govt any more or sooner than they have to. If I were you I would check regularly on GOA, as I’m sure Larry Pratt will comment on it and/or post it after they are submitted, and rightly so.

Have you written your congressman, USAG, FBI or the President lately?? I just had a short visit with mine. See if yours is having their town meetings and make sure he knows where you stand, in addition be sure and ask him where he and congress stand!! I’ll send you a note in a couple of days on my encounter. He did not have to do any research on the issue, as I gave him copies of what he would need.

It is driving me crazy not being able to do anything, but I am going to work on that solution as well. I hope you will all join me in David’s continued support in righting this injustice. You have no idea out outraged we get and how much sleep we have lost, when even your own family members believe, and or thru their silence are saying ‘if the govt says he did something then he must have’, ….and we get, you know that uncontrollable urge you have to slap them along side the head to try and wake them up!!

Possibly you have already seen this. I have not. So I thought I would pass it along any way. (Ironic the timing of certain things isn’t it?) I just received this from my long distance cousin Punk, distant in miles but close to the heart:

[Click on this link for "I Don't Carry a Gun" by Syd at Front Sight Press]

After reading this I feel very sad that I could not carry a gun in the open for all of those reasons. This only adds to how I see how sorry our state of affairs are.

Once again thank you all for your support and we hope you will all continue to keep this in the spot light. As I read all the different blogs it surprises me even today how many people still do not get the significance of what this case has done to their 2nd amendment rights!

Regards,

Dave and Pat Olofson

[More on David Olofson from WarOnGuns]

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

God bless and protect these great people.
And all those like them.

Anonymous said...

Glad to know that the money is helping to cover David's family's basic needs. What a government we have. They trump up charges against someone, stick him with incompetent legal counsel, railroad him into prison and to hell with his family.

I'd like to think that everyone who reads this would chip in the cost of a Big Mac each week to help out - but I know that most people in the shooting community are selfish bastards who blow hot and don't actually DO anything... and that includes YOU if you're reading this and haven't signed up to help out!

Anonymous said...

has had a chance to read over transcripts and information that his past attorneys would not give to him, gee I wonder why?? He now knows why! He says we will be surprised, and most probably outraged when these are made known.

Ok, stupid question - why would a defense attorney not share information with a client?

And count me as being proud to chip in to the fund to help out David's family.