PIML 96062505 / Forwarded to Patriot Information Mailing List: [So this is what it's like to live in a police state.] PIML =================================================================== From: "Cravens, Roger D." Subject: U.S. v. Grandma Date: Mon, 24 Jun 96 13:57:00 EST Outrageous! Congress needs to repeal these forfeiture laws immediately. This is not because I advocate drug use, but because U.S. Government agents as well as local law enforcement authorities have so abused this law, that it is now time to repeal this and use some other method of defense against drug traffickers. Roger Cravens Atlanta, GA Subj: Re: GRLR's Book Review Date: 96-06-21 23:40:26 EDT From: GRLR@aol.com This is one way I have been trying to help reform the civil seizure and forfeiture laws. The law is not being used entirely for what it was intended, primarilly because there is no provision in it for proof or absent/innocent owner protection. Charles Miller. Book Review: by Kathy Bergman March 1996 F.E.A.R. Chronicles / Forfeiture Endangers American Rights U.S. v. GRANDMA In October of 1989, Mary Miller's youngest son was indicted by a midwestern grand jury for trafficking in marijuana. Over the next four years, Mary was forced to pay, literally, for her son's crimes. Never charged with a crime herself, 75 year old Mary Miller had $70,000 in cash, her home and several pieces of rental property seized by the federal government, because they believed she knew of her son's crimes. Her money, the government said, was not her life's savings as she claimed, but rather, the ill-gotten gains of Toby Miller's life of crime. In fact, she couldn't use the old dates on the cash for her own evidence because the FBI had destroyed it by depositing it into a bank. Her real estate, the government went on to reason, was used to "facilitate" Toby's crimes when he lived as a tenant in Mary's duplex, and therefore should be forfeited also. >From October 1989 through August 1995, 122 newspaper headlines in a small midwestern city focused on Mary Miller's troubles. Her oldest son, Charles, and his family were subjected to local scrutiny and discussion also. In an attempt to regain his mother's property by producing an accurate chronologic record, Charles Miller set about detailing the facts surrounding Mary Miller's forfeitures, which eventually resulted in a book he titled U.S. v. Grandma. Because we were so impressed with Mr. Miller's first-hand account of his battle with the forfeiture squads on behalf of his innocent mother, F.E.A.R. has agreed to publish a soft-back version of U.S. v Grandma. Purchase this book and use it to educate yourself to the realities of how our country's forfeiture laws are being used. Then, call or write your Congressman and Senators and demand they change the law. In fact, why not purchase a second book for your legislators, and request they read it! U.S. vs. Grandma is available for $15 from F.E.A.R. Foundation, 20 Sunnyside, Suite A-204, Mill Valley, CA 94941. 1-415-388-8128 http://www.fear.org Congress names and addresses in Washington DC can be had at 1-202-224-3121 =================================================================== * Patriot Information Mailing List * http://constitution.org/piml/piml.htm * A service to help inform those who have an active interest in * returning our federal and state governments to limited, * constitutional government * Send messages for consideration and possible posting to * butterb@sagenet.net (Bill Utterback). * To subscribe or unsubscribe, send message with subject line * "subscribe patriot" or "unsubscribe patriot" * Forwarded messages sent on this mailing list are NOT verified. * See World's Smallest Political Quiz: www.self-gov.org/quiz.html * Libertarian is to LIBERTY as librarian is to library (DePena) * PIML grants permission to copy and repost this message * in its entirety with headers and trailers left intact.