As former Chaplain of the Second Amendment PD (In Cyberspace), I was recently approached concerning the Chris and Trudy Sherburne family case which unfolded in Hesperia, San Bernardino County, California. This area is in the jurisdiction of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. This article is a personal commentary by me on the situation, but immediate background information and the legalities of the case can be attained here:

       The Sherburne Family Story
       [ http://www.freeyucaipa.com/sherb.htm — Internet Archive.org ]

       At this point, with the information I have available, I have researched this particular case to the best of my ability. From all inward testimony, from the friends and associates of these people, they were a law-abiding family that was targeted specifically for their beliefs, life-style, and their family business of selling clothing, survival foods, and military souvenirs at Gun Shows and swap meets. Wait ... survival foods and military souvenirs? Gun shows ... ?

       Yikes!! “Militia types!”

       Or we can look at this analytically. At this point, I really have no reason whatsoever to question their benevolence, for a variety of reasons, the least being these people hadn’t isolated themselves from society but were accountable to their community and church. It seems one of their primary objectives, as a family, was simply to aid overseas Christians, “... especially the holocaust in Sudan. For more than eighteen months we’ve been stopped by our government officials from helping send necessary medicines, garden tools, and Bibles, to the victims.” And as the news accounts state, with the various charges against these people quickly falling by the wayside quite unfounded, neither does the Local LE framework and criminal justice system. Yet, Chris Sherburne remains incarcerated in a maximum security institution.

       I've seen situations like this family's before. This particular case and scenario, at this point, has been ongoing. It was initiated right about the end of the Clinton/Reno era. So does this surprise anybody? The "PROJECT MEGIDDO" document generated by the Reno DOJ, posted on my personal site for anybody who still wants to take the time to read it (with accompanying articles) is a perfect example of how an American administration can quickly turn hostile against a particular group of people. In the case of the leftist/liberal Clinton/Reno administration and DOJ, the fury of the American government and federal LE community was unleashed against the whole of the Conservative community, especially after the Clinton Presidential impeachment hearings and trial. Christian, Conservative, Republican, Patriot, Militia, pro-Second Amendment, plain red-blooded American—whatever tag floats your boat, they were in the crosshairs.

       I would like to review a few things with the reader as we examine this family’s plight. Too often a campaign like this is taken up by well-meaning folks without focusing on and attacking the core reasons for the circumstances happening in the first place. That is pointless, as these situations will only continue to happen again and again.

LAW ENFORCEMENT TRENDS AND THE EXTREMIST LEFT.

       In his article, “Propagandizing the Police,” William Norman Grigg writes, in part:

       “Leftist "watchdogs" posing as experts on extremism are advising police agencies in "preemptive" law enforcement. The resulting dragnet will increasingly target law-abiding gun owners, pro-lifers, homeschoolers, and other foes of the total state.”

       Under the heading, “Political Profiling” in the same article, he continues:

       “The Connecticut gun-seizure law and the accelerating drive for pre-emptive federal action against "hate groups" suggest that "political profiling" of the sort conducted by the AJC, ADL, Chip Berlet, and other "watchdogs" will become a civil liberties issue. With law enforcement agencies depending upon committed leftists and unreconstructed revolutionaries for intelligence on domestic enemies, the anti-"extremist" dragnet would gather from many kinds—including patriotic, law-abiding Americans whose sole "offense" would be a commitment to the U.S. Constitution and national independence.

       Lest this prediction be dismissed as hyperbole, it is useful to describe once again the case of John J. Nutter of the Ohio-based Conflict Analysis Group, an "expert" on "right-wing extremism" who has taught seminars for law enforcement officers in several states. ...Nutter (borrowing a theme originally found in the AJC’s Authoritarian Personality study) describes "right-wing extremism" as a "lightning rod for the mentally disturbed" and says that it threatens "assassination, mass murder, and armed uprising."

       Nutter lists as "danger signs" of potentially lethal "extremism" such things as possession of "extremist literature"... The display of "firearms lapel pins, bumper stickers or window decals about the New World Order, Clinton Communism, ‘I fear the government that fears my gun,’" and the like. Police are also advised to be wary of citizens who display "excessive concern" over the federal government’s massacre of the Branch Davidians, the murderous federal assault upon the Randy Weaver family in Idaho, or similar abuses of power. Of particular concern, insists Nutter, are "strong proponents of the Second Amendment" who believe in the ‘right of individuals to possess ‘arms’ and are ‘fearful of any limitations on weaponry.’”

       Under this psychological work-up, the Second Amendment PD (In Cyberspace), as an example, an organization comprised of active duty and retired professional law enforcement personnel, would be suspect! This is nothing but bald-faced demonization of one group of people and blatant fear-mongering, transparently so to anybody with any shred of analytical, critical thinking skills.

       Retired LASD Deputy Joe Horn, in his own article, “Political Profiling,” commenting on one particular FBI Bulletin on “extremism,” writes this:

       “I'm going to dub this new form of discrimination Political Profiling. Is that better than racial profiling? I think it's much worse, because it has changed the 1st Amendment Right of free speech and the expression of ideas into a mushy form of Probable Cause as well as endangering innocent citizens by telling Police Officers that these stickers indicate "extremists" with violent tendencies towards LEOs.

       This possibility is raised in the officer's mind by no more than the FBI Bulletin below, pronouncing that presence of a decal indicating membership in a 2nd Amendment Civil Rights organization is *really* extremist with violent or dangerous tendencies. Advocacy of the Bill of Rights, or portions thereof, are indicators of "extremism." Hmmmmm.

       Golly, I know lots of cops with NRA stickers or "I'm the NRA" stickers. Better get out the scrapers, guys and gals. Anyone remember the "off the pigs" stickers from the 60s and 70s? They were characterized as "anti-police." Now, NRA type stickers are anti-government and indicate VIOLENT POTENTIAL.

       Mercy, times do change!

       Aren't stickers advertising your sentiments the opposite of furtive and sneaky? Aren't they still legal under the 1st? I guess Sierra Club stickers mean there's a Ted Kaczinsky (UNABOMBER) behind the wheel and there are bombs in the vehicle. I'm sure glad doper gangbangers don't have NRA stickers on their rides. They're probably not "extreme" as NRA types.. I know they don't account for the national homicide rate and cop shooting like you rank and file NRA and other gun rights organization members do, ya extremists!

       ... I guess a pro-gun sticker will become Probable Cause if it hasn't already in some circles. Free Speech (That's the First Amendment) is sure taking a beating in the closet of Political Correctness.”

       On a more local level, recently, I was informed by a reliable source that active duty law enforcement in California at all levels is still being indoctrinated to give priority to "extremist" groups which hold a Conservative, pro-Constitution philosophy, in opposition to the leftist/socialist/liberal policies of the current California administrations' policies and philosophies.

       To be fair and objective, I have had personal contact with the Christian philosophy based “cult” mentality the Federal government and LE framework is targeting. The real deal. It was an extremely disturbing situation.

THE GATEKEEPERS CULT ~ TEMECULA, CA.

       In 1998, I sent this particular email out in response to a conversation we were having on our personal email list. The individual who is the primary character in this story is named Chris Turgeon, but I have used a pseudonym [JANE] for his wife to protect her dignity and privacy although the bulk of this is public information. To clarify, when I use the term “Church,” I am referring to the Spirit-filled Church, and not the liberal, unbelieving church, which is just a transparent facade to assuage people’s guilty consciences. I have edited parts for brevity:

       “Where I'm coming from on all this, what Salem the Soldier's website and my book, "Setting the Captives Free," why I get uptight in the presence of despair and despondency—fatalism, apocalyptic mindsets, is rooted back in my early years as a Christian and my initial training in Him.

       Read the attached text file (Microsoft Word Viewer .RTF). It's a newspaper article from our local paper that was printed at the beginning of 1998.

       I knew this guy in this article. I talked to him once. Let me lay out some background. I'm editing this new as I go as this was first posted on the Christian Police officer's message board on Christianity Online (AOL).

       Way back when I was sixteen, my Mom entered her third marriage, to a guy who was in the Navy, an officer, a navigator or something. He brought with him one daughter, but had two sons who were in the custody of his first wife. At that time, our family situation was pretty tumultuous, and this guy she married, being a loon, didn't help matters much. Anyway, we kids stuck together pretty close because it was a very tenuous life.

       His daughter's name was JANE and she is the same age as me. I was dating the girl who won me to the Lord at that time also, and she was faithful in her ministry to us. Her, I, and JANE were extremely close. JANE gave her life to the Lord at pretty much the same time I did. As the family situation deteriorated, I broke up with my girlfriend and moved back in with my former stepfather (Mom's failed second marriage) in Riverside County.... It was the Lord Providentially pulling me out of there. Right after I was saved.

       Over the following years, my former girlfriend got married, I got married, and my Mom and JANE's father got divorced pretty quick after I left. JANE disappeared into the maelstrom of life, but we kept in very distant contact. She would call me or my former girlfriend (I don't feel comfortable using her name for the sake of her privacy) every couple of years. She ended up marrying this guy named Chris Turgeon. The last talk I had with her was three years ago, now. She contacted me from Edmond, Washington.

       About ten minutes into the conversation (she was barely coherent and rambling on a lot of things about the Lord and stuff—my "red flags" were flying high and all the emergency bells were going off) she put this guy Chris on the phone. Actually I think he insisted from the muffled whisperings in the background. After about fifteen minutes listening to this guy, it was clear he was way out there on the lunatic fringe. Way out. He went on and on for the next TWO hours trying to convince me how he had obtained unto "perfection," was sinless, and how I was living in sin for a number of reasons (like going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday, etc.). Basically trying to establish a position of authority and superiority over me. I'd come in with a particular portion of Scripture, and he would immediately counter with something else. It was extremely frustrating.

       Then he started explaining to me why he had a run in with the law up there. It had a lot to do with a lot of this common law stuff some of the Patriots are involved in. That's a whole other story. For the sake of brevity, it was one of the most creepy conversations I had ever had in my experience as a Christian. This guy was very disturbed, very self deluded, and an extremist in every sense of the word. In fact, he was a lot of the motivation behind my study of extremist Christian philosophy based groups to start out with, and the reason why I presented Salem the Soldier's Homepage in the manner and format/terminology that I did, as a challenge to it all. After this particular phone conversation I was spiritually drained for two days.

       Needless to say, I didn't even make a dent in this guy. I finally had to hang-up on him because he continued to get more combative and incoherent. I didn't get a chance to talk to JANE after that. I was seriously considering contacting the Edmond PD and asking them to stop by there and make sure she was okay. This guy was extremely irrational and I was thinking she might be being physically abused. But you know how that is, unless there are laws being evidently broken, there is little the local law enforcement agency can do. I know if they had gone over there and asked JANE if she was okay, she would have said yes. So, I called my former girlfriend, we discussed it, and then we prayed over the phone. I decided to let it lay.

       That's when I picked up the paper at the early part of '98 and read the attached article.

       Good... gosh. This was devastating reading for me. You immediately think, "Was there something else I could have done to intervene, to put a stop to it?" I called my former girlfriend and told her about it. She wasn't too surprised. Really, neither was I. Talking to this guy in the first place was a spiritual ordeal, and really, you see it coming, but what can you do outside of pray? They had stayed at my former girlfriend's house with her family for a few days a number of years back, during one of heir previously erratic forays into the area. She was a little alarmed about that. I had NO idea they were back in the area.

       I called the reporter who did the article, and he said that before they found this house they are currently staying at, they were sleeping on the beach right by where my former girlfriend and her family lives. I said they hadn't made contact with her and he said that, yes, Chris kept the group pretty isolated in a bid to maintain control of them (I have no idea how many all together).

       Apparently, the reporter had been talking to JANE right before I called him. I asked him to forward my, and my former girlfriend's, phone number to her (I guess she is still at that "compound" as he termed it) just in case there is some way we could help. Out of concern for our family's security, I have the option of referring her to (our church), as they have the resources and people to deal with this kind of thing. The reporter said this guy Chris was still pulling strings from behind the scenes. The reporter feels that unless this had ended where it did, the possibility for a more extreme, "national news" incident was there (i.e., Waco). Apparently they were pretty well armed.

       This reporter said his own wife was a little freaked out by the whole thing. I laughed and said, yeah, I tend to get that kind of flack.... Yet, it can't be ignored. If we have the resources and talents to confront this type of extremism and lunacy effectively, then moral and civic responsibility demands that we do. Shoot, accountability to God Himself first of all, for the gifts He equips us with. A lot of these people exploit the freedoms of the First Amendment to promote this wild and dangerous stuff. So that leaves the qualified members of the Christian communities they purport to represent to stand up and oppose their error.

       So, I don't know if JANE is ever going to call me or my former girlfriend or what, but I guess I am ready for anything. Even back then she was a timid, submissive thing. I can't imagine what her mental state is, let alone the poor kids (four of them) You know the psychological make-up of abused women. The reporter said she still maintains a strong loyalty to Chris. So how do you let her know this guy will probably never see the light of day ever again? Once they are done with him here, he gets extradited back to Washington. Yet I can tell you, this guy should never be let out again! Firing on that officer was more than enough. I will have to call the reporter to see what happened with the trial. It should have been resolved by now....

       ...Spiritual reality can get pretty harsh sometimes....

       "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) ...."

       In the media accounts, Chris Turgeon stated that at one time he wanted to enter the field of law enforcement. This man was nothing but a two-bit school yard bully and tyrant. Fortunately, he was weeded out in the hiring process. Yet with the lowered hiring standards of the California law enforcement field to meet mandated Affirmative Action hiring quotas and to draw new recruits to a field of employment that few are anxious to join because of the leftist campaign to undermine confidence in the local LE agency and implement Federal oversight, more and more nut-jobs like this will slip through.

       At the Millennium, when the Reno DOJ published the "PROJECT MEGIDDO" document as a reference resource for State and Local law enforcement, it was roundly criticized and condemned as a shallow, superficial, poorly written and researched document, especially to be published under the flag of the FBI. The current turmoils within the FBI belies that, and the internal investigations and oversight that Attorney General John Ashcroft is now implementing shows the depth of the wreckage the Clinton/Reno years wrought on the agency which generated that document, especially the “arrogance” and lack of accountability—a prime opportunity for abuses to take place—in the persona and mindset of the agency.

       But the document did contain much truth and relevance to many of these small, isolated cults and armed groups which are still littered throughout our nation.

       Am I inferring or insinuating the Sherburne family was of the same mindset and intents of the Gatekeepers Cult or any other Christian philosophy based apocalyptic/militant group/organization? Of course not; quite the contrary. I have talked to Mrs. Sherburne on the phone and the difference in heart, mind, and spirit, was immediately evident. (Mrs. Sherburne prayed for me. Chris Turgeon belabored me with a wacked out, two hour deranged tirade on why I was going to burn in Hell for all eternity because I didn’t see things his way.) Clearly these aforementioned scenarios are dealing with people from opposite ends of the spectrum.

       My point is showing that, from a temporal perspective, in the eyes of the law enforcement community, whether on a Local or Federal level, there is absolutely no way for them to differentiate, from outward appearances, who is a potential threat and who is not. So they are compelled to move aggressively and decisively, in the shadow of previous incidents such as the Gatekeepers Cult event, et. al., regardless of civil rights violations.

       Therefore, the Sherburnes, through an unfortunate set of circumstances, were targeted for a pre-emptive, multi-agency, police action to interdict a “possible” domestic terrorism event, aforementioned California and Federal law enforcement agencies involved clearly under the residual influence of the leftist indoctrination as laid out before. The “outward” signs of their residential dwelling as well as their manner of lifestyle, none “illegal,” was politically profiled and triggered the law enforcement judicial/prosecution events, as recorded in a very compliant propaganda—er, press. Chris Sherburnes’ continued imprisonment is clearly the “state” making an example of him and his family. Chris is being held on a charge of "possessing tracer ammo," illegal only in California. Oh, please. How many active duty California cops could be convicted on the same charge?

       Was/is this a “crime” per se? Depends on which way you look at it. The truth is purely subjective these days. It definitely should offend even the most apolitical among us. But the Constitution and the Bill of Rights sure is getting chewed up in the process. And ‘that,’ we are doing to ourselves, the true perpetrators of this “crime” sitting fat and lazy behind a pulpit somewhere.

       As goes the Church, so goes the nation....

“END TIMES” BRAINWASHING, THE CHURCH, AND AMERICA.

       First, I was presented this as a Second Amendment issue. I disagree. True, the Second Amendment and U.S. Constitution is peripheral to this case, but still a superficial aspect. This goes deeper than that. I've stated these things before, but very few listen. The few people in my life who do listen are the same ones who are forward deployed in American culture and the political arena, much more than me, doing battle on behalf of the principles and values we hold dear. Law, Republican government, limited government, the Constitution, etc. Freedom for all Americans. Freedom. All those things the brutal and vicious left-wing and their ambiguous and arbitrary interpretation of the law feel only “extremists” think are worth fighting for. It’s interesting to note, Mrs. Sherburne writes:

       “Did you know that the first parole conditions as amended said Chris can have no contact with “radicals, right-wing groups, or activists.” No definition, of course, was given, leaving wide room for interpretation.”

       Like the Second Amendment PD or the organization’s Chaplain? Chaplain Bill of the Inland Police Officers Coalition writes:

       “The word “extremist” has been thrown around inappropriately by those who do not concur with the other side’s views. I, as a “conservative evangelical Christian,” have been called an “extremist” Christian police officer. Even within the same city hall council chambers of the city I served as a police officer.

       I at first took great offense to that, but later realized that being called an extremist because of my beliefs is quite a compliment.

       The battle is very simple. In the world you have liberals, moderates and conservatives. Within the church you have, wolves (not saved), liberal Christians (which I doubt are saved), moderate Christians (i.e. backslidden or lukewarm) and/or conservative evangelical Christians.

       The Lord commands me to be different, set apart and sanctified from the rest of the non-believing world, not to conform to them (Rom 12: 2).

       The Lord also requires His followers to be very different from the rest of the world. As Paul said I am " ... looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. Titus 2:13-15”

       On the California level, did all this just "happen?"

       Like I have mentioned before—numerous times—at the Davis/Lungren election, 20 percent of the eligible Conservative voting bloc failed to vote! Just didn't show up. Didn't think it was important. Had more important things to do. Now we have the Davis administration and the Lockyer DOJ and a lopsided Socialist philosophy based legislature that mirrors Nazi era Germany in way too many ways; demonizing and marginalizing the Conservative community like the Nazis did the Jews; mandating full firearms restrictions and confiscation as well. Where were the Christians in Germany? Doing the same thing. Going along to get along. Sucking up to the rising Nazi party. More on that in my article, "Questioning the Authorities" linked in the archives on my site

       So who's fault is that, in California—or the nation? Right, it's the fault of every lazy, apathetic, complacent, spoiled, selfish Conservative (Christian or not) California resident who didn't bother to show up to vote in the last election, who does not bother to educate themselves on the issues, who does not think their vote and voice is relevant or important. Who doesn't think "parts" of the US Constitution, like the Second Amendment, are relevant to them. Who doesn’t think, period. And many who think they are politically involved are doing nothing more than abrogating their civic duty by sending money to an organization or coalition who purports to “represent” them and justifying their own inaction by doing so. Then even further, when an individual exercises their most basic civic duty by being informed on the issues and opposing those trends that are extremely hurtful in the long run and contrary to the unique American way of life, they are labeled as an “activist,” a term which in the current lexicon is just left of “extremist” in the understanding of many.

       Or, like I have stated before, numerous times, this complacency and apathy can be traced back to the steady diet of "end-times" teaching that has been pouring from some of the more high profile pulpits in California, a state that boasts some of the biggest Bible-believing churches in the nation. A phenomenon that has filled pews and sold books and tapes and radio and TV time. Where “Left Behind: The Series,” a book and movie depicting the “rapture” and removal of the Church from the world scene, and ensuing apocalyptic events, was on the Christian top seller list for many months and lauded by all, derailing many in the Church into further escapist distraction and cultural impotence.

       What a transparent scheme, producing its inevitable fruit: Despair, fatalism, defeatism and finally, fear. And all are contrary to the Word of God and the unconditional Promises of God. And it is rotten fruit. And it is impacting absolutely every aspect of our culture and society, the schools, law enforcement, et al.

       Open your eyes! Christian men and women gearing up "for the end of the world" in FEAR, enclosed in the iron grip of a self-imposed siege mentality and abandoning the American political and cultural arena (the mandate to preach the Gospel) in defeatism and despair—or pietism if you want to label it that—is wrong, and unBiblical. In our representational form of government that the Lord has graciously ordained that we live under, bought with the blood and sacrifice of the Society of the Warriors, the command of Jesus Christ to "...Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's..." still stands.

       Andrew Sandlin wrote, in "Principled Resistance to Civil Tyranny: One Man's View,"

       "Please understand: in the modern situation, to be politically inert is to refuse to render to Caesar what is his. Representative civil government means we should work to assure that we are properly represented ... For this reason, Christians in the United States, for instance, should spend more time practicing civil obedience (writing, voting, petitioning, working precincts, preaching, praying imprecations, etc.) than civil disobedience (sit-ins, tax revolts, revolutionary militias, and so forth). I repeat: the Bible does indeed justify civil disobedience, but only when civil government prohibits what the Bible requires or requires what the Bible prohibits. We must meet injustice with justice, not greater injustice."

       Yet the Church in America insists on believing the nonsense that "we are living in a post-Christian era" and the excuse and cop-out, "It's the end-times and there is little we can do," and just hold on "till Jesus comes back." Suddenly, the unconditional promises of God are “conditional” on our particular position in the “prophetic timeline.”

       Which is a blatant lie and a bunch of nonsense.

       Finally the salt is lost, activating the true adage that "...If the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." (Matthew 5:13)

       Therefore, from a spiritual perspective, Chris and Trudy Sherburne and family were, and are, like every other group or family like them, being trodden under the feet of men. And the root causes of why that is happening lies in the pulpits of every mainstream, high-profile pulpit in America, as well as the politically inert congregations they cater to. Is God just going to "miracle" that vote in the booth in the direction it should go, as well as placing the right people in the right positions to represent us? And until the Church and the Conservative community in America wakes up and realizes that, and gets off their high hill waiting for the “end,” and gets back in the fight to impact American culture, she shall continue to be relegated to the cultural sidelines and trodden under the feet of men. Those are the repercussions of our actions—or lack thereof.

       An unconditional promise of God states: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  The problem isn't the liberals or the Socialist/Marxists or the anarchists....

       It's us. The Church leadership, the spiritual leadership. The same people that Jesus Christ roundly mocked, condemned, and whipped, in the midst of Roman occupied Israel, an occupation that was Providentially initiated to discipline the nation. Is that being “harsh?” I can hear the gentle chiding and syrupy, gooey admonition right now, more than likely from a “pastor.”

       “Hey, brother, were’s the ‘love’? Where’s the ‘love’ ... ?”

       Spare me. Tell it to the Sherburnes. I would have liked to have seen those who would scold me so, directing the same admonition against the LORD as He drove the money changers out of the temple (John 2:15), as He laid the same whip of small cords across their own backs. It has been said, it is better to tell the truth that hurts and heals, rather than falsehood that comforts and kills. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:6)

       There were innocent people being grievously hurt back then. There is innocent people being hurt now, impacted as they were then, by theirs, and our, wicked ways. Our wicked ways: The apathy, fear, and fatalism that we insist on clinging to like a life raft, in refusing to face the challenges of our times and taking a principled stand in the face of this PC tyranny.

TO THE SHERBURNES.

       As Chaplain of the 2AMPD, I am irresolute to "take up" this particular cause, even though these people did nothing wrong, because it would be dealing with a symptom and not the cure. This has happened to the Sherburnes, and will happen again and again.  First to the individuals mainstream society classifies as the “fringe,” until it finally reaches into the “comfort” zone of the complacent and comfortable in the Church in America. The fancy churches with the video screens and polished preachers, the SUV’s scattered throughout the parking lot and the trendy music wafting over the high-tech sound systems and live Internet hook-ups. By then, it will be too late. It’s already happening, especially in California, and the sound of alarm has become nothing more than background noise to a people lacking qualified, aggressive leadership in the right way to go.

       Rather, as a minister of God, recognized as such by Biblical authority and respected in the eyes of the men of valor and renown who I company with, I simply issue an apology to the Sherburne Family on behalf of the Church in America:

       Chris and Trudy Sherburne and family, I am truly sorry. I am sorry that you have had to endure such injustice and misery. I am sorry because it was all avoidable. I am truly sorry because we, as the Church, the physical representation of His spiritual Body in this nation and world, have so failed you, and not only you, but anybody else like you who has been unfortunate enough to be targeted like this. We, the leadership in the Church, have failed to maintain a balance and have cast aside the Promises and Power of God for a few pieces of silver. We have taught escapism and not civic responsibility; fatalism and not proactive combat faith. We have abandoned this nation to a fatalistic inevitability and destruction that stands in stark contrast to the peace, healing, and true prosperity that is promised—promised—throughout the canon of scripture. We have filled our churches with a tepid, weak, fearful, and selfish sort, detoured with the provocative and sensational, while the leadership scurries home with their mammon in the bank ... and the nation dies around them, “right on schedule.”

       Maybe you can take this simple and so inadequate commentary and run with it. Maybe somebody in a better suited position than me to help you can take it and run with it.

CONCLUSION.

       In his commentary, “Ceausescu is Dead: Long Live Ceausescu!,” Franklin Sanders states this:

       “Encourage fellow Christians to observe the Ninth Commandment (The Ninth Commandment forbids us to bear false witness, but also ‘requires’ us to believe the best of our Christian brothers. We are obliged to defend their character) whenever government attacks a Christian brother or sister (or any fellow citizen). Accusation is one thing, proof of guilt another. (Today, even a conviction is becoming a less and less reliable indicator of guilt.) The government's Ceausescu tactics won't work unless the community abandons the victim. Oppressors need the protection of the dark: they can't stand the light. It never hurts to protest oppression by insistent but respectful letters to your state and federal representatives and senators as well as judges and prosecutors.”

       Has anybody of reputation and caliber from the community and area affected contacted California Senator Pete Knight's office about this, and made an appointment? How about any of the other Conservative heavy-hitters in the California legislature; Haynes, Mountjoy, and McClintock? Where's the feedback on that? If not, a complaint needs to be filed with the United States Department of Justice on behalf of these people. There are many loose ends in this case that need to be addressed. A face-to-face appointment with someone in a position of authority to initiate a final resolution to this is clearly long overdue

          The Sherburne Family saga has been ongoing now for over three years, yet little has been accomplished in the Christian/Conservative community to see that this situation—clearly riddled with legal irregularities—is resolved.  I was also told the Pacific Justice Institute, an organization formed to handle this sort of thing, declined to accept the case because "Chris Sherburne did plead guilty to a felony."

       Yet, Chaplain Bill states, "In the court system, when a person is arrested or charged, they are assigned a PD (Public Defender).  What happens all too often is the PD in the majority of the cases asks their clients to "plead out," to a lessor charge, and the client agrees because they don't want to deal with the court battle.  Public defenders have a heavy case load and they want to get it resolved expeditiously.  They get paid regardless (with taxpayer dollars), but all too often the majority of cases are plead out, when realistically they can win some of them. 'Some' PD's also plead them out without properly advising their clients of the long term repercussions of pleading guilty to the lessor charge (not being able to own a firearm for example), instead opting for the short term solution.  They resolve the case and keep the defendant from being convicted of the more serious charge, yet don't inform them of the serious long term consequences of doing so."

       A stated in the above article by Franklin Sanders, "...even a conviction is becoming a less and less reliable indicator of guilt."  I believe this is what happened with the Sherburne miscarriage of justice.  

       It is this same type of situation, the "Oh, well, that's just the way it is" apathy that prevailed in pre-Nazi Germany, the indifference and complacency by the Church as yet another trainload of Jews were dispatched to the death camps and mainstream Christianity just couldn't be bothered, and if they were, the protest was token and superficial.  Will this complacency prevail today as it is one of our own?

       In closing, I wish the Sherburnes well. I hope I will be able to find the time in the future to help you walk this rocky path you find yourselves on. I hope that as this is read by the Church, somebody—many people—with the resources will step up to the plate to help you. Inevitably, justice and equity will prevail in the end.

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INTERNET REFERENCES.

The Sherburne Family Story
[ http://www.freeyucaipa.com/sherb.htm ] — This link is no longer active.

Trodden Under The Feet Of Men {Salem the Soldier’s Homepage}
[http://www.salemthesoldier.us/sherburne_story.html ]

Propagandizing the Police
[ http://www.jbs.org/sylp/nationalizing/index.htm ]

The Second Amendment Police Department
[ http://www.2ampd.net/ ]

Political Profiling ~ LASD Deputy Joe Horn (Ret.)
[ http://www.2ampd.net/Articles/Horn/Political%20Profiling.htm ]

A Debate Between The Warriors
[ http://www.salemthesoldier.us/A_Warriors_Debate.html ]

Questioning The Authorities
[ http://www.salemthesoldier.us/questioning_authority.html ]

PROJECT MEGIDDO
[ http://www.salemthesoldier.us/project_megiddo.html ]

Principled Resistance to Civil Tyranny: One Man's View
[ http://www.natreformassn.org/resist.html ]

Ceausescu is Dead: Long Live Ceausescu!
[http://www.visi.com/~contra_m/cm/discuss/cm06_Ceausescu.html]