I want to introduce you to Nancy Wall, whose entire family has been hit hard by the drug war. Like millions of American citizens, she has been abused by bad laws and their enforcers. This lady, Nancy Wall, is one of the best/worst examples I know of abuse of forfeiture laws. Her husband and son were forced to plea bargain with no drugs in evidence. Both are serving 12 years each (I think they are in their seventh year) on marijuana charges because the 'law' threatened to put mom in jail for 20 years. While the 15 or 20 law officers from the DEA on down were ransacking their home at six am, as usual on the word of a friend turned snitch, they were dropping Nancy's jewelry in their pocket. A plaque from her home still hangs in the local DEA agent's office. Even after the bust, they made her deliver a television that was not in her house at the time of the raid to the DEA office downtown, to go with the VCR they took from her home. They stole her house and put it up for sale. Her sister-in-law bought it back for her, and that made the DEA so mad, they sent the IRS in. IRS now has a $45,000 lien on her home for 'unreported drug money.' Every once in awhile, they still call her down to shake her upside down for spare change. During the arrest, the cops and agents pillaged and plundered, screamed, threw Mr. and Mrs. Wall around and pointed guns in their faces. Believe me, the arrest of non-violent people seems to be a training ground for bullies, because the violence of the law is uncalled for. They put a monitor on her ankle for six months, forced her to serve five years probation, and she wouldn't dream of doing any drug her doctor doesn't give her. They ripped off her bank account containing severance pay from N.A.S.A., where she had worked for 25-30 years. She had proof that the money was not drug money, but they didn't care. They had $$$$$ signs in their eyes. The Walls are in their sixties, their son in his 40s. None have ever crossed paths with the law before. Nancy, like I say, had worked many years for N.A.S.A. Her husband, Jim, retired from the military after a long career and distinguished career, and her son, Jeff, was middle class America. Nancy and Jim have been married for 46 years and she's having a hard time holding on. She put off extensive hip surgery for as long as she could, hoping to wait till her family was home to help her. Last fall she finally was forced to have the surgery alone. The day after they put the electronic monitor on her, she went to N.A.S.A. and the people she worked with were lined up to hug her, some crying. The Walls were valuable assets to friends, neighbors and co-workers. They were paying their way, helping others, pursuing life, and now the whole family is just a statistic. All over America, people are loosing respect for those who make the laws, as well as those who enforce them. This excuse, "We're just doing our job" is an outright lie. Too many of them are enjoying their job, relishing their job, and making profits off the perversion of their jobs. Little silver-haired Nancy, everytime a cop passes, whispers angrily, "I just hate those bastards." Can you blame her? |