I have seen some excitement in the blogs over the arrest of Jack Rumble in Ogdenstown, New York, near Watertown. Before checking into the story, I read several accounts in the blogs which seem to claim Mr. Rumble was targeted because he had a bunker, three months or more of food, and that he made AK-47s (apparently he did have an FFL, but not sure if the reference is to semi-auto or Class III).
We should all slow down, think, and do a little research before we jump on the "See, government is out to get us!" bandwagon. Jumping aboard is a waste of energy, makes us look like paranoid crackpots, and creates dangerous hysteria that someone may act on.
I did a little checking on the arrest of Mr. Rumble, and found the following:
--some of Mr. Rumble's neighbors were afraid of him
--there are allegations that Mr. Rumble was involved in drug activity
--there are allegations that Mr. Rumble possessed a gun with eradicated serial number
--the police and feds had a search warrant
--the investigation of Mr. Rumble was related to a larger investigation into drug activity and illegal possession of weapons
Don't get me wrong here. I am not saying that Mr. Rumble is guilty of any of the allegations made against him, nor am I saying that he does deserves to be shunned because of the allegations. No one should make such a rush to judgment. By the same token, no one should rush to judge that the government is somehow persecuting Mr. Rumble because he is alleged to be a survivalist with lots of guns, food, and an anti-government mentality.
Mr. Rumble is innocent until proven guilty. What we should scrupulously examine is whether he obtains a fair trial by a jury of his peers. If we believe in our Constitution, we must be vigilant about due process of law for Mr. Rumble.
My sources are:
Feds raid house in Ogdensburg, take one in for questioning
Mountain of weapons seized in raid
Ogdensburg man who had 175 guns must stay in jail
Weapons raid yields county's largest seizure; man arraigned
Ogdensburg man due in federal court after raid on his home
Ogdensburg man held in guns for drugs swap
and the incomplete story that gets cited the most:
Update: Rumble Had Bunker with Enough Food to Barricade Himself for 3 Months
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After reading your sources:
ReplyDelete1) We should unfailingly believe all that MSM and police tell us?
2) I still don't get connection with other seizures (Did I miss something?)
3) Granted that warrant was issued on affidavit from police officers (but didn't he just go through a similar exercise that was thrown out in County Court?)
4)"The complaint alleges that Mr. Rumble attempted to trade, on several occasions, weapons and a satellite dish for marijuana. He even offered to sell someone "live hand grenades." Says who? Sometimes I carry a loaded 12 gauge in my truck too, specially when it's dove season.
5) "He was wearing a bullet proof vest when arrested." and now we have fashion police? If I had the money, I'd wear a vest every time I left the ranch.
6)"Rumble holds strong anti-big government views, and is described by police as a survivalist." (OOPS)
7)"some of Rumble's friends insist he did nothing wrong, and that he's being persecuted." (Friends always say that)
8)"What authorities won't say publicly is whether Rumble has a connection to a handful of loosely organized anti-government, anti-establishment activists in the north country." (Who's next?)
So, is this a case of persecution under the color of authority or is it a case of another "gun totin, nut job?"
YeOldFurt
Ye Old Furt:
ReplyDeleteYou're making my point for me. I am not saying that the feds/local police were justified in raiding Mr. Rumble, nor am I saying that Mr. Rumble has committed any crimes. I am saying that I am, and others should, withhold judgment until more facts are known. We have a saying in my businesss, "Bad facts make bad law." Just because it appears on the surface that Mr. Rumble may have been targeted because he owns a lot of guns, is a survivalist/prepper, and holds libertarian/anti-government views does not make it so. It also does not mean that the government is targeting those of us who may fit into those categories. Of course, more information may come to light that proves me wrong, which is why I am not making a judgment call on Mr. Rumble or getting terrible excited over him. I am concerned about this and I will continue to monitor news on Mr. Rumble. I expect that he will be receive due process including a fair trial. If he does not, that is the time to act. Notice that I support David Olafson, who was unfairly targeted and convicted of a bogus gun crime in Wisconsin.
As always, I enjoy hearing from you.