Posted on 07/26/2002 2:01:55 PM PDT by white trash redneck
Colorado Libertarians' candidate for the U.S. Senate saw his liberty limited Thursday by a 180-day jail term for carrying a loaded weapon in a challenge to Denver law.
But it shouldn't affect his campaign to wrest the Senate seat from Republican U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, who is also facing a challenge from Democrat Tom Strickland.
Denver County Judge Robert Patterson suspended all but 30 days of Rick Stanley's sentence and ruled that those 30 days can be served through home detention any time before Oct. 31.
In addition, Patterson granted Stanley's request that the entire sentence be stayed during the time that the candidate appeals his case to the district court level.
Stanley was also assessed $629 in fines and court costs, and sentenced to 75 hours of community service.
Thursday's court appearance started with Stanley's lawyer, Paul Grant, withdrawing from the case at Stanley's request.
Then, asked if he had any remarks to offer prior to sentencing, Stanley, 47, read from a statement that challenged the court's jurisdiction and the legality of the proceedings against him.
"This court will not allow the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, to guide its hand," Stanley said.
Patterson was not impressed, and noted in handing down the jail sentence Stanley's apparent lack of remorse.
"I find in all your comments that there is no (acknowledgment of) responsibility on your part to avoid introduction of a gun into the community - a loaded gun - and that concerns me," Patterson said.
Stanley had been arrested Dec. 15 for placing a loaded Beretta .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun in his holster during a rally at a downtown Denver park celebrating the Bill of Rights.
Several Libertarian supporters attended Stanley's sentencing, including the party's candidate for governor, Ralph Shnelvar.
"Good luck," Shnelvar said before court convened.
"I don't need luck," Stanley answered. "I need a justice system that's honorable. We don't have that."
Er, actually if he was found in BED with a dead girl or a live boy, it "shouldn't affect his campaign..."
I mean, how much "affect" can one-third of one percent of the vote have?
I bet it didn't have a trigger lock either - the horror!
Given that the anti-gun Republicans in this state are about as effective as a wet tissue in stopping the advance of Socialism, I would hope the arrest of a veteran for exercising his Constitutional rights would result in some rather "affected" people. I'm both effected and affected.
Who was it that said (something like) "There's no such thing as bad publicity." This may even triple his support so he can crack the one percent barrier.
I've got a lot of sympathy for libertarian ideas, but I think that Libertarians would be more helpful and less harmful if they would work within the Republican party, much like the socialists who worked within the DemocRAT party as opposed to running Socialist Party candidates.
But yet, when loons like this run under that libertarian banner, the party bames the public for being too stupid to vote for them.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the libertarian principles. I don't agree with all of them, but I don't disagree with all of them either. It just seems to me that they need a better class of candidate if they are ever going to be taken seriously.
The primary difference between the R's and the D's right now is that the D's are overtly Socialist while the R's are covertly Socialist.
The Republicans give the Socialists the golden opportunity to claim that free market capitalism and the principals of a Constitutional Republic are failing.
FYI, the arresting officier was present at Columbine. While students and teachers bled to death, he spent several hours cowering being a fire truck.
He excels at disarming peaceful, law abiding veterans.
I wonder how greater his concern would be if nearly every gun owner in CO showded up to a rally in Denver fully armed.
I couldn't imagine a more beautiful sight than hundreds of thousands of American citizens, brandishing their favorite firearm, at a rally in support of their 2nd amendment rights.
Well I take this guy prettty seriously. He was willing to risk a jail sentence, loss of freedom, loss of income and getting his ass kicked in prison to provide a test case for the RKBA.
He's a hell of a lot more serious than myself and 99% of the people I know.
How serious are you about your freedoms?
Perhaps someone else missed the point?
What's this "introduction of a gun" bullshit? Sounds like the same mindset that wants to "get guns off the street." The defendant was not "introducing a gun into the community." He was safely exercising his right to keep and bear arms. From the judge's words, you'd think he had left a loaded gun in a public place, sort of like a lot of LEO's we've read about recently.
The GOP already has too many of 'em.
IMHO, the libertarian dopers are overly prone to stupid stunts like this, and actually generate more anti-gun backlash as a result.
I'm a 100% pro-2nd Amendment advocate, but these irresponsible pot-smokers are scarey.
I'm talking about the general platform of the libertarian party.
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