You can do something to help Red's Trading Post

War on Guns has issued a call to anyone concerned with the survival of gun rights in America. As mentioned yesterday, Red's Trading Post is under calculated, sustained, vindictive attack by the BATFE. The latest chapter in the disgusting saga came yesterday.

The judge in charge of the case would seem to be a man capable of honor and fairness, as he showed last month. Still, any respectful encouragement to do the right thing that he gets from us can only help.

Here are the guidelines for a letter, as laid out by David Codrea (from the first link):

Please keep your letter respectful. The intent is to help Ryan, not anger the judge. Under no circumstances imply anything that could even loosely be perceived as threatening--if you do, you will be hurting Ryan, not helping him.

Please keep your letter brief. The shorter the letter, the greater the likelihood it will be read--or at least skimmed over. Keep it under a 500 word maximum, and fewer is better. If you need talking points, there are plenty of stories on this blog (Type "Red's" into the "Search Blog" box in the top left corner), but don't try to cover them all--pick a few main points and stick with them.

If you follow those suggestions, you can't go wrong. The link has David's own letter, if you need inspiration. Don't worry if you cannot match Mr. Codrea's eloquence--I can't either, but that's not going to stop me from sending my own plea on Mr. Horsley's behalf.

Judge Lodge's address:

Hon. Edward J. Lodge
Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse, MSC 039
550 W. Fort St., Room 400
Boise, ID 83724-0039

Mr. Horsley's persecution comes in very large measure because he has dared to stand up for the rights that we all hold sacred. Do we let him fall, and allow the enemies of freedom to move on to their next victim, and the next after that, until there are none left, or do we stand with him?

I've made my choice.

Just added at WoG

UPDATE: I just had a "Doh!" moment. Reader JH reminds me this may be time sensitive, and suggests faxing is another useful alternative vs. snail mail. I agree--the court's fax number is (208) 334-9229

UPDATE II: This is the FAX I just sent--as mentioned, mine is nothing close to as good as Mr. Codrea's, but I trust the judge is fairly familiar with the facts, and only needs to know that there is public support for Red's.

Dear Judge Lodge,

It has come to my attention that the BATFE has engaged in a campaign of harassment against Red’s Trading Post that is characterized by breathtaking pettiness and vindictiveness. Most recently, the agency has requested that you terminate the injunction you wisely granted, which has allowed Red’s to continue business while the case is resolved. The “justification” for the termination request consists of three extraordinarily trivial “infractions” (including at least one that one BATFE agent had told Mr. Horsley was the correct procedure to follow).

Your Honor, it is abundantly clear that the BATFE is not acting in the interests of justice, and certainly not in the interests of public safety. They are engaging in bullying, apparently for the sheer joy of it. That is not what I was raised to believe is the American way. You have the power to rein in their malice. I humbly ask that you exercise that power for the good of the public.


Sincerely,
Kurt Hofmann
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