I do a first-rate job of “lemoning” this guy and after a couple of nights, I am $4,000 winner. He does not know that Dennis has anything to do with this play, but he is suspicious, even though I really laid it down well. When he had Dennis $10,000 stuck, everything was hunky-dory, peaches, and cream, laughs and giggles, etc. He did not like being stuck one little bit. His recourse was to contact the bunco squad. Like Dennis said, a real creep.
I referred in my last post to a negro being tarred and feathered incident. This took place in Lamar, Colorado, home of a man-made lake in Two Buttes reservation. I got slapped one night for telling a young lady that she had two beauts. We found a tavern in Lamar where the activity seemed lively and the place had a pool table and a bowling machine. After introducing ourselves, Dennis, Weldon, and I began trying to drum up some action. The owner of the place was present, and he said, “I’ll play any of you on this bowling machine”. We responded by offering him a pool game. He declined that offer and it looked like nothing was going to happen. Dennis called us off to the side and said “I can bowl fairly good on that machine. Why don’t we have either one of you guys play him 8 Ball while I bowl against him? I’ll win at least one game out of five on the machine, and you’ll have to hold him scoreless at the pool”. So, that’s what we did and after we were about $500 winner, the owner said to the tough-looking crowd in attendance “Didn’t we say we were going to tar and feather the next pool hustlers that came through town?” Another of Dennis’s talents emerged and he talked our way out of there, with the losers liking us and with us keeping the money.
One time in Cochrun’s, Weldon had come all the way to the west coast mostly to spend some time with me. As we were sitting at the counter, somebody eased up and snuck Weldon’s Balabushka out from between his legs. That really broke my heart, and his, because that was a much-prized cue.
All this talking about my old friend has made me miss him more than usual but my old numbers for him are no longer good. If anybody has a good phone number for him, please pass it on to me at [email protected].
I hope you enjoyed these musings. Grady
Chapter Four
You must be careful trying to help people
as it may land you in prison.
Sam is an Amish man I met and play cards with. He loves to go to the chapel where there are TV’s and you can install DVD’s and watch movies. I thought the Amish did not use electrical things like that. Sam is just trying to do good and thought he was helping people. Here is his story as per Kentucky Today
By TOM LATEK, Kentucky Today
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Amish farmer has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for selling improperly labeled herbal salve.
U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves handed down the sentence against Samuel Girod on Friday in Lexington. Outraged supporters of the rural Kentucky farmer pledged to seek a pardon from President Donald Trump. Girod, 57, had been making and selling Chickweed Salve for years from his farm in Bath County, a half-hour drive east of Lexington. The Food and Drug Administration labeled Girod’s salve a drug, which brought it under federal regulation.
Prosecutors accused Girod of manufacturing the herbal salve in an establishment that was not registered with the FDA and packaged in a container that “failed to bear labeling containing adequate directions for use.”
Reeves ordered Girod to pay $14,239 in restitution and another $100 per count assessment equaling $1,300. In addition to his sentence, Girod was ordered to three years of supervised release after which he could resume making his products in a legal manner.
Girod, who represented himself, declined the judge’s invitation to make a statement at Friday's sentencing.
“I do not waive my immunity to this court,” Girod told the judge. “I do not consent.”
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said Girod “brazenly placed the public at risk” by manufacturing and selling homemade products to businesses in numerous states that do not comply with FDA regulations. Shier said one of his products was dangerous when used as recommended and all three products were advertised in a way that did not comply with the law.
Girod’s products were marketed to treat numerous health problems, including skin disorders, sinus infections, and cancer.
Prosecution evidence showed that a federal judge in Missouri ordered Girod to stop manufacturing and selling his products in 2013 until his labeling and advertisement of the products met FDA regulations. Despite the court order, Girod continued to make and sell his products in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
As part of the 2013 order, inspections of Girod’s facility in Bath County were required to ensure his compliance. In November 2013, two FDA Consumer Safety Officers tried to inspect Girod’s facility, but they were prevented by Girod and others on his property.
The U. S. Attorney’s office said after the criminal case against him began, Girod tampered with a witness, failed to appear for court proceedings, and was a fugitive for several months.
Girod’s appointed standby attorney, Michael Fox of Olive Hill, described defending his reluctant client. “Early on, Sam told me the only counsel he would follow was from Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, when you do not have someone familiar with the legal process, there’s likely to be a bad result.”
“I don’t think there was ill intent,” said Fox. “Sam Girod does not want to hurt anyone, and the evidence at trial was that no one was ever hurt. His punishment of six years in prison is a harsh punishment.”
Close to 100 supporters of Girod, including many in the Amish community, waited outside the federal courthouse for the results of the sentencing. Former Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack was among them.
“This is absolutely insanity,” Mack said. “What is the number one thing that the government is supposed to be doing in our country? Preventing injustice. And they are the ones promoting it today. This is the FDA and Judge Reeves creating a criminal out of an innocent Amish farmer.”
Reeves said Girod would not accept responsibility for his actions and recognized no one’s rules but his own.
Speaking to Girod, Reeves said, “You refuse to listen to anyone but yourself or the advice you’re getting from supporters. And you’ve been getting bad advice.”
Judge Reeves ordered the district court clerk to file a notice of appeal on behalf of Girod, to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.
Early on, Sam told me the only counsel he would follow was from Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, when you do not have someone familiar with the legal process, there’s likely to be a bad result.”
Good luck Sam.
Will is a young man I met the other day and he told me he would be here for only thirty days. He said that he got a full sentence of ninety days.
H ere is his story of making someone a felon for life.
He spent sixty days in the county jail and transferred here. Will is about 5' 10: tall, thin, and about 160 pounds. He is clean-shaven but before he came in, he had a full beard. His mom is from Spain and his dad is American. He was born in New York and spent most of his time with his mom and spoke Spanish better than English. He says that he has a better understanding of what Spanish means. At the age of around thirty, he met his now-wife in New York. She is a professional woman and they moved