Jon And The Law

I was reading the comment section on one of the posts over at Tj and Mark's blog, The Ranch on Salmon Creek, when I was touched by a paragraph written by a man named Jon.

The chores remembered from my youth and cherished to this day. One of those chores was my duty to keep the Tack Room/Horse Barn, Hay Barn, House and Chicken Coops free of vermin. Just remember that I had a lot of Ranch Hands telling me how to do my Chores, but that is how we learn. I still rue the day when I was big enough to handle a pitch fork and George handed me one for a new chore, but I got to tell you that when it came to mucking out a stall the rage of my youth was well used in learning new cuss words and resentments until one day somehow it wasn't a chore anymore and the Ranch Hands just kind of smiled and we laughed and laughed and I just muked a little harder knowing I could do a good job without ever having resentment in my heart.

Hormones? Lack of sleep? I don't know. But when I read "... until one day somehow it wasn't a chore anymore. . ." I actually cried. What an absolutely beautiful way to describe growing up. I see that exact thing happening in our oldest child, Brooke. I wrote my own comments saying I was off to see if Jon had a blog for me to enjoy and then later to tell him to start a blog because I saw he didn't have one. A couple days later, I found this email in my inbox. I thought this was too interesting not to share.

Dear Michelle and Max Palm Springs, California / June 19, 2010 a Saturday letter with no stamp.

Thank you for the kind words over at "the Ranch on Salmon Creek". But if you search for a blog by Jon (that would be me) your quest will be in vain. Reason: Spend most of my time reading,walking the dog and helping people understand the Constitution and our laws.

No I'am not a Lawyer (although many Judges wish I was one so they could hold me in Contempt of Court).

As you might of gathered from my post to 'the Ranch on Salmon Creek' that I grew up on Cattle Ranches and had a hard but wonderful time growing up. So if you continue to read this electronic letter do so at your own peril, (That little... 'So if you continue to read this electronic letter do so at your own peril' is what Legal Eagles would call a CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE) but if you do continue, I hold you harmless unless you fail to laugh, sigh or smile (RESTRICTIVE CONDITIONS of the CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE that NEGATE the CONSTRUCTION of the RESTRICTION that would hold me harmless to ACTION on you).

Hope you don't mind, but I perused a couple of Months from your Blog at 'Galloping Grace' in order to get a handle on the "Wades". Well folks, I fell in the deep end of the "Wading Pool", lucky for me that you haven't had the chance to fill it full of "CITY WATER" (that's the stuff that doesn't come out of your own well) otherwise I might have had to dog paddle to the Court House end of the pond in order to save myself. Yup, that would have been a real chore.

But getting back to the Court House End for me is easier than it is for most folks. Wasn't always that way, but when you are handed a problem sometimes you have to look at it as an OPPORTUNITY and not a PROBLEM. Sometimes people get the two confused. So let me for my own sake (its good for me to remember this every once and a while) review that a problem is something you have no control over: like getting sick. As long as you have your health then everything else you come across in life is an opportunity and what you do with that opportunity is up to you....ie: County Inspector walks up to me on the job and says "Jon we have a problem, you don't have a permit for this Building so I will have to charge you with failure to comply with with the law and order you to remove said building." ...PROBLEM or OPPORTUNITY?...Little does this Inspector know that Jon is going to take the OPPORTUNITY to comply with his request and go get a Demolition Permit on said Building knowing full well that the County will not Issue a Permit for demolition as there is no permit on file for a Building and no Abatement Notice has been filed (this is where I beat him to the Court House and start my paper work).

Works for me as I get the Building Department to issue a statement in writing that my request for demolition has been denied. Then when I get to Court and the Judge asks me if I plead guilty or not guilty of having built a Building without a permit I tell the Judge that I cannot plead to the CHARGE as there is no Building according to the County, this FACT evidenced in my application and denial to remove said Building as noted in the Original Complaint and humbly ask the Court in the interest of Justice to dismiss the charge.

The Judge at this point has no choice (one piece of paper in evidence supplied by the office of the Complainant stating there is no building and out goes the Complaint) and with the words choking in his mouth says:"DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE" dismisses the Charge. (Boy, do I get an ear full from the Judge on just how often he/she is reminded that in the good old days he would just have me shot, off the record of course.).....Sometimes I will fall at the foot of the Judge and beg for the mercy of forgiveness, this plea really upsets them and is why when they (Judges and Clerks) see my name on the Calendar they make sure I'am the last one called and that the Court Room is Closed (everybody out).

Life hasn't always been like this for Jon, but a little over two decades ago someone had his way with my four year old daughter and "in the interests of Justice" the District Attorney, the Court and my wife kept the proceedings secret from me until the Trial was over. Looking back they did the right thing, because murder was in my heart once I found out. Had to look to the Good Book and in reading Matthew found guidance for my life (It was one of those occasions in my life where I really had to stop everything and find myself or let insanity take its course.), Wow, I have to tell ya that the Sermon on the Mount had a new meaning as if I had read it for the first time and now as I was reading it I could feel the thoughts of the Carpenter as if I were there sharing a crust of bread with the person next to me as we listened and understood his words to all on the hill side. I had been so devastated as to how the Legal system had treated me and abandoned my daughter at its will, that I knew the only way out of my insanity was to use everyone of the eight Ideas in the Beatitudes in my life everyday and with every thing I touched and find out WHERE and WHY the Legal System was failing.

So to make a long confession even longer (kind of like Alice and the Rabbit hole) I took the next six years to find out what was wrong with our justice system. Not wanting to ask questions of those in the legal community (judges and attorneys) as to why it was messed up, nor did I want to go to Law School to find out. I went to the County Law Library and started reading all of the Law Books. Some days too much reading, too many unanswered questions as to the law and I would take a break and go to one of the Court Rooms to observe and take notes on the proceedings, kind of like trying to get a feeling of what was going on. As time went by my person did not go unnoticed in the Court House and soon people (not Judges) would ask me if I need any help and help they did.

Six years of reading every book in the County Court Library, thousands of Trials later, hundreds of more books in other libraries before I ran out of new questions to ask myself. My journey into insanity had ended (sometimes insanity keeps you from going insane). I had finally found and answered at last that question of "how did our Laws and our Justice System fail" and continue to fail. Should have asked my sister, she has one word for all the troubles in the world, that word is "MEN" and on occasion I will say to her "Oh look Sis, a woman driving like a man".


Again,thank you for you kind words about my post. So in closing I must admit the blogless Jon has a deeper reason for no Blog....I prefer to sow the seeds of discontent in other Blogs and watch them grow and bear their own fruits as other folks water, cultivate and fertilize the thoughts.

Well, it is time to singlefoot out of your place and go over to the next range for some real water in a real empty wading pool.

Godspeed and best of regards to all of you and the horses,

Jon Huettl, an old Desert Rat in Palm Springs way out in California...don't get me going.........

p.s. I you want to re post this, go ahead and share the seed or don't.. Heck a couple of fresh Road Apples on top of it will only make my words look better.

Jon, thank you so much for sharing this with us. You sound like an amazing person who has battled a tough journey. I hope you make it back to the blog to share more of your fascinating comments.

Hey Niece Lauren--Happy Double Digits, girl! We love and miss you so much! Move back! Move back! Move back!