Have you ever written your congress critter?

Today I wrote a letter to my congress critter outlining how their insane laws have impacted my life. If you have never done this before, I highly recommend it. I do not know what impact it will have, but at least they will know what they have done. Here is the letter I sent to my congress critter from North Carolina, Maryland, Congressman Ron Paul, the Governor of North Carolina and the President of the United States:



To: Whom it may concern

From: Citizen in Exile

Subj: UNJUST LAWS LEADING TO MY EXILE

My name is XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. and I am writing in concern to the state of exile the current justice system and its unjust laws have forced me into. To better understand my situation I will begin with a brief history of myself.

In 1992 I joined the United Stated Marine Corps fresh out of high school at the age of 17. Serving my country was a goal I had to fight for having been born blind in one eye. I was extremely patriotic at this young age due to the education I had received at the Maryland Boy's State hosted by the American Legion in 1991. Despite numerous denials due to having sight in only one eye, I eventually found a recruiter who was willing to give me the opportunity to serve that I so eagerly craved. I served 14 years in the Marine Corps with one combat tour to Djibouti, Africa. After 14 years I left the service because I had developed arthritis in my feet, knees, hips, and hands. The pain of the arthritis made the performance of my duties difficult, and though they were still within keeping of military standards, were below my personal standards as a United States Marine. On separation from service I filled for disability for my arthritis and loss of hearing. The arthritis was denied, but I was approved for a 10 percent disability for my tinnitus (ringing in the ears). After my service in the Marine Corps I remained in Jacksonville, NC where I could continue to serve the men and women in uniform outside Camp Lejeune.

I decided to get my real estate license and assist my brothers and sisters-at-arms with their housing
needs. I achieved this goal in August of 2006. While working as a Real Estate Broker I assisted many men and women in achieving their dream of home ownership. I also taught for the city of Jacksonville a course on home ownership for underprivileged buyers. This was a voluntary service I performed for the benefit of my community. As a real estate broker, I learned first hand how quickly money was being handed out to those
who would never be able to repay the loans over the long term, and at the detriment of my own livelihood, counseled many buyers on the dangers they were putting themselves in by trying to obtain these easy loans. In short, I talked more people out of getting a home than I did into buying a home when they were not prepared. As a result, I netted a mere $19,000.00 and fell behind on my own mortgage as a result. Seeing that the system was unsustainable without compromising my own morals, I left the real estate practice after one year in business. During this brief tenure in the business I had no health insurance but still had an enormous amount of pain associated with my arthritis. A friend recommended marijuana as an herbal remedy. I tried it and found that it relieved the pain better than the prescription medicine Meloxicam, which I no longer had a prescription for anyway. So, I became a regular user and my pain dissipated.

I was unemployed at my own expense (not drawing unemployment) from August of 2007 to November of 2007 when a member of my Mason Lodge recommended that I apply for a position as a Network Security Manager position on Camp Lejeune. I applied for the position and found that a Secret clearance was required for the job. Knowing that any use of marijuana would negate the security clearance I had from being in the Marines, I stopped using the drug. I applied for the position and was quickly hired due to my clearance and military training. I excelled in this position and was quickly given two promotions. The pain from my arthritis returned however and I soon found myself unable to sleep at night due to it. Over the counter medication did nothing to relieve the pain so I turned to alcohol as a way to put me to sleep so that I could continue to perform as expected on the job.

Unfortunately, using alcohol as a pain remedy resulted in me not getting up and off to work on time. After several write ups for tardiness I was fired in February of 2008. The day I was fired from my position aboard Camp Lejeune, applied for and was hired on as a Quality Control technician at a local rock quarry. The work was far more physical than my last job and getting to work on time was the highest priority, so I quit drinking for my pain and returned to smoking marijuana. Working at the rock quarry paid significantly less than my last job, but it paid enough to survive. I worked here until February 2010 when we had a surprise urinalysis. Rather than waste my employers money on a urinalysis I knew I would fail, I informed him of my situation. He assured me that if he had a choice in the matter, he would not fire me because I was an asset to the company handling many different job titles outside my specific function. However, it was the law that I could not work while being unable to pass a urinalysis. So, I was firedfrom this job as well. It did not matter much that I was fired as I could no longer really afford to work there any longer any way. With the rising cost of living and the economic
crisis facing the country, I found myself having to violate several laws just to go to work. Just to make it to work I received a traffic citation for driving on expired license plates which I could not afford to renew. Needing to work to support myself, I found another set of plates in a junk yard and drove on them until I was caught again. When I tried to return my vehicle to my house this last time of getting caught driving on fictitious plates, I was pulled over yet again, this time for driving on NO plates. All while simply trying to get to work so that I could make a meager living.

During this last job working at a rock quarry, I met a girl and we soon decided she should move in with me to make our financial lives a little easier. Unbeknownst to me at the time, she had numerous mental disorders to include bi-polar and schizophrenia. Over time her condition became known due to her wild outbursts and erratic behavior. Regardless, we did the best we could to keep our heads above water through these tough
times. One day in November of 2009 we had an argument. I left the house while she cooled down. When I returned she was calm enough to reason with and we worked out our disagreement. While I was gone however, she called her sister afraid that I was leaving her. Her sister showed up to the house after the situation was already diffused and began yelling and trying to escalate the situation after we had already settled it. I told her sister to leave or I would have her arrested. She left, but while she was leaving she called the police and reported that I was growing marijuana in the house. Law enforcement arrived and went through everything in my house. What they found was a couple of roaches and a bunch of seeds which her sister had thrown on the kitchen floor. Because I had seeds, I was charged with manufacturing with intent to distribute, felony possession, and paraphernalia. The charges were put on hold because the officers wanted to use me as an informant. In June of 2010 I could no longer deal with the erratic behavior of my live in girl friend and ended our relationship. She left on a Thursday and I had figured it was the last I had seen of her. However, the following Tuesday she arrived at my home with law enforcement. She had reported that I had beat her up and despite not having any injuries, her word was enough to have me taken from my home. I appeared before a judge and was soon released when it was realized that they only arrested me based on someone with a similar name in the system having a long history of assault charges. When I returned home, everything I owned of value was stolen by my former girl friend. I promptly reported it to law enforcement but was told there was nothing they could do. At this point I had had enough with the corrupt and unjust legal system in Onslow
County and decided to move back to my home town of Baltimore, Maryland. I reported the stolen property to my home owners insurance and received a $5000.00 settlement. I took the money and paid everything I needed to to get my vehicle back on the road and legal. That cost me about $2000.00 as it needed minor work done to pass the state safety inspection. The rest of the money I gave to random strangers who needed it. One was a cab driver whose power had been turned off for the past two weeks. I gave him enough to get his power back on. I helped a homeless man get off the streets with his 11 year old boy. Social Services in Onslow County knows this well for I was interviewed as being the responsible party for helping him. There were others who I helped with this money, but they were not known to me long enough to recount here. The day before I was due to leave for Baltimore I took one last visit to Surf City with my dog. At one of the parking areas I became stuck in the sand and had to be pulled out by a passer-by. As I was being pulled out, a police officer showed up to halt traffic. Once I was free he asked to run my license just to verify everything was good to go. I was happy to oblige as I had just spent a lot of money and time to getting my vehicle situation legal again. When he ran my license it came back with an order for my arrest issued that day. The charges for marijuana were finally followed through with in the system. So, I used what money I had left to bail myself out of jail and my dog out of the pound and left for Maryland the next day.

Once in Maryland my first priority was finding a job. I soon landed a job at the local super market making $7.25 an hour. It wasn't much but it was a start. After two weeks of working there I received a letter from NC Child Support services. They had informed my employer to begin withholding 65 percent of my pay for the back child support that had accumulated during my time being unemployed. After taxes, social security,
medicaid, and now this deduction, a weeks worth of work at the hours they could give me left me taking home a whopping $20.00 a week. It simply did not pay to work. To add insult to injury, the courts of NC sent me another letter advising me that my license was suspended for not appearing in court. Even though I had paid all my fines and paid all the costs to get my plates re-instated, I still failed to show up at court and show them
the paperwork.

So, here I am a citizen in exile. I cannot travel to North Carolina from Maryland to appear in the courts to resolve my issues because I no longer have a license to drive. I cannot work to make money to resolve these issues because I cannot drive. I have an order for my arrest and more coming because I cannot make it to court to settle these matters because I cannot drive. I have lived my life to serve my country and my fellow
man. I have harmed NO ONE in my 36 years of living in this country and traveling the world. At one time I loved my country enough to give my life for it. Now it returns the favor by sucking the very same life out of me. Though my country now regards me as a criminal, I see myself as a decent American who has done the best he can, tried to live the best he could, and asked nothing from any one in return. My back is now against the
wall. I live off the charity of my family. I desire to walk as a man, free, and support myself. The system however, makes this all but impossible. What is an American to dowhen he has been exiled in his own country?

Sincerely Yours,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Now this is just my opening salvo in what I expect to be a long drawn out battle. I intend to fight these issues every way I can. I know I am not alone in the struggle to conform to an ever tightening web of laws. Therefore, I ask that if you have not done so, take the time to let YOUR representative know how their mess is impacting YOUR life.

Find your Congress Critter here:

Contacting your Congress Critter

The next step is letter to the editors of various news papers.

Good luck in the fight my Brothers and Sisters.

With Love,

Your Brother

I corresponded with my congress person and found him to be really stupid. Then he died, but a whole new group of stupid people took his place. I would not tell them that the only way you can get from state to state is to drive yourself, that sounds stupid.

Originally posted by earthdude
I would not tell them that the only way you can get from state to state is to drive yourself, that sounds stupid.

There is nothing wrong with sounding a little stupid my friend. Most of them think they are the brightest from their given area anyway. By sounding stupid, I appear at their mercy. In actuality, I am a cryogenics technician by trade and far from stupid. I could say how inconvenient a bus would be, particularly with warrants over my head, how hitch hiking has been made illegal in every state along my route, how cab fair has soared to the point of being beyond realistic, and how God has not blessed me with the ability of self flight, all of which would only reinforce my original premise, that the only way to get from state to state is to drive myself. I could even add for good measure that the state of North Carolina is too broke to extradite me even when I requested it. I chose simplicity over elaboration on that point.

Thanks for the suggestion my friend.

With Love,

Your Brother

I write mine all the time. Mitch McConnell always writes me a letter in response.

None of them ever help.

I call mine too.

Good luck on your situation, child support is one of the biggest scams perpetrated by the states ever. The CS system needs overhauling, the CS caseworkers dont care about the kids at all. They operate to be punative against noncustodial parents, and treat us like criminals from the get go when we are not criminals at all.

Originally posted by hotbakedtater
I write mine all the time. Mitch McConnell always writes me a letter in response.

None of them ever help.

I call mine too.

Good luck on your situation, child support is one of the biggest scams perpetrated by the states ever. The CS system needs overhauling, the CS caseworkers dont care about the kids at all. They operate to be punative against noncustodial parents, and treat us like criminals from the get go when we are not criminals at all.

You are so correct about the CS system. They have been denying me visitation with my daughter for over 9 years now. They wanted me to agree to supervised visitation, which is only used for abusers and pedophiles. They would not tell me where my daughter lived, but I better damn sure send the CS payment.

Well, I just found my daughter. She arrived in my new town a month before me. I talked to her mom and we are set to see each other this saturday for the first time in 9 years. All without the government involved. Go figure huh.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by IAMIAM


That is wonderful, enjoy your visit.

Yes I did not realize what a scam the system was until I sent my youngest teen to live with his dad. It is not that I mind sending the money (I did so without an order but his nasty ex had to get the courts involved) and I think it is disgusting the way the old biddies from the local CS office look at you and treat you like a criminal. Hello, biddy, it is called divorce, get over yourself! The workers do not care one lick about the child, the fact is they get fees and money for all the CS that is ordered. Like state sponsered mafia!!

What also reeks about CS is that the custodial parent is ordered to provide half the support but if they don't work or mooch off family they are not facing the pettiness of losing a DL or jail time.

Too many people use the system for revenge and it is no longer about providing for the child at all.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


Well the only way to fix the broken system is to make a lot of noise. I am just getting started and will keep this thread updated with my results or lack there of. Maybe it will grow and we can get enough people making enough noise to effect change. Time will tell.

Viva la revolucion

With Love,

Your Brother