I was there the day of sentencing along with others to testify in his behalf, but it was to no avail. Unfortunately that which I witnessed, will be forever etched in my mind.

Al asked me during our last conversation if I would convey his best wishes to all his many friends and inform them his situation, although extremely difficult, has not shaken his faith or his determination that he will be fully exonerated upon his upcoming appeal.

He is not allowed a pedal steel, but he is playing non pedal in the Church there and spreading GOD's word to fellow inmates. He said he has become very adept at acurately changing the pitch of the strings with his fingers behind the bar.

He further asked that I post the link to his website for those so inclined to see and better understand the circumstances surrounding his very unfortunate situation. alpettytrial.com

How many of the counts was he convicted on?

What is he basing his appeal on?

Were any of his friends in on this thing?

Hopefully something good will come out of all this. It's always distressing to hear of a brother that's in the slammer. Especially on a bad rap.

Best wishes and prayers.

EJL

[This message was edited by Eric West on 29 October 2004 at 06:52 PM.]

As many of us know, it's certainly possible to be falsely accused and considered guilty.

There's an awful lot of stuff to go through. I won't have the time to do it today.

I can't help thinking that representing himself at a couple crucial points was not a good move.

It goes to show me that often our dreams turn into nightmares.

With 98 guilty verdicts, it looks pretty bad for our guy.

I'm having a hard time believing that he was just a guy filled with the spirit spreading the word.

It has however, piqued my interest, and I'll give it a squizz ( austrailian slang for "a look") as I have time. There's probably not alot I can do except advice from a heavy equipment hauler.

I've got acccess to a 245 Cat Trachoe with a concrete hammer, and knowledge of the permits needed for a trip to Texas.

In the meantime, we'll at least know where Mr Petty is at night.

Al is indeed a man filled with the spirit, and the charges against him had nothing to do with spreading the word of the Gospel.

I couldn't read it all. What I saw convinced me that at least Al Petty believes he did no wrong. I suspect that's why he felt he could defend himself.

You are correct, and for hoping the best for your friend.

I don't think too much of The Law. I prefer doing my thinking in terms of Right and Wrong. The two are not often the same. Biblical admonishions about turning to The Law are pretty clear for that reason.

Might as well digress a bit..

The Jim and Tammy Bakker case for me helped my thinking in these matters.

Here was a couple that got caught up in their ministry. They took money from people in sums of millions, and didn't keep good track of it. They bought air conditioned doghouses, makeup for Tammy by the pound, gifts for Jim's girlfriend, fancy cars, ornate fountains, you name it.

The point of their ministry in my estimation was to allow people otherwise not able to do so, an opportunity to Give. Their tithes, however misused, helped or healed the people that gave them, and obviously not Jim and Tammy. IN short, they made a lot of people happy by providing them a way to tithe.

The Government stepped in, pulled the TV plug. They tore down the air conditioned dog house, sold the ornate fountains at auction, locked down all the bank accounts, and took the money.

In short, in my opinion of the overview, Jom and Tammy Bakker spread a lot of happiness around during their reign. They used a lot of money to do it.

The Government, on the other hand, with all the confiscated money probably did nothing with it but make people miserable.

I find less fault with Jim and Tammy.

Now, for Mr Petty.

If what he did was right, he will triumph. If what he did was wrong, he will pay.

I don't counsel people to undertake grandiose schemes unless they carefully consider all the plusses and minuses.

My Uncle JP Morgan spent the last 50 years of his life in the Minnesota State Prison System. He founded Insight Inc. Every time he got out, he ended up getting drunk and comitting enough crimes to get himself put back in. He died there on 14 Sept 01. He drank himself to death in prison. It took him 50 years.

I can't say that a life of "keeping one's head down" is the best way, but I try to show that it is through example.

Grandiose Schemes make one a lightning rod for among other things, The US Government.

A man that I worked for as an air conditioning mechanic after my stint in the Air Force, Mr Ken Hardesty, a past master of the MD masonic lodge, and a 33rd degree mason, imparted the "Great Mystery" to me in 79. He said the whole "thing" was to put together as much time out in front of ones'self where you know what's going to happen to you. The reason? Because just down most every road, there is a concrete house of guys that don't have any.

Mr Hardesty, after he "let me go home", (unlike some) ended up getting sentenced to 10 years in Frederick Federal Prison for defrauding the Government on the contracts I worked on. He did 6 months and "retired". I was not implicated as a mechanic, as a couple others were. Ken Liked me.

I will read more, and hopefully Mr Petty will use his time to build time out in front of himself where he knows what is going to happen to him. When and if he finally gets some time for himself. Right now, he's in one of those concrete houses Mr Hardesty told me about. I know a few people there myself. Some of them belong there. Some don't.

Mr Hardesty used to tell me "In my Fathers's mansion, there are many rooms. Not all of them nice places."

We all do what we can in the short time we are alotted.

It's our fruits that identify us.

Selah.

EJL

[This message was edited by Eric West on 30 October 2004 at 03:49 PM.]

Joey....Yes it is lengthy, but like some books, it can get very interesting and be great reading.

You're also right in that Al is absolutely convinced he done nothing wrong.

It's my understanding his assets were not available during the trial, but I don't know that for a fact.

My best to your friend.

Besides my Uncle John being in Stillwater, Lino Lakes, and on the MacNeil Lehrer news hour for his Insight Inc founding, My dad worked with the OR State Prison program in his later years as a volunteer for the outreach program. I've played several gigs there por gratis, and in addition to knowing several people in my life that ended up there, now their kids are doing their time too.

I'm not smarter, or meaner than my peers that made it "in", and I damn sure didn't rat any of them out, I just did everthing I knew to stay out of trouble, and passed up a lot of opportunities to "become important", that a lot of them sadly couldn't seem to.

(My life consists of working hard, paying my bills on time, not trying to scam anyone, steal anything except time for myself, and taking care of all the obligations that my peers put in front of me.)

Incidentally, I took a lot of flak from a couple people in particular, one of them a fellow forumite for my going there in the 80s and providing emtertainent for them. I'd have played for him had the government caught up with him too, whether he knows it or not.

I figure half the people incarcerated in the Prison System should be let completely go. The government has ruined their lives for no reason. I figure half the people there should be taken out and shot.( I ran that idea past several of the denizens of OSP the times I played there, and to an inmate, the ones I talked to agreed.)

Problem is, I don't know exactly which ones should be let go. and which ones could be shot.

I'd have to go through them on a case by case basis, and frankly, I don't have the time..

Work is slowing down however...

quote:

---

I figure half the people incarcerated in the Prison System should be let completely go.

---

C'mon now, Eric, you now the prison lobby won't go for that. Seriously though, I agree.
At 2,000,000, our prison population is bloated from people reduced to selling drugs (minorities) while white-collar criminals can buy their justice and thus walk the streets with impunity.

Flame-suit on. :>)

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Fessenden D-10 8+8 / Magnatone S-8 (E13)

[This message was edited by Drew Howard on 31 October 2004 at 12:44 PM.]

That generalization obviously didn't work for Al or Martha, or for a number of corporate executives in recent times who are serving time!

However, there are some rich and famous athletes walking the streets with impunity after committing major crimes.

Sorry Reece, you were trying to be serious and here I come on your thread being ------------, well, you must know me by now,
Back to Al Petty------->

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 31 October 2004 at 05:33 PM.]

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

quote:

---

If we can't confine ourselves to discussion of his music, I'll close this topic.

---

Even good musicians don't always exercise good judgement. Lack of judgement seems to be the problem here at both ends. All can learn from experiences like this. The mixing of religion and money (the root of all evil) can result in horrible endings. Especially when one tries to profit largely while using the gospel as a stepping stone.

No doubt, this man has made many friends. This will be good for his moral and he may find it helpful on many lonely nights forthcoming. However, his true strength will only come from his faith. Like his master, we too must have forgiving hearts.

Some with much smaller bank accounts could ask "Who is the victim here?" He too has now become a victim of the misjudgements made by himself and others.

To stay on topic; How many steel guitars can one buy with $8 million?

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-Savell-
Savell Ministries

[This message was edited by Savell on 01 November 2004 at 01:26 PM.]

How about the indignance of those who were wrongly fleeced, murdered, or otherwise disabused of their LL&H?

My uncle used to whine to me about how the Minnesota Prison System, and the Justice System in general had given him a bad rap.

I reminded him that a state or society with less stringent laws might have looked the other way in their lenience while he was hung from a tree by relatives of the two people he killed, or so the family he kidnapped prior to that might have buried him in their pumphouse after he fell asleep instead of turning him over to the MHP.

He didn't spend a lot of time trying to get sympathy from me in the twenty years after that, though he did enjoy my voluminous political writings (from the safety of his cell of course).

I don't do much political writing anymore.

It gives people headaches..

EJL

[This message was edited by Eric West on 01 November 2004 at 08:15 PM.]

Ron, how about this one?
--- Dan Strader (in his 30s) 45 years for $3.7M fraud. Daniel also claims his innocence. Who said life was fair?