I received a letter in the mail today from the Minnesota Department
of Corrections stating my civil rights had been restored. I knew this was the
case a week ago but it was nice to see it in writing. The letter was three pages
long and dealt mostly with registering to vote. I like that, but I was more
interested in the emboldened paragraph that stated, “However, if you have been convicted of a Crime of Violence under Minn.
Statute §624.712 subd. 5, you cannot possess or receive a firearm for the
remainder of your lifetime. In addition, you cannot possess or use tear gas
compound and electronic incapacitation devices as defined in Minn. Statute §624.731.”
Well, shit. I’ve never been convicted of a violent felony or
any other passionate crimes for that matter. I wonder if I am able to own or
possess a handgun.
The letter only has one other paragraph not related to
voting, and it goes like this here: “The Department of Corrections is not
responsible for determining the eligibility of a person to ship, transport,
possess, or receive a firearm. If you need assistance to determine your legal
rights please obtain private counsel.” This paragraph was not supported by
bigger, darker letters.
Who the hell has or can afford private counsel? Well, I do.
And I can. You see, through work, I am enrolled in both Legal Shield and ID
Shield. For one low price, my credit, credentials, and my street cred are all
protected. So I asked a robot lawyer over the Legal Shield app and this is what
she said, “The following is required for a felony review: Paper associate
agreement. A copy of the court documents indicating the actual charge(s). A
copy of the court documents stating the current disposition and/or
documentation of the release of probation. A detailed explanation from you (me)
regarding the charge(s) and what lead to the charge(s). A character reference
letter that is not from a family member, your spouse, your sponsor, or an
acquaintance by a Legal Shield associate.”
It looks like a lot, but most of that stuff is public
record, (as far as a letter from somebody I must not be very close with, we shall see.) and I can find it quickly because I have all of the necessary info. I
should have started the second paragraph by stating that I do not want to own,
possess, or receive a firearm because I am white and I don’t think white people
these days handle them too responsibly. I would however, like to use or receive
tear gas compound but I would not like to possess it. So, as soon as I do a
little footwork, I can find out what my status is as a citizen who has served
his time for his crime.
Other than that, where do I go from here? I have nobody to
answer to. I have nothing to fear: I am not going back. So, how can I be of
maximum usefulness to my fellows and those still suffering? I want to start
bringing meetings into locked facilities which I can now do as a normal voter. I sent an email to the corrections coordinator
for A.A. in this district, and am awaiting a reply. I will continue to write as
it continues to be a form of therapy for me. The fact that I have so many
followers is amazing, and I am happy to say that my post entitled Expired has reaped
857 views, making me as famous as Wally Wingert. I’m not in it for the fame,
which is great because I have gained none and made exactly $0 to date from
blogging. But it could be time to change that. I have written repeatedly that
the first year of the blog has been edited down to book format, and we are
waiting for…. I don’t know what to happen. Maybe a publisher? Maybe to be
discovered by somebody who knows a publisher? Like I said, I don’t know. But I
do think that many of our posts, combined or separate, are worthy of more than
just Facebook shares. If I had the time I would write more creatively and more
often, and maybe more fictionally which I
tried a while back and really enjoyed. I would like to explore writing on
different topics as well, like dogs or potatoes. You get the idea, I want to
keep writing, and I will. I want to explore other avenues, and I will when I
can. And I want to publish a book. And, well, I will. But then you people have
to buy it.
My first week as a free man went just like the week before,
and I plan to change very little in my life as a result of my new freedoms. It
is nice knowing that I completed something in my life which is a great feeling.
I would like to complete more things from now on, like this post.
