Pubdate: Sun, 08 May 2011 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2011 Brian Porter Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/0n4cG7L1 Website: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Author: Brian Porter Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n277/a08.html A CASE OF ENTRAPMENT Law enforcement is not your friend. They are a brotherhood first, and will protect their formula for self-preservation above all else. Many of them believe they are above the law they purport to enforce. For most, they see all people not affiliated with their ilk as potential criminals. What is clear is that the defendants obviously, initially and ignorantly contacted the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department to determine if they would be violating laws with their endeavor. They relied on the smiling faces of their protectors and proceeded accordingly. Predictably, Sherlock Ashworth then decided it was time to assist the federal government and "was under no obligation" to reveal that to the cooperative couple, instead entrapping them with the belief they were compliant with the law. Parties as such are then sentenced to prison based primarily upon the mind-reading attributes of the trial courts, which get annoyed when defendants exercise their rights to presumptive innocence by not accepting plea offers. Brian Porter, Orangevale - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake