Howard Baker, aka Drifter, father, grandfather, brother, friend, teacher and mentor, is the latest victim in a long line to suffer at the hands of a broken justice system. The system convicted a man with circumstantial evidence. We were always led to believe that could not happen. It turns out, we were led down a primrose path. In the land of the free and home of the brave, it appears that the ones that wish to bravely live free are doomed to be looked down upon as the dregs of society, all the while working hard to live life like our forefathers wanted. Free and in pursuit of happiness.  Drifter worked hard for many years to support a daughter he loves with every fiber of his being and the grandchildren that brought so much joy to his life. He retired from the City of Fort Worth after a long and exemplary career.  In my experience, this man taught me to be a better man, father and most of all.... brother.

People call us outlaws. Let's look at what that means:

out·law ˈoutˌlô/ noun 1. 1. a person who has broken the law, especially one who remains at large or is a fugitive.

That is not entirely correct. A percentage of any group,be it a church parishioners, boy scouts, or PTA could be considered an outlaw.

Ever pick up a nickel off the street? 

Ever "forget" to feed the meter to run in and grab your dry cleaning?

Ever make it home and realize you forgot to pay for your gum?

Well, by the above definition.... you are an outlaw!

Perhaps a better description would be:

out·law ˈoutˌlô/ noun noun: outlaw; plural noun: outlaws             

2.historical

1. a person deprived of the benefit and protection of the law.

Because isn't that what really happened to Howard Baker?

He was convicted of several infractions of the law without the benefit of evidence, eyewitnesses or reasonable cause.

The 4th amendment to the constitution Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause as determined by a neutral judge or magistrate.

But this, as well as a multitude if others can state, frequently gets brushed aside simply because of what we wear or with whom we associate. 

The 6th amendment protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of the accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel.

Here we see "fair" being used in a somewhat loose fashion. This trial was decided before it started. Howard was tried in a court of public opinion since 2014 and thereby had no way of receiving a "fair" trial and if it had truly been "speedy" trial, then perhaps the jury of his peers (again...very loosely) would not have been bombarded by the relentless media machine that seems to seep into everyone's mind and dictates public opinion and could have objectively looked at all evidence presented. 

As it played out, this man was separated from everyone he loved and that loved him simply based on the affiliation with people who desired to wear the same type of "uniform".

Ask yourself, internally....does that seem fair, just or even mildly tolerable?

The difference between a criminal and an outlaw is that while criminals frequently are victims, outlaws never are. Indeed, the first step toward becoming a true outlaw is the refusal to be victimized. All people who live subject to other people's laws are victims. People who break laws out of greed, frustration, or vengeance are victims. People who overturn laws in order to replace them with their own laws are victims. ( I am speaking here of revolutionaries.) We outlaws, however, live beyond the law. We don't merely live beyond the letter of the law-many businessmen, most politicians, and all cops do that. We live beyond the spirit of the law. In a sense, then, we live beyond society. Have we a common goal, that goal is to turn the tables on the 'nature' of society.  When we succeed, we raise the exhilaration content of the universe. We even raise it a little bit when we fail.

When war turns whole populations into sleepwalkers, outlaws don't join forces with alarm clocks. Outlaws, like poets, rearrange the nightmare.

The trite myths of the outlaw; the self-conscious romanticism of the outlaw; the black wardrobe of the outlaw; the fey smile of the outlaw; the tequila of the outlaw and the beans of the outlaw; respectable men sneer and say 'outlaw'; young women palpitate and say 'outlaw'. The outlaw boat sails against the flow;  'When freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will be free.' There are outlaw maps that lead to outlaw treasures. Unwilling to wait for mankind to improve, the outlaw lives as if that day were here.