Opinion: Lawsuit seeking return of Little Bighorn artifacts

Thursday, February 2, 2012  

"Some 135 years after the carnage of the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn, another battle continues which seeks to hold the federal government accountable to "We, the People." The historic township of Garryowen is the subject of a struggle with the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and We, the People — all under attack by a government that increasingly answers to no one.

For those new to my issues, in 2005 some two dozen heavily armed federal agents descended upon Garryowen in a raid to investigate the alleged crime of the sale of a 7th Cavalry uniform button on the Internet. For the next five years, the federal government held items it had seized, including artifacts, business records and collectibles from the businesses at Garryowen, including the Custer Battlefield Museum. Like other cases now reported around the country, no formal charges were ever filed. The matter was never brought before a judge. The federal agents, having prosecuted their cases without ever bringing charges, simply walked away, and those who were victimized by these agents were never able to face their accusers in court.

Federal agents were able to destroy my businesses and my reputation, but because no one was ever charged with a crime, the law does not recognize that my constitutional rights were violated. At least, that was the decision of a federal court judge when the agents involved were sued in 2011."

Get the Story:
Christopher Kortlander: U.S. government is enemy in Custer artifact battle (The Billings Gazette 2/2)

Also Today:
Garryowen dealer seeks return of seized Custer museum artifacts (AP 1/29)