Carl Olsen
Post Office Box 4091
Des Moines, IA 50333

July 23, 1996

Louv Brother Brian,

Thanks for the letter.  Thanks also for the comments on Judas, and for saying that I don't fit the role.  I wasn't suggesting that I play that role, I was merely addressing the fact that Christ loved Judas.  This goes to the part where Christ talked about loving your enemies and doing good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.  That was all I was getting at.  As for telling my story, I'm sure a lot of the old church members would consider my version a complete betrayal of everything they believe in.  I don't smoke the herb, for one thing.  I consider the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church to have fallen because of selling the herb.  I doubt very much if my views would be received with much sympathy from them.  What I was getting at was that I don't give Judas the opportunity to kill me.  I don't have any secrets which cannot be revealed.  I've certainly done some embarrassing things that would make me feel ashamed to speak of them in public, but nothing that would put me (or anyone else) in a prison cell.  I agree that Judas ended up destroying himself because of his actions, but it wasn't because Christ held any bad feelings toward him.  You can rejoice in the knowledge that anyone who treats you treacherously will live in torment, although I'm not exactly sure that's something to rejoice over.  I'd prefer it if people didn't act treacherously at all.  I try not to give them the opportunity.  At any rate, I was simply looking at things from my own perspective.  I stopped smoking the herb so that no one would have control over me, particularly the informer.  I suppose an informer could make something up from imagination, but at least it would be a lie.  The way I was living before, the informer could have told the truth, like Judas, and put me away for a long time.  I'll admit that it takes more than an informer's word sometimes (although not all the time, since your dad is living proof of that), but usually it takes some actual evidence to back it up.  In my case, an informer could say I was breaking the law, but it would be difficult to prove it, since I don't.  I'm looking to partake of my sacrament openly, or at least legally.  I could do that in Holland, and I may move there some day.  I think we should all be thinking about the very real world we live in, instead of isolating ourselves in some camp somewhere and selling herb to everyone to pay for it (a recipe for disaster, in my opinion).  Prison taught me one thing, and that was that God was not on my side.  As Marcus Garvey so wisely said, God doesn't take sides.  Garvey liked what Napoleon had to say about it, "God is on the side with the biggest battalion."  So far, we don't even have a security guard any more.  I'd say we have some organizing to do.
Thanks for the news about Stevie.  I think I heard about it from someone else - maybe it was you.  I agree that he was a good brother.  Keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Carl E. Olsen