When good men do nothing, evil will take over

Willoam Goehler
for the Appeal-Democrat

FOCUS

Your staff has remained neutral as much as possible with reporting the facts available to you concerning my pending criminal case with in Yuba County Superior Court for possession of explosives and child endangerment. I commend your professional integrity and presence at the scheduled court dates in order to witness and report the events as they develop.

Last July you reported that the District Attorney intended to dismiss the pending charges against me before my scheduled trial date of July 22, 1997; because federal officials neglected to cooperate with court ordered discovery motions. The charges were in fact dismissed (for the second time) via jail institutional mail, and refiled before I had an opportunity to step outside this jail and help my family relocate out of this area. This was the fifth time the Yuba County District Attorney has brought felony charges against me - each time with a threat of 25 years to life third strike consequences. Somebody help me!

Six months and three separate attempts to publicly defame and endanger me regarding criminal charges of explosives possession and child endangerment has taken its toll on me this time. Family, friends and church members have found safe ground elsewhere outside the threat of association making this a very trying experience for us all.

Six months have expired leaving the trail cold to apprehend whoever was responsible for the detonation of explosives mysteriously hidden in a tree next to my house in Olivehurst. Plea bargain deals were made with six other suspects from Olivehurst charged with actual possession of explosives but because my political stands and previous media attention, police investigation has focused entirely on me which has resulted in criminal charges being dismissed and refiled twice thus far, not to mention families and communities being unnecessarily disrupted.

Sixth months have elapsed and my constitutional rights to a speedy trial have again been denied by Yuba County Court Superior Judge Dennis Buckley, who acknowledged the federal officials' lack of cooperation (yet again) with this court as of my Sept. 30, 1997, scheduled trial date. But he rescheduled my trial date in another 45 days against my very harsh objections in open court to allow federal officials more opportunities to fabricate their case at my expense.

I am not surprised that my God has led me back to this very courthouse which has caused me (and many others) to suffer from its brutal form of terrorism only to discover that when the state has exhausted its ability to terrorize me and my family, as well as the community, the Federal Court is expected to proceed with conspiracy charges against me

I have to say Hallelujah!

When I returned home in September 1996 from the Montana Freeman incident, I welded an iron collar on my neck to represent our fate as Americans. In this land of the free and home of the brace, we rate number one among the nations of the world which lock away its subjects. California is rated number one in our nation to lock away its citizens. And ironically, Yuba County rates the highest per capita conviction rate in our country.

Whether I chose the battle or the battle chose me, American and world history is composed of individual men risking their life and liberty in the name of God, for the cause of freedom and justice.

I have to remember my upside down flag declaring: "United We Stand - Divided We fall." Two years ago I thought I would be torn limb from limb at the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., but after the incident at Waco, Texas, I trusted my God (YahWeh), supported the noble effort to unite citizen awareness about the murderous tyrants selected to rule us.

Ben Franklin said it best so long ago: "If we don't stand together (against tyrants) we will hang separately!" All good men need to do is nothing and evil will reign.

William Goehler lives in Yuba County. His commentary, originally submitted as a letter to the editor, exceeded the 350-word letter length, and was accepted instead as a column.

Fire levels Olivehurst home

Former residence of William Goehler

Sherry Barkas
Appeal-Democrat

The Olivehurst house that rattled the neighborhood when it exploded last spring burned to the ground early Tuesday morning.

The now unoccupied house at 1585 Seventh Ave. went up in flames at about 5:20 a.m. Tuesday. It was the former residence of William Goehler, 34, convicted two weeks ago of explosives possession and child endangerment.

It took eight firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, Olivehurst Fire Chief Kenneth Davis said.

"We found it fully involved when we arrived," David said.

An arson investigation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Services spend the day sifting through the rubble, searching for where the fire was started and the cause.

"There is no obvious start in the aspect that there was no gas or electricity hooked up," Davis said.

Nothing remained of the residential structure except three stacks of Sheetrock apparently being used in restoration of the house. The house was nearly destroyed when explosives being stored in a tree on the west side of the rented house detonated at 7:30 a.m. on April 28.

The explosion led investigators to a motor home parked in the driveway of a Yuba City house where 500 pound of explosives and detonating caps were stored.

Goehler, a know anti-government sympathizer, lived in the Seventh Avenue house along with his wife, Debra, and their four children. He and his 2-year-old child were injured, but not seriously.

Two weeks ago Goehler was convicted of explosives possession and endangering his children. It has never been determined how the explosives in the tree detonated.

He remains in Yuba County Jail pending sentencing.

[Image of William Goehler's former house in Olivehurst, burned down to the ground].

Brian Davies/Appeal-Democrat

A house at 1585 Seventh Ave., Olivehurst, formerly occupied by William Goehler, burned to the ground Tuesday. The house was the site of an April 28 explosion that shook the neighborhood and shattered the windows of nearby homes.