As I reported last September, the hideously misnamed “Department of Justice” sent two dozen federal agents in an early morning raid on the home of Pro-Life activist Mark Houck to terrify him, his wife, and their seven children.
What was Houck’s alleged “crime” that warranted dozens of federal agents descending on his home, weapons drawn? Houck was at an abortion clinic with his son when a pro-abortion activist began verbally harassing the boy, telling him, “your dad’s a fag” and telling the boy he “should go home and masturbate.” Houck responded as any father would have done, by pushing the man away from his son.
Although the man filed charges against Houck in a local state court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the case went nowhere and was dismissed. But while there is some residual sanity in the state and local justice systems, there is none in our federal system. Our Federal Bureau of Investigation and our “Department of Justice” are totally dominated by Marxist radicals.
The Leftists who control the federal “justice system” have a special hatred for anyone who feels called to intervene on behalf of unborn babies. They are going after everyone who opposes the murder of the unborn. Abortion is the highest and most solemn sacrament of the Left’s satanic cult.
There is a United States Attorney, nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate, for each federal district in the country; there is at least one district in each state, more in the larger and more populous states. The U.S. attorneys are authorized to prosecute a vast array of federal crimes, way too many, in my opinion.
Last September, the newly installed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Jacqueline C. Romero, decided to charge Houck with violating the “Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE)” Act, which makes it a federal crime to use force or intimidation to prevent access to abortion clinics. Romero’s theory was that because the person Houck shoved was a volunteer who was escorting women into the abortion clinic, Houck was interfering with access to the clinic, but no one’s access to the clinic was ever hindered or interfered with.
When Houck’s lawyers learned that prosecutors had convened a grand jury targeting Houck, they told prosecutors they would voluntarily bring Houck in for questioning, or for arrest. But such a peaceful and quiet process would not have served Jacqueline Romero’s purposes, nor those of Jacqueline Maguire, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia office.
“The next thing I know,” related Houck, “I had 20-plus federal agents and state troopers banging on my door at 6:45 in the morning. As I opened the door, I could not believe the circus scene that I saw,” he said. There were at least 10, 15 marked and unmarked units right in front of me. Surrounding the side of my house, I have 100 yards [of driveway] to the street, [and there were law enforcement vehicles] lined all the way up to the street, long guns pointed at me, heavily armored vests, ballistic helmets, ballistic shields, a battering ram,” he said.
“They said, ‘You know why we’re here,’” Houck said. “And then I said, ‘Oh, I know why you’re here. You’re here because I rescue babies.’”
What was not disclosed until the day after the acquittal, when Houck talked about it in an interview with Steve Bannon (part 1, part 2) was how he was further humiliated when he arrived at the Philadelphia federal building: Houck was put in shackles, including a waist shackle to which his wrists were attached, and ankle shackles that hobbled his stride down to about 18 inches.
During this time, Houck prayed continuously. Houck told Bannon that his time in shackles was the most intimate prayer experience of his life, adding that he was “at the foot of Calvary,” so close to the cross of Christ that he could “take the splinters off that cross.”
Had he been found guilty, Houck was facing up to 11 years in federal prison and a $300,000 fine. Ms. Romero knew she had a weak case, however, and offered Houck a relative slap on the wrist—a modest fine and a few months of probation. But Houck stood fast, electing to take his chances with a jury of his peers.
On Monday, January 30th, a Philadelphia jury sided with Houck, concluding that the incident was not about blocking a clinic entrance but about a loving father protecting his son from verbal abuse. They acquitted Houck on all charges.
This is wonderful news, not least because it is a David vs. Goliath victory. Federal prosecutions almost always end in conviction, in part because the federal government has practically infinite resources; only millionaires and billionaires can hang with the feds. Another reason is that federal judges are appointed for life and do not respond to public opinion, are biased toward federal prosecutors, and often will not allow juries to act as a check on prosecutorial abuse, which is how our founders intended juries to work.
Even in those very rare cases resulting in an acquittal, the in terrorem effect of a federal prosecution is monumental. There is the terror of the early morning federal raid by dozens of federal agents in full body armor with automatic weapons drawn. This type of excessive force is now routine in cases involving enemies of the regime, which includes all conservatives and all Bible-believing Christians—the regime long since labeled us domestic terrorists.
Then you have to pay the lawyers. The legal fees in a case like this are always in (at least) the six-figure range, sometimes reaching seven figures. Houck was represented by Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, as well as by a local Philadelphia criminal defense firm. The Thomas More Society is supported by donations from conservative, pro-life Christians, and likely did not charge Houck for its services. Even so, lawyers have to be paid, so these prosecutions act as an extra tax on pro-life Christians, who pay it voluntarily to protect other Pro-Life Christians.
Many conservative Catholics are now being persecuted because they try to protect the lives of the unborn. Sadly, it is unlikely that any Seventh-day Adventists will ever experience persecution on that count, but even if Adventists continue to collaborate with the regime in the slaughter of the unborn, the regime will not leave us alone for long. If you continue to oppose same-sex “marriage,” the regime is coming for you. If you oppose public school teachers who actively confuse children and recruit them into the transgender movement—and cause 15-year-old girls to have their breasts cut off—the regime is coming for you. If you object to being told you are evil because you were born into a certain race, the regime is coming for you.
If you are waiting to be persecuted over the Sabbath before you take a stand for Jesus Christ and oppose evil, you will deny Christ three times. Maybe not with cursing, as Peter did, but you will deny Him just as completely.