Larry: Actually, the political agenda to which I referred has to do with what I've read in Faith and Practice about opposition to incarceration and retributive punishment and capital punishment, about civil disobedience, that sort of political-issue stance. I don't disagree with everything it has to say about personal-relationship issues, however. Still, as I say, I don't want others to see me being called a Friend and mistakenly assume from that that I agree with everything Faith and Practice says Friends are to feel about political issues, when in fact I do not. Am I being any clearer this time (I hope)?

For instance, when it comes to stopping folks from hurting one another, I think prison is an acceptable option for stopping people who have hurt other people by breaking certain laws. I've read that John Toogood has been convicted of hurting people by scamming them out of their money in Philadelphia PA and Akron Ohio. If he's convicted of this latest charge of scamming in Montana and sentenced to prison to deter him from scamming again, at least while he's in jail, I don't see this as necessarily a bad thing.

I know that you've said, Larry, that Travelers plead guilty to charges like these when they're innocent of those charges, but (a) I have trouble believing that's as prevalent as you make it out to be, and (b) I don't know if Toogood pleaded guilty or innocent to any of the three charges of scamming that I've mentioned here.

Perhaps Travelers and Gypsies/Romas need to be better educated about the legal system so that they don't enter guilty pleas for things they have not done – and learn how to work within the legal system to obtain effective defense against false charges – rather than take the attitude that they might as well break the law because they think (mistakenly or not) that police officers are profiling them anyway, or that they should "use false identities in order to achieve that right which [others not of their ethnic origin] take so for granted". Two wrongs don't make a right! Just because some police officers and state/federal authorities are corrupt (and, yes, some are, and others are not) is not a valid reason for any Travelers or Romas (or anyone else!) to corrupt themselves as well. It's just an excuse.