Below are the relevant excerpts of an email I received this weekend from a friend of mine regarding Lynne Stewart's conviction last week in NYC. This friend, I’ll note, is an attorney in NYC and a good one, and an exceptional person but one whose political views fall left of the Democrats' DailyKOS / Howard Dean contingent and right, barely, of Che Guevera’s (my characterization). Anyway, he’d love to know your thoughts (and btw, I’m posting with his blessing).
…I am not one to dive behind a cause -- this is the first time I have sought aid from friends and family for a social cause. But please go to www.lynnestewart.org and read about her trial. I spoke with her law office yesterday and they really need money, so please give a little -- five bucks if you can, and a little more if you can. MORE
In brief, Lynne is a human rights activist and a public defender and represented a man convicted in connection with the WTC bombings. She was under a gag order not to communicate the convict's views to the public. Reporters asked her if the convict supported a cease-fire and Lynne, possibly carelessly, said "no." She wasn't sanctioned for violating the gag order -- she was sentenced under the Patriot Act and faces 35 years in prisons. All of her conversations with her client were secretly recorded and used against her at trial. Her indictment was announced by John Ashcroft while appearing on the Letterman Show. Many see this as an attempt by this administration to keep attorneys away from trying to provide legal assistance to any accused (not convicted) acts associated with terrorism.
I went to the courthouse and watched a few days of the trial and met Lynne. She is a 65 year old grandmother who bakes to reduce the stress associated with her trial (and now with her conviction). If her appeal fails, she will spend her life in prison.
For more on Stewart's convition, here's Powerline's Big Trunk and here's attorney Elaine Cassel.
Replies: 2 Comments
Posted by:
Wannabe
On Tuesday, February 15th
As a lawyer in a former life, I pose this question:
If Ms. Stewart had "facilitated" communications between a Mafia boss in jail and his underlings and said communications "ordered hits" on certain persons, would you be raising money for her? I didn't think so.
A very fitting analogy in my opinion.
Posted by:
Disgusted in Dayton
On Tuesday, February 15th
Your friend is self-delusional. Stewart wasn't prosecuted for communicating the convict's views the the public. She was convicted of facilitating communications between a known terrorist and his violent, Islamofascist followers. There's no real doubt she was intentionally aiding a cause with which she agreed -- a cause inimcal to America and peace-loving people everywhere. May she rot in jail.
