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Lynne Stewart’s Struggle for Justice Continues
by Stephen Lendman
Numerous previous articles discussed her case, character, and dedication to rule of law principles. She’s an internationally recognized human rights lawyer.
She tirelessly worked for justice. She devoted her life and work to upholding principles too important to reject. She knew the risks and took them. She did so because it matters.
For 30 years, she defended America’s poor, underprivileged, unwanted, and forgotten. Without advocates like her, they never have a chance for due process and judicial fairness.
She was targeted for representing clients prosecutors want convicted. One case made her especially vulnerable.
At former US Attorney General Ramzy Clark’s request, she joined his Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman’s defense team.
In 1995, he was wrongfully convicted of seditious conspiracy, solicitation of murder, solicitation of an attack on American military installations, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to bomb in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center attack.
He was bogusly accused. He was innocent of all charges. It didn’t matter. He never had a chance. Prosecutorial injustice framed him. It’s standard Justice Department practice.
Defending Rahman got Lynne spuriously charged with:
- “conspiring to defraud the United States;
- conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorist activity;
- providing and concealing material support to terrorist activity; and
- two counts of making false statements.”
Prosecutors claimed she violated US Bureau of Prisons Special Administrative Measures (SAMs). A gag order on Rahman was included.
Doing so prohibits discussing topics the Justice Department (DOJ) rules outside “legal representation.” It also inhibits legal defenses.
Ramsey Clark issued press releases like Lynne. She alone was targeted. At issue was silencing a powerful legal advocate. Tactics included disbarring and imprisoning her unjustly.
Doing so warned other lawyers not to defend clients Washington wants convicted.
Her trial mocked justice. It was orchestrated to convict. It reflected the worst of McCarthy-like tactics. Inflammatory terrorist images were displayed in court.
Jurors were manipulated and intimidated. Lynne was called a traitor with radical political views. Heated rhetoric substituted for truth and full disclosure.
On February 10, 2005, she was convicted on all counts. She was automatically disbarred.
On October 17, 2006, she was sentenced to 28 months in prison. At the time, she remained free on bond pending appeal before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
In November 2009, she was ordered to surrender forthwith and report to prison.
She appealed and lost. Second Circuit justices upheld her conviction. They claimed 28 months was too lenient. They remanded her case back to district court Judge John Koeltl.
Pressure got him to increase Lynne’s sentence to 10 years. She hopes Supreme Court justices will afford her what lower courts denied.
On December 30, she sent a New Year’s message. She addressed her legion of supporters. She approached 2013 with “fear and trepidation.”
She maintains “indefatigable hope.” She continues struggling against “those dread tentacles of corporatism (that) try to strangle us.”
It’s no easy task fighting back. Lynne’s imprisoned for trying. She discussed her “personal challenges.”
She’s a breast cancer survivor. It reemerged. It’s spreading. It’s treatable. More on that below.
She remains focused. She’s determined not to allow “any such problem deter (her) from someday getting released” and being free.
She reflected on her “strong will.” She calls it the “focus that you all infuse me with!!”
She commented on her formidable challenge in getting her “case before the Supreme Court. Will they deign to hear us,” she asked? Will we advance the sunlight or only increase the shadows on our constitutional rights?”
“We can only strive to present our issues in the best possible way and ‘fight like hell’ ” for justice. There’s “no predicting results, but in prison, HOPE is the only currency.”
On October 8, Lynne added another year. She’s 73. She’s “counting down (her) 74th year,” she said. Her husband and lifelong human rights partner Ralph is 79.
Often her final comment is vintage Lynne. She urges everyone to join the struggle for justice. “Organize – Agitate, Agitate, Agitate!”
“Love Struggle!”
Write her and others in America’s gulag. She can be reached as follows:
Lynne Stewart #53504-054
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
PO Box 27137
Ft. Worth, TX 76127
Lynne’s health compounds her problems. On January 23, Press TV headlined “Jailed US lawyer of blind Egyptian cleric denied cancer treatment,” saying:
It reemerged. It “spread to her lungs and upper back.”
“She “require(s) immediate expert treatment.” She requested transfer to a New York hospital. She’s been successfully treated there before. She was denied.
She’s confined to prison-style treatment. It’s mediocre at best. Authorities want her silenced. They don’t care if she lives or dies.
Incarceration harms human health. Prison conditions aren’t compatible with healthy living. Serious illnesses aren’t adequately diagnosed or treated. Some are entirely ignored.
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) discussed “The Health and Health Care of US Prisoners.”
Few inmates with “active medical problems” are monitored. Mental health problems are “ubiquitous.” Treatment is deplorable.
“Almost a million inmates report having 1 more chronic medical (problems), and their access to medical care appears to be poor.”
“Providing inmates with health care is politically unpopular. Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona said Bush administration officials blocked release of his report titled, “Call to Action on Corrections in Community Health.”
They did so fearing it “would increase government spending on inmates.” PNHP stressed that “constitutional, public health, and human rights imperatives of improving health care in prisons and jails are clear.”
In January 2009, PNHP headlined “US prisoners sicker than believed and have poor access to care.”
An American Journal of Public Health article discussed a first-ever nationwide study. It said about 40% of America’s prison population (over 800,000 inmates) have chronic medical conditions.
They include diabetes, heart and kidney problems, asthma, and cancer. Researchers found “sick prisoners have poor access to care.” Many in need aren’t treated. Others get deplorable care.
Compared with comparably aged Americans, the incidence of inmates’ illness is much higher. Treatment is sub-standard.
“Inmates with medical problems like diabetes, which requires drug treatment (daily), often had their vital medications stopped after their incarceration.”
Lead study author, Dr. Andrew Wilper said:
“A substantial percentage of inmates have serious medical needs. Yet many of them don’t get even minimal medical care. These prisoners are denied their constitutionally guaranteed right to care.”
Lynne is affected like others. Her struggle for good health accompanies her appeal to be set free. Her treatment reflects police state justice.
It symbolizes what’s wrong with America. It spurns rule of law principles. It imprisons its best and brightest. It’s contemptuous of fundamental civil and human rights. Wealth, power, privilege and dominance alone matter.
Ordinary people are largely denied. Prison inmates lose all rights. Constitutionally guaranteed ones don’t matter. Ill inmates needing vital care get sub-standard treatment or none.
Change more than ever is needed. Great struggles are won in small steps. Supporting right over wrong matters. Mass public outrage is needed. Activism gets results. There’s no other way.
About the Author: Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=237119
Posted by Stephen Lendman on Jan 24 2013, With 0 Reads, Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Lynne Stewart, just one of the many innocent victims of government vengeance against those who dare to challenge the jewish power structure in America. She is going to die in prison of an ugly ghastly death, just what the government wants.
Of course she got off lucky, I guess, she could have conveniently committed suicide.
Pity, so many Americans know nothing about her or her case unless it’s propaganda from jew news outlets.
When people tell we’re still free and America is still the greatest nation on earth, I simply walk away from them. They are hopelessly ignorant, dumbed down and stupid.
go back to your football game, American Idol, jewish sitcom, etc.
Who’s next?
….and it ain’t just the name of one of the Who’s albums.
Oh yeah……won’t get fooled again…..
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
– John Fitzgerald Kennedy
((@))–>–>—-
An idea once born never dies
Domination of the Stewarts by Rome
This apparent suppression of due process and fair play is merely one extension of the 2400 year old Celtic struggle against Roman Empire domination.
America the Beautiful, Still
But, when the courts and due process are rigged, the purpose is to latch the yoke of tyranny on our shoulders. To quote a brave man, David Claudio Iglesias on the 2008 Daily Show, “I thought I was working with the Jedi Knights, but I was working for the Sith Lords.”
Scottish blessing for my countrywomen.
If there is righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.
So let it be.
May you be at peace and overcome your cancer, Lynne. May America wake up.
An amazing woman in the face of adversity. I feel for her but at least her conscience is clear which cannot be said for those hounding her.
I believe that Mrs Lynne needs to contact Susan Lindauer, if she hasn’t already done so, and try to get Susan to help her out. Susan Lindauer, a former CIA Asset, went through a similar horrifying experience which also included incarceration at the U.S. Air Force Gulog known as the Federal Medical Center at Carswell, Texas for five years. In Susan’s book “Extreme Prejudice” she thoroughly illustrates how cruel and torturous that prison is and what she had to do to get her freedom. I strongly recommend that every American reads Susan’s book along with Christopher Bollyn’s intensely researched book “Solving 9/11: The Deception That Changed the World” and any of David Ray Griffin’s ten books on 9/11 (my favorite: “9/11 Ten Years Later: When State Crimes Against Democracy Succeed.” Some how some way, we have to get justice for all the injustice that has occurred since 9/11. I just hope I live long enough to see that day.
Carlswell
Her first mistake was having anything to do with Clark.