Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Our depraved justice system

The signs of fascism are evident and alarming. Without habeas corpus we have no rights. If you don't defend the despised among us they will come for you later. Wake up. They will come for you. The good Germans thought they were free. Until the Gestapo came knocking on their door because they were an intellectual or because they expressed their opinion.

Laila Al-Arian speaks out on "My Family's Nightmare" on her father, Sami Al-Arian's ordeal under the Bush regime's war against the Constitution. The documentary of her father's ordeal, "The U.S. vs. Al-Arian" has won three awards. It needs to be seen more widely. Germany went from a democracy to a totalitarian nightmare in a matter of months after Hitler garnered 31% of the vote. The Reichstag Fire came less than a month after Hitler was sworn in. The alarm was immediately sounded that Communist "terrorists" were amongst the German people and that all measures had to be undertaken to fight against the shadowy "terrorists". Rights were readily given up. Any country will have 25 - 30 % of the populace who are Right-Wing-Authoritarian Followers who espouse sloganeering like "My Country Right or Wrong" and other jingoistic nonsense. The danger comes when they take power. That is where we are now. We are on the brink of becoming a fascist state. Unless we speak out forcefully against injustice we are in dire danger of going down the slippery slope. IT CAN HAPPEN HERE.

Read the transcript of a discussion following a showing of the movie in Tampa Bay, Florida: The scene of the Show Trial.

An Excerpt (concerning the two of the ten jurors who refused to acquit on several counts):

"They wouldn't tell us why they said guilty," the juror said. "They came up with really bad reasons, but most of the time it was 'I don't have to tell you. I don't even need a reason. I can just say he's guilty because I think he's guilty, and that's all'."

Both Ron and another juror interviewed in the 100-minute documentary said that prosecutors tried to pressure them to convict my father by essentially telling them, "Use your common sense." Actual proof was an afterthought.

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