MY STATEMENT AT THE WEST COAST PRESS CONFERENCE FOR LYNNE STEWART
This entire ordeal is about fear and the attack on all of our civil liberties.
The Bush administration, the Justice Department, and really a lot of politicians are benefiting greatly in the aftermath of 9/11 by exploiting and stoking American fears: fear of terrorism; fear of foreigners; fear of Islam; fear of the “evildoers,” as Bush likes to say. Neither skill nor facts helped the government more in their case against Lynne Stewart than fear.
But in the aftermath of the verdict there is indeed reason to fear, not the remote possibility of terrorism, but the real prospect of losing critical civil liberties in this country.
Everyone accused of a crime; everyone whom the government seeks to punish, imprison, and strip of freedom deserves not just a defense; not just a person with a law degree to sit next to them in court; but a vigorous defense – at least as vigorous as the state's prosecution. The state which often has nearly limitless resources. The state which, particularly in a case like the one Lynne was involved in, is always well-funded and certainly vigorous if not underhanded.
Lynne is a highly competent and energetic attorney who defended, and will continue to defend, clients who the government would like to put away without the formality of a fair trial. That is why they went after her, and that is why they want to lock her up. I am very hopeful that it won't ever happen. We shouldn't forget, however, that throughout history people have been imprisoned in this country numerous times for simply doing the right thing; whether Eugene Debs or Martin Luther King Jr.
Lynne Stewart has been a proud member of the National Lawyers Guild and we are proud to have her as a member. The Guild is thousands of lawyers, law students and legal workers active in the courts and in the streets throughout this country. We will redouble our efforts to overturn this verdict, in part to help Lynne Stewart, but also for the sake of thousands of attorneys and their accused clients, and millions of others who are on the verge of losing liberties essential to a fair and just society.
This entire ordeal is about fear and the attack on all of our civil liberties.
The Bush administration, the Justice Department, and really a lot of politicians are benefiting greatly in the aftermath of 9/11 by exploiting and stoking American fears: fear of terrorism; fear of foreigners; fear of Islam; fear of the “evildoers,” as Bush likes to say. Neither skill nor facts helped the government more in their case against Lynne Stewart than fear.
But in the aftermath of the verdict there is indeed reason to fear, not the remote possibility of terrorism, but the real prospect of losing critical civil liberties in this country.
Everyone accused of a crime; everyone whom the government seeks to punish, imprison, and strip of freedom deserves not just a defense; not just a person with a law degree to sit next to them in court; but a vigorous defense – at least as vigorous as the state's prosecution. The state which often has nearly limitless resources. The state which, particularly in a case like the one Lynne was involved in, is always well-funded and certainly vigorous if not underhanded.
Lynne is a highly competent and energetic attorney who defended, and will continue to defend, clients who the government would like to put away without the formality of a fair trial. That is why they went after her, and that is why they want to lock her up. I am very hopeful that it won't ever happen. We shouldn't forget, however, that throughout history people have been imprisoned in this country numerous times for simply doing the right thing; whether Eugene Debs or Martin Luther King Jr.
Lynne Stewart has been a proud member of the National Lawyers Guild and we are proud to have her as a member. The Guild is thousands of lawyers, law students and legal workers active in the courts and in the streets throughout this country. We will redouble our efforts to overturn this verdict, in part to help Lynne Stewart, but also for the sake of thousands of attorneys and their accused clients, and millions of others who are on the verge of losing liberties essential to a fair and just society.
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