-Caveat Lector- I've seen other reports that corroborate this. Disturbing is putting it mildly, but not surprising in light of "Patriot" and "Home Security" - did people honestly think they weren't serious?
Nobody said it would be easy, and that's not something Americans are used to. > > Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 15:17:52 -0600 > Subject: Re: Letter from someone who stepped across the line at the > School of the Americas. > Gladys Schmitz wrote: > > I received this from Sister Dorothy. She is a member of St. Stephens > church in Minneapolis; the writer of the following letter, Jack Neis, > is also a member of her church. It is good for us to know. Gladys > > ******************* > > My dear friends: > > I was arrested last weekend during a demonstration in Columbus, > Georgia protesting the existence of the School of the Americas; a > school that is the symbol of the worst in this country's foreign > policy. I will most probably receive a six month sentence in federal > prison. Kate and I are adamant opponents of this school, as most of > you know. HOWEVER. This missive is not about the school. It is > about my experience the last few days: it is about the erosion of > civil rights. I would appreciate your attention. I think that you > will find it interesting. > > I was one of those fortunate to be in the company of the people > who "crossed the line" during the School of the Americas Watch /SOAW > demonstration at Fort Benning. The charge we were arrested for is > trespassing. No property damage. No violence. No threats. It is a > Petty misdemeanor. In some states a petty misdemeanor is not even > legally considered a crime. > > In the past, violators of this ordinance, including > repeat "offenders" were processed, arraigned immediately and released > on their own recognizance until their trial months later. Everyone > knew that they could, and repeaters expected that they would, receive > a prison sentence. This year things were a bit different. > > As usual, our group of ninety-odd included some seniors. (well into > the seventies). Keep them in mind as I continue. We were cuffed with > plastic ties behind our backs, and taken to a processing area. We > were interrogated (no Miranda), printed, and photoed. At this point > we expected to be quickly ! arraigned, and released. > > We were then turned over to the USMarshal service. Again we were > interrogated, fingerprinted and photoed. > > Now it starts getting ugly. > > (Remember: NONVIOLENT PETTY MISDEMEANOR and we have not been > convicted: therefore assumed not guilty of even this charge. We can > be HELD (not punished) for up to forty-eight hours.) They put us in > SHACKLES and LEG CHAINS for transportation to the Muskogee County > jail. Shackles are those things where your hands are locked in a > fixture at your waist fastened to a chain around your waist that you > see on serial killers. With leg chains you have to shuffle to walk. > > At the jail, everything was taken from us, and we were issued prison > uniforms (short sleeved pajamas), one blanket, a towel, and a plastic > cup. Again we were interrogated, printed and photoed. (No Miranda) > Muskogee County has just dedicated a new jail. Apparently there was > no room in the new section: they led us back to the old jail > for "holding". It was dirty, rusty, and COLD. We wore our blankets > constantly to keep warm. The blanket was just barely long enough to > cover for sleeping. "Breakfast" was at 4:20 AM, and the "food" was > despicable. > > During the entire time we were incarcerated, requests for medication > were ignored. > > All day Monday and Tuesday, the 34 men spent the entire day in a 12 x > 15 room as we awaited arraignment. Picture that. The women spent the > day in a similar room. There were a lot more of them. > > I was raised upper middle class, went to a parochial grade school, > Jesuit Prep high school, and Notre Dame University. I spent five > years in the Air Force as a flight instructor. Beginning my career > at Northwest Airlines, I was pretty much sure about everything in > life, as would most given that experience. > > Then I was laid off (it turns out for almost nine years.) Given the > job opportunities in 1970, I ended up driving a city bus > inMinneapolis. Those 3+ years gave me the greatest part of my > education. I learned about the lives of real folks. I got to know > the poor, the black and the red, and the unemployed. I learned that > I really hadn't known much at all about people. This experience in > jail was another such step. My fellow cellmates included priests, > college professors, students, Catholic Worker volunteers, and even a > couple who call themselves "full time activists". You know, "those" > people. > > What a marvelous and diverse group of men!!!!!! I was humbled by > their experiences, and their lives of dedication to their fellow > human beings. As I was sitting Sunday night with some of them; > feeling the cold and the separation, my stomach twisted in a knot > mostly from an ignorance of what was to come, I looked up and said," > I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now than right here." > > We sang together, we "mantra"ed together in that crowded little room, > slowly walking around in single file as we intoned for the better > part of half an hour. We could hear through the walls the women > singing loudly. We prayed together, we joked and we talked. I was > in awe Considering my puny contributions to humanity, I felt somewhat > undeserving to be in their company. > > The court arraignments dragged on. Although some of us made personal > statements, I believe most of them were shorter than a minute. There > was a constant repetition of our "rights" and the charges against > us. In spite of our attempts with our legal people to expedite the > proceedings, and therefore the release of those yet to come, the > delays were unbelievable. One woman late in the afternoon (after 4) > was asked why she was shaking. The courtroom was cold, and she had > not been fed since 4:20 that morning. Everyone else in the courtroom > was wearing either heavy long-sleeved turtleneck shirts or suit and > tie. A good number of the spectators were wearing their jackets and > sweaters. Another woman who was diabetic had had not only no food, > but no meds since arrest. The judge evidently thought it somehow > entertaining to throw in adolescent humor. > > The proceedings lasted until just short of the 48 hour deadline. > > Finally came the last surprise. $5000 each for bail. High school > students, college students, unemployed, poor, rich, first timer or > repeater; whatever. Unprecedented! In the history of the SOAW, NO > ONE has ever not shown up for trial! The judge mentioned, "These are > different times"! I know that I broke the law. I am ready and > willing to take the consequences. I will probably receive 6 months > in federal prison. I do not agree with it, but I knew the risks. > > But evidently the word has come down from above. Possibly from John > Ashcroft himself. We have committed the most grievous of crimes. We > are attempting to bring attention to and to criticize our > government's foreign policy, and we must be dealt with. In a nation > founded on Dissent, Dissent will not be tolerated. Make life for > those protestors as miserable as you can. > > Of course there's also the chance that once in jail, regardless of > whether convicted, and regardless of for what, all persons not only > can, but should, be treated as animals. What would you think if you > were mistakenly arrested, held for 48 hours and were treated like > this? Is this sort of treatment OK? > > Well, one of our number will be found innocent. He was dragged onto > the base by a soldier. He has many witnesses. Yet he received the > same treatment. > > Michael Parenti has warned that wars are between the rich and the > poor. Poor countries don't need government. Government is all > about money, and its purpose is to move it from the population to the > rich. Laws are written to protect the rich from the poor. THINK > ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT! After our foreign policy has made use of > the backs and lives of the poor around the world, the system will > begin to attack and subjugate its own people. They need only fear as > a tool. I think it's starting. > > We are at a crucial point in the history of this country. We must > decide whether it should be an ally in a world of nations, or an > empire. Before you answer, find out what an empires, and who runs > it. > > George and his regime want to rule the world. Do you want that? I > didn't say he wants the United States to rule the world. He is not > in this for us. There is always the possibility that he might > actually think he is. But if so, he is governing from a position of > ignorance "….as would most given that experience." > > Sometimes you have to question what you have always believed. It's > hard. It's uncomfortable. It's unnerving. And it can be painful. > > Believe me, I know. > > Jack Neis POC > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > "Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible > government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to > the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the > unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the > first task of the statesmanship of the day."--Theodore Roosevelt, > April 19, 1906 > > "And it seems to me perfectly in the cards that there will be within > the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people > love their servitude, and producing … a kind of painless > concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact > have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it, > because they wi! ll be distracted from any desire to rebel by > propaganda, brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological > methods."--Aldous Huxley, 1959 > > "There is an evil which ought to be guaarded against in the > indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it > in perpetuity by corporations. The power of all corporations ought to > be limited in this respect. The growing wealth acquired by them never > fails to be a source of abuses." James Madison > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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