Good Morning, fellow lemmings -
In just three weeks, Lonny
Rae goes on trial. He faces 5 years in prison for slinging a
racial slur at a black man. He admits that wasn't nice, but he was angry
at the time. Very angry.
Lonny had just witnessed the huge black man mauling his diminutive
wife and heard her cry out to him for help. Lonny wasn't thinking
racially when he tossed off the "N" word - he was thinking vengeance, so
his mind seized upon the crudest, most vile thing he could think of to
say.
But Lonny is now charged with a hate crime, for his alleged intent to
"intimidate another because of race."
Never mind that his intent was altogether something else.
Never mind that he said it as a part of a response in defense of his
wife ("defense of another," as the law calls it, a defense to a criminal
charge every bit as valid as self defense).
Never mind that he wasn't thinking clearly because he was in such a
rage at seeing his wife pawed by the hulking black man ("diminished
capacity," as the law calls it, a defense to a criminal charge with
similarities to temporary insanity and being drunk, and all perfectly
valid legal defenses).
Never mind that the black guy called Lonny's wife a "bitch" while he
was groping her and trying to take her camera.
Never mind that the black guy injured her badly enough that she
required treatment at the local hospital that night.
Never mind that the black guy has never been charged with a crime of
any sort, despite repeated demands to the authorities by Lonny and his
wife.
Never mind that local officials were already spitting mad at Lonny
and his wife for other things.
Never mind.
The road to fascism is paved with "never minds," you know. Just ask
any holocaust survivor.
We were in court on Lonny's case in tiny Council, Idaho, just two
days ago. I asked Dan Gabbert, the Adams County Prosecuting Attorney, to
explain to me what I am missing, because I simply don't understand why
he is pushing this ridiculous case. His response was anger because he
had been receiving threats from around the country concerning the case.
"Well, imagine that," I said to him. "And you think taking this stupid
case to trial will stop that?" I'll spare you his muddled response. I
guess the logic is the same as that which makes him think putting Lonny
Rae on trial is a good idea.
What in the hell is going on in this country of ours? What happened
to common sense? What happened to fairness? What happened to
decency?
Lonny Rae is being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness
by Idaho officials to atone for Idaho's image of being a haven for white
supremacists. "Looky here," they say. "We're gonna burn Lonny Rae at the
stake for bein' a witch. Then God will surely see how devout and pure
we
really are."
Will we never learn? Every generation has its witch hunt, it seems.
Remember Joe McCarthy? This time, we've turned the inquisition toward
ourselves, because there isn't a single person in America that couldn't
be the one sitting next to me in trial in three weeks in Adams County,
Idaho, for this bogus charge. There but for the grace of God, you
know...
The judge in Lonny Rae's case refused to hear our last-minute request
for
dismissal. He also spurned our motion for a change of venue to a
county
in Idaho where Lonny could get a fair trial. He also refused
to consider
having the public pay for retaining experts necessary to
prove Lonny
innocent of the charges. Lonny can't afford to pay for
them himself.
Lonny couldn't begin to afford me, but I have taken on
this case pro bono,
because I think the issue is so important to all
the rest of us. Houston,
we have a problem.
I have been shy and retiring about asking for donations, I am told.
Well,
I guess so. That generally isn't my nature. I have always paid
my own
way. So has Lonny Rae. Guess that's why the Lonny Rae defense
fund now
totals all of $280. That won't do. The expenses of my trip
to Council
this week alone exceed that by a large margin. Hiring a
pyschologist for
trial to testify that Lonny's state of mind at the
time was not to
racially intimidate will run several thousand
dollars, and we need to hire
that person now. We can't afford to. We
can't afford not to.
We have only three weeks. Please get the word out. I can't seem to
raise
the interest of the major media in this case. Too politically
incorrect,
you know, because the white guy is so obviously being
wronged by the
system. I'm willing to put the time into interviews.
I'm willing to
provide Lonny himself for TV interview purposes. I
don't have time to be a
publicist for the case, but I recognize the
value of the publicity,
nonetheless.
We need exposure for two reasons. First, to create a sense of outrage
on
the part of the public about what is going on in America today by
their
elected officials. Second, to get a forum to ask for donations
for the
expenses of defending Lonny Rae. We aren't asking for a
single penny for
myself or for Lonny, just for the cost of defending
him...and the rest of
us, because if they nail Lonny to this
particular cross, then they will be
able to crucify any one of us
afterward. Call it an investment in your
future, if you like.
I consider this to be a landmark case. It represents a turning point
in
our country's political evolution, and certainly in our legal
development.
This is the point, history could well remark, that we
began prosecuting
pure thought crimes. This could be the point where
freedom truly died in
America. Think about it. I'm not making this up
and I'm not being overly
dramatic.
Send donations to the Rae Defense Fund, PO Box 1255, Sagle, Idaho
83860.
Do it over the Internet by credit card, if you like - log on
to PayPal.com
and send the
funds to steele@nidlink.com,
earmarked for the "Rae Defense Fund."
By working on this case for free, I am donating the equivalent of
about
$50,000 to the cause. That's how strongly I feel about the
issues
involved in this case. I didn't know Lonny personally when I
took on the
case, you know, so you can be assured that I am here
solely because of the
principle.
Some have asked us to transfer the funds from the McGuckin fund that
so
many were kind enough to send, but which she has refused to
accept. Just
give us the word, and we will transfer your McGuckin
contribution, too.
Just because Lonny's predicament seems so outrageous, don't get the
idea
that we will win just by showing up. The people in Adams County
know
Lonny Rae and they don't like the image this case has brought.
They don't
like Lonny. That could translate into a guilty verdict.
That would be a
disaster for all of us.
You can do three things to help:
1. Donate.
2. Forward this
message to everybody in your address book.
3. Contact anybody you
know in the media to jump on this case right now.
Thanks for the
help. I promise to make it up to you by doing the best I can
to
ensure that freedom of speech didn't die in America in the year
2001.
-ed
Forward as you wish. Cut and paste, delete...whatever.
I don't
even care if you take what I write and send it to others,
claiming
that you wrote it. It's all grist for something or other.
"I didn't say it would be easy. I just said it would be the
truth."
- Morpheus
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