May Day, a celebration of the Worker and May Day, a commemoration of the Immigrant migration has now become a single holiday—and how appropriate that is !! The massive immigrant influx of the late 19 century was primarily  a new supply of workers for the unending appetite of capitalism. Cheap Labor.  Europe had become a dead end — wars, a class and land system that allowed no upward mobility and less and less opportunity for their children to learn or be somebody.  My own Swedish great grandparents came over as indentured workers–having to pay for their passage by the sweat of their (yes, women too) brows doing farm labor for two years.  This is a story that had been repeated through all the waves of immigrants–Italian, Greek, Slavic, Eastern European, Asian (Chinese, Filipino), Caribbean and now Latin American and African.  What has shifted is the structure that now has the United States as the Great Imperialist, first ravaging their homes militarily and economically and then casting large numbers of newly created displaced people adrift on the economic seas.  As one Jamaican friend and immigrant once said to me “Why shouldn’t we come here?  You have everything stolen from us !!”

Before I go further, I have a word for two special groups of workers and their paths and current status in America.  Blacks were kidnapped and brought here 400 years ago because it was “difficult “to enslave native Americans on their own lands.  Africans were readily identifiable-and thus if you were  Black you were a Slave.  That has not changed much in 400 years.  Just Ask Travon Martin and the other “targets”. Through all the years and all the continued resistance and struggle, that simple fact has always been determinative.  Today, it is also being used as a wedge to separate natural allies into enemies.  In the days preceding the Civil War,  Workers and Abolitionists fought side by side to achieve equality for both.  And that of course continues to be the goal–to demonstrate convincingly that all the media and all the tricks cannot divide the 99%.  Black people can rightfully claim their fair share of all the wealth, they slaved for no pay, but that does not mean that others are not entitled as well.  Mexicans, whose land was stolen from them, the other special group that must be mentioned, have this year almost stopped coming to the US.  Does that mean more jobs for those already here?—NO NO NO that is a cruel and cheap hoax.  Mexican immigrants do not take jobs that Blacks and other Americans want. Like all newcomers they do the grunt and dirty work — no-one in New York City could have a meal in a restaurant if it were not for the immigrants–mostly Latino, who provide the infrastructure. This is not a competition for jobs except so far as those who control the dollars make it so.

Two warnings to all from my own experience.  First, as immigrants anxious to be part of the American dream DO NOT join the part of it that says I can get past on skin color and I can advance myself by being racist and exploiting “those” people just as every preceding immigrant group has done.  My other alert is to People of Color—Do not blame the immigrants for your plight in white America, they came to work and made themselves indispensable. It is the same old white power structure that exploits both labor and race and racial differences for their own advancement that is responsible. Don’t adopt convenient scapegoats when the battle is there to be fought with the courage to do so against the true enemy.

The only PROGRESS to be sought on May DAY 2012 by all of us is a unity of purpose, by truly believing that an injury to one is an injury to all and acting in self defense against the powerful, unscrupulous forces who seek to destroy our movement.  This year we are once again confronted with a Presidential Election that for many is choosing the “lesser of two evils”.  Let me remind you that as James Baldwin, the Black author, once said–evil is always evil and the politicians including Mr. Obama have demonstrated their total untrustworthiness over and over and over.  Promises ?– a hollow joke; and Programs?– on paper or words of the air — never put into practice.  This is not to be Tolerated!!!

May Day is for the beginning of new offensives and we certainly have a vast choice — there is so much wrong, so much that needs fixing.  We must band together until they are more afraid of OUR power than their greedy fear of losing their vast fortunes.  This we Must do — our children and grandchildren assure us there is no choice, if there is to be a world for them to live and work and raise the next generations in.

- Lynne Stewart

From Lynne:

“My health condition being uncomfortable but Not life threatening. People will be notified if we decide on pressuring the prison and BOP in Washington to help us out. I do seem robbed of my usual energy.

Also a Short update on the pending Appeal–not unusual to wait and we are NOT about to pressure the august appellate court. We wait with hope in our minds and hearts.”

My purpose here is to rally all of us to the continuation of struggle, of resistance.  I am committed to all the unfinished freedom business that still confronts us–much more difficult and contentious than supporting me.  I’m easy–the righteousness of  my situation, the extreme overreaching of the government and the obvious effects on the way in which lawyers and particularly movement lawyers carry out their obligations to their clients.  Our issues—Free Speech from the Courthouse steps which we assumed was and is, included in the First Amendment .Our repugnancy at the changing of the ground rules after the game is afoot when the higher court directs the lower court Judge to increase the sentence and he complies 5 times over.

We are demanding that the Court acknowledge the wrongfulness of my 10 year sentence as it is based on a foundation of sand. Of course, we also know that Courts are capable of creating rock out of sand just as they can create “persons” out of corporations!  With that understanding, while hoping for the best, we need to commit ourselves to all the ongoing issues–Bradley Manning and Wicki Leaks; the obscene vaudevillian Charade of democracy that is the current Presidential election ; the cause of our political prisoners, Leonard. Mumia, Sundiata, Jaan, Brianna, Dr. Dhafir and all the prisoners on Death Row and those being tortured and killed worldwide and in Solitary Confinement; The Right to Choose for women steadily being eroded by elderly men interested in controlling younger women; —–you know the causes, we fight every day in every way and we are committed—We are not sunshine soldiers or summer patriots, the misery we fight against is caused by a super-terror, the USA 1%,  intent on keeping people mentally subjugated by convincing them that they need to surrender in fear to the government .

I believe in fighting back–it’s liberating, and you meet the finest people, who have also enlisted.A movement has to be a living growing organism dedicated to change that “moves”!   We will move and we will reclaim our beloved country from those who would blind and subjugate our people.  Onward ever–Backward Never !!!!!

Lynne Stewart
53504 054

If you look around Foley Square (Tom Paine Park) and follow Down Centre Street, there is a litany of wrongs perpetrated in each and every Courthouse  you see. Some of us know these injustices in the most personal way–they happened to us.  It is fair to say that it is the duty of those gathered here tonight. those OCCUPYING to focus attention on this flawed system on behalf of the 99%, in which I include myself. It is our duty to point out that the wheels are coming off their wagon. The imposing courthouses that surround this square and I have always been reminded of how they look so much like the Banks–They reflect which? or who is in control.  The old federal courthouse(40 Centre) with its shameful history of the Rosenberg’s trial is still using scapegoats. In those days it was red, communist–now it’s Islamist but it’s the same Govt Big Scare.  Entrapped defendants are convicted now because the T word –Terrorism is mesmerizing and frightening.  So many of these cases are so riddled with over reaching and government misconduct.  Send in an informant and seduce young men with all the toys offered by this society until they seem to succumb and join the informant’s scheme. The unbeatable federal government with bottomless resource will do the rest.  They have gone so far as to convict someone for supplying a pair of socks to Ben Laden!!

The next courthouse at 60 Centre Street is the one that is the backdrop for “Law and Order” a television fantasy of law and cases.  Focused completely on the Prosecutor and his never ending successes, that fictional  Court is clearly more about ORDER than law.  But then again all of the law serves ORDER –the order of the $$$, the order of power.  In its real life, this Court is where the foreclosures take place, the lawsuits against the NYPD when they kill a hapless teenager in Harlem.

Continuing up Centre Street — the tomblike 100 Centre Street , the starting line and also the finish line of Michelle Alexander’s  New Slavery, young men, mostly black and brown being fed into that abominable system of Incarceration –over and over and over and then forever,

Across from 100 at 111—the Civil Court–crying babies, crowded calendars and Landlords taking advantage of tenants without lawyers. Also across is located the Family Court and a most dysfunctional family it is !!  Heartrending as children are taken from parents and sometimes sent to worse abuses. Juveniles committing CRIMES who are warehoused in upstate prisons where they are harmed physically and psychologically scarred forever by guards and fellow adolescents alike.

Yes my friends and comrades, from our perspective, that of the 99 %, the wheels have all come off the wagon and it cannot be fixed except by a different wagon — a different economic system that will in turn mend the legal system because it will be forced to serve the People–not the interests, not the money, not the Power.

We should never forget that in the words of Arudahti Roy-”We are many. They are few”   This is the true power–Change that can alleviate the unnecessary suffering and provide a society that is fair and just.

Tomorrow morning, to complete this circle my case will once again before a Court that on the prior occasion “lost it” when they wrote opinions that were so personally vindictive that one of their colleagues said it was more like letters to the editors.   If punishment is their goal I have been in jail for 27 months and believe me, I haven’t been standing on my head.
I have seen deaths by negligence and wanton cruelty ,as well as day in day out, Arbitary justice.  I want the Court to declare that my right to speak out cannot be compromised/punished even by Courts who don’t like what I say .  I want to get out, as every prisoner does,but I want to continue to be the gadfly I have always been.  if I have to serve the full sentence of ten years, I will still emerge as I entered–my principles unsullied and strong !!  Thanks for all the cards letters books money to commissary and mostly the words of support and belief in our cause.  It is being remembered that counts and you all keep me alive !! Shoulder to Shoulder, Onward to Victory !!

Lynne Stewart
53504-054
Carswell

FREE LYNNE STEWART !!!! Come and Support Lynne’s appeal!

VIGIL – February 28, 2012 sundown until @ Tom Paine Park, NYC

OCCUPY THE COURTS February 29, 2012 – Lynne’s Appeal @ 500 Pearl Street, NYC 9am

Lynne says:

“A Large Outpouring of Support in Foley Square and Tom Paine Park and in the Courtroom will signal to these arbiters of “Justice” that attention must be paid, the 99% are watching them with suspicion and tallying up the roads not taken.”

After the disaster in July 2010, when Judge Koeltl, following the directives of the Second Circuit increased my sentence from 28 months to 10 years, our righteous indignation fueled this appeal.  The government’s argument will center on my testimony at trial and the alleged perjury.  All of those facts were before the Court at the time of the 28 month sentence and were not the basis then of  a double digit sentence.

Our Brief attacks the increased sentence on two different fronts –one on a doctrine of “substantive unreasonableness”  meaning it’s just too much of an increase, five fold — given the circumstances. Secondly, we argued that the only “new” information before the Judge were my statements after my first sentence in October of 2008 and remarks I made on the Courthouse steps before I surrendered to prison.  We contend strongly that this is protected speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution, and cannot be used to increase or as a  basis for sentencing.  (even if they hate it !!!)

The same group of 3 Judges that heard and decided the original appeal will also hear the arguments on the 29th. The government is not asking for more time; they are satisfied with their pound of flesh but it is not likely that this Court will take any action that will help me. The times are askew for prisoners and their lawsuits.

The lawyers that argued in July of 2010 will be on board with the addition of Herald Price Fahringer, an eminent attorney in the First Amendment field (the win in the Larry Flynt Hustler case in the US Supreme Court was his. He was also in the line of fire (no injuries) when the shooting took place.) He will enthusiastically present our case. I will not be present –not unusual once imprisoned.  But my spirit will be there to inspire !!!

Of course, my case has always been government firing  warning shots  to Lawyers, that a vigorous defense, of certain clients, if not conforming to government specifications,  will be punished severely .  This chill effect in these days that we are confronted with Grand Jury investigations and dismantling of Occupations is not something we should contemplate with anything less than alarm.  I have just finished David Gilbert’s book (Love Struggle) and the intercession of lawyers when there are arrests of designated enemies of the “state” are the only  meaningful protection available.

A Large Outpouring of Support in Foley Square and Tom Paine Park and in the Courtroom will signal to these arbiters of “Justice” that attention must be paid, the 99% are watching them with suspicion and tallying up the roads not taken.

My client David Gilbert has recently published a book about his life in the underground etc called Love and Struggle (great title!). The book is Love and Struggle, My life in SDS, the Weather Underground and Beyond by David Gilbert, 2012  published by PM Press, Oakland Ca.  In the Chapter entitled Busted, in detailing the events after Brinks Nyack,  David writes:

Lynne and her youngest daughter Zena, on Lynne’s birthday.

From Lynne:

“So we finally got a date for oral argument in the Circuit. The date is February 29–Leap year day and Sadie Hawkins Day…Anyway that is our auspicious day . I like it for its quirkiness.

I will NOT be there but that I hope a massive turnout will make up for my absence.”

More information soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNNE!

A message from Lynne, received today:

To my friends and supporters, family, comrades and dear ones;

You cannot know how happy I am to be writing this !!  Not with my circumstances but because after about 6 weeks of trying to get medical relief for a painful bladder infection that seemed to affect the rest of my “Lower Plumbing” as well, I have on a new anti biotic that at first glance seems to be working.

Talk about wan and listless, just like a Jane Austen character, I have basically stayed in my bed and slept–not even reading! I am so sorry about all the letters I haven’t answered particularly those from young people who need to know if they should think about going to law school and those in the thick of the movement who want my insight (from afar!).  I hope I will be regaining my energy soon.  We have cancelled all visits for October to resume in November with an introductory “tryout” of Connor Dueno, my great grandson with his mama and grandmama.  Odds are we’ll be keeping him!

In order that my Prison Readers shouldn’t think that I have mellowed (Ha!) I must say that if Amy is to be trusted the Wall Street occupation looks like it has some legs, whether those legs are reformist or radical, we will see.  I don’t think we can look forward to parading out the Banksters and Goldman Sachs to face “Peoples Justice” just yet But …. There seems to be a spark and that gladdens my Heart.

I will be 72 on the 8th–the day of the Heroic Guerilla, the day they killed Che.  I still hold strongly to my beliefs, my love of the people and that there will be redemption from the nightmare with which, we are all struggling.  So I wish you all a Happy Birthday and Struggle ON!!

Love Lynne