Clinton-Appointed Judge Lets Terrorist Collaborator
By Tom Fitton
October 25, 2006

How long of a prison sentence would you give to someone who was convicted of aiding a known terrorist? According to one Clinton-appointed federal judge, about 28 months ought to do the trick.

On October 16, Judge John Koeltl sentenced terrorist collaborator and radical liberal lawyer Lynne Stewart to a "whopping" two years, four months in prison for smuggling messages from her client, terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, to his terrorist minions in Egypt. Adding insult to injury, during the sentencing Judge Koeltl, who was nominated by President Clinton to the bench in 1994, also praised Stewart for her "enormous skill and dedication," and for performing "a public service not only to her clients but to the nation." (So light was the sentence that Stewart told the press she could do it, "standing on my head." Federal prosecutors, who were seeking a 30-year sentence, plan to appeal.)

Rahman, otherwise known as the "blind Sheikh," is currently serving a life sentence for conspiring to blow up the Word Trade Center in 1993, and other targets in New York City including the United Nations headquarters and the George Washington Bridge. He was having a hard time communicating with his terrorist allies in Egypt from his prison cell. So along came Lynne Stewart, his lawyer, to the rescue. Stewart was a logical match for Rahman. She has made a career out of representing radicals and terrorists.

Working with an Arabic translator, Stewart helped deliver coded dispatches from Rahman to his followers in Egypt that effectively encouraged the murder of innocents by calling an end to a cease fire between Rahman's radical "Islamic Group" and the Egyptian government.

The judge implied since no one was supposedly killed as a result of Stewart's actions, she should be largely excused for her behavior. What kind of logic would allow a judge to impose a light sentence on someone who takes steps to help a terrorist cause because, if by the grace of God, no one is harmed before they're caught? This was a terribly dangerous decision by the judge as it sends a signal to terrorists -- if we catch you before you kill anyone, you may get a light sentence.

JW Releases Documents with Further Details on SPP

As I told you a few weeks ago, a "North American Union" may be in the works between Canada, the United States and Mexico. The inner workings of the "Security and Prosperity Partnership for North America" were largely unknown until Judicial Watch uncovered and released documents obtained from the Department of Commerce through the Freedom of Information Act.

On March 23, 2005, Vincente Fox, George W. Bush, and Paul Martin launched the partnership at a meeting in Waco, Texas, with the expressed goal of "a safer, more prosperous North America..." Sounds innocent enough. Many are concerned the new agreements arising out of this initiative might require the U.S. to sacrifice its sovereignty and autonomy.

The latest set of documents uncovered by Judicial Watch identifies the existence of a North American Pandemic Influenza Working Group charged with coordinating a response to an outbreak of influenza on the North American continent. The working group is organized into "preparedness planning focal points," that include: "Travel and border issues," "Management of foreign nationals," "Stockpiles and material support," "Surveillance and laboratory," "Information sharing and communications," and "Personnel."

As I reference a few weeks back, the working group is actively considering a rather unique response to the possibility of an influenza outbreak: Making sure the borders are not closed!

Additional records uncovered by Judicial Watch identify the membership of the partnership's "Working Group on Electronic Commerce, Information and Communications Technologies." Twenty-three members of the working group (from all three nations) met for two hours on April 25, 2005 (just one month following the creation of the partnership) in the offices of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. Their discussions have involved the integration of the U.S. electricity grid with that of Mexico's.

The activities of the Security and Prosperity Partnership touch on all aspects of the lives of American citizens, including commerce, travel, security, health, energy, and the environment. And yet, this is all going on behind closed doors with very little scrutiny from the press and Congress. You can be sure, however, that Judicial Watch will continue to make this process as transparent as possible. Our investigation is ongoing.

JW Holds "Foley Scandal Fallout" Educational Panel at National Press Club

Last Thursday, Judicial Watch hosted a panel on congressional ethics at the National Press Club entitled, "Foley Scandal Fallout," which was broadcast live on CSPAN2. Joining me on the panel were Charles Hurt of the Washington Times, Stephen Hess from the Brookings Institution and Tim Burger of Time magazine. The discussion, of course, initially focused on the sex scandal involving former Florida congressman Mark Foley, but soon developed into a comprehensive discussion on the subject of congressional ethics. I cannot do justice to the panel in the space of this update. However, you can view the full video transcript of the panel on the "watch and listen" page of Judicial Watch's Internet site. In the meantime, I'd like to share with you the opening statement I prepared for the panel discussion.

JW Honors Victims of Anthrax Attacks at 5-Year Anniversary Event

Thursday afternoon I was honored to be a guest speaker at the 5th Year Anthrax Crisis Memorial, hosted by Brentwood Exposed. The event was held in memory of those who were victimized by the October 2001 anthrax attacks, especially Joseph P. Curseen and Thomas P. Morris, Jr., two Brentwood postal officials who lost their lives.

Judicial Watch represented the Brentwood postal workers who were victimized by the anthrax attacks. During our litigation and investigations, we uncovered some unpleasant truths about the attacks were handled by public officials. Workers were lied to and their lives were endangered. They were intimidated and prevented from asking questions, or taking basic measures to protect themselves. Some suffer to this day from the effects of contamination.

Unfortunately, the courts were not interested in our complaints. Just this year, after a five-year battle, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear our case. Sitting there yesterday, though, among the living victims of the attacks -- the walking wounded -- their families, friends and supporters, I felt grateful to have been part of their fight for justice. Thanks, in part, to the hard work Judicial Watch's legal and investigative teams, their stories were brought to public light. This is a measure of accountability the federal government did not want to face.

As I told those in attendance, Mr. Curseen and Mr. Morris are doing all right how, I'm sure. They probably don't need our prayers. But their families need our prayers and their colleagues need our prayers. And of course the others who died, the innocents in New York, Florida, and Connecticut all left loved ones behind. They need our prayers as well.

These people were victims of the "other" terrorist attack of 2001. They are often forgotten. I ask you to say a quick prayer on their behalf.

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Tom Fitton is the President of Judicial Watch, Inc., a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.