Stan Modjesky

01 Jul 2006

A Neglected Anniversary: The Legal Mugging Of Lovell Wheeler

Rachel,

Here is a story about a horrific mistreatment of a citizen that may never have reached you in NC. I notice that some of the mainstream media up this way who covered the story have actually deleted it from their internet archives.

Needless to say, I do not agree with Wheeler's stance on white supremacy, but he is far from the only person who has noted that racial warfare could occur in the USA on a widespread basis, given the way things are going. But unlike Carl Rowan, Ron Smith and Michael Savage, Wheeler is unsophisticated, and IMO that's what cost him.

Stan Modjesky
Baltimore

Dear Mr. Modjesky:

I equally find Mr. Wheeler's personal views to be reprehensible and he should be subjected to well-deserved criticism for such views. However, I find it equally troubling that the U.S. or state government is increasingly locking up people either without any charge at all or on charges which are completely false, as manufactured by informants or by victims who have an ax to grind with the accused or who are "dissidents" or "terrorists" which the government gets to label as such.

I have received several reports of such treatment both here in North Carolina and in Georgia, so news of treatment in Maryland comes as no surprise. People who have been the recipient of this government treatment have spent thousands defending themselves. Others do not have the means to fight back and are doing the best they can. The Duke rape case also comes to mind. The crimes are indeed serious and if committed, the perpetrators ought to be punished. However, it is possible to ruin someone's life forever by setting the criminal justice system. The criminal system should not be used as a tool to punish people for vindictive reasons.

I also have heard from convicted sex offenders who find that they have done their time only to find themselves forcibly committed to mental institutions for life. I do not favor pedophilia either, but there is something wrong with effectively handing out life sentences for crimes for which a life sentence is not specified as a punishment. We see the same conduct occurring with the "terrorists" from Miami. I doubt that the men harbored real terrorist thoughts; it appears that this was the classic case of entrapment and that the defendants only acted as they did because they were promised money.

I do not have the answers, but I do know that it is time for ordinary citizens to reassert themselves. We need to stop warehousing people in jail. We have gone too far with the "lock 'em up" mentality. Our civil liberties and the Constitutional guarantees that are contained in the Bill of Rights have been eroded. I understand that law enforcement needs to work with informants, but the testimony of these people or victims who have personal animus needs to be carefully scrutinized and corroborated by other evidence before it is accepted as the gospel. And we need to demand better from our judicial system and the restoration of our rights.

Best wishes,

Rachel