Posted on 05/14/2004 2:05:26 PM PDT by ValerieUSA
Edited on 05/17/2004 6:11:30 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
In a tiny meeting cubicle at Multnomah County Detention Center, AvNell Mayfield watched as her son Brandon sat in blue prison scrubs, tried to touch his wife's hand through a heavy glass partition and spoke in reassuring tones through a telephone receiver attached to the wall.
It was a striking scene, the first time that officials had allowed Brandon Mayfield to visit with his family since FBI agents arrested him late last week as a material witness in connection with the deadly train bombings in Madrid. AvNell Mayfield recounted the Sunday visit, remembering her son's composure and concern for his family.
But more than anything, it was his faith in the justice system that surprised and reassured his mother.
Even after the FBI had searched his house, carried away belongings and confiscated credit cards and checkbooks --without charging him with a crime--Mayfield told his family that he had faith in the system.
"He said he believes in this system. He said it is the best system in the world," AvNell Mayfield, 63, recalled. "He knows he will be exonerated."
It is said that those who lie with dogs get fleas. Looks like this fellow got in bed with a whole bunch of mongrel dogs.
I swear we are going to have to do something about the internal enemy (leftist reporters) very soon because they are going to cause all of us to be dead.
We absolutely are. President Bush spoke of those how hate us for our freedoms - high on any such list would be the leftists reporters you mention.
reference thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1131988/posts?page=6
another reference thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1132031/posts?page=2#2
update
Yet another reference thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1131292/posts?page=220#220
Madrid case leads to lawyer in Oregon
"The oozing sympathy in this article is just slimy."
It really, really is. It sounds like the accused has more dignity that his family and the reporter.
What if it turns out that this guy really is a terrorist, will we hear about the apple blossoms, or whatever the heck it was, then?
Every single one of these home grown terrorists have elicited a sympathetic response from the media, even the younger of the beltway snipers. Ok, the older guy the media wasn't so nice to. What is wrong with these people? The terrorists want to kill them too, why don't they grasp that? Have they forgotten Daniel Pearl?
Innocent until proven guilty.
"Johnny, where's your homework?" "The FBI ate it."
Brandon Mayfield had a tangential connection to Jeffrey Leon Battle, who pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to wage war against the U.S. in Afghanistan (news - web sites) as part of the so-called Portland Seven case. Members of the group were stopped at the western border of China in October 2001 as they tried to go to Afghanistan to fight American forces. After Battle's arrest, Mayfield had volunteered to represent him in a custody fight. Mayfield also attends the same mosque where several other members of the Portland Seven worshiped.
One Portland Seven member, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, had such disdain for Jews that he referred to them as "lampshades."
Could this 'peaceful' muslim, through his contacts in the local 'peaceful' mosque, have been involved with evidence that the 'peaceful' terrorists brought with them?
conversation of agents doing search
"Hey Bob, look at this funny writing on this paper. What do you think it is?"
"I don't know but it sure looks ferrin' to me, better grab it.....
The fingerprint was found on a plastic shopping bag containing detonators in the van in Madrid.
Battle was arrested on Oct. 4, 2002. He and Patrice Lumumba Ford plead guilty to seditious conspiracy October 16, 2003, and were sentenced to serve 18 years in prison. They left to attempt to fight with al-qaeda and the taliban October 1, 2001.
Kristen Winemiller was his attorney in that case.
Sometime in 2002 Mayfield represented Battle in a child custody case, which they lost. Not sure it was before or after Battle's arrest.
But Mayfield's connections to the Portland Seven are coincidental, his family said.
What is "coincidental" about volunteering to do pro-bono work for a member of the Portland Seven? There is no coincidence to that whatsoever, and to say so is just flat-out false.
It's not like they just bumped into one another on the bus. They go to the same mosque! He volunteered to represent Battle for free, his name wasn't randomly selected, and he did so knowing who Jeffrey Battle is. How could anyone possibly say that's a coincidence?
Whatever the facts in this case may be, the behavior of the press and everyone surrounding Mr. Mayfield screams "GUILTY!"
Like Mr. Mayfield, I have faith in our legal system as well. It is by no means perfect, but it will get to the bottom of this.
Thanks for the update. I've been worrying that this case would fall off the earth.
A common phrase in the press these days. It is most frequently used by those who are, in fact, guilty to attempt to deflect pre-trial notoriety, although those who are innocent can and should maintain their innocence, and this popular phrase fills the bill.
You get a special prize if you can tell me where that phrase comes from. (Hint: It's not in the U.S. Constitution.)
I prefer "presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."
Public discussion, whether in the press, on the Internet or on the sidewalk, isn't a court of law, either for purposes of presuming innocence or proving guilt. Attempts to impose courtroom rigor on public discussion are oppressive and contrary to the spirit of American freedom, as well as contrary to U.S. law if attempted by government.
If I see you commit a crime, I know you're guilty, and don't need to pretend I don't know you're guilty. In fact, to do so would be to disqualify myself as a witness to the crime, and that would be grossly irresponsible. If I as a witness have a reasonable doubt, so should a jury. If you reasonably believe I am guilty of a crime, it's your duty as a citizen to say so, and testify accordingly if called to do so in court.
Likewise, if someone behaves suspiciously, it is perfectly reasonable to take note and say so, and, in fact, it would be irresponsible not to. To publicly speculate about someone's innocence or guilt is speech protected under Amendment One to the U.S. Constitution. As long as one is not defaming or libeling someone else, such speculation is not only acceptable, but commendable.
It is our duty as citizens to keep an eye on what our government and legal system are doing. If we fail to do so, we fail as Americans, and will deserve the very unpleasant consequences of our dereliction of duty. Part of this duty involves observing and discussing criminal acts and legal proceedings, and assuring ourselves that our legal system is doing what it should.
"Justice is blind," but Americans need not be. In fact, we'd better not be if we want to remain Americans.
I have learned that Mayfield paid his own way to Houston to work on the doomed child custody case. He was asked by his mosque to take the case, yet there was no way in heck they stood a chance to take the child from his mother and place it with an Islamic uncle. There was more to the little jaunt than meets the eye. Mayfield had confidential access to Battle as his lawyer that others would not have. This was obviously a delivery of sensitive goods, documents or a message of some sort from Portland to jihadists in Texas.
Also, Battle did not attend the same mosque in Beaverton, Oregon as Mayfield. Two of the Portland Seven did, the Bilal brothers, but not Battle. I am wondering if another white Muslim atty., bigmouth Tom Nelson, was consulted to recommend a lawyer.
Hear, hear!
Good blog, BTW
These restrictions apply equally to article posts and replies.
My ego and I thank you. The Free Republic is a never-ending source of inspiration for self-absorbed polemicists like myself.
Thank you for cleaning up. :)
Here is a little history on Battle in Houston - not much
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/100402_local_terrorarrests.html
... I just came back from an exclusive interview with Battle's brother, Everett, about the news that his brother has been indicted.
"I'm shocked, I'm outraged," said Everett Battle, Jr. "I don't believe it's him. I don't want to think that's him. But you say October. I know his wife's name is October. That's the only reason why I think that's Jeffrey. Other than that, it's not Jeffrey because all of this other stuff, Jeffrey is not involved in that kind of stuff. He wouldn't do that and I'm going to assume that he's a Muslim being persecuted. I'm going to assume that because Jeffrey would not do that."
More info on the Battle child custody case that Mayfield worked on at his own expense:
http://www.click2houston.com/news/1706528/detail.html
Federal authorities said that they became aware of Battle after one of his neighbors contacted them and said that Battle's young son was going around saying that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were, "a good thing."
Angela Rowden, who is the biological mother of Battle's son, said that she expects to pick up her son in Portland Monday and bring him back to Houston.
Battle's mother protests hs innocence, too, in one article.
Why bother interviewing the mothers of accused criminals? What possible relevant journalistic value is contained in, "He was a delightful baby who never cried?" when writing a newspaper story about a man who is being questioned for his suspected involvement in a heinous international terror attack?
Here is the May 17 edition of Newsweek version of the story by Isikoff
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4933790/site/newsweek/
BARF ALERT!
http://www.oregonlive.com/letters/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1084881470205370.xml
letter to the editor of The Oregonian:
Right to due process squelched
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Federal authorities are not only depriving Brandon Mayfield of his rights ("Federal law cloaks detention," May 15), but they also are creating a situation in which they can detain anyone on claims of terrorist activity and any defense attorney will think twice before representing that person.
This effectively deprives all of us of our right to due process. Keeping the details of this so secret does not protect any witnesses, as the government claims -- it protects Attorney General John Ashcroft from the same humiliation that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is experiencing.
The justice department owes the public an explanation, and it owes the Mayfield family proof that Mayfield is not being kept naked in a cold cement cell.
BRIAN QUADE Northeast Portland
On C-SPAN at 11:07PM EST (8:07PM AZ) is the repeat of
a 1 hour program featuring Brandon Mayfield tonight - Sat evening.
I was surfing the channels and noticed BM on Cspan and did a Google search on his name + FreeRepublic. Wala-this thread.
They made him out to be a victim.
The FBI has been picking on him....of course he gave them no reason to
....ya sure Brandon, I'll bet you're a real angel. /not.
About people like John Walker Lindh, Richard Reid, and others.
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