Posted on 10/15/2008 12:37:04 PM PDT by PercivalWalks
I've respected conservative nationally-syndicated radio talk show host Mike Gallagher (pictured) for his willingness to take tough stands, such as during the Elian Gonzalez saga in 2000, when Gallagher was one of the few conservatives in the country who said plainly and clearly that Elian belonged with his father, Juan Gonzalez.
During the Clara Harris trial, Mike hosted a debate between myself and one of Clara's defenders, and, unlike many, Gallagher saw through Clara's "betrayed wife" shtick.
Gallagher also got it right about Mary Winkler, panning her performance on Oprah and criticizing the legal system's slap on the wrist for Winkler. I've been on his show a few times and always found him to be fair and courteous.
I was surprised and disappointed this morning with a point Gallagher made during a polemic against McCain/Palin's favorite bogeyman, William Ayers. Gallagher said that when a reporter recently spoke with Ayers near his office at University of Illinois at Chicago, the reporter noted that there were "Free Mumia" stickers all over his door.
For those who don't know, Mumia Abu-Jamal is a black activist who was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. His hotly debated case has received international attention, and Abu-Jamal has been made an honorary citizen of a couple dozen cities around the world, including Paris, Montreal and Palermo. His opponents, centered around Faulkner's widow, assert that Abu-Jamal is guilty.
I was involved in groups that worked on behalf of Jamal back in the mid to late 1980s. There was prima facie evidence that he was framed, though I was always somewhat skeptical about his actual innocence.
Then (as now) I opposed the Death Penalty, and being in Los Angeles I was mindful of the frame-up of former Black Panther Geronimo Pratt, with which Jamal's case was often superficially linked.
Pratt spent 27 years in prison (eight in solitary confinement) but was freed in 1997 when his conviction was vacated. While I was involved in protests on Pratt's behalf I worked for a very conservative newspaper editor who was also one of the attorneys who first represented Pratt. The guy as a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, so when I asked him about Pratt I expected him to tell me Pratt was guilty. Instead, he told me, "There was no question Pratt was framed."
Anyway, this morning Gallagher depicted Ayres and the Mumia protesters as people who hail Jamal as a hero despite knowing, or even because, he killed police officer Daniel Faulkner. He also linked the protesters to Obama.
This is, in a word, outrageous. The protesters have supported Abu-Jamal because they believe he was framed and because they oppose the Death Penalty. I'm sure someone on the right could drag up a loony or two who supports Mumia because he thinks he's a cop-killer but Mumia's supporters don't support him because they think he's a cop-killer but because they believe he isn't.
I was very surprised and disappointed to see Gallagher taking this position. Maybe things just ran away from the man--I don't know.
As to Mumia's actual guilt or innocence, I haven't followed all the arguments back and forth overt the past 20 years and have little desire to. Back in the 1980s I knew intelligent, knowledgeable people who were very convincing in their assertion that Jamal was framed. On the other hand, Michael Moore says Mumia is "probably" guilty, which seems pretty significant to me since he's such a committed leftist. But regardless, Gallagher's statement is very unfair to the left.
Wikipedia biography of Jamal, including a discussion of his guilt or innocence, is here.
That's nothing but the exact truth. No wonder it hurts.
Then why post the criticism?
LOL, these people are shameless, no?
I remember this case. I have no respect for anyone supporting the “Free Mumia” movement. They were all either terribly ignorant of what they were doing - or worse. That includes the author of this article.
Gallagher was spot on.
here’s what he did. doesn’t look innocent at all to me. leave it to the left to discredit a fallen officer and veteran.
quote
On December 9, 1981, at approximately 3:55 a.m., Officer Danny Faulkner, a five year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, made a traffic stop at Locust Street near Twelfth Street. The car stopped by Officer Faulkner was being driven by William Cook. After making the stop, Danny called for assistance on his police radio and requested a police wagon to transport a prisoner. Unbeknownst to him, William Cook’s brother, Wesley (aka Mumia Abu-Jamal) was across the street. As Danny attempted to handcuff William Cook, Mumia Abu-Jamal ran from across the street and shot the officer in the back. Danny turned and was able to fire one shot that struck Abu-Jamal in the chest; the wounded officer then fell to the pavement. Mumia Abu-Jamal stood over the downed officer and shot at him four more times at close range, striking him once directly in the face. Mumia Abu-Jamal was found still at the scene of the shooting by officers who arrived there within seconds. The murderer was slumped against the curb in front of his brother’s car. In his possession was a .38 caliber revolver that records showed Mumia had purchased months earlier. The chamber of the gun had five spent cartridges. A cab driver, as well as other pedestrians, had witnessed the brutal slaying and identified Mumia Abu-Jamal as the killer both at the scene and during his trial. On July 2, 1982, after being tried before a jury of ten whites and two blacks, Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Officer Danny Faulkner. The next day, the jury sentenced him to death after deliberating for four hours. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania heard the defendant’s appeals and upheld the conviction on March 6, 1989.
unquote
A.) Mumia is still in prison for murder, even after all the time and money spent on creating different scenarios to prove innocence and/or frame up.
B.) Try to pretend and feign insult all you want, but guilt by close association is a fact of life. Birds of a feather, and all that.
C.) Ayres has all but admitted murder. Hello?
Funny how the little pant load has not worked for or even written anything about Ramos and Campeon being framed...........
For those who don’t know, Mumia Abu-Jamal is a black activist who was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. His opponents, centered around Faulkner’s widow, assert that Abu-Jamal is guilty.
No one asserts that this piece of human scum is guilty. He IS GUILTY as determined by a Court of Law after a trial as set forth in American Law. As confirmed by dozens of after trial court actions taken by all the socialist around the world that support this type of garbage...
(Gallagher’s statement is very unfair to the left.)
I know of nothing any human being could say, that would be unfair to the left. The left nevers cares what they say about Americans or America why should we care what anyone says about it.....
It’s a good thing Obama won’t be able to pardon a state offender, because he would free Mumia in a Chicago second!
.. like numerous Rat Party (formerly the traditional, patriotic Democratic Party) leaders and stalwarts? Would they actually admit it publicly? They are New Left and anarchist rabble of the 60's and their ideological issue.
"Bring it all down, man!"
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