Arrest in Madrid blast doesn't dim faith (Muslim Brandon Mayfield)

chicago tribune via yahoo ^ | May 14, 2004 | Colleen Mastony

[ValerieUSA]

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."

Full story ...

[ValerieUSA]

Hear, hear!

Good blog, BTW

[Admin Moderator]

A couple of items, and I know it's hard to keep track. The Chicago Tribune must be excerpted, even when picked up by others, as in this case Yahoo. The Independent does not allow even excerpts.

These restrictions apply equally to article posts and replies.

Reference.

[Imal]

My ego and I thank you. The Free Republic is a never-ending source of inspiration for self-absorbed polemicists like myself.

[ValerieUSA]

Thank you for cleaning up. :)

[ValerieUSA]

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."

[ValerieUSA]

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.

[VOA]

The oozing sympathy in this article is just slimy.

Heck, the local Oregon media has just about coronated his wife as Mother of The New Millenium!

If Shakespeare were alive today, he'd say "First, we'll skip all the lawyers...
we'll just torture many journalists. Slowly and thoroughly."

Not that I'd ever advocate such activities, you understand....

[VOA]

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.

I'll let an award-winning actor do my talkin' to the journalists:

"I don't like you because YOU'RE GONNA' GET ME KILLED!
-- Samuel L. Jackson in "Die Hard III".
-- which, just coincidentally (?) has a nice shot of the WTC towers in the
background as Jackson and Bruce Willis are running down the steets of NYC.

[ValerieUSA]

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?

[ValerieUSA]

Here is the May 17 edition of Newsweek version of the story by Isikoff

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4933790/site/newsweek/

[ValerieUSA]

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

[Phx_RC]

BTTT - Here is an update- a followup event:

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.

[Phx_RC]

This thread might be of interest: Why American Muslim Converts Turn to Terrorism

About people like John Walker Lindh, Richard Reid, and others.

[VOA]

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.

I think Samuel L. Jackson said it best in "Die Hard III":
"I don't like you because you're gonna' get me killed!"

This audio clip gets played often on The Hugh Hewitt Show when discussing the looney
(or sly) sectors of our cuntry that pose an internal security threat.