Veteran Jailed for Speaking

[davidswanson]

By David Swanson, based on report from Malachy Kilbride

Mike Ferner was found guilty today in District of Columbia Superior Court. He has just been sentenced.

Ferner was originally sentenced to 5 days incarceration suspended and 6 months unsupervised probation including a $100 fine and $50 to the victims compensation fund.

He told the judge that he would not pay the fine and that his highest civic duty was to protest as the Germans should have done against Hitler. "Today we must speak out against the crimes of our government," Ferner said, according to Joy First who was in court in solidarity with Ferner.

Ferner has been taken away by US Marshals to jail.

The judge vacated the sentence and gave him a new sentence of one night in DC jail, First said.

Ferner is a national officer of Veterans For Peace.

Ferner, who served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman during the Viet Nam war, was arrested September 20, in the the visitors' gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives when he and another activist stood up and loudly addressed the members of Congress, saying: "Funding the War is Killing Our Troops!"

Ferner was arrested by Capitol Police and charged with disorderly disturbing Congress, a charge that carries a maximum 6 months jail sentence.

"The government says I was disturbing Congress, but that is not the case," said Ferner, a freelance writer from Toledo, Ohio. "I stood up in the House Gallery to sound an alarm, and you don't knock quietly on the door when your neighbor's house is on fire. You pound and raise your voice as if lives depend on it--and that is exactly what's happening in Iraq. Thousands of lives are being lost, the war is causing untold suffering, and Congress keeps throwing gasoline on the flames."

"We have politely petitioned, called and written Congress to demonstrate we want this war ended, and they keep voting more billions for the war. Clearly we need to ring an alarm to get the point across to these people so far removed from the consequences of their votes," Ferner concluded.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. A man I can admire.

[mac2]

2. A citizen has a right to protest the actions of their

government...anywhere according to the Constitution. He didn't have a good lawyer eh?

[DCKit]

7. You seem to be unaware of the current state of our legal system.

Though he may win on appeal, the Capitol Police, Congress and the DC courts will pay nothing for what they have done to him or his Civil and Constitutional rights. Any inconvenience to them is simply a cost of doing business.

The system is corrupt and broken. We have allowed our legal system to slide too far to the right and THEY are in charge of dispensing their own version of justice.

[FlyingSquirrel]

3. Are you sure you want to recommend this thread?

More sure than anything I've ever been sure of.

[mogster]

4. K&R n/t

[geardaddy]

5. K & R

[Popol Vuh]

6. That is the epitome of eloquentness

Kicked & Recommended...

[The Wizard]

13. eloquentness is not a word.

try eloquence.
Sorry, I'm a retired English teacher who still finds using words that end in the suffix ness rather than the correct word to be foolish, thus making the writer sound foolish. Go ahead, yell at me. I don't give a shit.

[Popol Vuh]

14. Sigh, another spell nazi..

eloquentness is not a word. try eloquence.

Sorry, I'm a retired English teacher who still finds using words that end in the suffix ness rather than the correct word to be foolish, thus making the writer sound foolish. Go ahead, yell at me. I don't give a shit.

No I won't yell at you. But I will admit that when I read you're a retired English teacher and about people looking foolish. I had to laugh about your statement "eloquentness is not a word".

I guess its true what they say: "If you don't use it you lose it". Maybe you should take a refresher class?


**Sheezze** :crazy:

[proReality]

8. K&R

Everyone should read this.

[unhappycamper]

9. Thanks Mike!

k&r

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Gladly recommended!!

[caligirl]

11. a few good men are needed like him.

[The Wizard]

12. How many of those who arrested

and passed judgment on Mike Ferner are veterans and understand the consequences of war? Every member of Congress who continues to support Bush's immoral carnage should be forced to put on the uniform, pick up a back pack and weapon, and patrol Iraq for a few months. Then and only then should they vote on the continuing insanity passing as foreign policy.

[Cornfields_4_Peace]

15. If you think your neighbor's house is on fire

doesn't mean you might not be mistaken.

The man knew the law, was warned, and is now paying the price for breaking the law. If there are no rules, how would the World function?