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Pacifica WBAI Chair Mitchel Cohen And The Case Of Lynne Stewart
WBAI has slandered the supporters of civil rights lawyer and political activist Lynne Stewart. Taking Aim producers answer this attack.
WBAI Chair Mitchel Cohen And The Case Of Lynne Stewart
takingaim(at)pacbell.net
Subject: Mitchel Cohen re: Lynne Stewart - please distribute widely
Date: February 12, 2010 11:30:20 AM PST
To the Pacifica National Board and to the WBAI Local Station Board:
Dear Friends,
On February 9, Mitchel Cohen, Chair of the WBAI Local Station Board, wrote a
public letter attacking Lynne Stewart and the support movement that has been
galvanized in her defense.
His letter entitled “Pimping Lynne Stewart,” compares her outrageously to a
prostitute whose sale of herself is controlled by nominal political
supporters for their own personal gain.
His attack upon Lynne Stewart and her supporters derives from his efforts to
have her removed from the Local Station Board (LSB) to which she was elected
by an overwhelming vote — more votes than any other candidate — and on which
she would make an outstanding contribution, whether or not she remains
incarcerated.
In his first letter, Mr. Cohen pretends to have been a supporter of Lynne
Stewart during her trial. This obviously is not true. He reinvents her case
and takes her subsequent comments out of context. [See Taking Aim programs
for a detailed description of the issues, trial and appeal as well as
conversations with Lynne Stewart. Available at
http://www.takingaimradio.com]
Mr. Cohen also claims that her supporters are “desperate fools … who are
running around saying the stupidest and most reactionary things. …” He makes
his political meaning clear by stating “the CIA couldn’t have done a better
job in its disinformation campaign…”
Mr. Cohen swiftly enfolds Lynne Stewart in the putative perfidy of her
supporters, declaring that Lynne Stewart is fully cognizant of this
duplicity and colludes in the deception: “She allows the Stalinoids, spooks
and agents to speak in her behalf.”
The next day, Mr. Cohen penned an additional letter in which he admitted
that he signed, without entitlement, his initial attack as “Chair, WBAI
Local Station Board,” acknowledging without evident embarrassment that
members of the Local Station Board were neither privy to his letter nor had
they approved it.
What are the stakes here?
The movement supporting Lynne Stewart regards her case as a historic cause
comparable to the Dreyfus Affair, in which the crimes of the State itself
have been visited upon a scapegoat falsely accused — a Judas-goat impaled on
the sword of the State and so displayed the better to deceive, intimidate,
terrorize and subjugate the public at large.
Lynne Stewart has for her entire professional life defended those so
targeted by the State, the working poor, political dissidents, the daring
few with the courage and the integrity to defy injustice and act boldly
against oppression.
She was railroaded to prison for defending a man accused of acts of
sabotage, assassination and terror, acts authored in fact by the FBI, the
Mossad and highest levels of authority -— constituting in reality nothing
less than treason at the top. Now she faces 30 years in prison for her
zealous representation and defense of her client.
Her case has significance far beyond defense of our “Mother Courage.” In
order to succeed in neutralizing any and all who would defend those falsely
accused and, in the course of so doing, expose the crimes of the State, the
government seeks through the persecution and prosecution of Lynne Stewart to
intimidate and cow the entire legal profession. If those in power succeed in
railroading Lynne Stewart, no lawyer will dare defend those accused of
threatening national security for fear that they were lending “material
support to terrorism.”
If Lynne Stewart can be buried alive in the federal prisons and, let us be
unmistakably clear, should our silence and cowardice permit her to be
murdered in prison through control of her medical treatment and physical
well being, this will be a turning point in the rapid construction of the
architecture of the fascist state in America.
These are the real stakes and the abiding issues that inform the cause of
Lynne Stewart.
How then should we understand the words and actions of Mr. Cohen?
In his second letter, he writes:
“Strangely, no one has yet objected to characterizing some of those involved
as ‘agents.’ I guess some things are more self-evident than others.”
Mr. Cohen thus asserts in a public letter that those involved in the
movement supporting Lynne Stewart are agents of the U.S. government —
betrayers of their friends and comrades and serving as instruments of the
FBI, CIA, police and intelligence.
This is a grave accusation. If Mr. Cohen has a scintilla of evidence to
support it, he has an absolute obligation to name those he claims to have
discovered to be such agents. He must present the evidence against them so
that members of Pacifica and WBAI may be forearmed.
Most importantly, those supporters of Lynne Stewart implicated by his
innuendo and thus accused of perfidy and betrayal must be accorded the full
opportunity to confront such accusations, and the accuser, and take such
action as they deem appropriate and necessary.
Should Mr. Cohen be shown to lack such evidence and should this grave
accusation be revealed as no more than a McCarthyite smear, he will have
been exposed as having acted in a manner consistent with the methods of
Cointelpro.
As such, he should be severed from association with WBAI, the Pacifica radio
network and from those who have been dedicated to the values, the personal
integrity, courage and life commitment of Lynne Stewart.
In Solidarity,
Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone
Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone
From: Mitchel Cohen
Date: February 10, 2010 9:38:05 AM PST
Subject: Correction to "Pimping Lynne Stewart"
Hi,
A few days ago (it seems like a month already) I sent a letter I'd written, "Pimping Lynne Stewart", which I'd signed and included, under my signature, "Chair, WBAI Local Station Board".
As I wrote this as my own commentary and not on behalf of the Board, obviously, I should have included an asterisk explaining exactly that. So please note that the words "Chair, WBAI Local Station Board" are for identification purposes only, and do not reflect the opinion(s) of the Local Station Board.
I will be updating this article in a few days, further substantiating the claims I've made as well as commenting on the mail I've already received, including objections sent to me for categorizing those involved as, among other things,
- "Stalinoids"
- "spooks"
- "faux supporters"
- "disruptors"
- "nincompoops"
- "stupid"
Strangely, no one has yet objected to characterizing some of those involved as "agents". I guess some things are more self-evident than others.
Sorry for any confusion over those who may have thought that the LSB itself had issued that letter.
Mitchel Cohen
"Pimping Lynn Stewart" -- Now Playing at WBAI Local Station Board?
Do you think that Lynne Stewart realizes how her once-serious court case and the widespread sympathy she evoked -- at least within activist circles on the Left (yea, say what you will about the Left) -- is being destroyed by desperate fools pretending to be her supporters in her faction at WBAI, who are running around saying the stupidest and most reactionary things in her name?
The CIA couldn't have done a better job in its disinformation campaign against her.
But, truth is, Lynne Stewart does know. She's kept informed, but has said nothing while nincompoops, Stalinoids and faux supporters cash-in the legitimacy of her important case against the U.S.A. Patriot Act and its attacks on civil liberties in order to score factional polemical points and fictional provocations, destroying the radio station she purportedly loves and her reputation along with it.
Originally, Lynne was charged with violating an order she'd signed (why she signed it instead of challenging it in court is one of the huge mistakes she'd made). The statement she signed, known as a "SAM", banned her from making public statements about the political views of her client, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, who was implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The U.S. government claimed that Lynne's public statements on behalf of her client broke federal prison rules by using her legal meetings with the Sheik and press conferences following those meetings to pass messages to the Sheik's followers in Egypt, which led to them calling off a peace initiative and -- the U.S. government claimed -- to a number of avoidable deaths.
The Judge himself saw through this bogus claim, which is why he didn't sentence her to longer time in jail. But instead of appreciating the Judge's dilemma (and pressure he was under), Lynne came out of the Court at that time stupidly gloating, "I can do 28 months standing on my head." (I was there, one of her supporters, as I was at many of her court appearances. I personally heard her say this.)
The Appeals Court cited that statement, and then went on to say that "of course" the statement had nothing to do with their ordering the original Judge to reconsider her sentence based on a number of things, including whether or not she'd lied to the Court. Of course.
As the Appeals Court was considering the state's appeal, Lynne Stewart and the JUC cynically chose THAT moment to run her for the WBAI Local Station Board as the head of their ticket.
Lynne Stewart, meanwhile, said nothing in response to queries about how her pending imprisonment would improve the Board's ability to make decisions needed to govern the station.
Nor in the interim has Lynne Stewart issued a single word about how to improve the fulfillment rates during Pledge drives -- the main culprit in the financial crisis that WBAI again finds itself in.
Nor has Lynne issued an opinion on the detailed proposals pertaining to WBAI that have been submitted concerning credit card expansion, how to rectify the "locked box" situation, how to repair the bar-code disaster, mail out premiums or make phone calls to members -- you know, the kinds of things that the rest of the Board -- even one or two in her own faction -- are doing, to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities.
No, Lynne Stewart has, strangely (and unlike her prior statements on behalf of her legal clients), said nothing. Instead, she allows the Stalinoids, spooks and agents to speak in her behalf, disrupt the Local Board, and portray (or caricature) her views. Lynne, NOW is the time for you to be saying, "Not in my Name!"
As Chair of the Local Station Board, I wouldn't object to holding some of the Board's meetings in the prison itself so that she could attend them (if the officials allow it, and provide us with a suitable conference room and proper sound equipment). I suspect that her JUC collaborators would scratch and moan against such an arrangement -- should such in-prison meetings actually be allowed -- as it would require them as well as other attendees to provide not only their names and home addresses in order to get into the meetings but their fingerprints as well. Remember, these are the folks who whined against having to show IDs to security in the lobby of 120 Wall Street and who posted the exact words carved in stone in the bylaws and demanded that the Board follow them to the letter! (These are the same bylaws -- funny how they don't mention this -- that require Board members to be physically present at regular meetings in order to participate in the discussions and vote.)
So, Lynne Stewart, I ask again: What are your views on how to improve fulfillment rates on Magid Ali's premiums? And, will you continue to allow your faction operatives to destroy the radio station, in your name?
--------------------------------
Why not write to Lynne and ask her directly?
You can (and SHOULD) write to her at:
Lynne Stewart
Reg. # 053504-054
MCC/NY
150 Park Row
New York, NY 10007
From her defense committee website:
Do not send stamps, this mail will be treated as contraband and discarded by the prison. Do not send anything that needs to be signed for. Lynne has been given a subscription to the New York Times (!) and the New Yorker. If you would like to subscribe Lynne to a publication, please drop us a line first (email info [at] lynnestewart.org) just to make sure that you are not duplicating someone else's contribution. Photos are okay, cards postcards and letters. All mail is opened and read. Commissary can be sent to Lynne via Western Union using the registration number and address either via the internet or at a Western Union location. Thank you for your support for Lynne - it means the world to her.
--------------------------------------------
You can also hear my radio interview with Lynne Stewart and Ralph Poynter at the link below.
Mitchel Cohen
Chair, WBAI Local Station Board
http://tribecaradio.net/wpradioblog/stealthisradio/show-61-4/
takingaim(at)pacbell.net
Subject: Mitchel Cohen re: Lynne Stewart - please distribute widely
Date: February 12, 2010 11:30:20 AM PST
To the Pacifica National Board and to the WBAI Local Station Board:
Dear Friends,
On February 9, Mitchel Cohen, Chair of the WBAI Local Station Board, wrote a
public letter attacking Lynne Stewart and the support movement that has been
galvanized in her defense.
His letter entitled “Pimping Lynne Stewart,” compares her outrageously to a
prostitute whose sale of herself is controlled by nominal political
supporters for their own personal gain.
His attack upon Lynne Stewart and her supporters derives from his efforts to
have her removed from the Local Station Board (LSB) to which she was elected
by an overwhelming vote — more votes than any other candidate — and on which
she would make an outstanding contribution, whether or not she remains
incarcerated.
In his first letter, Mr. Cohen pretends to have been a supporter of Lynne
Stewart during her trial. This obviously is not true. He reinvents her case
and takes her subsequent comments out of context. [See Taking Aim programs
for a detailed description of the issues, trial and appeal as well as
conversations with Lynne Stewart. Available at
http://www.takingaimradio.com]
Mr. Cohen also claims that her supporters are “desperate fools … who are
running around saying the stupidest and most reactionary things. …” He makes
his political meaning clear by stating “the CIA couldn’t have done a better
job in its disinformation campaign…”
Mr. Cohen swiftly enfolds Lynne Stewart in the putative perfidy of her
supporters, declaring that Lynne Stewart is fully cognizant of this
duplicity and colludes in the deception: “She allows the Stalinoids, spooks
and agents to speak in her behalf.”
The next day, Mr. Cohen penned an additional letter in which he admitted
that he signed, without entitlement, his initial attack as “Chair, WBAI
Local Station Board,” acknowledging without evident embarrassment that
members of the Local Station Board were neither privy to his letter nor had
they approved it.
What are the stakes here?
The movement supporting Lynne Stewart regards her case as a historic cause
comparable to the Dreyfus Affair, in which the crimes of the State itself
have been visited upon a scapegoat falsely accused — a Judas-goat impaled on
the sword of the State and so displayed the better to deceive, intimidate,
terrorize and subjugate the public at large.
Lynne Stewart has for her entire professional life defended those so
targeted by the State, the working poor, political dissidents, the daring
few with the courage and the integrity to defy injustice and act boldly
against oppression.
She was railroaded to prison for defending a man accused of acts of
sabotage, assassination and terror, acts authored in fact by the FBI, the
Mossad and highest levels of authority -— constituting in reality nothing
less than treason at the top. Now she faces 30 years in prison for her
zealous representation and defense of her client.
Her case has significance far beyond defense of our “Mother Courage.” In
order to succeed in neutralizing any and all who would defend those falsely
accused and, in the course of so doing, expose the crimes of the State, the
government seeks through the persecution and prosecution of Lynne Stewart to
intimidate and cow the entire legal profession. If those in power succeed in
railroading Lynne Stewart, no lawyer will dare defend those accused of
threatening national security for fear that they were lending “material
support to terrorism.”
If Lynne Stewart can be buried alive in the federal prisons and, let us be
unmistakably clear, should our silence and cowardice permit her to be
murdered in prison through control of her medical treatment and physical
well being, this will be a turning point in the rapid construction of the
architecture of the fascist state in America.
These are the real stakes and the abiding issues that inform the cause of
Lynne Stewart.
How then should we understand the words and actions of Mr. Cohen?
In his second letter, he writes:
“Strangely, no one has yet objected to characterizing some of those involved
as ‘agents.’ I guess some things are more self-evident than others.”
Mr. Cohen thus asserts in a public letter that those involved in the
movement supporting Lynne Stewart are agents of the U.S. government —
betrayers of their friends and comrades and serving as instruments of the
FBI, CIA, police and intelligence.
This is a grave accusation. If Mr. Cohen has a scintilla of evidence to
support it, he has an absolute obligation to name those he claims to have
discovered to be such agents. He must present the evidence against them so
that members of Pacifica and WBAI may be forearmed.
Most importantly, those supporters of Lynne Stewart implicated by his
innuendo and thus accused of perfidy and betrayal must be accorded the full
opportunity to confront such accusations, and the accuser, and take such
action as they deem appropriate and necessary.
Should Mr. Cohen be shown to lack such evidence and should this grave
accusation be revealed as no more than a McCarthyite smear, he will have
been exposed as having acted in a manner consistent with the methods of
Cointelpro.
As such, he should be severed from association with WBAI, the Pacifica radio
network and from those who have been dedicated to the values, the personal
integrity, courage and life commitment of Lynne Stewart.
In Solidarity,
Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone
Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone
From: Mitchel Cohen
Date: February 10, 2010 9:38:05 AM PST
Subject: Correction to "Pimping Lynne Stewart"
Hi,
A few days ago (it seems like a month already) I sent a letter I'd written, "Pimping Lynne Stewart", which I'd signed and included, under my signature, "Chair, WBAI Local Station Board".
As I wrote this as my own commentary and not on behalf of the Board, obviously, I should have included an asterisk explaining exactly that. So please note that the words "Chair, WBAI Local Station Board" are for identification purposes only, and do not reflect the opinion(s) of the Local Station Board.
I will be updating this article in a few days, further substantiating the claims I've made as well as commenting on the mail I've already received, including objections sent to me for categorizing those involved as, among other things,
- "Stalinoids"
- "spooks"
- "faux supporters"
- "disruptors"
- "nincompoops"
- "stupid"
Strangely, no one has yet objected to characterizing some of those involved as "agents". I guess some things are more self-evident than others.
Sorry for any confusion over those who may have thought that the LSB itself had issued that letter.
Mitchel Cohen
"Pimping Lynn Stewart" -- Now Playing at WBAI Local Station Board?
Do you think that Lynne Stewart realizes how her once-serious court case and the widespread sympathy she evoked -- at least within activist circles on the Left (yea, say what you will about the Left) -- is being destroyed by desperate fools pretending to be her supporters in her faction at WBAI, who are running around saying the stupidest and most reactionary things in her name?
The CIA couldn't have done a better job in its disinformation campaign against her.
But, truth is, Lynne Stewart does know. She's kept informed, but has said nothing while nincompoops, Stalinoids and faux supporters cash-in the legitimacy of her important case against the U.S.A. Patriot Act and its attacks on civil liberties in order to score factional polemical points and fictional provocations, destroying the radio station she purportedly loves and her reputation along with it.
Originally, Lynne was charged with violating an order she'd signed (why she signed it instead of challenging it in court is one of the huge mistakes she'd made). The statement she signed, known as a "SAM", banned her from making public statements about the political views of her client, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, who was implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The U.S. government claimed that Lynne's public statements on behalf of her client broke federal prison rules by using her legal meetings with the Sheik and press conferences following those meetings to pass messages to the Sheik's followers in Egypt, which led to them calling off a peace initiative and -- the U.S. government claimed -- to a number of avoidable deaths.
The Judge himself saw through this bogus claim, which is why he didn't sentence her to longer time in jail. But instead of appreciating the Judge's dilemma (and pressure he was under), Lynne came out of the Court at that time stupidly gloating, "I can do 28 months standing on my head." (I was there, one of her supporters, as I was at many of her court appearances. I personally heard her say this.)
The Appeals Court cited that statement, and then went on to say that "of course" the statement had nothing to do with their ordering the original Judge to reconsider her sentence based on a number of things, including whether or not she'd lied to the Court. Of course.
As the Appeals Court was considering the state's appeal, Lynne Stewart and the JUC cynically chose THAT moment to run her for the WBAI Local Station Board as the head of their ticket.
Lynne Stewart, meanwhile, said nothing in response to queries about how her pending imprisonment would improve the Board's ability to make decisions needed to govern the station.
Nor in the interim has Lynne Stewart issued a single word about how to improve the fulfillment rates during Pledge drives -- the main culprit in the financial crisis that WBAI again finds itself in.
Nor has Lynne issued an opinion on the detailed proposals pertaining to WBAI that have been submitted concerning credit card expansion, how to rectify the "locked box" situation, how to repair the bar-code disaster, mail out premiums or make phone calls to members -- you know, the kinds of things that the rest of the Board -- even one or two in her own faction -- are doing, to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities.
No, Lynne Stewart has, strangely (and unlike her prior statements on behalf of her legal clients), said nothing. Instead, she allows the Stalinoids, spooks and agents to speak in her behalf, disrupt the Local Board, and portray (or caricature) her views. Lynne, NOW is the time for you to be saying, "Not in my Name!"
As Chair of the Local Station Board, I wouldn't object to holding some of the Board's meetings in the prison itself so that she could attend them (if the officials allow it, and provide us with a suitable conference room and proper sound equipment). I suspect that her JUC collaborators would scratch and moan against such an arrangement -- should such in-prison meetings actually be allowed -- as it would require them as well as other attendees to provide not only their names and home addresses in order to get into the meetings but their fingerprints as well. Remember, these are the folks who whined against having to show IDs to security in the lobby of 120 Wall Street and who posted the exact words carved in stone in the bylaws and demanded that the Board follow them to the letter! (These are the same bylaws -- funny how they don't mention this -- that require Board members to be physically present at regular meetings in order to participate in the discussions and vote.)
So, Lynne Stewart, I ask again: What are your views on how to improve fulfillment rates on Magid Ali's premiums? And, will you continue to allow your faction operatives to destroy the radio station, in your name?
--------------------------------
Why not write to Lynne and ask her directly?
You can (and SHOULD) write to her at:
Lynne Stewart
Reg. # 053504-054
MCC/NY
150 Park Row
New York, NY 10007
From her defense committee website:
Do not send stamps, this mail will be treated as contraband and discarded by the prison. Do not send anything that needs to be signed for. Lynne has been given a subscription to the New York Times (!) and the New Yorker. If you would like to subscribe Lynne to a publication, please drop us a line first (email info [at] lynnestewart.org) just to make sure that you are not duplicating someone else's contribution. Photos are okay, cards postcards and letters. All mail is opened and read. Commissary can be sent to Lynne via Western Union using the registration number and address either via the internet or at a Western Union location. Thank you for your support for Lynne - it means the world to her.
--------------------------------------------
You can also hear my radio interview with Lynne Stewart and Ralph Poynter at the link below.
Mitchel Cohen
Chair, WBAI Local Station Board
http://tribecaradio.net/wpradioblog/stealthisradio/show-61-4/
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Hi folks,
First, I'd like to report that the current WBAI fundraiser is thankfully raising significant amounts of money -- more than I thought before checking the figures -- so thank you to all the listeners who have responded to calls to save and protect WBAI.
I got to the station late Thursday afternoon, after dropping off my latest radio show in Tribeca -- an interview with Chaia Heller on Murray Bookchin, Social Ecology, Anarchism and Feminism that was aired this a.m. and will be rebroadcast next Tuesday at 7 pm on nytalkradio.net.
At the station, I joined the Programming Committee meeting chaired by Alex Steinberg, with Michele Chen, Stephen "Road Warrior" Howard, Arun Aguiar and Linda Zises participating. We were joined half-way through by Ralph Poynter and had a spirited discussion.
At the same time, Carolyn Birden was at the telephones working hard contacting declined credit card pledgers, under the supervision of Berthold Reimers, and a number of volunteers whose names I didn't get were answering phones in the tally room. Kathy Davis and Tony Bates were also hard at work -- this around 9 pm, after already putting in their 12-hour day. Wow! I say all of this because these dedicated folks are answering the call to put in the work to save the station and deserve to be recognized. (I am sure that others have been putting in lots of work as well -- these are just the folks I saw personally when I got there at around 7:45 pm.)
Around midnight, Borika -- an absolutely delightful younger person (younger to me, anyway) -- took over coordinating the phone-answering operation as Bob Fass' and Bill Propp's "Radio Unnameable" took to the airwaves. I decided to stick around and help answer the phones, and joined Richard Hirsh (who produced the DVD of the Phil Ochs tribute that Bob was offering as a premium) and Scott from the Bronx (what a character! He turned out to be the person who constantly calls into Bob Fass chanting into the phone). Bob himself joined us for a while in the phone room and we put him on with some pledgers, who were thrilled to talk with him. So we stuck around till around 4 a.m. answering phones -- I think around $1,700 was pledged, which is pretty good for that time of night. Quite a few people pledged funds but were not interested in receiving premiums, they just wanted to support WBAI and Radio Unnameable. What a pleasure talking with listeners calling in!
Now let me rewind a little -- after the Programming Committee meeting, Ralph Poynter and I (Ralph is Lynne Stewart's husband) engaged in a very interesting and pointed discussion, for around an hour. He pointed out that Lynne very much wants to take part in the meetings and discussions of the LSB, and took me to task for some of the things I'd written -- very different items than the ones the JUC has focused on in their race-baiting attacks. Lynne is under a vicious attack while in jail -- they are basically fucking with her medication and she ended up in the hospital. Ralph was very concerned that my words about Lynne herself (forget about the JUC's ridiculous spin) were at best careless and he urged me to look again at the video of what I had quoted her as saying when she left court in December. Especially, he felt that I misrepresented Lynne's statement when I quoted her as saying, "I could do 28 months standing on my head."
I agreed to listen again to the recording and if I was wrong, I would write to correct the record. So I am doing that now.
Lynne had indeed praised the Judge for a number of considerations he made, and then she said: "I don’t think anybody would say that going to jail for two years is something you look forward to, but as my clients have said to me, I can do that standing on my head." In other words, what I had reported as "gloating" was intended as words of encouragement from Lynne's clients; but this context was distorted by the media. So I hereby retract the quote as I had truncated it, and insert the full quote and context into the record.
Another concern Ralph raised had to do with my stated opinion that Lynne Stewart should not have signed the SAM agreements. He pointed out that two other lawyers in the case, Abdeen Jabari and Ramsey Clark, had signed them before Lynne had done so, and that they had made statements similar to Lynne's, and yet only Lynne was prosecuted by the government. Why? Why did they only go after Lynne?
We had a very long discussion on the circumstances themselves -- was the Sheik guilty or not? (I tend to agree with Lynne Stewart here that he was not guilty of what he was charged). Ralph explained why not signing the SAMs was impractical in the very real emergency circumstances. This was a legal call, and I understand (but don't necessarily agree with) the decision the lawyers made under the circumstances. The gist of my letter under question was largely about the JUC's disgraceful opportunism in misusing Lynne's notoriety at the expense of the movement; it was not intended in any way to disparage Lynne Stewart's legal decisions nor her (and all of our) efforts to defend herself against the State's prosecution. Indeed, I and a number of other Independents on the Board have been very much with Lynne and Ralph in the trenches for many years, supported her against the State attacks in court, and condemn the State's attacks on her and on our movements. If that was not clear in my letters -- I don't understand how it could not have been clear, but sometimes things get lost in all the attacks being made by the JUC, so if it wasn't clear, let me repeat it explicitly now.
At the same time, Ralph Poynter agreed to examine some points that I made -- he even wrote them down, thank you Ralph -- and promised, just as I did, to check them out, reflect on them and issue corrections where necessary. Which is the way disagreements among honest people should be done.
I'd also like to thank all of those who have sought to correct the misinformation in Ralph Schoenman's and Maya Shone's letter. Their letter was an ill-informed hatchet job, twisting, distorting, misreporting the actual facts of the matter, as Carolyn Birden and many others have now pointed out. They misstate what I had actually written, as well as basic facts. Carolyn Birden, Alex Steinberg, Chris Farell, Jim Dingeman, have pointed these out in specific detail and quite ably elsewhere.
I also want to state that in my opinion and despite all of the above, "Taking Aim" is a GREAT and much needed show, and WBAI is a much stronger station for broadcasting that show and bringing a real Left critique and analysis to the airwaves. (I guess we owe a thank you (gulp!) to Utrice Leid for putting that show on the air.)
Shows on WBAI have a right to their opinions; the hosts, like all people, will -- I am certain -- issue the proper corrections; and honest people like Ralph Schoenman, Maya Shone, myself, Ralph Poynter, Lynne Stewart all of us are not static, we learn and grow, and hopefully, together, build the basis for a different world.
The Justice and Unity group, on the other hand, is engaged in dishonest, pure opportunism. They are now on a crusade to have me removed from the Local Station Board, and Ralph and Maya have carelessly and unfortunately added fuel to those fires. I hope and expect that they correct the record, as any honest reporter would.
Let me end with a quote from Lynne Stewart. She was asked how people could best support her, as the government is really messing with her. She said: Go out and defend Mumia Abu-Jamal. I am not important. Mumia's life is at stake. Prevent them from executing him, which is what the Court has now again enabled.
I couldn't agree with Lynne Stewart more. Except to say that she, too, is crucially important. A fighter for us all.
FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
FREE LEONARD PELTIER
FREE LYNNE STEWART
Free all political prisoners
Free OURSELVES.
Mitchel Cohen
Chair, WBAI Local Station Board*
*For identification purposes only. These views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Local Station Board, nor of WBAI or Pacifica.
First, I'd like to report that the current WBAI fundraiser is thankfully raising significant amounts of money -- more than I thought before checking the figures -- so thank you to all the listeners who have responded to calls to save and protect WBAI.
I got to the station late Thursday afternoon, after dropping off my latest radio show in Tribeca -- an interview with Chaia Heller on Murray Bookchin, Social Ecology, Anarchism and Feminism that was aired this a.m. and will be rebroadcast next Tuesday at 7 pm on nytalkradio.net.
At the station, I joined the Programming Committee meeting chaired by Alex Steinberg, with Michele Chen, Stephen "Road Warrior" Howard, Arun Aguiar and Linda Zises participating. We were joined half-way through by Ralph Poynter and had a spirited discussion.
At the same time, Carolyn Birden was at the telephones working hard contacting declined credit card pledgers, under the supervision of Berthold Reimers, and a number of volunteers whose names I didn't get were answering phones in the tally room. Kathy Davis and Tony Bates were also hard at work -- this around 9 pm, after already putting in their 12-hour day. Wow! I say all of this because these dedicated folks are answering the call to put in the work to save the station and deserve to be recognized. (I am sure that others have been putting in lots of work as well -- these are just the folks I saw personally when I got there at around 7:45 pm.)
Around midnight, Borika -- an absolutely delightful younger person (younger to me, anyway) -- took over coordinating the phone-answering operation as Bob Fass' and Bill Propp's "Radio Unnameable" took to the airwaves. I decided to stick around and help answer the phones, and joined Richard Hirsh (who produced the DVD of the Phil Ochs tribute that Bob was offering as a premium) and Scott from the Bronx (what a character! He turned out to be the person who constantly calls into Bob Fass chanting into the phone). Bob himself joined us for a while in the phone room and we put him on with some pledgers, who were thrilled to talk with him. So we stuck around till around 4 a.m. answering phones -- I think around $1,700 was pledged, which is pretty good for that time of night. Quite a few people pledged funds but were not interested in receiving premiums, they just wanted to support WBAI and Radio Unnameable. What a pleasure talking with listeners calling in!
Now let me rewind a little -- after the Programming Committee meeting, Ralph Poynter and I (Ralph is Lynne Stewart's husband) engaged in a very interesting and pointed discussion, for around an hour. He pointed out that Lynne very much wants to take part in the meetings and discussions of the LSB, and took me to task for some of the things I'd written -- very different items than the ones the JUC has focused on in their race-baiting attacks. Lynne is under a vicious attack while in jail -- they are basically fucking with her medication and she ended up in the hospital. Ralph was very concerned that my words about Lynne herself (forget about the JUC's ridiculous spin) were at best careless and he urged me to look again at the video of what I had quoted her as saying when she left court in December. Especially, he felt that I misrepresented Lynne's statement when I quoted her as saying, "I could do 28 months standing on my head."
I agreed to listen again to the recording and if I was wrong, I would write to correct the record. So I am doing that now.
Lynne had indeed praised the Judge for a number of considerations he made, and then she said: "I don’t think anybody would say that going to jail for two years is something you look forward to, but as my clients have said to me, I can do that standing on my head." In other words, what I had reported as "gloating" was intended as words of encouragement from Lynne's clients; but this context was distorted by the media. So I hereby retract the quote as I had truncated it, and insert the full quote and context into the record.
Another concern Ralph raised had to do with my stated opinion that Lynne Stewart should not have signed the SAM agreements. He pointed out that two other lawyers in the case, Abdeen Jabari and Ramsey Clark, had signed them before Lynne had done so, and that they had made statements similar to Lynne's, and yet only Lynne was prosecuted by the government. Why? Why did they only go after Lynne?
We had a very long discussion on the circumstances themselves -- was the Sheik guilty or not? (I tend to agree with Lynne Stewart here that he was not guilty of what he was charged). Ralph explained why not signing the SAMs was impractical in the very real emergency circumstances. This was a legal call, and I understand (but don't necessarily agree with) the decision the lawyers made under the circumstances. The gist of my letter under question was largely about the JUC's disgraceful opportunism in misusing Lynne's notoriety at the expense of the movement; it was not intended in any way to disparage Lynne Stewart's legal decisions nor her (and all of our) efforts to defend herself against the State's prosecution. Indeed, I and a number of other Independents on the Board have been very much with Lynne and Ralph in the trenches for many years, supported her against the State attacks in court, and condemn the State's attacks on her and on our movements. If that was not clear in my letters -- I don't understand how it could not have been clear, but sometimes things get lost in all the attacks being made by the JUC, so if it wasn't clear, let me repeat it explicitly now.
At the same time, Ralph Poynter agreed to examine some points that I made -- he even wrote them down, thank you Ralph -- and promised, just as I did, to check them out, reflect on them and issue corrections where necessary. Which is the way disagreements among honest people should be done.
I'd also like to thank all of those who have sought to correct the misinformation in Ralph Schoenman's and Maya Shone's letter. Their letter was an ill-informed hatchet job, twisting, distorting, misreporting the actual facts of the matter, as Carolyn Birden and many others have now pointed out. They misstate what I had actually written, as well as basic facts. Carolyn Birden, Alex Steinberg, Chris Farell, Jim Dingeman, have pointed these out in specific detail and quite ably elsewhere.
I also want to state that in my opinion and despite all of the above, "Taking Aim" is a GREAT and much needed show, and WBAI is a much stronger station for broadcasting that show and bringing a real Left critique and analysis to the airwaves. (I guess we owe a thank you (gulp!) to Utrice Leid for putting that show on the air.)
Shows on WBAI have a right to their opinions; the hosts, like all people, will -- I am certain -- issue the proper corrections; and honest people like Ralph Schoenman, Maya Shone, myself, Ralph Poynter, Lynne Stewart all of us are not static, we learn and grow, and hopefully, together, build the basis for a different world.
The Justice and Unity group, on the other hand, is engaged in dishonest, pure opportunism. They are now on a crusade to have me removed from the Local Station Board, and Ralph and Maya have carelessly and unfortunately added fuel to those fires. I hope and expect that they correct the record, as any honest reporter would.
Let me end with a quote from Lynne Stewart. She was asked how people could best support her, as the government is really messing with her. She said: Go out and defend Mumia Abu-Jamal. I am not important. Mumia's life is at stake. Prevent them from executing him, which is what the Court has now again enabled.
I couldn't agree with Lynne Stewart more. Except to say that she, too, is crucially important. A fighter for us all.
FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
FREE LEONARD PELTIER
FREE LYNNE STEWART
Free all political prisoners
Free OURSELVES.
Mitchel Cohen
Chair, WBAI Local Station Board*
*For identification purposes only. These views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Local Station Board, nor of WBAI or Pacifica.
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