Memo to Ms. Stewart: It could have been worse

Civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart acknowledged smuggling messages from an imprisoned terrorist to his followers on the outside, a crime for which she was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison.
That was quite a bit less than the 30 years prosecutors wanted. But it also wasn’t the immediate elevation to sainthood she and her supporters seemed to favor, so she’s planning to appeal.
Stewart blames her conviction on the “hysteria” following Sept. 11. It might also have something to do with the overwhelming evidence of her guilt. In her zeal to aid Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind sheik who plotted to blow up New York landmarks and assassinate Egypt’s president, there’s every indication she crossed a line, from righteous defender to fellow traveler.
No doubt many genuine civil rights abuses have been committed in the name of fighting terrorism, but Stewart’s case is not among them. She should count herself lucky.
Posted by Dave Knadler

58 Comments

  1. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:07 pm | Permalink

    Come on Libs! Be the first to defend this defender of terrorists.

  2. J M Walker
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:23 pm | Permalink

    SM,There is a major differenced between liberals and those who support terrorism. If you would quit listening to Ann Limbough and the like, you might just get educated enough to realize that.

  3. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:29 pm | Permalink

    And JM Walker is the winner!

    Who’s “Ann Limbough”?

  4. mrcontroversy
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    Stewart ain’t liberal, folks: she’s stooopid.

  5. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:45 pm | Permalink

    Ms Stewart is liberal AND stupid. At least she’s on your team, not mine.

  6. Mr KIA
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:46 pm | Permalink

    From what I’ve been able to research so far she was a member of the communist party.

  7. J R
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:48 pm | Permalink

    Given the current state of our Justice system, I cannot be convinced Ms. Stewart had a fair trial.

  8. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:53 pm | Permalink

    Hey, SM–Your request was granted and it only took 41 minutes. “I cannot be convinced Ms Stewart had a fair trial”. Way to go JR! I told you she was on your team.

  9. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:56 pm | Permalink

    Yep, JR is the clear winner. Now, who will be the runner up? Come on, don’t be shy!

  10. Mr KIA
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:59 pm | Permalink

    http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/16/terror.trial.ap/index.html

    For someone who didn’t get a fair trial she sure seems to be happy with the verdict.

  11. Ben Huie
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 1:59 pm | Permalink

    I have only seen the briefest of reports of what she did but it definitely seemed like she crossed the line.

  12. J R
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:00 pm | Permalink

    I took no position on this womans guilt or innocence. I did not sit in on the trial and am not in a position to do so. This clearly is not a problem for you on the right! I merely asserted that I do not trust the justice department under bush. Given the drumhead summary justice attitude of you wingers, I’d say my assessment was correct.

  13. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:03 pm | Permalink

    For blaming Bush yet again, I give 10 more points to JR!

  14. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:05 pm | Permalink

    Give him 10 more for using “drumhead summary justice”

  15. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:10 pm | Permalink

    Done. JR, you now have 10 + 10 + the original winning score which comes to, well, 50. Way to go. Be proud.

  16. J R
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:11 pm | Permalink

    my my

    We got us two little upstart posters.

    Down girls. I don’t play nice with neocons. Get your spurs a bit sharper before you tangle with me.

    You all might want to rethink your self deluded perch as to “justice”. Your is the party of aiding and abbetting child solicitors!

  17. Heckler
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:12 pm | Permalink

    jr’s feeling frisky.

    Talk about self deluded, look in the mirror jr.

  18. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:13 pm | Permalink

    Ouch!

  19. Jimmy
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:15 pm | Permalink

    Yeah, don’t tangle with the unemployed bitter loser. He might steal your election signs.

  20. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:17 pm | Permalink

    Come now JR, are you really going to bring out the old standard liberal method of changing the subject and making personal attacks? Well, I shouldn’t really be surprised.

  21. J R
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:24 pm | Permalink

    Heckler?

    You ducked out of a fight with me earlier. Get on back to that one. This one isn’t that interesting to me.

    Jimmy

    If you are going to lie about me I will invite you to do it to my face. My email is live if you wish to pursue it further.

    That other one aint even on my radar yet.

    Later girls. See ya back at the dance heckler. Teach these kids how to bow out of a fight they can’t win.

  22. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:28 pm | Permalink

    For giving up, you lose 20 points. But, as a outspoken liberal you still have some “lefty points” remaining. Spend them wisely.

  23. Jed
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:31 pm | Permalink

    After watching southern judges and juries acquit dozens of white guys who murdered blacks back in the ’50’s and ’60’s, I can’t say I have that much faith in the justice system. Yeah, she was a radical leftist lawyer, but she deserves the same protections under law as radical right-wingers do. She should have been tried on the evidence and not her politics.

  24. CF
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:38 pm | Permalink

    It’s so nice that the Wingnuts have something to feel good about, what with all the Republicon corruption and pederastry that’s been in the news of late.

    But as I’m fond of reminding all of you Wingnuts, treason begins at home with the Republicans. Between the President’s unconstitutional power grab, and the Republican Congress’ abdicating of its Constitutional oversight duties, pretty much the entire national GOP “leadership” belongs in jail as enemies of the state.

    What Lynne Stewart did was a crime, and she’s being rightly punished. What would be the fitting punishment for the Republican effort to overthrow the separation of powers and evade the Constitution?

    Hint for our Republicon traitors on the WeBlog: a sentence that’s longer than 28 months.

  25. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 2:47 pm | Permalink

    She wasn’t rightly punished. She should have received much more than 28 months.

  26. CF
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:01 pm | Permalink

    And what “hotlick” thinks matters…why, exactly?

  27. john the baptist
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:07 pm | Permalink

    Another liberal bites the dust!

  28. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:11 pm | Permalink

    Good one, CF

  29. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:11 pm | Permalink

    John The Baptist (IF that is your REAL name),

    On behalf of ol’ Ben, unless you use your “real name”, what you say just don’t matter….especially if you don’t agree with the libs.

  30. hotlick
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:13 pm | Permalink

    What’s next, Homo sez what?

  31. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:14 pm | Permalink

    Of course, I don’t have anything better to do than spout my usual garbage.

  32. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:16 pm | Permalink

    Attention readers: Some “clever” person is posting under my name. How very clever! So, if you read something that libs would enjoy, you know it is by the imposter.

  33. Ben Huie
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:21 pm | Permalink

    SM – that is what I referred to before as a troll. Some other “clever” person posting under my name.

  34. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:24 pm | Permalink

    Ummmm…ok Ben.

  35. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:24 pm | Permalink

    SM, we enjoy listening to you.Ain’t heard a con with as big of panty wad up there ass since the last time I accidently heard BillO spout his usual BS.You GO-SM!!!

  36. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:29 pm | Permalink

    Tracy,

    Please rephrase your statement. Please define “panty wad”.

    Thank you

  37. CF
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:34 pm | Permalink

    For the record, CF thinks that name-stealing is the last bastion of a scoundrel, whether a liberal or a right-wing fascist.

    He also thinks that that SM would do well to disentangle the wadded-up panties from their current location in an unmentionable section of his/her/its anatomy.

  38. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:36 pm | Permalink

    SM, we enjoy listening to you.Ain’t heard a con (with a burr in their saddle and this irritated) since the last time I accidently heard BillO spout his usual BS.You GO-SM!!!

    You like that better?Sure hope so.

  39. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:38 pm | Permalink

    Nothing funnier than an angry rant from a neocon.Weeee! Yeee-Haaa!

  40. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:39 pm | Permalink

    TURN OFF THE MIKES!!DAMNIT–I SAID TURN OFF THE MIKES!!

    and furthermore:BILL CLINTON!!BILL CLINTON!!

  41. J M Walker
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:41 pm | Permalink

    SM,It is quite obvious you have no sense of humor, can’t understand sarcasm, nor can you extrapolate something as obvious as “Ann Limbough”. Your vapid attempts at humor, “Please define “panty wad”.” leads me to believe you also have very little, if any, brain cells.

    You are the prototypical example of the average repuke who have done their best to ruin this country.

    On your “winner/loser scale, I would venture you inhabit the lower depths of “loser.”

  42. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:43 pm | Permalink

    Tracy,

    Thanks for trying to make sense. I appreciate your effort.

  43. SM
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:47 pm | Permalink

    J M Walker,

    Why do you call me names? I’m a Democrat and I really don’t appreciate the insults.

  44. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:47 pm | Permalink

    You’re welcome newbie. (SM)This is a fun place to blog as long as ya’ don’t take every smart-assed remark too seriously.

  45. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:50 pm | Permalink

    Oh, and if ya’ come in here with guns a’ blazin’ and lip off at every regular, well, expect to get screwed with. ALOT.

    Speakin’ of regulars, where the hell’s ED been?

  46. Ben Huie
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:50 pm | Permalink

    “Ann Limbaugh” is similat yo my use of “Rush O’Hannity”

    A conglomeration of all the indistinguishable right-wing-nut talking heads.

  47. gster
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:51 pm | Permalink

    I think she’s guilty as hell of practising law while UGLY!She ought to be disbarred and sent way for far longer than 28 months.

  48. TRACY
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 3:54 pm | Permalink

    gster-I wanted to say that.

    Ben, I still like BillO and limpballs.

  49. Posted October 17, 2006 at 7:42 pm | Permalink

    The judge in the Stewert case departed from what he could sentence her due to:1) she has cancer;2) she is broke;3) her distinguised career of representing undesirable clients.

    I like for judges to have discretion and that has been taken away to too great a degree among Federal judges (in my opinion). Having said that, this woman helping her client get his message out — could result in the deaths of people. Hello? 28 months for that little indescretion?

    The slap on the wrist she got is an unfunny joke.

  50. Posted October 17, 2006 at 8:06 pm | Permalink

    It was bad, but unless deaths DID result, I think 28 months is rather harsh.

    Potential harm is not the same as actual harm . . .

  51. Posted October 17, 2006 at 8:10 pm | Permalink

    SM is a Democrat like the Pope is pro-choice.

    Don’t worry, we don’t believe anything you say, SadoMasochist.

    Feel free to fully indulge yourself. We’ll continue to ignore you.

  52. wetbacks go home
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 8:58 pm | Permalink

    Liberals are traitors who want to see America fall. Look for more such stories of anti-American actions from the terrorist sympathizing Left in the coming future.

  53. William Daye
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 9:01 pm | Permalink

    an aside to the crying liberials protesting Stewarts sentence, they and most of all she should be thankful for not being in the generation of WW11, would have `received: firing squad,hangman’s noose or electric chair,spys and traitors did in fact receive that, and very quickly, Stewart most certainly aided and abetted

  54. wetbacks go home
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 9:13 pm | Permalink

    The bitch deserves to be shot. F-ing traitor.

  55. wetbacks go home
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 9:26 pm | Permalink

    The truth of the matter is, all liberals are potential terrorists.

  56. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 10:25 pm | Permalink

    I bet both ckd AND values boy are gonna be distressed by this article entitled “‘Values’ voters fade as factor in midterm elections”

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061017/ts_nm/usa_politics_values_dc

    What say you values boy? And what say the WE editors?

    NOW can we get rid of him?

  57. Mr KIA
    Posted October 17, 2006 at 11:20 pm | Permalink

    Could it be only 2% of voters are concerned with same sex marriage and abortion is that these issues don’t appear on a single ballot this year?

    This however from the article is concerning. “An ABC-Washington Post poll released last week found that 23 percent of Americans surveyed cited Iraq or the war on terrorism as their top concerns in the November 7 elections. Another 23 percent cited the economy. Democrats held the advantage in dealing with all three issues.”

    I don’t see how raising taxes is going to further grow the economy. Nor do I see how giving the likes of al-qaeda detainees constitutional rights will make the country or the world safer. These are two guarantees if the left gets the House back. Leaving Iraq however isn’t one of them.

  58. Will
    Posted October 18, 2006 at 2:28 am | Permalink

    The truth of the matter is, all liberals are potential terrorists.

    Come on now IAN, I wouldn’t go that far!;)