Dawn Meredith

Gaeton Fonzi's Review of JFK and The Unspeakable: JFK and the Unspeakable Posted on Apr 29, 2008 10:23am CST. Print Friendly Version On the Road to Peace by John Dear S.J. Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Vol. 2, No. 34 This week, Orbis Books publishes one of its most significant books in years, a labor of some 15 years work by Jim Douglass. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters tells the painful, hopeful story of John F. Kennedy's efforts to save us from nuclear war, his decision to pull out troops from Vietnam, and his call for nuclear disarmament, a vision that animated shadowy forces in the U.S. government to do away with him and his vision. We need your help. John Dear's column, On the Road to Peace, is made available to you -- at no charge -- by the National Catholic Reporter. We ask that you consider supporting NCR in this endeavor. Donate Online Print a Form Contributions are tax-deductible. We appreciate your help. I consider Jim one of the world's leading theologians of Christian nonviolence. His brilliance is reflected in his powerful books, The Nonviolent Cross, Lightning East to West, Resistance and Contemplation and The Nonviolent Coming of God (all recently republished by Wipf and Stock). JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglass Orbis Books, 544 pages, $30 JFK and the Unspeakable is the first of three volumes (the other two, on the assassinations of Malcolm X and Dr. King, and then Robert F. Kennedy.) It reads like a Robert Ludlum political thriller, only the stakes are much higher, all too real, and all too current. It is the ultimate American story, for it sheds light not only on our history, but on the predicament we face today. It traces the life of John F. Kennedy into the presidency, through the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile crisis, right through the weeks before his death. With every turned page, we observe him transform from a conventional Cold Warrior to someone determined to pull the world back from the edge of a nuclear apocalypse. His change is evident in his secret back-channel dialogue with Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschchev and his historic American University peace speech a few months before he was killed. He said: "I have ... chosen this time and place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth too rarely perceived. And that is the most important topic on earth: peace ... not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time. I speak of peace because of the new face of war. Total war ... " A Quaker friend, David Hartsough, told me some years ago that when he was 22, in 1962, he spent time with Kennedy in the White House. He was vigiling for total nuclear disarmament with more than a thousand Friends outside the White House and the State Department. Turns out, JFK welcomed in David and five others to discuss the issue. They gave the president a statement urging a change in direction "from headlong preparation for nuclear war" to "general and complete disarmament." The group was surprised by how open and friendly JFK was, and surprised in particular by how seriously he listened. But then, as Jim Douglass records, JFK offered a sober word to them: "The military-industrial complex is very strong. If you folks are serious about trying to get our government to take these kinds of steps, you've got to get much more organized, to put pressure on the government to move in this direction." Such a trend in JFK's thinking, later made evident in his speech, alarmed members of his own U.S. military-intelligence establishment, and finally they regarded him as a dangerous traitor who had to be eliminated. Douglass tells the story as no mere reporter. He keeps an eye on the mystical veins of history, relying at times on the prophetic voice of his friend Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, a reliable and prophetic commentator on world events in his day. It was Merton who first wrote about the "unspeakable" in his classic collection of essays, Raids on the Unspeakable (a favorite of mine). "I have little confidence in Kennedy," Merton wrote a friend in January 1962 "What is needed is not shrewdness or craft, but what the politicians don't have: depth, humanity, and a certain totality of self-forgetfulness and compassion, not just for individuals, but for humanity as a whole: a deeper kind of dedication. Maybe Kennedy will break through into that some day by miracle. But such people are before long marked out for assassination." What the visionary Merton foretold, the chronicler Douglass charts in detail. JFK, along with Khrushchev and Pope John XXIII, had brought the world back a step from nuclear war. Kennedy planned to remove all U.S. troops from Vietnam. His heart was coming into its own. He embraced global peace; he broke through toward compassion for all of humanity under nuclear siege. And among obstinate powers, his compassion marked him as a candidate for the anonymous bullet. The implications are staggering. Who can face them? The truth shatters the American myths that lull us asleep, and our hearts lurch in fear. But at some level we know the truth already; American myths have recently grown patently threadbare. One thinks of the Bush administration's disregard of the economy, the children of Iraq, the world's poor, the planet itself -- all in the name of some interest most Americans cannot name or relate to. American myths no longer add up. The mind protests, nevertheless. Could they go so far as to assassinate a president? Certainly national institutions aren't as insane as all that? The thought sets us reeling. But take a moment to ponder and the dissonance eases. If officials can institute policies that kill three million people in Southeast Asia, a million and a half in Iraq, half a million people in Central America and Colombia, if they shrug at global warming, if they institute a vast, secretive industry for building a nuclear arsenal, controlling outer space, stealing the world's natural resources -- surely they can dispatch a prominent leader who tries to reverse direction, and dispatch him without compunction. I've pestered Jim for years about the nonviolence of Jesus and Gandhi. And I've found him all too happy to talk. Gandhi, he said, was not only committed to nonviolence, he was committed to truth. He insisted that his people seek it; he insisted they pursue it, experiment in truth by organizing campaigns of nonviolent love. For Jim, writing the book, he said, was his own Gandhian experiment in truth. It was his effort to face the truth of our country, our government, and our predicament today. The truth, Jim says, is humanity's only hope. Only truth can wake us to reality and inspire our work for transformation. Jim, though, weaves no hovering dream. While his sober eye searches out the moral and spiritual dimensions, he's an assiduous journalist as well. Here is a story told with immense skill. He lays out the fine details (his endnotes run a hundred pages). He chronicles the details of Lee Harvey Oswald, how CIA and Mafia operatives framed him, how the assassination was set for Chicago, how the plan was foiled, how they had a contingency, and how the deed was done in Dallas. He chronicles the spate of witnesses that died or disappeared during the few years following -- details to make us recoil and blanch. In our hands lies an account of spirituality wed to the gritty details of history. JFK himself began to see the two as one. He began to hold a view of history in loftier terms than mere national security. And some resolved to put it to an end. They had more in mind than to eliminate one man. They conspired to eliminate a vision. And to this extent they succeeded. Since his death, the NSA-Pentagon military complex, the secret government within the government, has wreaked unprecedented havoc on our nation and the world, reaching unprecedented heights of violence with the imperial Bush-Cheney administration. Dare we admit we suffered a kind of coup-d'etat? That we've transmogrified toward NSA dictatorship? That we have on our hands a species of national security state? That our lust for war and money and domination has risen to unprecedented heights? Our knees tremble to think on it. But Jim's book persuades us. And ultimately it frees us because it wakes us up to the mordant reality of our warmaking government. The book shakes us awake to truth. It may be helpful to read it as we watch Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama battle for the Democratic nomination, as we hear John McCain talk of "a 100 years of war." There we can here the old assumptions staking our future on a perpetual war-economy. The nation still plunges headlong toward the Unspeakable. The Unspeakable. Merton was trying to name that ineffable systemic evil that dominates us and beggars our powers to define them. St. Paul tried his hand at it; he gave it a sweeping name, "the principalities and the powers" Other names have emerged over two millennia: Eisenhower's "the military-industrial complex," Walter Wink's "the domination system," "Babylon," according to John of Patmos, or in Dorothy Day's idiom, "the filthy rotten system." However we name it, Jim urges us to face it and expose it. We expose it by proclaiming the truth about it. To be sure, we'll bring upon ourselves its malign gaze. But at the same time we'll find ourselves liberated and healed. We'll find ourselves able to turn from our love of death toward new life and a sharp vision of equality for all humanity. It was a bad time in the American 1960s. But Jim's account breaks barriers of time and space. The story is timeless, universal. I believe it points us back to another moment when myth and history converged. A time when the world gasped at the possibility of redemption, even of resurrection. Jim's story points us back to the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth -- he who exposed the system of his day and by example showed succeeding generations how. "I speak of peace because of the new face of war," JFK said at American University on June 10, 1963. (The entire speech is included at the end of the book.) Total war makes no sense in an age where great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces. It makes not sense in an age where a single nuclear weapons contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. What kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables people and nations to grow, to hope, and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time. Gaeton Fonzi, staff investigator for the U.S. House Select committee on Assassinations, calls Jim's book "by far the most important book yet written on the subject." Many other experts agree that Jim's work is an "exceptional achievement," the best yet. Read it, and get a big dose of truth. Archives

Sadly, on this 40th anniversary the media is still ignoring the truth. That would be the best way to honor Bobby's memory: the media grow some b****. Not in our life time, I'm afraid. "Has anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?" Dawn (That song never fails to make me cry)

R. Bartholomew wrote in his 1994 update, to his Fair Play- Article "In any event, the important thing here is that we can now track down that photo Garrison showed to Craig and see if the Latin man is Eladio del Valle. That is who Cuban Intelligence identified as the Rambler driver based on witness descriptions (see Claudia Furiati's recent book, ZR Rifle, Ocean Press, 1994, p. 130). " del Valle was murdered the day Ferrie died. They were friends. Maybe LHO, who knew Ferrie knew del Valle. Therfore he knew the driver of the Rambler. Later Richard would come to believe that it may have been Mac Wallace. But of course he spoke English. Dawn

Just because people are a little more aware of political assassinations is not any protection. The press would ignore the truth. The government would not do a proper investigation. All that has changed in that regard is that things have worsened. So Obama, should he become the next president, will have to do a most careful dance. Change, but not so much that the powers that truly be decide to take him out. Dawn

[quote name='John Geraghty' date='Jun 2 2008, 11:31 PM' post='146733'] Video promo for COPA in L.A. Here is a promotional video for the L.A. conference. Please distribute to mailing lists, your blog and your friends. http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn-2ce6SVpw Thanks John. COPA is fortunate to have you. I hope I can get the streaming to work as I won't be able to get to LA, have to work. Looks like there will be great conferences. Dawn

Why don't you reserve your criticism for this book until after you have actualy read it? I have this book and it is definately the one to get for this upcoming 45th anniversary. There is nothing wrong with Jim's "Christian ethics", he is as profoundly ethical as he is Christian. He is also not online so will not be able to discuss his book here. Dawn

Barr's been trying for years -without success- to get these important records. But, as you can well imagine, they are doubly blocked. Standard confidentiality, also a trust fund to maintian that they remain sealed. Now if someone in the Dr's employ were to do a "Scott" that would clarify a lot, but I don't see that ever happening. LBJ really lost it in his final years so you can bet that these files hold a lot of keys. Dawn

He did not strike me as being overly perceptive on this U-tube presentation. Rather full of himself. Anyone would could be taken in by the Bug wasn't on the side of the angels to begin with, imho. Dawn

Of course Hillary is right in that she must take her campaign to the convention, and the convention isn't until late August. A lot can happen between now and then. Who knows what time will bring? If she conseeds to Obama now, she loses all the cards she has accumulated to advance her interests and policies. If Obama doesn't win on the first ballot, who knows where it will go? Bk Additional Links: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7418142.stm http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/23/cli...ref=mpstoryview http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/20...ons-contex.html After Hillary's beyond insensitive remarks yesterday about the assassination of RFK, (a veiled threat to Obama?) , and this the second time she referred to RFK's assassination during this campaign, she must shut up and go away. Pray she can retain her Senate seat. Her utter lack of shame is revealing of her lack of character, imho. Dawn

Including a page of a letter sent to Janet Reno, from former Senator Richard Schweiker......on what he thought of the W/C.... It would be assumed that you are aware that the "page of a letter" is in fact a page of a letter sent by myself, in which I quoted Senator Schweiker's comments regarding the WC. P.S. It is also a "roadmap" to understanding the manipulations of Specter & Company. Well, Tom you can assume all you care to, ........No I did not know it was"" in fact a page of a letter sent by ( you ) myself, in which I quoted Senator Schweiker's comments regarding the WC."" ....... But they are Senator Schweiker's comments....Many are greatly aware of the dishonest Specter's manipulations..... So a cheers for you, for sending such letter.......I hope you feel better now that is all straightened out..... Ta......B..... Does anyone know if Reno ever responded to anyone's letter, question, the controversey in general re the assassination? My memory is that she never touched it. Dawn

When will people learn that when they are in possession of information that can possibly bring down the rich and powerful the only way to stay alive is by TALKING. I realize that the mainstream press would not likely touch whatever she had to offer, but there are plenty of alternatives, like the one posted here: Alex Jones has shown, now over many years that he will print- or broadcast on tv- the truth, no matter how big or powerful the adversary. Oddly enough, the day this story broke Nancy Grace (on cable news) was also questioning the "suicide" theory for a good portion of her show. Just another day in Washington for these people. Business as usual. "Murder Inc." indeed. Dawn

The following was emailed to me, from another forum: Wayne Madsen had interviewed Palfrey numerous times and wrote about her. He was interviewed by Alex Jones at 4PM, only at infowars.com, in studio. Madsen said that Palfrey was in cahoots with the CIA. Her ladies all had college degrees and were involved in entrapping various parties so they could be blackmailed (like the entire Congressial membership, for starters). Also, Dick Cheney got a government job for one of the girls. Palfrey was trying to distance herself of it all. But once you're in with the CIA, you're always with the CIA. Just ask OBL. He thought he was rid of them, too.

And where, pray tell, is her little black book with all the names of Washington big wigs? Given that she was to be sentenced in July she was -forgive the pun-sitting on some very valuable information which she could have utilized as a bargaining chip. Nervous "enemies"? You bet: she'd already posted phone numbers. Imagine what she and her attorney could trade for leniency. To gain a better understanding of what may well have happened here there is a rather long article on this part of the forum. The "Dutrox Paedophile Affair: Connections to the very top". It begins in DC, then moves across the world, but comes full circle to our Capital. Dawn

For those who are suspicious about the sudden "suicide" of the DC madam, this article is required reading, imo. Others can simply believe the media spin. Dawn

Thank You David for posting this. It is quite long but imo required reading for anyone who wants to see how our world is truly "run" , on an a far deeper and totally EVIL level. There was not much in this piece that I have not read elsewhere, over the years, but to have it all in one article really explains how Washington "works" why so little of value is ever done. The stuff on Flase Memory Syndrome was especially interesting as I never believed these people to be legit. They all came on the heels of the prosecution (or attempted prosecution) of some of these cases. I remember seeing, back in the mid 90's, that they had military/FBI connections. This was the first decent expose of just WHAT they truly are that I have seen. And the parts on cattle mutilation explained that phony "UFO" connection. Just horrifying that anyone could do this to children. How on earth do people become so depraved? Dawn

There is a magazine which is the trade publication for those who blow up buildings for a living. They published an article on the WTC towers. Perhaps those who seek the truth will read the article. http://www.implosionworld.com/Article-WTC%...209-8-06%20.pdf http://www.implosionworld.com/ Erick Erick That excellent paper has already been brought up here but it was worth bring up again. I think the only truther on this forum who looked at it was Ron. Can we assume your views on 9/11 differ from your wife's? Yes Len we can assume this. But Erick also knew virtually zero about the JFK assassination when we met , he just does not as John Simkin calls it, "think critically" on these specific matters. But he's a great guy, a wonderful husband and an excellent, in fact brilliant attorney. (And for me he did read at least 10-12 books on JFK assassination and KNOWS that was a conspiracy). However, like most Americans cannot accept that our government would be involved in 9-11. He's simply blocked on the truth. So we simply do not discuss it, as it only leads to an argument. As for me I do not know how any rational thinking person can see all the evidence and believe the official nonsence. In fact I don't even post on these threads for this reason. Except I will say that there is a lot of disinformation on 9-11 to make those seeking the truth look like idiots. It is what happens in every conspiracy. A tried and true device to confuse: make conspiracy look foolish. Dawn

"Why risk the destruction of the entire agency...?" Nice to see TG is back in usual form. That is laughable TG, if this were not so tragic an event for the country. I concur, (as usual), with Bill Kelly : Who is going to give us the truth? A rhetorical question since there have been many good books on this subject that get as close to the truth as we will likely ever come. The new bok by Jim Douglas -(which I have on order)- promises to be one such book. (Based on the excellent and thorough review by Jim DiEugenio). Dawn

There is another situation taking place that I have yet to see any media member comment on: The "Rush Factor". He has millions of listeners on his popular hate radio show registering as Democrats for the sole purpose of voting for Clinton. That sole purpose being subverting the democratic process. He and his ilk call it "operation chaos". Last night was an example. In my car yeterday I had him on-wanting to know what the enemy is up to- and caller after caller were reporting that they had voted (in Pa) and could not wait to "switch back to Republican tomorrow". Yet not a single talking head has so much as mentioned this. Dawn

Some pertinent extracts here. http://www.ctrl.org/essay2/WEC.html There's a very good essay by Peter Dale Scott using "Were We Controlled?" as part of an exploratory comparison of the JFK assassination and 9/11. Jan: I have not seen or read that book since 1975, so it was interesting to see the excerpts posted here. Would you please post the entire PDS essay, or what it's called. PDS in incomparable on these matters, imho. Dawn btw, I have enjoyed all you have posted here.

Brings to mind the book "Were We Controlled?" by "Lincoln Lawrence". While interesting in what he had to say about certain aspects of brain stimulation (via remote control) I too long ago dismissed this notion in the case of LHO. This is a great thread, thanks to all for the imput here. This has long been a subject of great interest to me. Dawn

You're joking right?

"A viable alternative to the Tory party"!? Did somebody really just write those words? New Labour are neither alternative nor viable and very soon they will receive an electoral thrashing for neglecting their core political base by "moving …to the centre". And what do New Labour apologists really mean when they say "the centre". Do you mean an unprincipled acceptance of the neo-con political agenda, whether that's illegal wars, rampant privatisation, tax cuts for the rich, slavish subservience to big business or any other such "needs of a modern market economy"? Because that's the reality. New Labour now has its grubby little fingers over every millimetre of this "middle ground" but it doesn't seem to have done its popularity much good. When it does all eventually go bottoms up (and recent polls spell a humiliating disaster for this most pompous of governments) who will their apologists blame then? It used to be the "Loony Left"; they always had them as the scapegoat for previous Labour Leaders' futile attempts to show big business "how to run the capitalist system"! Here's a delicious irony. Neil Kinnock spent most of his leadership struggling to expel The Militant (a small left wing faction inside the Labour Party) on the grounds that it was an "entryist organisation" with ideas "alien to democratic socialism". Year upon year was spent hounding this tiny organisation, even when unemployment was at an all time record, the miners were fighting for their lives and millions lived in fear of the dole, Kinnock, leader of the Official Opposition, saw fit to persist in this hounding, goaded on by the press, and goaded on by his bloated ambitions, until finally, he received his just reward – two election defeats! Ah yes, the irony… Here's Kinnock valiantly kicking out left wing, predominantly working class, "entryists" when all the while the left wing party he ostensibly 'lead' was stealthily being taken over by right wing, predominantly middle class, Tory entryists! You couldn't write it! The role of the Labour party was long ago transformed from a radical socialist campaigning organisation to no more than a safety valve; a 'legitimate' way for workers to let off political steam, to stop them from drawing revolutionary conclusions, but always harnessed by a right wing leadership and herded by future promises of a vague 'socialist' mirage: promises they had no intentions of fulfilling, even if they had the power to do so. By bowing to the inevitable dictats and irrepairable contradictions of a free market economy the Labour Party ultimately (and knowingly!) create despair and disillusionment thus preparing the ground for a new Conservative Government, who then have the authority to push the political agenda further and further to the right. And so it goes on… So be warned America: Hilary or Obama won't make a jot of difference. They'll be no more than a breathing space, a consolidating period, holding the fort for the next wave of assaults from a re-charged Republican Party who will have a legitimate mandate to go even further than this time. Iraq? Iran? Small potatoes. Try China. Or Russia. But first a dose of 'liberal' democracy is needed to lull the masses, to disillusion them with false promises, so that the right can return with a vengeance. Terrifying! This is all very interesting, but I am surprised no one has mentioned,......[i do not know if it is true or folklore, hence I do not use the word "fact"] that Bill Clinton was one of the individuals who was at the airport when Hale Boggs entered into eternity, not that his being present, if that is the case denoted anything other than being at the wrong place at the wrong time.....Does it not seem odd that the Unsolved Mysteries genre has never delved into that topic. Heck, they never even found the plane...... According to Skolnick: "Another "flag officer", dissenting against Commander-in-Chief Clinton's treason was General David McCloud, head of the Alaska Military District. Assassinated by a sabotaged plane crash, McCloud had been in a position to know what the American CIA and FBI had done to cover-up what was done with Congressman Hale Boggs and his fellow airplane passenger, Congressman Nick Begich, Sr. (D., Alaska) when their plane was crashed and seized by a highly secret U.S. group in Alaska. By the way, WHO drove Cong. Boggs to the airport? Why a young man named Bill Clinton." http://www.cloakanddagger.de/media/S_284_S...0SYNDROME_2.htm NB - some interesting 'stuff' on the Clintons in the above piece, indeed!.... Peter: Thanks for the Skolnick piece, (RIP). I just wish he would have cited sources for all he says. AFter I get some work done I am going to google some of this (murder of VInce Foster's wife's step son Neal Moody eg). Skolnick was one of the first people to educate me on how the world really works. I had, in1973, several of his tapes along with his long paper on the 12/8 /72 Watergate plane crash, and that was 100% sourced. ( Dorothy Hunt 's murder, along with many others) . The audio tapes I had were totally sourced, so in the summer of 1974, I flew to Washington DC and spent two days at the Liab of Congress looking up his cites. I left sickened. But not surprised. So the trolls here can call us the "nuts" all they wish. We know what is real and we know the true danger of "where" we are today. Dawn

I assume you mean interview the jurors? Absolutely interview them, to find out what they thought was both weak and strong about the state's case. It is SOP. I cannot speak for what the law in PA is but in TX. after the trial is over the judge cannot prevent those who wish to speak from doing so. Some have done so here, so I am assuming the law is the same in PA.

Do coincidences occur in this case? I guess so but yesterday I had an intersting one that just resulted in this post. Yesterday I noticed that Len Colby has a web site just below his sig. SO I went to the web site and discovered it to be devoted to trashing the truth movement in 9-11. Later in the day I was telling Terry Mauro- ( via phone)- about this, as we pondered "just who is this Len Colby?" It's one thing to post here and continually be on the wrong side- (in the opinion of most posters) but to devote an entire website, now that takes a lot of time. More organized if you will, I'd even venture to say being paid to do so... Possibly... So, imagine my surprise this am when I looked in on this thread and discovered that both Colby's sig and website is now suddently missing. Interesting timing. So, Len just why did you suddenly remove this information? Hmmm???? Dawn

FBI speaks to Wecht jurors. This case gets worse by the day. Chairman Conyers Deeply Troubled by FBI Juror Interviews in Cyril Wecht Mistrial April 11th, 2008 by Jesse Lee Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers released the following statement in response to reports today that the FBI is attempting to interview jurors in the Cyril Wecht mistrial: I am deeply troubled by reports of FBI agents contacting former jurors who failed to convict Dr. Wecht. Whether reckless or intended, it is simply common sense that such contacts can have a chilling effect on future juries in this and other cases. When added to the troubling conduct of this prosecution, there is the appearance of a win at all costs mentality. The committee continues to investigate this matter. FBI Contacts Jurors After Wecht Mistrial WTAE TV - April 11, 2008 Two jurors in Dr. Cyril Wecht’s federal trial told WTAE Channel 4’s news exchange partner, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that the FBI wants to talk with them. U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab declared a mistrial after the Wecht jury said it was deadlocked on Tuesday. A new trial for the ex-Allegheny County coroner is scheduled for next month. Two of the deadlocked jurors said the FBI called them this week and asked for interviews. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan’s office said it’s common for an investigating agency to call jurors when a case ends in a deadlock. Margaret Philbin, a representative for Buchanan, said the FBI was simply setting up appointments so prosecutors could discuss the case with the jurors. The jurors said they found the found the FBI’s request unusual and intimidating. Wecht’s attorney, Jerry McDevitt, told the Trib he was “troubled” by the FBI’s contact with jurors. Wecht faces a 41-count indictment, mostly on wire and mail fraud charges. Prosecutors allege that he used the coroner’s office to benefit his private pathology practice. Democrats Were Targets in Inquiries, Panel Is Told Philip Shenon, New York Times - October 24, 2007 Richard L. Thornburgh, attorney general in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, charged Tuesday that political reasons motivated the Justice Department to open corruption investigations against Democrats in Mr. Thornburgh’s home state, Pennsylvania. In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Thornburgh became the first former Republican attorney general to join with Democratic lawmakers to suggest that the Justice Department under Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales had singled out Democratic politicians for prosecution. Later in the story: Mr. Thornburgh noted that Ms. Buchanan had conducted a series of high-profile corruption investigations against Pennsylvania Democrats in the months before the 2006 midterm elections, including the one against the former coroner, Cyril Wecht. “During this same period, not one Republican officeholder was investigated and/or prosecuted by Ms. Buchanan’s office — not one,” Mr. Thornburgh said, noting that there had been accusations of corruption against two prominent Republican members of Congress from Pennsylvania in that same period. He said that Dr. Wecht, a nationally prominent forensic pathologist, “would qualify as an ideal target for a Republican U.S. attorney trying to curry favor with a department which demonstrated that if you play by its rules, you will advance.” Dr. Wecht, who is scheduled to go on trial next year, has been charged with 84 criminal counts, including theft and mail fraud, much of it involving his use of a government fax machine and postage meter. Mr. Thornburgh described the prosecution as “bizarre.” Watch Mr. Thornburgh’s testimony (pdf) from the October 23, 2007 hearing: Thornburgh: “It should also be noted that of these three high profile, very public, Democratic prosecutions, one resulted in a misdemeanor macing plea; one resulted in no plea and an alternative resolution; and Dr. Wecht’s case remains pending. All three Democrats were frontpage stories during the run-up to the 2006 election. The damage was done by widespread media coverage with little apparent concern as to whether justice was meted out. During this same period not one Republican officeholder was investigated and/or prosecuted by Ms. Buchanan’s office. Not one. Although a whistleblower in Republican Congressman Tim Murphy’s office accused the Congressman of using paid staff members in his election campaign, no investigation was conducted that we are aware of.” This entry was posted on Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 2:18 pm by Jesse Lee and is filed under Civil Rights, Draining the Swamp, Oversight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. Comments are closed.