Friday, July 15, 2005
Brandon Mayfield: A Real American Patriot
The most important case in America started legal arguments Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Brandon Mayfield is suing the United States for violating his constitutional rights. One of his claim is that the U.S. violated his rights under the Patriot Act provision that allows the government to get FISA warrants (secret warrants) to snoop on U.S. citizens without their knowledge and enter their residences secretly (they do not ever have to disclose it). Mayfield is white American attorney who also happens to be a practicing Muslim. Mayfield also represented the Portland Six (a group of African American Muslims accused of running a terrorist training camp in Oregon and attending an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan-all were convicted or pled guilty).
The FBI arrested Mayfield last year accusing him of being involved in the Madrid, Spain railroad station bombing of 3-11-04. The FBI claimed that Mayfield's fingerprint turned up on one of the unexploded devices. However, they later released Mayfield after admitting that it was not his fingerprint. Mayfield would get his seized property back but not before the government kept duplicates of much of the property, which he also seeks to get returned. We should all support Mayfield in his efforts to overturn this heinous, unAmerican portion of the Patriot Act because he has a long court battle ahead of him. We know that the Assistant United States Attorneys are not going to go down without a fight. Hell this may end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The FBI arrested Mayfield last year accusing him of being involved in the Madrid, Spain railroad station bombing of 3-11-04. The FBI claimed that Mayfield's fingerprint turned up on one of the unexploded devices. However, they later released Mayfield after admitting that it was not his fingerprint. Mayfield would get his seized property back but not before the government kept duplicates of much of the property, which he also seeks to get returned. We should all support Mayfield in his efforts to overturn this heinous, unAmerican portion of the Patriot Act because he has a long court battle ahead of him. We know that the Assistant United States Attorneys are not going to go down without a fight. Hell this may end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
# posted by The Alabama Hammer @ Friday, July 15, 2005 
