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Ronald Del Raine
85462-132
U.S. Prison
3901 Klein Blvd.
Lompoc, CA. 93436
POLITICAL PRISONER--BILL DUNNE
Who is a political prisoner? Among the tiny segment of United States citizens who are even aware of, or concerned with, such an endangered species, there are hotly debated differences of opinion as to who is a legitimate political prisoner. Lengthy polemics are printed and bruited about amongst the already-converted, advocating particular criteria for inclusion. Certain free-world supporters demand that only members of their ethnic group, their party, their religion, or their sect (or sectlet) be so labeled. Other qualifications might include political actions by those so selected (a sensible requirement). Then the controversy continues with further disagreement as to what to label the prisoner, i.e., political prisoner, prisoner- of-war, or perhaps further down the heirarchy, politically conscious prisoner.
In the 1970's, when I wrote dozens of letters attempting to solicit support for Verne Lyons--framed by the C.I.A. for bombing a bench at the St. Louis airport, kidnapped from Peru and given seventeen years in Leavenworth--Amnesty International refused any assistance because violence" was involved. Verne has been released and was the Administrative Director and Treasurer of the Association of National Security Alumni, editor of their publication, Unclassified, and a minister.
In contrast to those outside supporters who rigorously scrutinize every proposed applicant are those naive liberals who altruistically embrace 11anyone." Then often, "anyone" will opportunistically press the proper acceptance button by writing the most heart-wrenching plea that "I'm just a poor, persecuted political prisoner" appealing for funds, girl-friends, legal assistance, and fame. However, these pleas are often effective: it seems as if the squeaking wheel does indeed get the grease.
But if one reviews several of these chosen inmates' actions during the past years with their pronouncements, the contradiction is blatant. Publicly professing unlimited love for the masses, neverthe less, on the tiers, they're only "into" rape, ratting, locker-knocking, and bad-mouthing progressive groups. It would seem that there's a direct correlation between the degree of their hypocricy and their corresponding outside political support. This naivete' of one particular support group--good, altruistic folks that they are--led one genuine, decent, well-educated prisoner-of-war to request no further inclusion of his name with--the riff-raff, rag-tag, rum-dum, stir-simple stumble- bum, scum they had selected to publicize along with his political cadre.
Another attribute of some rhetorical revolutionaries in the United States, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is their fervid support and devotion to wars of independence and left-wing political struggles--as long as it is being waged in some far distant foreign land. Or as my candidate for selection states, "As long as there are thousands of miles of ocean between them."
My candidate, Bill Dunne, along with his rappie, Larry Giddings, was shot and captured outside the Seattle jail as a member of their left-wing collective was exiting the premises with a pistol. This could well qualify him to be labeled as a "terrorist" by the government, but one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Lis Napoli wrote in The Cardoza Journal of International And Comparative Law, Vol. 4, No. 1, Winter 1996, in an article entitled, "The Puerto Rican Independenistas: Combatants In The Fight For Self-Determination and The Right To Prisoner Of War Status," (p. 149, n.81), stating in part:
As an indication of the United States inconsistent treatment of "terrorists," one need only look to the April 1990 State Department publication which identifies both the PIRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) and the African National Congress (the "ANC") as terrorist organizations. In June 1990, as PIRA "terrorist" Joe Doherty began his seventh year of detention in an American jail, ANC "terrorist" Nelson Mandela was invited to lunch at the White House--James T. Kelly, The Empire Strikes Back: The Taking Of Joe Doherty, 61 Fordham L. Rev. 317, 398 (1992).
Of course, Bill's aiding his comrade in an attempted liberation move disqualifies him for support by liberals. (One definition of a liberal: one who will do anything for his poor persecuted brothers except get off their backs and stop riding them. My definition: one who only pickets, petitions, protests and prays. Lenin's definition: When a liberal is abused he says, "Thank God, they didn't beat me." When he is beaten he thanks God they didn't kill him. When he is killed, he will thank God that his immortal soul has been delivered from its mortal clay
But one caper trying to rescue a captured comrade, admirable and rare as that deed was, doesn't comprise the total reason for my choice. Bill, captured but still not surrendering, then tried to scale the wall at Lewisburg federal prison, resulting in seven and a half years of lockdown in Marion.
While in that "last stop" replacement for Alcatraz, not content to settle down as a defeatist and watch the paint dry on the cell walls, Bill wrote and had published a newsletter, The Marionette. Since this elaborated on the mass beatings, property destruction, and the many violations of the prisoncrat's official Policy Statements by the Special Operations and Responce Team (S.O.R.T.) during their raid and riot, search and destroy actions--upon the first printing of the first issue they threw Hill in the "hole." Of course, still not cowed and frightened of his masters, he filed numerous Administrative Remedies and complaints in federal court, none of which endeared him to the Bureau of Prisons.
Lis Napoli also stated, p. 178-80, ibid..
The United States acknowledges its combatant prisoners in a de facto fashion. ... Specific units have been developed to house political prisoners, the most infamous being those in Marion, Illinois, 244/, and Lexington, Kentucky. [Note 224: At Marion, prisoners have no furni ture in their cells except for "the cement slabs that serve as beds." HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, PRISON CONDITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, (1991). No physical contact is permitted between Marion inmates and their visitors--the only federal facility with such a prohibition. Id. at 77. "The conditions at Marion are much harsher than in any other federal prison, including confinement of inmates for up to 23 hours a day in their cells and denial of contact visits. The length of confinement is undefined. ... Id. at 3.
Marion is described as "not a normal maximum security prison on lockdown status, but rather a firmly established, fully functioning behavior modification program. . The program seems to be designed to break the spirit and behavior of difficult prisoners. ... 251/ [Note 251: JOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION REPORT ON UNITED STATES PENITENTIARY AT MARION (l987)...~ In 1987, Amnesty International made the finding that conditions at Marion were "cruel, inhuman, and degrading." 252 / [Note 252: Id.~ A reliqious prison watch dog group stated, "The conditions at Marion prison ... constiture, in our estimation, psychological pain and agony tantamount to torture." 253/ [Note 253: Id. (citing L.S. DORSEY, NATIONAL INTERRELIGIOUS TASK FORCE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, MARION PRISON: PROGRESSIVE CORRECTION OR LEGALIZED TORTURE? (1990).]
The September/October 1990 issue of Mother Jones stated at page 55 in an article entitled "Robo Prison" by Cisco Lassiter:
"We've got some terrorists here," Henman [Warden] says, "but no political prisoners." Yet former Warden Ralph Aaron once testified: [before the government Commission On Human Rights] "The purpose of the Marion Control Unit is to control revolutionary attitudes in the prison system and the society at large." And Federal Judge James Foreman has stated: "In several instances, [the Control Unit] has been used to silence prison critics. It has been used to silence religious leaders. It has been used to silence economic and philosophical dissidents."
The May 1977 issue of Student Lawyer in an article, "The Crime of Punishment" by Larry Green and Rob Warren, stated at page 17:
He [Ralph Aaron] admitted that he had released one man from the Control Unit after the inmate signed a pledge that he would not take part in a prison-born religion called the Church Of The New Song. Aaron also acknowledged that he had had a man sent to the Control Unit because he had been responsible for increasing the size of the Black Muslim congregation at Marion from 12 to 45 inmates.
When Bill finally arrived here in Leavenworth, he enrolled in several college courses, receiving A's (which often involved staying up until 1:00 or 2:00 A.M. in my cage). Of course he was forced to work in the U.N.I.C.O.R. factory eight hours a day. During this time some malcontent convict wrote on the warranty cards enclosed in the boxes of furniture shipped out to the public, "Help, I'm being held prisoner and forced to work in this slave shop." Many sealed boxes then had to be opened to retrieve this scurrilous propaganda! Natu rally, poor bill was selected as the culprit who executed this terroristic sabotage, and so once again, as many times before, was to durance vile, the "slammer." Actually, he spent half his time in Leavenworth in the "hole" for such serious charges as neglecting to leave his orange-card (a High Security Risk card certain selected prisoners must carry) at the metal detector while he was in the yard, etc.
During his few months in population, he exercised and regained some of his athletic abilities as he won the mile race and then a few minutes later won the walking race. In keeping with his professed political beliefs, he was always willing to help the disadvantaged, whatever race or nationality--which is frowned upon by some in these camps. When some outside political sectiet would publish one of their silly "bleats" (as in meet, eat, bleat and retreat), he'd drop every thing and pen a 5,000 word reply. But then, just as I'd predict, his response would not be published.
However, his correspondence with O.S.H.A., concerning safety violations in the factory, with accompanying administrative remedies, angered the masters. Thus, could payback be far behind? (In Marion, when a lad caused O.S.H.A. to inspect the factory--payback immediately ensued, i.e., the "hole" with the concomitant many more years before transfer to another prison. But perhaps he deserved it since his crime" was looking into his cell as it was being ransacked by a specialist in search and destroy techniques.)
Was retaliation enacted? Not officially. However, coincidentally, Bill ever the helpful fellow, made a six-foot jump-rope for a con from a sheet. This is normally regarded as a minor violation, but when the B.O.P. "just-us" court system finished hearing this charge the exercise rope was mysteriously transmogrified into part of a 30 foot escape rope. Since the other 24 feet was never found, nor any evidence advanced that it ever existed, the Disciplinary Hearing Officer' 5 statement that it did exist, might have existed, should have existed, or whatever, was ample proof needed for conviction. Of course the affidavit of the lad who asked him to make it was disregar ded. Bill then languished in the "hole" for a year while the B.O.P. conducted a search for a prison that would accept him (say what?-- are we now "accepted" into the penitentiary?). But not to worry; Marion "accepted" him--again. Also, on the transfer bus again being returned to Marion from Leavenworth was Doc Holiday, a Black political veteran of the 1970's California prison struggles. His offense was to give a lecture--officially approved--concerning the rate of Blacks imprisoned after the Civil War.
Of course, it's established case law that it's illegal to retaliate against prisoners for the exercise of their constitutional rights: therefQre, it follows that this practice is not practiced. Furthermore, our government officially proclaims that there are no political prisoners incarcerated in the United States: therefore, it follows that there are none. 1/ Utilizing this logic: therefore, the moon is made of green cheese, the earth is flat, and we had fried ice cream for breakfast.
Note 1: See attached.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT memorandum DATE: March 13, 1984 REPLY TO: R. H. Rison, Warden ATTN OF: FCI Talladega, Alabama 35160 SUBJECT: Request for Transfer (Redesignation) SCOTT, Alan N. Reg. No. 083238-076 TO: G. R. McCune, Director Southeast Regional Office Atlanta, Georgia 30315 ATTN: Mike Cooksey, Redesignation OfficerWe are requesting that you approve our referral of Mr. Alan Scott for transfer to FCI Tallahassee, Florida, Code 308, Institution Classification. Mr. Scott's secondary designation would be FCI Ashhland, Kentucky.
Mr. Scott is a 31 year old offender from Birmingham, Alabama serving a 12 year Regular Adult term lur False Income Tax Returns; A&A In Makinging False Claims Against The Government; False Statements - Male Fraud; and Presenting and Causing To Be Presented To The Treasury Through The IRS, a False Claim. He is a security level II with OUT custody. During April, 1983, he appeared before the United States Parole Commission Examiners and was given a presumptive parole of September 17, 1984. However, this presumptive date will change because Mr. Scott has yet to be heard by the Parole Commission on his new 5 year sentence received on October 17, 1983 for Fraud. He is not eligible for parole on this sentence until June 16, 1985. Mr. Scott has waived his parole hearing and, therefore, has a tentative release date of August 20, 1986.
The transfer to either facility would place Mr. Scott in an institution away from the sophisticated inmate population of this environment, who are presently utilizing him as a legal aide for their court documentation due to his intellectual capabilies and legal expertise. Due to his passive, unsophisticated demeanor, Mr. Scott is not considered a disciplinary problem but is viewed as a management problem because of his litigation activities for various inmates at this institution. Two years at this institution has afforded him the opportunity to establish a broad base of associations of criminally adept individuals, who are willing to utilize his skills. In view of the above activities, it is recommended that a transfer of Mr. Scott to either institution be approved.
Mr. Scott is not classified under the Central Inmate Monitoring System. Upon transfer, he will be moved via prisoner coordination.
If additional information is needed, please let me know.Prepared by: T. R. CLARK, Case Manager
Approved by: M. D. RICHER, CDMS Coordinator
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