And Then There Were Three: Third Grand Jury Refuser Goes to Prison

[sabrina 1]

208. This is an abuse of the Grand Jury system and has long been recognized as such.

She did not ask for immunity, it was FORCED on her. What part of that is so hard for you to understand? One normally has to agree to accept immunity. It is something offered when an individual is concerned about self incrimination, which she certainly should have been concerned about considering our current system of cracking down on anyone exercising their 1st Amendment rights in this country.

Immunity is an offer made with the option for the individual to turn it down. She was not given that option. The Government made her decision for her. This is NOT what the GJ is meant to be used for.

Here, educate yourself on the law they are using to incarcerate perfectly innocent people in this country.

The Improper Use of the Federal Grand Jury: An Instrument for the Internment of Political Activists

The Justice Department and the FBI use the subpoena power of the federal grand jury, coupled with compulsory immunity, to jail radicals who refuse to cooperate with government investigations. n6 The government detains these political activists through a system of judicial procedures and congressional statutes that the Supreme Court has upheld, n7 but that nonetheless allow the executive branch to usurp the subpoena power of the grand jury and create a law enforcement inquisition power that requires full cooperation or indefinite imprisonment -- "Political Internment American Style."

[*1162] The contention that the legendary noble institution of the grand jury, adopted by the European settlers in America from their British cousins as a safeguard to the accused from the improper motivations of government, n8 is being used as an instrument of political repression may well be met with great skepticism or shock. In reality, however, the history of the grand jury in England and in the United States has been predominantly one of serving the interests of the government or the prejudices and passions of the local populace. n9 In the few well publicized cases where individual grand juries have refused to indict political opponents of the government against the wishes of the government authorities, these authorities have simply convened more compliant grand juries or found other ways to accomplish their political ends. n10

This Article will provide a brief historical examination of the origins of the grand jury and its use in the United States, with particular focus on contemporary history. In recent years, the government has used the grand jury as a tool of inquisition, subpoenaing and resubpoenaing activists whom the government knows will refuse to cooperate with grand jury investigations concerning their political movements. n11

Just like other bad laws, they won't change until courageous citizens like this woman and the other two protesters, refuse to recognize them as legitimate. Just as MLK, Suffragettes and others throughout history, refused to accept bad laws and were willing to go to jail to get them changed.

I hope this is the beginning of the process to get rid of this abusive law which should have been rescinded long ago.