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Justice Punted (Sleeper cell convictions in jeopardy - US Atty to Blame?)
The New York Post ^ | 12/21/03 | Debbie Schlussel

Posted on 12/21/2003 4:38:49 AM PST by jocon307

Edited on 05/26/2004 5:17:55 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

December 21, 2003 -- A U.S. Attorney is endangering the nation's only jury conviction of terrorists since 9/11. Tuesday, three men convicted in the first post-9/11 terror trial were supposed to be sentenced. Instead, these members of Detroit's "sleeper cell" may go free. Their defense attorneys are getting help from an unlikely source - U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins, the Justice Department's top official in Detroit, who is leading the way to overturn these convictions.


(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: attorneymisconduct; bcci; charlesgrassley; collins; debbieschlussel; detroit; detroitcell; domesticterrorists; govtcorruption; jeffreycollins; jihadinamerica; keithcorbett; richardconvertino; sleepercells; terrortrials
Very, extremely, disturbing. It seems the greatest threat may not come from Islamic terrorist sympathizers (or worse) in the US, but from those in power who wish to pander to them.
1 posted on 12/21/2003 4:38:51 AM PST by jocon307
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To: LurkedLongEnough
Searching before I posted this I found your post of the other day on this same subject, thought you might find this interesting.
2 posted on 12/21/2003 4:39:59 AM PST by jocon307 (The dems don't get it, the American people do!)
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To: jocon307
Incredible.
3 posted on 12/21/2003 4:44:08 AM PST by MEG33
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To: jocon307
This is where the politicians in DC are leading us along with the Democrats and the ABA.
America is disintegrating from within because of people's quest for power and fame and they all are selling us out to foreigners and money.
Our leaders no longer care,if the truly ever did,about America and the average person. It is all about their personal quest for power.
We may need a Revolution to get things straight but unfortunately it may come from outside the US to overthrow America. Then we lose our identity and our country which is almost already upon us. We sorely need leadership in our country that is set upon protecting our heritage instead of destroying it.
The Democrats and their obstructionist methods are leading to the fragmenting and destruction of America.They are making us weaker instead of stronger and we are becoming more vulnerable by the day.
4 posted on 12/21/2003 4:55:17 AM PST by gunnedah
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To: gunnedah
"America is disintegrating from within because of people's quest for power and fame and they all are selling us out to foreigners and money."

Exactly. Abraham Lincoln once warned that America would never fall as the result of enemies from without, but from enemies within.
5 posted on 12/21/2003 5:05:33 AM PST by DustyMoment (Repeal CFR NOW!!)
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To: gunnedah
The Democrats and their obstructionist methods are leading to the fragmenting and destruction of America.They are making us weaker instead of stronger and we are becoming more vulnerable by the day.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
This is the justice dept of a Republican administration. Collins is no doubt a Bush appointee. Find a better example for your point.
6 posted on 12/21/2003 5:14:48 AM PST by Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek
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To: jocon307
Michael Schwartz...said the letter was not "exculpatory at all" and a "proverbial tempest in a teapot where there was no impropriety in failing to turn over what turned out to be a fairly useless document."

The impropriety lies in the prosecution's making a judgement that was properly the defense's, even though it's almost certain the defense would have decided the same way.

The court may indeed find that the letter wouldn't have helped and let the conviction stand, but Collins is absolutely correct to bring the matter to the court's attention. Which doesn't mean that office politics isn't playing a major role in all this, but the central issue is real.

7 posted on 12/21/2003 5:25:11 AM PST by Grut
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To: jocon307
These cases do not belong in Article III courts, which are not tools for warfighting and whose judges and officers of the court are not subject to the orders of the Commander in Chief or Secretary of Defense.

The prisoners are enemy soldiers, caught behind our lines and out of uniform. They should be in the custody of the Defense Department, tried before a military tribunal or commission, and shot.

8 posted on 12/21/2003 5:30:31 AM PST by Jim Noble
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To: Jim Noble
BUMP!

"These cases do not belong in Article III courts, which are not tools for war fighting and whose judges and officers of the court are not subject to the orders of the Commander in Chief or Secretary of Defense."

"The prisoners are enemy soldiers, caught behind our lines and out of uniform. They should be in the custody of the Defense Department, tried before a military tribunal or commission, and shot."

Lest we forget, Zacarias Moussaoui is still getting rights he does not have and living high on the hog at the taxpayer’s expense. All who would harm the United States are combatants and should be treated as such in Military Tribunals especially during War Time. Political Liberal Correctness is not applicable to enemies of the US.

9 posted on 12/21/2003 5:48:16 AM PST by yoe (Mrs. Clinton's heart is rumored to be as big as a Caraway Seed, but I think that is an exaggeration.)
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To: Jim Noble
I agree entirely with what you say. This is the real POST 9/11 screw up by Bush & Co. Moussoui of all people was an ideal candidate for some kind of Military trial. I think it shows even the "war mongering" Administration doesn't really get that this in, in fact, a war.

As Robocop put it "I'm not arresting you anymore".
10 posted on 12/21/2003 6:00:20 AM PST by jocon307 (The dems don't get it, the American people do!)
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To: Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek
I dont care who appointed him. The ABA from my viewpoint is 85% Liberal and I base that statement on the fact that most lawyers that donate to political parties donate to the Democrat Party. Of course these are only my opinions.A lawyer is a lawyer. They belong to those furnishing the money and they, lawyers,are constantly seeking money,power and fame.
A crooked lawyer is more dangerous than a crooked cop but remember the lawyer always has the final say unless a cop kills you and then a lawyer has the final say on that.
I know you can argue that in that case a jury does but the lawyer can manipulate even that.
The legal profession,again in my opinion, ethics are derrived from who is paying or spending the most money and has control of that particular system at the time.
11 posted on 12/21/2003 6:01:37 AM PST by gunnedah
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Interesting article but somewhat incorrect in one aspect:

"put a corrupt Oklahoma state senator behind bars"

If this refers to Gene Stipe, he is not currently a resident of the "Graybar Hotel" because his attorney has managed to delay sentencing several times due to Stipe's health. Never mind that Stipe recently went to Arkansas to get married, he won't be sentenced until January. The more correct term would be that Covertino "successfully prosecuted to conviction". Right now it is even money on whether Stipe spends even one day in lockup.

I generally like Deb Schlussel but this really stood out to me as an Okie. Stipe's corruption has been an open secret for the 30 years I have lived in this state. The conviction resulted from Stipe's reach exceeding his grasp rather than any "get tough" push or particularly innovative federal prosecutors.

12 posted on 12/21/2003 6:02:01 AM PST by T-Bird45
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To: yoe
"At an awards luncheon, he was the "date" of a man videotaped raising money for a terrorist group (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), calling him, "a great American"."

Okay, I'll ask it: He was the date of a man...? What's the author trying to tell us here.

And, does anyone have pictures of these principals?
13 posted on 12/21/2003 6:03:14 AM PST by John Robertson
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To: jocon307; lawgirl; Victoria Delsoul; Alamo-Girl; Publius; Congressman Billybob; kristinn
BUMP! THis is extremely disturbing. Is Collins a Xlinton-hold-over? He sure sounds like one.
14 posted on 12/21/2003 6:18:30 AM PST by Paul Ross (Reform Islam Now! -- Nuke Mecca!)
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To: jocon307; yoe
I have been very critical of Bush and Ashcroft for not shooting ZM on 9/12/01.

Upon reflection, though, the start of wars are always confusing. It takes months for peaceful men to put away peacetime habits. Some can never do it.

Let's learn from this.

Kill Saddam now.

15 posted on 12/21/2003 6:25:06 AM PST by Jim Noble
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To: Paul Ross
He was named by George Bush in 2001. See:

http://psnworks.org/collins.html
16 posted on 12/21/2003 6:28:40 AM PST by gaspar
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To: gaspar
Well, he's black, you can see that from the picture. And you can't always tell from a picture, but my bet is he's gay, too--which would account for his having a man as a date at the function cited in the article.
17 posted on 12/21/2003 8:05:21 AM PST by John Robertson
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To: jocon307
Thanks for the ping.
18 posted on 12/21/2003 3:27:09 PM PST by LurkedLongEnough (Can't we all just get a long gun?)
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To: Paul Ross
Thanks for the ping!
19 posted on 12/21/2003 11:52:43 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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