Commentary: Reputed Klansman's Conviction Overturned In 1964 Deaths

I was very hurt upon learning of the overturning of the 2007 conviction of James Ford Seale, a former Mississippi Deputy Sheriff for the kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap two Black Mississippi teenagers, Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee by the Fifth Circuit Of Appeal.  The deputy and his cohorts picked up Moore and Dee and drove them into the Homochito National Forrest in Franklin County, Mississippi where the teens were beaten and questioned at gunpoint.  Afterwards, the two were bound with duct tape, weighed down by a engine block and a railroad rail.  They were then thrown into the Old Mississippi River and drown.  Seale and another man, Charles Edwards, were arrested for the slayings in 1964, released on bond but were never tried.  The FBI turned the case over to local authorities and the case was dropped after a Justice Of The Peace said witnesses refused to testify.

The Fifth Circuit Of Appeal based their decision on "...the more than 40-year delay clearly exceeded the limitations period".  Judge Harold DeVoss, speaking for the panel said, "While we ar mindful of the seriousness of the crimes at issue, we cannot abdicate our duty to faithfully apply a valid limitation period."

It must be noted these men and the other men involved in these murders, were not charged with murder.  Murder does not have a statue of limitation unlike kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap.  The federal police charged these men with lesser crimes because they did not think they could get convictions for murder in Mississippi.

While I understand the courts decisions, their decision has sent a clear message to minorities.  The message is, " we cannot count on the protection of the courts or the police whether it be city, county, state or federal law enforcement."  Likewise, the Fifth Circuit of Appeal has sent a equally troubling message to those forces which seek to rid America of People of Color, Jews and those who are vunerable such as the Mentally and Physically Disabled population.  This message is " ethnic, racial, religious and disablity cleansing is okay as long as you do not get caught and even if you do, only in rare cases will you face the death penalty."

There are several examples of this latter message.

Edgar Ray Killen was convicted of manslaughter for his role in the Mississippi Burning case in 2005, yet he was never convicted of First Degree Murder, which carried the death penalty.

Shawn Allen Berry, the last of three white supremacists stood trial in Texas for the dragging death of a black man, escaped the death penalty by being given a life in prison sentence, which means he will come up for parole in 40-years. His coherts,John William King and Lawrence Russell Brewer were sentenced to death.  The trio chained James Byrd Jr., by his ankles to the back of a pickup truck and drug Bryd along a country road until his body was torn apart.  Recently, someone desecreated the grave of Mr. Byrd.

Four members of  white supremeist group plotted and killed Alan Berg, a Jewish host of KOA-AM, a radio talk show in Denver Colorado on June 18,1984.  The group was charged with violating the civil rights of Mr. Berg.  They were not charged with conspiracy to commit First Degree Murder or First Degree Murder. Mr. Berg was shot to death with a submachine gun, outside his house.  Bruce Carroll Pierce,David E. Lane, Richard Scutari and Jean Margaret Craig at the time were members of a right-wing group based in eastern Washington State and northern Idaho known as "The Order or The Silent Brotherhood". They are now serving prison terms from 40 to 100 years for offenses such as terrorist threats, bank robbery and robbing three armored cars.

Probably the best and recent example which illustrate People of Color and other minorities will never again blindly trust the US government to protect their rights and persons ocurred on August 29,2005.  A Category 4 Hurricane named Katrina slammed into the US Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.  It left an estimate of 1,021 people dead. A majority of those left homeless where shipped to other states and many may never be able to return home and even if they could, their homes are gone. People of Color bore the highest death toll. Blacks, Asians and Hispanics who lived in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans died in the hundreds. The federal government was slow to respond to the desperate 911 calls from people trapped and drowning in their homes.  Other governments offered assistance including Cuba and Israel but it was refused.  No one was charged with Murder, Manslaughter (Second Degree Murder) and insurance companies began refusing to cover flood damages for those who stayed in well-to-do areas of New Orleans.

The point of my commentary is, minorities regardless of their skin color, nationality or religious affiliation cannot depend on the help of a racist, ethnocentric, xenophobic and Protestant/Christian country.  Yes, help eventually came but not before people drown and families were split up.  We cannot depend on a government who punish minorities to the " fullest extent" of the law but mildly punish white offenders for the same or worse crimes. A white, Christian life seems to be worth more than a Jew or People of Color.  The names may change but the game stays the same.  If we do not help each other, we will all surely perish as those in my examples.