That is what I could think of when I read a LA Times news story about this man and a Supreme Court case:
He went to the South as a "freedom rider" in 1961, joining other civil rights activists on behalf of African Americans seeking the right to travel freely on interstate buses. He was arrested, then badly beaten by white cellmates. "When I went to jail in Alabama for violating the Jim Crow laws, they charged me with disturbing the peace," he said.Guess what? According to the government, this man is a terrorist!
Who is he and why is he a terrorist?
He is Ralph Fertig, a retired judge and USC professor. The guy turns 80 next week (Happy birthday, Mr. Fertig.)
What did he do? Hide explosives in his underwear while on a plane? Nope.
Fertig says he wants no part of terrorism or violence, but rather the freedom to advocate for the rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey. He is troubled that Kurds can be punished for speaking their own language or displaying their national colors. And he believes the 1st Amendment protects his right to counsel Kurdish leaders to steer away from violence and to take their cause to the United Nations.See, the law is a ass.
"I am opposed to violence. It seems crazy to me that I could go to jail for trying to persuade people to engage in nonviolence," said Fertig, a retired judge and a USC professor of social work.
The State Department has named the Kurdistan Workers Party, or the PKK, as a terrorist organization. The PKK, which seeks an independent state for the Kurds, has been accused of violent attacks on Turkish targets, including civilians.
BTW, apparently even writing columns in newspapers can warrant a terrorist label:
Government lawyers say [the anti-terrorism law] even forbids filing a legal brief or writing an op-ed essay on behalf of a designated terrorist group.Great! Now my colleagues will be happy to report to the feds my opinions as terrorist activity in their attempts to oust me:)
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