If you read my post below, you would know that I was not happy about the way I was treated at court the day I was to give my victim impact statement. Thus, not wanting to make a decision while angry, I slept on it. I then decided, the next day, I was still not happy and thought the Judge should know how she made me, as a victim feel. I wrote a letter to her, mailed it, and also emailed it to the Victim Advocate at the court we have been dealing with to see if she could take it to the Judge. I have copied the letter below.
Dear Judge Edmunds:
I wanted to write you this letter, to tell you about how your behavior in court on February 16, 2012, towards me, made me feel. My hope is that you will think about how you made me feel before behaving this way in the future towards victims of terrorist attacks.
During the sentencing of the underwear bomber, I was allowed to speak as a victim. All four other passengers spoke before me, and all were treated with respect and allowed to speak without comment or being judged.
When it was my time to speak, instead of simply calling me to the podium, you instead stated “Ms. Haskell, do you have anything to add besides what Mr. Haskell just stated about his government conspiracy theories?” I was floored. I was there, as a victim, someone who almost died in a terrorist attack, and you were talking to me like I was some kind of secondary citizen/criminal, completely *judging* me before I had said a word. I sat in your courtroom through all the other hearings and was never anything but respectful to the court and the judicial system. Throughout the entire proceedings, you treated the Defendant and everyone involved with nothing but respect, and until yesterday, I thought you were great during the proceedings in keeping level headed and being fair.
I am my own person. I may be married to Kurt Haskell, and while I do support him 100% in what he says, I am allowed, pursuant to court rules, to give my statement and not feel pressured to say what the court/judge wants me to say, or not say. I had prepared a handwritten statement, which I read, and which I felt was completely appropriate. However, you made me nervous about saying anything at all after your comments to me. I should have been treated differently as a victim. I feel you acted inappropriately, in letting your obvious disdain for my husband’s comments flow over into my time to finally say how I felt.
As a Judge, you are always supposed to act in a unbiased way towards victims. I was not treated in that manner. It is embarrassing to judges everywhere that you treated me in this manner. It saddens me that before yesterday, I really looked up to you as a woman and a Judge. You swore me into federal court 5 and a half years ago. I realize now that I need to find a different kind of role model. One who does not treat victims like the criminal. If I am ever a Judge, I truly hope that I never make a victim feel worse than they already do. And if I did that, I would hope to be called out on it. You may be the Judge, but that does not mean you are always right. At least in my eyes.
Thank you for your attention. I wish you the best, and hope you never personally have to go through what I went through, and then be treated poorly by the judge in the case.
I have not yet decided if I am doing anything further with this or not. I am hoping the Judge calls me for say she is sorry, but I highly doubt that will happen. Her arrogant attitude in court will most likely stop her from ever admitting any wrongdoing. I may report her for misconduct as well. Even though nothing really ever happens with these reports, at least she would be forced to stop and think about her behavior and perhaps not treat someone like this again in the future.
Dear Judge Edmunds:
I wanted to write you this letter, to tell you about how your behavior in court on February 16, 2012, towards me, made me feel. My hope is that you will think about how you made me feel before behaving this way in the future towards victims of terrorist attacks.
During the sentencing of the underwear bomber, I was allowed to speak as a victim. All four other passengers spoke before me, and all were treated with respect and allowed to speak without comment or being judged.
When it was my time to speak, instead of simply calling me to the podium, you instead stated “Ms. Haskell, do you have anything to add besides what Mr. Haskell just stated about his government conspiracy theories?” I was floored. I was there, as a victim, someone who almost died in a terrorist attack, and you were talking to me like I was some kind of secondary citizen/criminal, completely *judging* me before I had said a word. I sat in your courtroom through all the other hearings and was never anything but respectful to the court and the judicial system. Throughout the entire proceedings, you treated the Defendant and everyone involved with nothing but respect, and until yesterday, I thought you were great during the proceedings in keeping level headed and being fair.
I am my own person. I may be married to Kurt Haskell, and while I do support him 100% in what he says, I am allowed, pursuant to court rules, to give my statement and not feel pressured to say what the court/judge wants me to say, or not say. I had prepared a handwritten statement, which I read, and which I felt was completely appropriate. However, you made me nervous about saying anything at all after your comments to me. I should have been treated differently as a victim. I feel you acted inappropriately, in letting your obvious disdain for my husband’s comments flow over into my time to finally say how I felt.
As a Judge, you are always supposed to act in a unbiased way towards victims. I was not treated in that manner. It is embarrassing to judges everywhere that you treated me in this manner. It saddens me that before yesterday, I really looked up to you as a woman and a Judge. You swore me into federal court 5 and a half years ago. I realize now that I need to find a different kind of role model. One who does not treat victims like the criminal. If I am ever a Judge, I truly hope that I never make a victim feel worse than they already do. And if I did that, I would hope to be called out on it. You may be the Judge, but that does not mean you are always right. At least in my eyes.
Thank you for your attention. I wish you the best, and hope you never personally have to go through what I went through, and then be treated poorly by the judge in the case.
I have not yet decided if I am doing anything further with this or not. I am hoping the Judge calls me for say she is sorry, but I highly doubt that will happen. Her arrogant attitude in court will most likely stop her from ever admitting any wrongdoing. I may report her for misconduct as well. Even though nothing really ever happens with these reports, at least she would be forced to stop and think about her behavior and perhaps not treat someone like this again in the future.
18 comments:
After learning that Umar's father had earlier informed the US Embassy in Nigeria of his unhinged son and your account of his having been escorted through security in the Netherlands,
I assumed the whole thing was an FBI setup and that Umar had been handed a harmless smoke generating device by his undercover FBI handlers and told to detonate it over Detroit. You might have a lab test any combustion residue on your belongings. Chertoff is now a wealthy man.
Regards,
James Robinson
Well done!
Dear Lori,
You learned a lesson that many of us from the Viet Nam era learned during our youth and our "Service to our country!" The lesson is this:
1. Your opinions, desires, needs, fears etc. aren't of importance to Public Servants. They in their arrogance see themselves as leaders, nor representatives of those whose welfare they are sworn to protect!
2. Most judges are attorney's who couldn't earn a living in the private sector and and are resentful of this fact, holding the public at large responsible.
3. Law enforcement agencies, be they city, county state, or federal will sacrifice you, me, our children, etc. in their quest for media attention and personal glory!
4. Your country will sacrifice you for what they call "The greater good" regardless!
Lori,
I think your letter is well thought out and written. You did not resort to nastiness nor profanity to get your point across. I hope you get some kind of positive feedback from the judge.
I am glad that you were Lawyers and so understood that you had the right to read the Victim Impact statements into the record.
Your evidence does not surprise me as I suspected it immediatly.
However, I wish that some legally capable people would carry this one step further. I'm not trained at law, but I suspect that the law enforcement personel, (police,FBI,CIA) who are the "facilitators" for all of these phony bomb plots, are equally guilty as 'accomplices' and should recieve the same sentences as the "Bombers".
In addition to the crime of "Breaching Public Trust".
Paul Repstock
Lori, you are absolutely right. The judge is suposed to be fair and unbiased and had no right to say that about Kurt. Hang in there you two, what you did was very brave.
P.S. Have you seen this Anwar Al-awlaki one of Al Qaeda's leading men was invited to a luncheon at the pentagon months AFTER 9/11! Here is a fox news article and a PDF of an FBI document
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/10/20/al-qaeda-terror-leader-dined-pentagon-months/ .
HERE IS A PDF OF THE FBI DOCUMENT: http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/awlaki.pdf .
I love your blog and just wanted to say that you guys are true patriots. Thank you for sharing every step of the way with us and being such real people during the process.
Well done Lori! I admire your courage! xoxo
I think you should look up the court transcript for this case... And if you can find what i filed in the appeals court. It is about when I was ambushed in a war crime related to Yemen and how Detroit Justice system is bullying me and denying my rights and taking away my rights to defend myself. looks like they are hiring the terrorists to attack usa citizens then moving them to the usa. http://coa.courts.mi.gov/resources/asp/ViewDocket.asp?casenumber=301189&yr=0&inq..
Don't waste time with a letter to a judge, which are often perceived as "witness tampering", or a "death threat" from a "domestic terrorist". In theory you have that right, but in reality it makes you appear "uppity" to your would-be slavemasters.
Instead file a judicial complaint which is protected free speech under the First Amendment (the same First Amendment that now sends preachers to jail for reading "hatespeech" from the Bible about "homosexuals", a banned word prosecuted as a felony in Europe).
I've been threatened by judges many times as a complainant, witness, defendant, and journalist. My cousin is a justice on the state supreme court, who phones my home literally screaming like a lunatic on my answer machine, threatening to sue me if I mention her name in news articles, including published articles that helped get her father invited to the White House to represent all POW/MIAs from World War 2. I've had more polite death threat phone messages, literally.
Lawyer Jerry Spence says too many lawyers are scared of judges, when they must be "warriors" to win in a courtroom. Standing up to judges is just part of the game.
I've had a state judge tell me in court that "You can't use the US Constitution in MY courtroom! Maybe you can go over to federal court and use it, but not here!" He was red in face about to have a stroke, but I still won my case pro se, using the state Rules of Civil Procedure and Rules of Evidence.
First Amendment...use it or lose it.
BTW my job in US Air Force was controlled demolition of nuclear bombs on active US military bases in highly populated areas, a common job for 1,000s of US soldiers.
piratenews.org/pentagonwhistleblower.html
Not a good thing when you read Operation Northwoods, which I suggest you include as an exhibit in every complaint you file in court on this case, and you should carry a copy with you everywhere you travel, to give to TSA, traffic cops, airline personnel, passengers, pilots, etc.
Your efforts are admirable. I spoke to John Laws who is a talk back radio host in Sydney Australia about your husbands public accounts of what took place that day. I suggested he interview Kirt and he seemed very interested. their e-mail address is thefortress@johnlaws.com yours sincerely Daniel Lynd
Your efforts are admirable. I spoke to John Laws who is a talk back radio host in Sydney Australia about your husbands public accounts of what took place that day. I suggested he interview Kirt and he seemed very interested. their e-mail address is thefortress@johnlaws.com yours sincerely Daniel Lynd
fantastic!
Thank you for your efforts. The day after sentencing the local paper ran the Associated Press (should be American Propaganda)article. It stated "Before Thursday's sentencing, four passengers and a crew member from the flight told U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds that they have struggled to live and travel normally since the incident on Christmas Day 2009. That was it - no further reference to Kurt's victim's statement.
I remember reading soon after the event that a) someone had been videoing the whole incident (perhaps even the whole flight); and b) that there was a Dutch (?) passenger sitting in the middle seat across the aisle from Umar who had seemingly acted 'heroically' in throwing himself upon Umar. It was reported that he had had his ticket bought for him. I didn't see any mention of these reports in your interview - perhaps because you had not personally witnessed them.
Another thought. I also seem to recall reading/hearing that Umar had seemed confused or dazed (glazed eyes?). That and his convenient "confession" would suggest to me that he had been subjected to mind-control techniques. Richard Reid probably likewise; Khalid Sheikh Mohammed quite clearly so,
Good for you, Kurt,
Mike
I'm so sorry you both had to go through that. Thank you for standing up for the truth. I DO believe that there are false flag attacks that are done for strategic purposes. I believe that most of 911 was that. There was probably an actual terrorist attack planned that the US government piggybacked off of and made a thousands times worse.
Do you think the underwear bomber was entirely a false flag attack? Could the government have learned of an impending terrorist attack and were just trying to catch the guy?
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