The Threat Against Freedom in People v. Henson
24 Apr 2001
ptsc <ptsc AT nym DOT alias DOT net>

It is one thing for a sanctioned frivolous litigant like the Scientology cult to file a bogus lawsuit. It is entirely another for the authority of the state to be invoked for the exclusive benefit of a powerful and corrupt party, and for a District Attorney's office to act effectively as a proxy for a wealthy cult, for Scientology to have its attorneys, including Mafia-associated lawyer Elliott Abelson literally standing at the shoulder of the District Attorney during what is supposed to be a state proceeding coaching, cajoling and directing the District Attorney's every action.

Since when is a former Mafia lawyer and current Scientology lawyer qualified to act as a sort of unelected District Attorney? For that matter, why does a "Church" need a lawyer most noted for his defense of organized crime?

What kind of Alice in Wonderland Court is it that allows organized criminals to sit in the prosecutor's chair bringing charges against the honest citizens, in which a heavily-armed cult has Mafia lawyers direct the activities of the District Attorney, where a cult described as "classically terroristic" can stockpile huge weapons arsenals as a "religious freedom" and gun-toting thugs can prosecute a single retired engineer as a "terrorist" claiming to be so afraid of a picket sign that they fear for their lives?

This rises above the level of frivolous litigation to gross prosecutorial misconduct and undue influence by a private party. This sort of absurd chicanery is a grave insult to the spirit of democracy, the First Amendment, and the dignity of the courts. This criminal prosecution serves no compelling state interest that justifies criminalizing and prosecuting First Amendment protected free speech as "misdemeanor terrorism."

Obviously something is deeply wrong here.

Henson is not the only person with complaints about the unusual and even freakish behavior of the Trask's administration. Even before this ridiculous case, the repute of Riverside County District Attorney Grover Trask was none too bright, with even his own staff expressing dissatisfaction with his leadership or lack thereof. Grover Trask's administration has been fiercely criticized and rocked with scandals. Sheriff's Deputies recommended Peeping Tom charges against one Deputy DA, Robert Dunn, while Trask himself is named in a federal lawsuit by a former supervising prosecutor who alleges that she was not only sexually harassed but unlawfully detained in her house under an illegal "house arrest" by District Attorney staff. This is not the only time the DA's office has been accused of harassing and suing its own staff who exercise their rights to object to the increasingly bizarre behavior of Trask's administration.