Daniel McGowan - Another "War on Terrorism" Victim

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By Stephen Lendman (about the author) Page 5 of 7 page(s)

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He's subjected to severe communication restrictions - with family, friends, and, at the discretion of prison authorities, other inmates, as follows:

-- all communications are monitored and copied;

-- outgoing and incoming mail and emails are delayed and censored;

-- visitations must be approved, are non-contact only through a glass partition, and restricted to twice monthly two hour sessions compared to other prisoners getting weekly or bi-weekly all-day visitations; according to McGowan, "The most depressing part of the CMU is not being able to hug and kiss your wife" and, of course, children and other loved ones;

-- other prisoners are allowed 300 phone minutes a month; CMU inmates only one 15 minute call a week on weekdays between 8AM - 2PM (when children are in school) with no exceptions made for holidays, birthdays or other special occasions;

-- communications must be in English;

-- prisoners sleep on thin mattresses atop concrete slabs; and

-- prison officials have ad hoc authority to bend rules as they please, be more or less lenient, but generally impose added hardships or punishment for any reason or none at all;

-- according to Eugene Weekly's Camilla Mortensen, McGowan was the first environmental activist in a "terrorist" unit where he was transferred for stating his beliefs at the low security FCI Sandstone, MN prison. Also for being the subject of a documentary film and appearing on a calendar featuring political prisoners; she also reported that media access to him was denied, including from the LA Times;

-- CMU conditions are harsh with regard to rules and punishment imposed, food quality and amount, medical care, and the ability of prison officials to do as they please in an environment conducive to toughness; and

-- according to McGowan, "I object to the way I was sent here (in the middle of the night with no notice); I object as well to the institution itself, as I find it to be either a Muslim unit and we are there to give them some credibility in denying it or it's just a plain old political prison." Correct on both counts and the reason these units are secret and illegal.

Readers are encouraged to visit the supportdaniel.org web site for photos and more information about him, his case, and how to help. US federal and state prisons are full of inmates like him, interned for their beliefs, activism, and commitment to social justice, not their supposed crimes.

Given the severe economic crisis, its toll on growing millions, and likely civil disobedience in response, the nation has been militarized with combat troop readiness and over 800 FEMA detention camps in every state. It means defending our rights or the earth is now hazardous and a crime at a time we're all Daniel McGowans.

A Personal Note and Related Comments

In October 2008, I wrote about Seyed Mousavi: Guilty of Being Muslim in Police State America. Until late March, he was incarcerated at Terre Haute federal prison's CMU. He's now in Marion's segregated facility along with other Muslims and McGowan. He's innocent, a "war on terror" victim, and my friend since we established regular contact and now exchange emails as prison officials allow.

Recently, a group of supporters came together in his behalf. Below are edited portions of his response:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

I am a 72 year old, retired, progressive small businessman concerned about all the major national and world issues, committed to speak out and write about them.

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

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