— Back in the 70’s, a wave of hysteria swept the nation around Satanic Ritual Abuse of children and child sex abuse in general. Originally driven by radical feminists who believe that most American girls are raped by their fathers (I’m not kidding), the movement gained strength when opportunisitic politicians realized that prosecuting large scale sex abuse cases was the key to the headlines and all that notoriety has to offer. Janet Reno first became famous prosecuting these cases in Miami. The coercive investigative techniques
used by prosecutors to get children to make false allegations are well documented in Remembering Satan by Lawrence Wright, Spectral Evidence by Moira Johnston, and in the research of Dr. Elizabeth Loftus.The Amirault case in particular has been closely examined by Dorothy Rabinowitz at Opinion Journal. A good collection of media links on the Amirault case are at this site.
All the major newspapers in Massachusetts recommended commutation, as did every objective source who studied the case.
Most of these sources compare the sex abuse hysteria to the Salem Witch Trials, especially Johnston. As time has dragged on, many of those falsely charged and wrongly convicted have been released from prison – the McMartins in Los Angeles and most of the Wenatchee defendents in Washington, notably.
Governor Jane Swift of Massachusetts had a recommendation from her Board of Pardons to release the falsely convicted Gerald Amirault, but she bent to radical feminist pressure – and the desire of unethical prosecutors to keep their misconduct hidden from the public eye – and ignored their recommendation. See
OpinionJournal – Featured Article
In bending to this politically correct posse, the Governor is of course not alone. She joins the long line of the ambitious and the self seeking, prosecutors and politicians, who chose expediency over justice. This line extends all the way to the members of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Thanks to a long and hard review of the evidence and persistent criticism, most of the legal establishment of Massachusetts has concluded it was all a terrible injustice–one that has ruined the lives of three innocent people.
and Instapundit for more details. And if you live in Massachusetts, don’t forget this on election day. Gov. Swift is trading the freedom of an innocent man for a few tainted votes. Her e-mail address is: [email protected] . Use it.
More on this story at the main entry for this site.
Free Amirault, don’t you have a conscience. For all the big reputation Mass has for intellecuals and civil liberties, the courts make you look like some third world backwater!
Where are the Law School professors?
They published a letter criticizing the Supreme Court’s decision against their boy Gore but scores of innocent Americans are imprisoned for crimes that did not occur … and they are silent.
Shame!
I have one suggestion for Jane Swift. Update your resume!