The war at home
Jeb Bush appoints lawyer for anti-Cuba terrorist to Florida
court
By Greg Butterfield
Remember the Florida Supreme Court? Back in 2000 it was just
about the only official institution with enough backbone to
stand up to the Bush brothers' theft of the presidential
election.
Timid and legalistic as it was, the court's ruling that the
votes in disputed and largely Black southern Florida districts
be recounted was more of a fight than the Al Gore campaign
could stomach.
The Bushes beat back the court's order for a fair recount by
mobilizing some of the most rabid KKK-type elements for a
violent campaign of intimidation against local election boards
and the state Supreme Court justices.
With the timely aid of the U.S. Supreme Court, which handed
the presidency to George W., the reactionary mobilization
succeeded.
Within this neo-fascist movement, a key role was played by
right-wing Cuban American organizations. These groups have
strong, longstanding ties to individuals and bodies that carry
out terrorist acts against revolutionary Cuba.
Now Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has moved to bolster his--and his
brother's--influence on the Florida Supreme Court, while
rewarding these advocates of anti-Cuba terror.
On July 10, Bush named Miami lawyer Raoul Cantero III as the
newest member of the Florida high court. Cantero is the
grandson of former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, who was
overthrown by the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
The media have made much of Cantero being the first Latino
member of the court. But he is no friend of oppressed
peoples.
In Cantero's case, the apple didn't fall far from Batista's
tree. He is a spokesperson for the counter-revolutionary Cuban
American groups. He was also a lawyer for Orlando Bosch, the
anti-Cuba terrorist who has carried out mass murder, several
dozen bombings and assassination attempts.
On Oct. 6, 1976, Bosch and Luis Posada--aided by Venezuelan
reactionaries--planted a bomb on a Cubana Airlines flight from
Barbados. All 73 passengers, including 57 Cubans, 11 Guyanese
and five north Koreans, were killed.
In 1989, Bosch was finally ordered deported by the U.S.
Justice Department for his role in numerous bombings against
Cuba and other Latin American targets originating from U.S.
soil.
But a year later--under President George Bush senior--the
deportation order was cancelled and Bosch was freed. He remains
free, even though he still espouses terrorist attacks.
Cantero was born in Spain and has never been to Cuba. But
his anti-Cuba rhetoric echoes that of the Bushes and isn't far
from Bosch's own. He insults the revolutionary government by
calling it "totalitarian" despite its broad popular
support.
Questioned about his ties to Bosch, Cantero replied, "Any
lawyer who's ashamed of who he's represented should consider
another line of work."
Jeb Bush added, "I have no problems that he was part of the
team." (Associated Press, July 10)
There was not a hint of protest from big brother Bush in the
White House.
Case of Lynne Stewart
Cantero's anointing to be a state Supreme Court judge must
have come as a surprise to all those attorneys who've been
under the gun for defending those whom the Bush administration
has charged with "terrorism," especially since Sept. 11.
Not only have thousands of Arab and Muslim men been detained
for long periods. Not only have hundreds been deported without
due process. Not only are U.S. citizens labeled "enemy
combatants" being denied their rights. But also the lawyers who
dare to defend the accused are under attack--just for doing
their jobs.
Take Lynne Stewart, the longtime progressive civil rights
lawyer from New York. In her distinguished career she has
defended Black Panthers, Palestinian activists and police
brutality victims, among many others.
On April 8, Bush's Justice Department indicted Stewart,
accusing her of "aiding and abetting terrorism" in connection
with her legal defense of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was
convicted of masterminding a plot to bomb New York City
landmarks in the mid-1990s. Abdel-Rahman is now serving a life
sentence in federal prison.
Stewart says she has been falsely accused of aiding
Abdel-Rahman's cause. Her defense committee calls the
indictment "an obvious attempt by the U.S. government to
silence dissent and instill fear in those who would fight
against the U.S. government's racism, seek to help Arabs and
Muslims being prosecuted for free speech and defend the rights
of all oppressed people."
A call for solidarity from the Lynne Stewart Defense
Committee states: "When Attorney General [John] Ashcroft loudly
announced Lynne's indictment and arrest, it was clear a message
was being sent, especially to the legal community across the
country.
"If a lawyer was going to forthrightly fight for any
controversial client, especially Muslim or Middle Eastern cases
these days, or for political cases generally, then the
government was going to use their new 'Patriot Act' club on the
activity. This is a rollback of longstanding constitutional
rights."
Readers can help expose the Bushes' hypocrisy by supporting
Lynne Stewart at her upcoming court hearings on July 18 and
Aug. 29 in New York City. For more information, visit the Web
site www.lynnestewart.org.
Reprinted from the July 25, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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