John Pitner
In The Belly of the Beast
Federal Detention Center SEATAC
(A FEMA facility)
Coercion And The Loss of Fundamental Inalienable Rights
20 Sept 97
Having been kidnapped and falsely accused by the federal government, I felt confident
that at least having a jury trial, the facts would come out and my fellow Patriots and I
would at least get a fair trial. Much to our horror, we would soon find out that not only
would we NOT get a fair trial, we would learn to just what extent our beloved Constitution
and Bill of Rights have been stolen from We the People by the federal monster.
Although I can't say that all of us were under the impression that we would receive a
fair trial, I for one, thought that with a jury of twelve of our peers, our chances were
very good. I must say now, I was sadly mistaken and quite 0verly-optimistic. My first
surprise came when I learned that all of us, W.S.M. members, and the members of the
Tukwila Freemen, were to be tried together, all at once, at the same time, in the same
courtroom. That was 9 defendants!
The reason given to us was that it was too expensive to try us one at a time...imagine
that, Justice with a price-tag. An uneasy feeling began to come over me, as visions of
trials in Third-world countries came to mind. I wondered how on earth a jury could keep
track of so many individuals with so many different charges (28, at one point), and my
hopes for a fair trial began to fade.
As trial proceedings began, I started to realize the full extent of my folly. I learned
that during the `investigations' of our organization, FBI agents were holding
strategy-meetings on a regular basis with the Prosecuting Attorney's Office on how and
what to do to entrap, incriminate, and otherwise cause law-abiding individuals within our
unit to appear to be breaking the law, by professionally-trained FBI agent-provocateurs,
in order to justify the arrests. This brought back memories of the time I spent in the
Armed Forces stationed in South America. I had talked with men there who had seen these
very same tactics used by Third World despotic Dictators, to rid themselves of troublesome
political activists.
Over the years I spent as Director of the W.S.M., I had learned of these same tactics
being used on many hapless Patriots within our own beloved America, as well, so I am sad
to say that this didn't surprise me as much as you might think... I guess the real
surprise to me was that I had never really thought it could, or would, happen to us, just
as you may imagine that it couldn't happen to you, or someone close to you... an oversight
that was to cost us dearly, for we had ASSUMED that since we were doing nothing illegal,
we had nothing to worry about.
Next on the list of things to dash any hope for a fair trial was the Presiding Judge
refused to allow our legal council to instruct the jury on our Constitutional rights
according to the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th Amendments. His reasoning was that it might bias
the jury against the Prosecuting Attorney's case against us!
The next hope-snatching event was that the Judge saw fit to allow the prosecution to
present as evidence badly-garbled audio tapes, complete with mysterious blank spots, and
he even allowed them to provide the jury written transcripts as to what they THOUGHT was
being said on those tapes. It was one of those tapes, complete with purported transcript,
plus the confusion of trying to keep track of 9 different defendants and 28 different
charges, that ensured my conviction on an erroneous gun charge. The prosecution was
desperate to produce some wrong-doing on my part, and took a portion of badly-garbled
taped conversation between two other defendants and the Criminal Informant, and `enhanced'
a portion where I was telling them that someone else had tried to sell me a
fully-automatic UZI machine-gun, to make it sound as though I was offering to sell that
weapon to the undercover informant.
The FBI was in possession of another tape where the Criminal Informant BUYS this weapon
from the aforementioned defendant, and tries several times to implicate me in the sale,
whereupon the defendant is plainly heard on the tape saying that the weapon is NOT
Pitner's, and that to the best of his knowledge does not even own one. Unfortunately, in
trying to keep track of all the different defendants, the various charges, and deliberate
attempts by the prosecution to confuse the jury, the jury evidently believed I had sold
the Criminal Informant a weapon.
At the end of the trial, the defendant who actually had sold the weapon to the Criminal
Informant came forward to the Judge, and admitted he had sold the weapon, and also signed
an affidavit to that same effect. Upon reading that affidavit, and hearing his admission,
the Judge promptly convicted him, and sentenced him to prison... I ask you then, keeping
these facts in mind, why am I still in jail?
That is the question I have been asking myself now, for the last seven months, as I sit
in jail. Another question is, Why haven't I yet been sentenced?
If this can happen to me, it therefore stands to reason that it can also happen to you,
or someone you love, as well. So the one thing I ask of whoever finds themselves reading
this account, is to please help put an end to this cancer spreading within our great
nation...if not for me and others like me, or even for your own selves, then at least for
your children's future.
17 October 1997
Well, here I sit in the SEATAC Federal Detention Center. You know - the one that
supposedly didn't exist. I remember back several years ago, as I passed pictures around of
this very facility, over-hearing people say that they didn't believe this place really
existed, and that we were trying to cause fear and discontent to further our cause. I also
remember as we became successful at getting the message out of it's existence, the powers
that be decided they could no longer deny it's existence, and instructed the
controlled-media to put out the cover story that it was to be used to house illegal
immigrants... kind of ironic, huh?
I guess the powers that be have either changed their minds again, or it was their
intent all along to use this place to house the ever-increasing numbers of Patriots being
held as political prisoners. I prefer to believe the latter.
I would like the public to know that incarcerations of these brave men and women are
now increasing on a daily basis, and as I watch new faces arrive they all tell horror
stories of deceit, entrapment, and coercion by the federal beast. They speak of the
usurpation of Constitutionally-protected rights by the corrupt judicial system, and of
their fear that the American people will awaken too late to stem the tide of Tyranny,
leaving our children pitiful and enslaved. But by sticking us all in this one facility,
they have inadvertently brought some very talented and knowledgeable people together, and
we are making the most of being here together.
Before I go to sleep each night, I pray that you who are reading this account will rise
to do battle with this beast...to educate your fellow Americans as to what has befallen
our great nation, for knowledge is our greatest weapon in turning the tide of Tyranny and
Bondage that looms before us.
I implore of you to help us with this endeavor, for the next face that I see coming
through the doors of this facility may be yours, or that of one of your loved ones. The
words from one of our Forefathers ring true to my ears - "It is Error alone which
needs the support of Government. Truth can stand by itself."
Friends, please remember that my mail is opened and read by the S.I.S [???] before I
get it... you will have to pardon my concerns, but this experience has made me a bit
paranoid, to say the least... I also find it interesting that all the medical staff here
are NAVY.
As always, Thank You! Take care, and watch out for the bad guys - they are starting to
get kind of desperate as they know their days are numbered.
In Liberty's Name,
John I. Pitner, #26151-086 4A14
c/o Federal Detention Center SEATAC
P.O. Box 68955
Seattle, WA 98168-0955
