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 Prosecyting 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-provacateurs, 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 ownselves, 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 Tryanny, leaving our children pitiful and enslaved. But by sticking us all in this one facility, they have inadvertently brought some very talented and knowledgable 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