Supreme Court Spurns Justice in Holy Land 5 CaseStephen Lendman, Contributor They learned the hard way about being Muslims in America at the wrong time. On Monday, the Supreme Court denied their final appeal for justice. More on that below. The words Equal Justice Under Law adorn the Supreme Court Buildings west facade. Facing east is the motto Justice, the Guardian of Liberty. Since the Courts 1789 establishment, these words belie its decisions, arguments, and supreme allegiance to power. We the people never mattered and the phrase doesnt matter now. Privilege always counted most in America. Egalitarian principles exist in name only. Checks and balances, equity and justice, and democratic values are meaningless figures of speech. Men, not laws or high moral standards, rule America. Executive, congressional, and judicial officials systematically lie, connive, and pretty much do what they please for their own self-interest. Democracy always was illusory. Most High Court justices are as unprincipled and venal as political rogues infesting Washington, state and city governments. Federal courts are the worst. Many justices in them have Federalist Society connections. They advocate rolling back civil liberties and ending New Deal social policies. They support imperial wars, torture and corporatism. Five current Supreme Court justices are Federalist Society members: Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas. Elena Kagan is ideologically sympathetic. As dean of Harvard Law School, she hired Bushs outgoing Office of Legal Counsel director, Jack Goldsmith. Francis Boyle called him a war criminal. Kagan bragged about putting him on staff. Boyle quoted her saying she love(s) the Federalist Society. With these type justices on Americas High Court, ordinary people dont stand a chance. On Monday, five HLF principles heard the bad news. Other articles discussed their notable work. They helped people most in need. They fed hungry children. They provided financial aid to needy and impoverished families. They sponsored orphaned children. They provided educational, medical, emergency, community development, and other vital social services. Until Bushs Justice Department shut it down, HLF was Americas largest Muslim charity. It was their mark of Cain. It got them targeted for doing the right thing for the wrong people. They were wrongfully accused of providing aid to Hamas. Multiple charges included prohibited financial transactions, money laundering, conspiracy, and filing false tax returns. Charges were false, outrageous and unconscionable. HLF had no connection to terrorism. Its activities were entirely legal. Islams third pillar mandates charity. Aiding those in need is considered a moral obligation. Compassion became criminalized. Humanitarian giving to unworthy recipients risks long prison terms. US justice prohibits feeding the wrong hungry children, providing medical services, and helping them live normal lives. Reversing the wrongful convictions of five extraordinary humanitarians should have been no-brainer justice. The Supreme Court spurned them without explanation. Dismissively it said: Petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied. HLF principals were denied their right to retrial. Legitimate courts would have granted it automatically. Shukri Abubaker, Mohammad el-Mazain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader, Abulrahman Odeh will stay imprisoned in Americas gulag. Word came Monday morning. HLF announced it saying: The US Supreme Court declines to hear the Holy Land Foundation case. Their decision marks the end of the judicial process and the beginning of a massive effort to free the Holy Land Five. The Muslim Legal Fund of America headlined MLFA Troubled by Courts Decision to Not Hear Sixth Amendment Case, saying: Presidential diktat authority targeted HLF. Due process was denied. Federal agents stormed their offices like storm troopers. They took everything, including personal possessions. Fundamental constitutional rights were spurned. MLFA funded the defense, appeal and US Supreme Court petition due to the significance the case has on the future of civil liberties for everyone in America. Representatives from the legal fund are gravely concerned over the courts decision to not hear the case. Executive Director Khalik Meed said: It is a dark day for America when our nations highest court refuses to hear a case that is affecting everyones ability to get a fair trial in America. If judges are allowed to prevent defenders from challenging the credibility of expert witnesses, then our Sixth Amendment loses its teeth and our civil liberties suffer further erosion. HLF attorney Nancy Hollander called the decision a travesty of American criminal justice. I dont think American citizens understand that this effects all of us and the world that believes in the American criminal justice system. Anyone in any court in America now risks being convicted based on the opinion of someone who claims to be an expert without any opportunity to cross examine that person because everything about that so-called expert can remain secret. The right to Confrontation, so long enshrined in our justice system, died today. Hollander added: Technically they can file a petition for writ of habeas corpus, but they would have to go back to original court and I dont think they will be successful. I fear this is the end of the road and far as the courts are concerned. HLF principal Shukri Abubakers daughter Nida twittered: The supreme court denied the case. they dont even want to look at it. They dont want to spill the truth (and reveal) US Govt.lies. She added: Thats it. They denied it.So what now? Are these men going to sit in prison, for something they didnt do, while the world all over the poor is getting even poorer? While the hungry is dying of starvation? While the sick is dying without medicine and blood? While the homeless is in desperate need of a home during The harsh winters? This is outrageous. I am at loss of words.God has a plan for everything and everyone. We must not give up. #FreeTheHolyLandFoundation #FreeMyBaba #FreeMyUncles. Attorney Linda Moreno expressed outrage, saying: We fought so hard for this case we believed in these men and we believed in the charity, their good will, their good works. I have always said they fed the wrong children. They were Palestinian children and for some reason Palestinian children, Palestinian widows do not deserve humanitarian aid. And I will tell you this. I dont care what the government believes it has proved in this case, a decision that allows a man to be sentenced to 65 years in prison for feeding Palestinian children in my view is racist. Ahead of the Supreme Court decision, Center for Constitutional Rights president emeritus, Michael Ratner, said: We will look back on this period, not just the Holy Land Five, but the cases from the NYPD, down here with the Third Jihad, all the way to drone killings in Pakistan, we will look on this as probably one of the darkest, if not the darkest, periods of our history. And sadly, sadly, Noors father is paying the price of 65 years in jail. A Final Comment selfnews/songwriter David Rovics commented his way in song and verse. He titled it simply the Holy Land 5. They sent food and medicine, thats all they ever did The Holy Land is crying out They sent money to the Zakat Committees These men support Hamas, the government proclaimed Chorus Now five men are in cells, no one knows what for This is justice in America, if you didnt know it now you do Free the Holy Land 5!! Muslims and others wrongfully targeted learn about Americas dark side firsthand. Disgracefully, the nations Supreme Court supports it. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.His new book is titled How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War.Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/ 