What happens when a public hysteria dies out? It seems that everyone agrees to simply not talk about it any more. Y2K created a huge stink – I confess I thought something would ‘happen’ – and now Y2K is all but forgotten. But what about Kelly Michaels, Gerald Amirault, Bernard Baran and Patrick Figured? All of them are currently in prison as a result of the public hysteria of the 90s, ‘ritual abuse.’ The satanic panic has subsided but they remain in prison, for things that they did not do and in fact no one did. Dozens of other people were ‘lucky’ enough to only serve extended prison sentences and lose their homes, friends, family and jobs – they are now out of prison and free to be ‘registered sex offenders’ in their community for the rest of their lives. With so much genuine misery in the world, it is criminal that some people are punished for crimes never committed and other people are made ‘survivors’ who were never victims.

Kelly Michaels spent five years in prison for crimes neither she nor anyone else committed. She was released in 1994.
Gerald Amirault spent eighteen years in prison for crimes neither he nor anyone else committed. He was released in 2004.
Bernard Baran spent twenty-one years in prison for crimes neither he nor anyone else committed. He was released in 2006.
Patrick Figured has spent nineteen years in prison for crimes neither he nor anyone else committed.  He is serving a life sentence, reduced in 1996 from three consecutive life sentences. He was denied an appeal in 1994. “I have learned one thing in here; they can’t do anymore to me than they have… I have lost everything as it is.”

It’s not easy to find up-to-date information on these men and women. The circus has passed and nobody wants to clean up after the elephants and the horses and the clowns. But here are the names I could find of those in prison for crimes neither they nor anyone else committed, all victims of the satanic panic of the 1980s.  What is a convincing argument that this could never happen to you?  That’s right.

Cheryl Amirault
Jason Baldwin
Jack Barnes
Linda Barnes
Damien Echols
Jesse Friedman
Frank Fuster
Robert Halsey
Danny Keller
Fran Keller
Jeanette Martin
Kristie Mayhugh
Jessie Misskelley, Jr.
Elsie Oscarson
Michael Parker
Bruce Perkins
Elizabeth Ramirez
Cassandra Rivera
Ryan Smith
Anna Vasquez
James Watt

Violet Amirault died in prison.
Earl Barnes died in prison.

Further reading
False Memory Syndrome Foundation
National Center for Reason and Justice
Wikipedia, File 18
Wikipedia, Day Care Sex Abuse Hysteria

Surviving in Prison is a record of one man’s experiences in prison, offered as a guide for physical survival in a system designed to break and control lives.

The book describes prison from conviction to incarceration to the hole.  It describes the inhumanity of prisons, the humiliation and the petty rules that demand exaggerated penalties for violation.  The factual nature of the writing, presented without evaluation in the knowledge that the horrors of prison speak for themselves, are so descriptive that one feels the shutting off of light and hope as they are systematically removed from the author.

This book is of great utility to anyone who believes they might end up in prison for any reason, or who is a supporter of prisoners’ rights.  It is far outside the arena of “political correctness.”  Prisons do not make such subtle distinctions in their oppression and the author does not either.  This book proves most completely that there is no life in prison, only survival, and the insight the author has to survival in prison is of unique value.

from OVO 11 CONTROL (September 1991)

It started, like a lot of deadly bad ideas, with politicians. We can thank the Democrats for the inception, but somewhere along the line, the Republicans stepped in to prove they were just as stupid. Woodrow Wilson, who also gave us the Federal Reserve Act, the first draft since the Civil War and rave reviews of the stunningly racist movie Birth of a Nation, helped usher in the age where America turned questionable personal habits into concrete walls and steel gray bars. It was called the Harrison Tax Act of 1914, and it was the result of nearly fifteen years of disinformation and racist propaganda promulgated by Wilson’s associates.

In 1900 the Journal of the American Medical Association published in a report that “Negroes in the South are being addicted to a new form of vice – that of ‘cocaine sniffing’ or the ‘coke habit.’” That was followed up by several newspaper reports that cocaine was causing blacks to rape white women and was improving their pistol marksmanship. Eight years later President Teddy Roosevelt appointed Dr. Hamilton Wright as the first Opium Commissioner for the United States. Among his most notable observations was that “cocaine is often the direct incentive to the crime of rape by Negroes of the south and other sections of the country.” Wright also postulated that “one of the most unfortunate phases of smoking opium in this country is the large number of women who have become involved and are living as common-law wives or cohabitating with Chinese in the Chinatowns of our various cities.”

Let’s see. A bunch of drug crazed horny black men and a growing number of loose white women with no qualms about crossing racial boundaries? Yeah, man, it was time for war, alright; time to break out some fucking law and order.

Charles Bowden and Molly Molloy: Who Is Behind the 25,000 Deaths In Mexico?

No one seems to know, but on the ground it is death. Calderón’s war, assisted by the United States, terrorizes the Mexican people, generates thousands of documented human rights abuses by the police and Mexican Army and inspires lies told by American politicians that violence is spilling across the border (in fact, it has been declining on the US side of the border for years). We are told of a War on Drugs that has no observable effect on drug distribution, price or sales in the United States. We are told the Mexican Army is incorruptible, when the Mexican government’s own human rights office has collected thousands of complaints that the army robs, kidnaps, steals, tortures, rapes and kills innocent citizens. We are told repeatedly that it is a war between cartels or that it is a war by the Mexican government against cartels, yet no evidence is presented to back up these claims. The evidence we do have is that the killings are not investigated, that the military suffers almost no casualties and that thousands of Mexicans have filed affidavits claiming abuse, often lethal, by the Mexican army. Here is the US policy in a nutshell: we pay Mexicans to kill Mexicans, and this slaughter has no effect on drug shipments or prices.

Julian Isherwood: Free Heroin Gives Good Results

A test-run of issuing free heroin to addicts in Copenhagen appears to be successful, with initial results showing reduced crime and prostitution and improved health and life quality for those taking part in the project. Since March this year, some 20 addicts have been part of a programme under which two clinics provide them with heroin each morning and afternoon. The head of the Valmue Clinic in Copenhagen says that his centre has registered both a physical and psychological improvement among the addicts.

“They don’t have to wake up in the morning with how to get money as the first thing they think about. That gives them a surplus that means that we can talk to them about their housing situation, how we can help them apply for a disability pension if they need that, or perhaps about the child they have lost contact with,” says Valmue Clinic Head Torben Ballegaard. At the same time, Ballegaard says that addicts say that they commit fewer crimes, have stopped prostitution and have improved health. Several have put on weight because apart from heroin, they are provided breakfast and a hot meal during the day. Daily contact with a nurse also means that infections, boils and illnesses are discovered earlier, according to Senior Nurse Vivian Kjær at the KABS institution.

Problem, problem, solution.  End prohibition.  Thousands will die – thousands fewer than die from prohibition.

It is [Kendall Gibson's] hair — winding locks he considers a measure of his Rastafarian faith — that makes him a threat, according to Virginia Department of Corrections Operating Procedure No. 864.1. The rule took effect on Dec. 15, 1999. Inmates had two choices: cut their hair no longer than their collars and shave their beards, or be placed in administrative segregation.

Paul von Zielbauer: Inmates Are Free to Practice Black Supremacist Religion in New York, a Judge Rules

Mr. [Intelligent Tarref] Allah is a Five Percenter, part of a black militant group that broke from the Nation of Islam in the 1960′s. The New York State prison system has long regarded it as a violence-prone gang, much as the system also regards the Latin Kings, Crips or the Aryan Brotherhood. The name derives from the concept that only 5 percent of the world’s people break free from the worship of a false ”mystery God” and become gods to themselves and their families.

Justin Penrose: Rapist Jamaile Morally in Boiling Oil Jail Attack

A jailed killer poured boiling oil over another inmate because he refused to convert to Islam. Jamaile Morally, 26 – sentenced to life as part of a gang that raped, tortured and murdered a teenage girl and left another for dead – led two other inmates in carrying out the attack.

BBC: Kenya ‘Deports Muslim Hate Cleric Abdullah al-Faisal’

He has served four years in a UK prison after being convicted of soliciting the murder of Jews and Hindus.

Religion Cause: Miranda Rights Waived In Answers About Religious Belief and Prayer

Earlier this week in Berghuis v. Thompkins, (Sup. Ct., June 1, 2010), the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision made it easier for police to obtain a waiver of Miranda rights by suspects being questioned. The majority opinion, written by Justice Kennedy, held that police can continue questioning a suspect until he clearly invokes his right to remain silent. Furthermore, when questioning continues after a Miranda warning has been given and understood, the accused’s later uncoerced statement implies a waiver of his right to remain silent. The uncoerced statement in this case was a response by the accused to questions about his belief in God. Here is Justice Kennedy’s account: About 2 hours and 45 minutes into the interrogation, [Police Detective] Helgert asked Thompkins, “Do you believe in God?” …. Thompkins made eye contact with Helgert and said “Yes,” as his eyes “well[ed] up with tears.” … “Do you pray to God?” Thompkins said “Yes.” … Helgert asked, “Do you pray to God to forgive you for shooting that boy down?” … Thompkins answered “Yes” and looked away…. Thompkins refused to make a written confession, and the interrogation ended about 15 minutes later.

Robert Tait, Turkish Girl, 16, Buried Alive for Talking to Boys:

Turkish police have recovered the body of a 16-year-old girl they say was buried alive by relatives in an “honour” killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys. The girl, who has been identified only by the initials MM, was found in a sitting position with her hands tied, in a two-metre hole dug under a chicken pen outside her home in Kahta, in the south-eastern province of Adiyaman. [...] A postmortem examination revealed large amounts of soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that she had been alive and conscious while being buried. Her body showed no signs of bruising.  The discovery will reopen the emotive debate in Turkey about “honour” killings, which are particularly prevalent in the impoverished south-east.  Official figures have indicated that more than 200 such killings take place each year, accounting for around half of all murders in Turkey.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Anti-Islam Book Launch Cancelled:

The book launch was scheduled for Thursday at The World Forum, but was cancelled because the director of the venue does not believe he can guarantee the safety of his guests. The book in question is Islamofobie? (Islamophobia?), written by Islam critic and PVV supporter Frans Groenendijk. The PVV, or Freedom Party is an anti-Islamic opposition party led by Geert Wilders. Green Left party member Tofik Dibi, who was to receive the first book at the launch, says he regrets that the conference centre acted out of fear.

Mahmood Delkhasteh, Rapists in Iran’s regime:

Sexual assault against men and women is being systematically used in Iran in an attempt to stifle opposition.

Justin Penrose, Rapist Jamaile Morally in Boiling Oil Jail Attack:

A jailed killer poured boiling oil over another inmate because he refused to convert to Islam. Jamaile Morally, 26 – sentenced to life as part of a gang that raped, tortured and murdered a teenage girl and left another for dead – led two other inmates in carrying out the attack.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Burqa-Clad Robbers Hold Up Post Office:

Two burqa-wearing robbers have held up a French post office using a handgun concealed beneath an Islamic-style full veil, court officials said.

All articles continue at links.  Part of a series that never ends… [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] and etc.  What sort of emotive debate can occur about honor killings?  I fail to see it as an issue with two valid perspectives which can come into harmony through compromise.  I am similarly too morally stunted to support the trial of Geert Wilders for – killing children?  Islamic theocracy-backed rape tortures? Prostelytising with boiling oil?  Robbing a bank?  No, Geert Wilders is on trial for making a film.  Maybe Wilders is lucky – some filmmakers who were critics of Islam in the Netherlands didn’t get to go to trial.  Violence and threats of violence to filmmakers and book authors, multicultural understanding for pedophiles and murderers.  That’s what Islam brings to the table in the 21st Century.  What do you bring?

Look at the faces of these people as the facts are revealed. Listen to the silence.

The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture? [...] Among our most benign experiments are those with people who voluntarily isolate themselves for extended periods. Long-distance solo sailors, for instance, commit themselves to months at sea. They face all manner of physical terrors: thrashing storms, fifty-foot waves, leaks, illness. Yet, for many, the single most overwhelming difficulty they report is the “soul-destroying loneliness,” as one sailor called it. Astronauts have to be screened for their ability to tolerate long stretches in tightly confined isolation, and they come to depend on radio and video communications for social contact. [...] If prolonged isolation is—as research and experience have confirmed for decades—so objectively horrifying, so intrinsically cruel, how did we end up with a prison system that may subject more of our own citizens to it than any other country in history has? [...] The United States now has five per cent of the world’s population, twenty-five per cent of its prisoners, and probably the vast majority of prisoners who are in long-term solitary confinement.

[...] Is there an alternative? Consider what other countries do. Britain, for example, has had its share of serial killers, homicidal rapists, and prisoners who have taken hostages and repeatedly assaulted staff. The British also fought a seemingly unending war in Northern Ireland, which brought them hundreds of Irish Republican Army prisoners committed to violent resistance. The authorities resorted to a harshly punitive approach to control, including, in the mid-seventies, extensive use of solitary confinement. But the violence in prisons remained unchanged, the costs were phenomenal (in the United States, they reach more than fifty thousand dollars a year per inmate), and the public outcry became intolerable. British authorities therefore looked for another approach. Beginning in the nineteen-eighties, they gradually adopted a strategy that focussed on preventing prison violence rather than on delivering an ever more brutal series of punishments for it. The approach starts with the simple observation that prisoners who are unmanageable in one setting often behave perfectly reasonably in another. This suggested that violence might, to a critical extent, be a function of the conditions of incarceration. The British noticed that problem prisoners were usually people for whom avoiding humiliation and saving face were fundamental and instinctive. When conditions maximized humiliation and confrontation, every interaction escalated into a trial of strength. Violence became a predictable consequence. So the British decided to give their most dangerous prisoners more control, rather than less. They reduced isolation and offered them opportunities for work, education, and special programming to increase social ties and skills. The prisoners were housed in small, stable units of fewer than ten people in individual cells, to avoid conditions of social chaos and unpredictability. In these reformed “Close Supervision Centres,” prisoners could receive mental-health treatment and earn rights for more exercise, more phone calls, “contact visits,” and even access to cooking facilities. They were allowed to air grievances. And the government set up an independent body of inspectors to track the results and enable adjustments based on the data. The results have been impressive. The use of long-term isolation in England is now negligible. In all of England, there are now fewer prisoners in “extreme custody” than there are in the state of Maine. And the other countries of Europe have, with a similar focus on small units and violence prevention, achieved a similar outcome.

MetaFilter, Everything You Bever Wanted to Know About the American Prison-Industrial Complex

“I’ve gone into this in greater detail before, but it is worth remembering that, of our prison population of over 3 million, less than ten percent were convicted by trial before a jury. We’ve filled our prisons not by means of a public and transparent due process, but by backroom and off-record interrogation, by deals brokered in private and under duress.”

Bureau of Labor Statistics, How the Government Measures Unemployment:

Excluded are persons under 16 years of age, all persons confined to institutions such as nursing homes and prisons, and persons on active duty in the Armed Forces.

Christopher Beam, How Do Prisons Deal with Overcrowding?

Tight quarters lead to higher levels of violence between prisoners.

National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, Executive Summary:

More than 7.3 million Americans are confined in U.S. correctional facilities or supervised in the community, at a cost of more than $68 billion annually. [...] Air Force veteran Tom Cahill, who was arrested and detained for just a single night in a San Antonio jail, recalled the lasting effects of being gang-raped and beaten by other inmates. “I’ve been hospitalized more times than I can count and I didn’t pay for those hospitalizations, the tax payers paid. My career as a journalist and photographer was completely derailed. . . . For the past two decades, I’ve received a non-service connected security pension from the Veteran’s Administration at the cost of about $200,000 in connection with the only major trauma I’ve ever suffered, the rape.” [The Bureau of Justice Statistics] conducted the first wave of surveys in 2007 in a random sample of 146 State and Federal prisons and 282 local jails. A total of 63,817 incarcerated individuals completed surveys, providing the most comprehensive snapshot of sexual abuse in prisons and jails to date. Four-and-a-half percent of prisoners surveyed reported experiencing sexual abuse one or more times during the 12 months preceding the survey or over their term of incarceration if they had been confined in that facility for less than 12 months. Extrapolated to the national prison population, an estimated 60,500 State and Federal prisoners were sexually abused during that 12-month period. [...] Sexual abuse is not an inevitable feature of incarceration. Leadership matters because corrections administrators can create a culture within facilities that promotes safety instead of one that tolerates abuse. Certain individuals are more at risk of sexual abuse than others. Corrections administrators must routinely do more to identify those who are vulnerable and protect them in ways that do not leave them isolated and without access to rehabilitative programming. Few correctional facilities are subject to the kind of rigorous internal monitoring and external oversight that would reveal why abuse occurs and how to prevent it. Dramatic reductions in sexual abuse depend on both.

AP, Governor Delays Ohio Execution After Vein Troubles:

The team began working on [Romell] Broom, in a holding cell 17 steps from the execution chamber, at about 2 p.m., four hours after his execution was originally scheduled. That initial delay was due to a final federal appeals request.  After the team spent nearly an hour trying to find a workable vein, Broom tried to help them bring him a quicker death. He turned over on his left side, slid rubber tubing designed to clarify his veins up his left arm, then began moving the arm up and down while flexing and closing and opening his fingers. The execution team was able to access a vein, but it collapsed when technicians tried to insert saline fluid.  Broom then became visibly distressed, turning over on his back and covering his face with both hands. His torso heaved up and down and his feet shook, as he appeared to be crying. He wiped his eyes and was handed a roll of toilet paper, which he used to wipe his brow.  He sat up at the end of the bed and talked with his execution team. The team had been asking Broom whether he wanted a break, but he chose to push ahead, as did the execution staff, prisons director Terry Collins said. Collins then insisted on a break and contacted the governor to let him know about the difficulties.

Broom, who did not have any witnesses present, requested that one of his attorneys, Adele Shank, come to the witness area. She asked to speak with Broom but was told that once the process started, it’s protocol that attorneys can’t have contact with their client.  “I want to know what Romell wants,” Shank told a prison official, who told her that he was being cooperative.  “He’s always cooperative,” responded Shank. “I want to know what he wants me to do.”  At about 3:20, the team tried to insert shunts through veins in Broom’s legs as he sat upright on the table. He looked up several times during the process and appeared to grimace. A member of the execution team reached over and patted him on the back.  Roughly five minutes later, the team returned to Broom’s arms to again try to access a vein and get the saline solution to work. [...] Collins said the team would try to determine, before Broom’s next scheduled execution date, how to resolve the problem with finding suitable veins.  A medical evaluation Monday determined that veins in Broom’s right arm appeared accessible, while those in his left arm were not as visible.

David Grann, Trial by Fire:

There is a chance that Texas could become the first state to acknowledge officially that, since the advent of the modern judicial system, it had carried out the “execution of a legally and factually innocent person.”

All articles continue at links.  We all have to pick our battles, or die trying to fight on all fronts.  Prison reform isn’t as popular a topic as recycling, global warming, animal rights or same-sex marriage.  But I wish it were more popular.  I wish it was the subject of Michael Moore’s next film.  I wish it was discussed by the next set of candidates running for the Presidency of the USA.  I’ve got my ideas, if anyone is listening.  Start by ending prohibition.  Next release any prisoner with no previous legal troubles who is in prison only due to prohibition.  Then release any prisoner with a prior record but who is in prison expressly due to prohibition.  If I’m reading the statistics right, that would reduce the prison population by twenty percent.  That’s a budget increase of twenty percent to lessen prison rape, offer work opportunities or just about anything else.  I’d ban the death penalty in all states in all cases – there’s a wad of money (and lives) saved that can be put to better use.  I’d negate mandatory sentencing laws and allow judges to act as judges.  I’d see how other countries are handling things and copy what works.  Anybody listening?

Last June, District Attorney David Capeless of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, announced that he was dropping all charges against 44-year-old Bernard Baran, a man who has spent half his life behind bars on child molestation charges that the state no longer has the confidence to retry. Baran was convicted in January 1985 of molesting six children at a pre-kindergarten day care facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was released on bond in 2006 after an appeals court determined that his trial attorney had been incompetent and that the prosecution may have withheld key exculpatory evidence. Baran says that during his jail term he was raped and beaten more than 30 times, necessitating six different transfers to new correctional institutions. Such is the cost the prison system exacts on an openly gay man convicted of molesting children. Baran was one of the first people in the country to be prosecuted in the day care sex abuse panic of the 1980s, a bizarre nationwide hysteria fed by homophobia, fears of Satanism, and a wing of child psychology that used unproven interrogation techniques that critics say caused children to recount sexual incidents that never took place. In this case, prosecutor Daniel Ford, now a judge on the Massachusetts Superior Court, showed the grand jury that indicted Baran an edited video interview with the children. According to court documents, the video shows several kids alleging that Baran had sexually abused them. Edited out was footage in which some of the children denied any abuse by Baran, interviewees accused other members of the day care faculty of abuse or of witnessing abuse, and, most important, interrogators asked the same questions over and over – even after repeated denials – until a child gave them an affirmative answer. Some children were even given rewards for their answers. [...] In upholding the ruling that granted Baran a new trial, the appeals court added in a footnote that if the state wanted to retry him, Baran could file a motion for a hearing on Ford’s alleged misconduct. By dropping the charges, the D.A. avoided that hearing. “In my opinion,” says Boston civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate, “ the possibility of an embarrassing hearing into misconduct by a former prosecutor and now sitting Superior Court judge was the main reason, if not the reason, they decided to drop the charges. The appeals court opinion cut a bit too close to the bone for them.” So while Bernard Baran is free after 22 years of incarceration, there are no plans to look into the actions of the prosecutor, now a sitting judge, responsible for his conviction. Ford’s career trajectory indicates the backward incentive structure that prosecutors face: Convictions produce rewards, while abuse rarely comes with a penalty.

Religious Tolerance, The Baran Sexual Abuse Case:

The Bernard Baran indictment appears to have many factors in common with dozens of ritual abuse cases which surfaced during the 1980s and early 1990s. Bernard is a homosexual. That has proven to be a tremendous personal liability, because of the high level of homophobia in American society. On 1983-AUG-1, Bernard Baran was hired as a teacher’s aide by the West Side Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) in Pittsfield, MA. Pittsfield is located near the extreme western border of Massachusetts, very close to the state of New York. The uncle of one of Baran’s students complained to the ECDC that he did not want a homosexual teaching his nephew. Shortly after this complaint, he and his sister-in-law called police and said that the boy had accused Baran of molesting him. On 1984-OCT-6, Baran was charged with sexually assaulting two three-year-old children at ECDC. The number of charges reached nine after most of the 160 children at the ECDC were interviewed. Baran was 19 years of age at the time. On 1985-JAN-30, he received a sentenced of 3 concurrent life terms. Because of his age and slight build, he was easy pray for other inmates. “During his first four years, he was raped and physically assaulted 30-40 times. He has suffered serious eye injuries and many broken bones. [...] In all probability, he is innocent. In fact, the criminal acts for which he was charged probably never happened. However, the children (now in their twenties) probably retain “memories” of the abuse that were implanted in their minds as a result of improper interview techniques.

Articles continue at links.  See also the Free Baran archive.  I lived in a small town as a teenager in the 1980s.  I read books, including books on taboo subjects.  I played role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.  I listened to music that wasn’t to be found on the radio.  I was very aware that a satanic panic was occurring in the United States, and that I could be caught up in it for my interests.  I could be accused of the kind of nonsense that Baran was caught up in.  I found two strategies that worked well in keeping myself safe.  Those strategies were knowing when to be public about my interests and when to be private.  Being public (including publishing OVO) meant that any argument I was a secret agent for evil would be weak.  Being private meant that what the do-gooders didn’t need to know about they never knew about.  But it was my dumb luck that the do-gooders didn’t try especially hard.  Now I’m an adult and it turns out reading those books, playing those games and listening to that music didn’t do me or anyone else any particular harm.  Turns out the good guys were the bad guys and the bad guys were innocent.  I’m the one who stuck by my guns.  The judges and therapists and police and teachers and clergy who made bank on the satanic panic are the ones who tucked tail and shuffled into an underground tunnel.   I don’t deserve any particular reward for what I did.  But were this a just world, they would be held accountable for what they did.  Bernard Baran spent half his life in prison to satisfy the blood lust of those who serve an invisible monster that lives in the sky.  And that’s one of the reasons I’m public about my interest in the withering away of religion under the twin suns of scorn and reason.

John Dolan, Lord Byron the eXile’s Patron Saint (via):

[Lord Byron] chose to be noisily “immoral” not because he was any worse (or any better) than the average aristocrat of his time but as a weapon against the moralism of Wordsworth. I don’t mean “moralism” in a normative sense – God no. I remember sifting through the elderly Wordsworth’s letters looking for any comment at all on the Great Famine which was extirpating the Irish, and finding only one remark, in which the great moralist earnestly prays that England will not weaken, ie provide any aid whatsoever. It’s one of the curiosities of English literary history that you’ll never find the least particle of compassion for the Irish in “moral” poets like Wordsworth. Only the “mad, bad and dangerous” Byron mentioned the slaughter of 1798, attacking the PM, Castlereagh, for “dabbling [his] sleek young hands in Erin’s gore” and, as Pope would have recommended, delivering an extra kick to his enemy’s corpse in this epitaph: “Posterity will never survey a nobler grave than this: here lie the bones of Castlereagh: stop, traveler, and piss.”

• Antiquity: Anonymous authors pen The Bible. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1851: Arthur Schopenhauer writes On Women. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1853: Charles Dickens writes The Noble Savage. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1857: Charles Darwin writes The Variation of Plants and Animals under Domestication. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1875: Charles Darwin writes The Origin of Species. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1884: Sigmund Freud writes Über Coca. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1912 (circa): H. P. Lovecraft writes On the Creation of Niggers. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1920: H. L. Mencken writes In Defense of Women. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1925: Adolph Hitler writes Mein Kampf. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1926: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes The Adventure of the Three Gables. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 12 June 1942 – 1 August 1944: Ann Frank writes The Diary of a Young Girl. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1940 (circa): Rudyard Kipling writes The Burden of Jerusalem. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1941: Ivan Pavlov writes Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1956: Jens Bjerre writes The Last Cannibals. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1960: George Lincoln Rockwell writes In Hoc Signo Vinces, including an essay called The Swastika.
• 1964: Roald Dahl writes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1976: A. K. Chesterton writes Facing the Abyss. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1979: Douglas Adams writes The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1980: John Money writes Love and Love Sickness. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1980: Clark Howard writes Zebra. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1984: Isaac Asimov writes Counting the Eons. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 24 March 2005: What is heretical.com? by $14 Worth of Sex.
• 1987: Graham Smith writes When Jim Crow Met John Bull. This work is quoted at heretical.com.
• 1989: Tales of the Holohoax published [archive.org 22 September 2009]
• 1993: Niggers Over America by R. Crumb published in Zap Comics.
• 14 November 1994: R. Crumb regarding his comic Niggers Over America: “I just had to expose all the myths people have of blacks and Jews in the rawest way possible to tilt the scale toward truth.”
• June 1999: Simon Sheppard and David Hannam distribute about 1,500 copies of Our Politicians Are Traitor Criminals. [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 8 June 1999: Simon Sheppard and David Hannam are arrested for the distribution of Our Politicians Are Traitor Criminals. [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 19 July 1999: Simon Sheppard is considered for early release on the condition of electronic tagging. He is rejected for early release because “‘you have stated that you have no intention of obstaining from your offending behaviour, i.e. racist and sexist.” [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 1 August 1999: Simon Sheppard appeals his rejection for early release. “I am sorry that you disagree with the decision, but the fact is that, because of your views regarding incitement to racial and sexual hatred, you are viewed as danger to the public and to women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds in particular.” [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 8 August 1999: “My heartfelt thanks to all those who have written to me in prison and who have sent postal orders, which are keeping me in small luxuries like chocolate and a cigar at the end of every day to celebrate its passing. The large number of letters I have received have made a great difference to my morale during this ordeal; and I know the support I have been shown has made an impression on the prison authorities. Following assaults by other prisoners I am now segregated. I am reading prodigiously and managing to remain cheerful and optimistic for the future. – Simon Sheppard” [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 2 January 2000: Simon Sheppard (and David Hannam?) are charged with Publishing or Distributing racially inflammatory material, Possession of racially inflammatory material and other charges for the distribution of Our Politicians Are Traitor Criminals. [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 6 January 2000: David Hannam pleads guilty to all charges for the distribution of Our Politicians Are Traitor Criminals. He is sentenced to three months in jail. [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• 14 June 2000: Simon Sheppard is sentenced to nine months imprisonment for the distribution of Our Politicians Are Traitor Criminals. [heretical.com 4 November 2009]
• January – February 2002: Robert Frenz quoted: “Although listed in the ‘links’ folder, Simon Sheppard deserves another plug. Visit his http://www.heretical.com site. On it you’ll find a reproduction of Lincoln Rockwell’s famous BOAT TICKET which were popular hand-outs during the 1960s.”
• 7 March 2005: Whittle writes Dumb Niggers and Gloating Sheeneys.
• 30 March 2005: Raid on Simon Sheppard’s flat. Persecution by the British Political Police of Simon Sheppard and Luke O’Farrell at the Behest of the Kikocracy
• 1 May 2005: Simon Sheppard’s home in Hull is searched by police investigating “incitement to racial hatred.” [Wikipedia: Redwatch. 27 March 2011]
• 1 June 2005: Whittle writes Hells Bells.
• 10 July 2005: Whittle writes Make Niggers History.
• 7 September 2005: Whittle writes Diversity = Death.
• 15 January 2006: Whittle writes Three Parasites and a Funeral.
• 12 April 2006: Second raid on Simon Sheppard and first raid on Stephen Whittle. Persecution by the British Political Police of Simon Sheppard and Luke O’Farrell at the Behest of the Kikocracy.
• 24 May 2006: Simon Sheppard attended for bail. Persecution by the British Political Police of Simon Sheppard and Luke O’Farrell at the Behest of the Kikocracy/
• 14 June 2006: Simon Sheppard attended, re-bailed to appear on 3 July 2006. Persecution by the British Political Police of Simon Sheppard and Luke O’Farrell at the Behest of the Kikocracy.
• 3 July 2006: Simon Sheppard and Stephen Whittle attended bail again. Given the impression that we would be informed beforehand that we would not have to attend the next bail date and that the matter would be dropped. Re-bailed for 7 August 2006. Persecution by the British Political Police of Simon Sheppard and Luke O’Farrell at the Behest of the Kikocracy.
• 7 August 2006: Simon Sheppard and Stephen Whittle charged. Persecution by the British Political Police of Simon Sheppard and Luke O’Farrell at the Behest of the Kikocracy.
• 10 February 2008: Simon Sheppard was found guilty and sentenced to 9 months imprisonment by Alex Linder.
• 4 June 2008: LA Times reports Whittle and Sheppard straight and true by Guessedworker.
• 28 June 2008: Earliest comment regarding Tales of the Holohoax at archive.org.
• 12 July 2008: Holocaust denier convicted of trying to incite race hate online by Rob Preece.
• 14 July 2008: Sheppard found guilty of eleven counts of ‘race hate.’ Whittle found guilty on five counts relating to internet publishing. Charges include: possession of Tales of the Holohoax on 30 March 2005, possession of Tales of the Holohoax on 12 April 2006, publishing Tales of the Holohoax, publication of Dumb Niggers and Gloating Sheeneys, publication of Hells Bells, publication of Make Niggers History, publication of Diversity = Death, publication of Three Parasites and a Funeral, publication of Niggers Over America, publication of When the Goddamn Jews Take Over America, publication of Boat Ticket #2, publication of The Swastika, publication of Auschwitz Holiday Report, publication of Evil Zionist Kikes, publication of Kike Windchimes, distribution of Don’t Be Sheeple, possession of Don’t Be Sheeple on 4 July 2007, possession of Tales of the Holohoax on 4 July 2007. No evidence is presented at the trial that any ‘racial hatred’ had resulted from the internet material. No evidence is presented at the trial that anyone had accessed the relevant internet pages other the single police officer who had downloaded the website for the purpose of the prosecution. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 14 July 2008: Fugitives from Injustice by North West Nationalists.
• 16 July 2008: Race-hate pair flee to US for political asylum by Rob Preece.
• 16 July 2008: Race-hate pair flee to US for political asylum by John in Basel.
• 16 July 2008: The ‘Heretical 2′ Claim Political Asylum in the USA by The International Campaign for Real History.
• 20 July 2008: Heretical Two Seek Political Asylum in U.S. by Jeff Davis.
• 20 July 2008: One Law for Them? by Sarah Maid of Albion.
• 21 July 2008: Sheppard has seven charges considered related to printed material. The jury is unable to reach a decision. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 22 July 2008: Britain’s Political Refugees in the USA – The Heretical Two! by North West Nationalists.
• 24 July 2008: Latest News on the British Asylum Seekers in the USA – Heretical Two! by North West Nationalists.
• 24 July 2008: In Other Bizarre British Free-Speech Cases by Brendan Kiley.
• 24 July 2008: Update on Heretical Two! Donations Please by North West Nationalists.
• 25 July 2008: Re: The Heretical Duo & Closing the Border Between the UK and Ireland by North West Nationalists.
• 26-27 July 2008: Sheppard and Whittle leave England. They fly to Ireland, then the United States. They surrender to authorities in Los Angeles International Airport as a way of seeking political asylum. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 31 July 2008: The Heretical 2, Asylum Seekers the Refugee Industry Won’t be Fighting for by Nicholas Stix.
• 28 July 2008: The Heretical Press Website by Arthur Cristian.
• 31 July 2008: Fund Holder for Heretical Two by North West Nationalists.
• July 2008 – June 2009: Sheppard and Whittle are held in Santa Ana Jail by the Department of Homeland Security. Correspondents were asked not to place return address stickers on envelopes as all letters with labels of any kind were sent back marked unauthorized. Sheppard and Whittle can only send two replies per week and so used heretical.com to thank people who had written messages of support and requested they kept writing. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 2 August 2008: Update on Heretical Two by BPP WD by John in Basel.
• 2 August 2008: The Heretical Two by ironwand.
• 2 August 2008: The Heretical Two by Jack Black.
• 5 August 2008: Heretical Two – Latest News! by North West Nationalists.
• 6 August 2008: Lady Renouf Speaks About the Heretical Two by John in Basel.
• 7 August 2008: Heretical Two Appeal Fund by North West Nationalists.
• 11 August 2008: Simon Sheppard & Steve Whittle Seek Asylum Over Thought Offense Charges by jailingopinions.com.
• 11 August 2008: Fund Created for the Heretical Two by Socrates.
• 22 August 2008: Heretical Two – Latest News! by North West Nationalists.
• 23 August 2008: Heretical Two Requests for Political Asylum by hereticaltwo.nfshost.com.
• 9 September 2008: Payment Problem to Heretical Two by John in Basel.
• 12 September 2008: Online race hate pair who fled to US launch appeals by Rob Preece.
• 17 September 2008: Sheppard and Whittle have their first immigration court hearing. Bruce Leichty is their defense attorney. The residing judge claims she did not have the power to release Sheppard and Whittle under the defensive procedures adopted by the US authorities. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 17 September 2008: The Heretical 2, Requests for Asylum and Letters from Santa Ana Jail by Nicholas Stix.
• 29 September 2008: Jailed British “Heretics” Hire Asylum Lawyer by hereticaltwo.nfshost.com.
• 5 October 2008: Dear Mr. Huhne by Kate Dermody.
• 14 October 2008: Sheppard and Whittle have an ‘asylum-only proceeding.’ Immigration Judge Rose Peters resides. Sheppard and Whittle attempt release before the ruling, which is denied by the Judge. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 18 October 2008: Heretical Two Denied Bail Hearing by Alex.
• 21 October 2008: “Heretical Two” Denied Bail by Paul Ballard.
• 24 October 2008: No Remedy for Jailed British ‘Heretics’ by GWR.
• 13 November 2008: Sheppard and Whittle have a ‘calendar meeting’ of the Immigration Court. Judge Peters set the merits (main) appeal for three afternoons in blocks of four hours from 2 pm on March 10, 12 and 24 of 2009. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 8 December 2008: Sheppard retried in his absence in Leeds Crown Court, England. Six charges are considered, one charge is dropped. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 22 December 2008: Sheppard retrial in his absence in Leeds Crown Court, England deferred to 5 January 2009. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 5 January 2009: Sheppard retrial in his absence in Leeds Crown Court, England continued. Professor Rabkin argues Jews are a religion and not a race. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 6 January 2009: Sheppard retrial in his absence in Leeds Crown Court, England continued. Jury deliberates. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 8 January 2009: Sheppard retrial in his absence in Leeds Crown Court, England continues. Sheppard found guilty on three counts relating to Tales of the Holocaust and later in the day by a majority verdict on two charges relating to Don’t be Sheeple. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 8 January 2009: Guilty verdicts in retrial for race hate pair who fled to US by Yorkshire Post.
• 8 January 2009: Two guilty of inciting racial hatred against Jews by The Crown Prosecution Service.
• 9 January 2009: Race-hate pair face jail after mocking Holocaust by Rob Preece.
• 9 January 2009: ‘Forthright’ opinions play down Holocaust by Rob Preece.
• 11 January 2009: Help The Heretical Two by Paul Ballard.
• 24 January 2009: Simon Sheppard & Stephen Whittle, “The Heretical Two” by Andy.
• 21 February 2009: “Holocaust Fundamentalism” and the War on Dissent by Mark Green.
• March 2009: Police Close In on Race Hate Duo by Awaiting a Western Renaissance.
• 10 March 2009: Main Hearing against Sheppard and Whittle in their absence in Leeds Crown Court, England. Lasts 90 minutes and concerned documentation. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 12 March 2009: Sheppard and Whittle, wearing handcuffs and leg irons, have asylum hearing before Judge Peters. Sheppard and Whittle present their own case. The US Government is represented by attorney Miss Myers. Sheppard and Whittle speak of their experiences at the hands of the British police and Crown Prosecution Service. English counsel Adrian Davies confirms and gives evidence about the relevant provisions of English law (the Public Order Act 1986, as amended) and the English Court’s assertion of jurisdiction over web pages hosted on a server located in Torrance, California. Court adjourned to 1pm 24 March 2009. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 14 March 2009: Sympathy for the “Heretical Two” by Chip Smith.
• 24 March 2009: Sheppard and Whittle, wearing handcuffs and leg irons, make closing arguments for asylum before Judge Peters. US Government attorney Miss Myers makes closing arguments against asylum. Judge Peters reserves judgment. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 28 March 2009: Police close in on race hate duo by This Is Hull and East Riding.
• 28 March 2009: Holocaust-Denying Brits Languish in Santa Ana Jail, Become Worldwide Far-Right Celebrities by Gustavo Arellano.
• 30 March 2009: Sheppard retrial in his absence in Leeds Crown Court, England continues. Hearing deferred until 15 May 2009 to await the decision of the American asylum court. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 31 March 2009: US asylum case of web race-hate pair ‘could drag on’ by Rob Preece.
• 14 March 2009: Sympathy for the “Heretical Two” by Chip Smith updated.
• 29 March 2009: Monday Sentencing for Heretical Two by Mia.
• 5 April 2009: Sheppard and Whittle lose their appeal for asylum. Sheppard and Whittle given thirty days to appeal. Sheppard declines opportunity to appeal. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 5 April 2009: “Dear Harold: You were right. Our asylum claim has been denied, as has withholding of removal. We were thinking of appealing and sticking it out, but really this place is replete with people hanging on hoping for a miracle that’s never going to happen, and we don’t want to join them. Our barrister told us when he visited to testify for us that this immigration judge, Rose Peters, has granted asylum to an IRA murderer who had killed two policemen, supposedly on political grounds, so that’s the level of hypocrisy we’re up against. Better we think to go back to England, face the music, and get it over with. The ground for refusing asylum was that our prosecution in the UK did not constitute persecution (i.e. the government attorney and the IJ, both women, agree with it. The government attorney even argued against the First Amendment.) I believe that because this is a subjective assessment it is quite difficult to appeal against, and we could spend years taking it through various courts. Best wishes, Simon Sheppard & Stephen Whittle.” [Nationalists Online]
• 15 April 2009: “Heretical Two” British Dissidents Simon Sheppard And Stephen Whittle Reportedly Denied Political Asylum by White Reference.
• 15 April 2009: Heretical Two Denied Political Asylum in USA by GWR.
• 17 April 2009: Race-hate pair who fled to US refused asylum by Rob Preece.
• 6 May 2009: What the Heretical 2 Case Says about the Federal “Hate Crimes” Bill by Nicholas Stix.
• 18 May 2009: Another Letter from Stephen Whittle of the Heretical 2 by Nicholas Stix.
• June 2009: Refugee Week by Awaiting a Western Renaissance.
• 3 June 2009: Men bedeviled in bid for sanctuary by Dana Parsons.
• 4 June 2009: ‘Heretical Two’ to be Deported from USA by GWR.
• 4 June 2009: Persecution is Complicated: An Update on the “Heretical Two” by Chip Smith.
• 5 June 2009: Race-hate Britons seeking asylum in U.S. to be deported after judge rejects ‘free speech’ plea by Mail Foreign Service.
• 10 June 2009: Race hate pair set to be deported to Britain by Rob Preece.
• 16 June 2009: Sheppard and Whittle deported from the United States. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 17 June 2009: Sheppard and Whittle arrive in London. They are arrested, taken briefly to Leeds Court, then sent to prison. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 18 June 2009: Heretical Two Appear at Leeds Crown Court by GWR.
• July 2009: Web Racists to Appeal Unsafe Sentence by Awaiting a Western Renaissance.
• 10 July 209: Sheppard and Whittle appear at Leeds Crown Court. Sheppard is sentenced to four years and ten months. Sheppard’s sentence is twelve months concurrent on the three counts relating to ‘Tales of the Holohoax’, followed by a consecutive sentence of twelve months in aggregate on the two counts relating to ‘Don’t Be Sheeple’, followed by two years and six months in aggregate on the eleven Internet counts, followed by four months on the Bail Act charge. Whittle is sentence to two years and four months. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 10 July 2009: Pair jailed for web race crimes by BBC.
• 10 July 2009: The neo-Nazi ‘asylum seekers’ by BBC.
• 10 July 2009: Landmark ruling as internet race-hate fugitives locked up by Olwen Dudgeon.
• 10 July 2009: Key victory for human decency by Yorkshire Post.
• 10 July 2009: Heretical Two Jailed for ‘Race Hate’ Crimes by GWR.
• 10 July 2009: Two jailed for online racial incitement [first listing] [second listing] by Index on Censorship.
• 10 July 2009: A Couple of Whining Bitches by Big Mental Disease.
• 11 July 2009: Cosmodromium Supports Heretical.com by James D. Sass.
• 11 July 2009: Nutzies are Weird by Slackbastard.
• 12 July 2009: Two Writers by Chip Smith.
• 13 July 2009: Sheppard and Whittle imprisoned for free speech in UK by James Edwards.
• 14 July 2009: Court of Appeal (Richards LJ, Jack J and HHJ Baker QC) give leave to appeal against conviction on all the Internet counts but refused leave to appeal with respect to the hard copy counts. Full appeal to take place in 2009 and to take a day. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 14 July 2009: Quest for justice that goes beyond borders by Denis MacShane.
• 14 July 2009: Jailed race-hate pair win go-ahead for appeal by Rob Preece.
• 25 July 2009: Why does Britain ignore antisemitism? by Denis McShane.
• 29 July 2009: Heretical Two Win the First Round by James Brewster.
• 31 July 2009: Forfeiture hearing against Sheppard and Whittle before Judge Grant at Leeds Crown Court. Sheppard and Whittle physically attacked on their way to court. Sheppard fears his jaw is broken. This is not the case although he still had difficulty eating several days later. Judge Grant decides every contested point against Sheppard. Judge Grant orders the forfeiture and destruction of office equipment which Simon had serviced. An appeal is lodged against forfeiture of the printers, computers and other office equipment. [heretical.com 22 September 2009]
• 31 July 2009: The Heretical Two by Trevor Blake.
• 1 August 2009: The Heretical Two by Klint Finley.
• 1 August 2009: Heretical Two in Court Again by GWR.
• 20 August 2009 – 13 December 2009: Niggers Over America by R. Crumb exhibited by David Zwerner Gallery in New York City. Sheppard had been found guilty of race hate crimes for publication of Niggers Over America by R. Crumb.
• September 2009: freethehereticaltwo.com by various authors.
• 22 September 2009: Heretical Two Timeline by Trevor Blake.
• 22 September – 5 October 2009 (circa): Message from Simon Sheppard. “I feel fortunate in being in Armley prison for a cause and for standing up for my beliefs, rather than incarcerated for some sordid, drug-induced crime. It is obvious that three-quarters of the people are here due to government incompetence or indifference, either through allowing the import of enormous quantities of heroin or failing to provide employment. The establishment’s love affair with globalization and failure to confront obvious problems of over-population are chiefly at fault. I am doing reasonably well at present though dreading another change of cell-mate. Recently I had three different cell-mates in as many days, and a proportion are complete head cases, making me feel like a resident psychiatrist. I console myself that I am making a sacrifice for my people and although I would obviously rather not be here it is superior to being a a POW in a Japanese wartime camp, or interned for the duration of the World War 2 under Britain’s 18B Regulations. I will come through this ordeal one day. I am still held as a category B ‘remand prisoner’ in Armley Prison, Leeds – pending the appeal to the High Court in late Autumn 2009 on internet publishing charges.”
• 2 October 2009: British “Heretical Two” hire US asylum lawyer by Club of Now.
• 12 October 2009: Me and the H-Bomb Part Two: The Gas Chamber of Samuel Crowell by Chip Smith.
• 17 October 2009: Blogs from all over teh interwebs by Kevin Slaughter.
• 18 October 2009: Amnesty International, Two Flavors by Trevor Blake.
• 28 October 2009: Jack Hunter, Hate is Not a Crime by Trevor Blake.
• 30 October 2009: (circa): Stephen Whittle moved from HMP Leeds to Everthorpe Prison. [heretical.com 30 October 2009]
• 5 November 2009: Simon Sheppard and Stephen Whittle by Threatened Voices.
• 27 December 2009: Prosecution of the Heretical Two by James D. Sass.
• 3 January 2010: Canaries in the Coal Mine by Jack Donovan.
• 24 January 2010: The Heretical Two by eccnineten.
• 29 January 2010: “The appeal against conviction on internet publishing on a foreign website has been lost. Fortunately, the appeal judges ruled the sentences were excessive and reduced Simon Sheppard’s sentence by a year to 3 years and 10 months and Stephen Whittle’s sentence by six months to 1 year and 10 months.” [heretical.com]
• 31 January 2010: Heretical Two Lose Appeal, But With Sentence Reduction by James Fulford.
• 18 May 2010: “At least he’s not in prison for year like the Heretical Two are.” ATBOTL.
• 18 May 2010: “Stephen was released from prison on May 18th to a hostel in Preston, Lancashire subject to restrictions on his movements and political associations.” [heretical.com circa June 2010]
• 10 June 2010: Internet Repression by Eddy Morrison.
• 12 June 2010: Oh Noes! Wigan Mike Goes to Court Again by Slackbastard.
• 15 June 2010: Simon Sheppard and Steve Whittle, The Heretical Two, H2 by Fragileswan.
• 9 July 2010: “The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, formerly the judicial committee of the House of Lords, has refused the H2 leave to appeal. It is the practice of this Court not to give reasons for refusing leave to appeal, whereas it would be considered an error of law for any other court not to give reasons for its decisions. The H2 are now entitled to petition the European Court of Human Rights for leave to appeal to that court, which they could not do before, as would be petitioners are obliged to exhaust all domestic recourse first. Meanwhile, Steve, who was out on bail at a bail hostel in Blackburn which he found fairly agreeable, has been caught on the internet in breach of bail conditions, and sent to Preston prison. He was found by the police using the internet in Blackburn public library [the UK is no different to China and Burma in treatment of dissidents!!!]. Steve would, as ever, appreciate messages of support to show that the H2 are not forgotten in gaol.” [heretical.com]
• 15 July 2010: “On 15th July 2010 Simon was moved from Armley to a privately run prison.” [heretical.com] “On 15th July 2010 Simon Sheppard was moved from Armley to a privately run prison – HMP Wolds and was ‘downgraded’ to a category D prisoner.” [heretical.com]
• 17 August 2010: Simon Sheppard by Encyclopedia Dramatica.
• August-September 2010: “All Simon’s office equipment has now been destroyed by the Authorities – who are exuding quiet satisfaction over a ‘job well done’. It’s a great shame these incompetent bullies can’t catch real criminals…” [heretical.com]
• December 2010: “On 15th July 2010 Simon Sheppard was moved from Armley to a privately run prison – HMP Wolds and was ‘downgraded’ to a category C prisoner. He was moved again – this time to HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire as a category D prisoner on December 17, 2010. This is an open prison and, apparently, has a good reputation and extensive grounds. It was nearly Christmas and it appeared there was some humanity left in the British legal system after all. However, on Wednesday 22 December, five days later, three police officers arrived at 7.30 am and handcuffed him, he was then banged up in a segregated holding cell to await transport back to HMP Wolds. The Prison governor refused to explain the reason for this high drama, but Simon was later informed that his ‘offence’ put him in a special security classification which meant that the jail could not allocate him – a higher office had to give permission, but this procedure had been ‘overlooked’. The allocation to Sudbury was therefore flawed, so he had to be shipped back to Everthorpe. His treatment, ostensibly, had nothing to do with his actions in prison [but more to do with his views and comments made by supporters?]… Once the formalities are sorted out he could be shipped back to Sudbury, or elsewhere – perhaps in mid January.” [heretical.com]
• 17 December 2010: “[Simon] was moved again – this time to HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire on December 17, 2010. This is an open prison and has a good reputation and extensive grounds, but has large numbers of Moslem prisoners and “racist incident report boxes everywhere you looked”.” [heretical.com]
• 22 December 2010: “On Wednesday 22 December, five days later, three prison officers arrived at 7.30 am and he was handcuffed to a negro officer, in an apparent attempt to provoke him, he was then banged up in a segregated holding cell to await transport back to HMP Wolds. The Prison governor refused to explain the reason for this apparent abuse of authority, but Simon was later informed that his ‘offence’ put him in a special security classification which meant that the jail could not allocate him – a higher office had to give permission, but this procedure had been ‘overlooked’. The allocation to Sudbury was therefore flawed, so he had to be shipped back to HMP Wolds. His treatment, ostensibly, had nothing to do with his actions in prison [but more to do with his views and comments made by supporters?]…Simon was kept at HMP Wolds in East Yorkshire until May 17.” [heretical.com]
• February 2011: Some time between 2008 and February 2011, hereticaltwo.nfshost.com goes offline. Some time between 2009 and February 2011, freethehereticaltwo.com goes offline.
• April 2011: “Steve [...] finished his sentence in mid April 2011.” [heretical.com]
• March 2011: “Although Simon expected to be shipped back to Sudbury, or elsewhere after the formalities were sorted out, he remains (March 2011) in HMP Wolds.” “[In October 2010] Steve was released back to the bail hostel, but is now subject to very rigorous scrutiny by police and probation services, as he is classed as a ‘Mappa 3’ offender – which is defined as ‘someone who is a considered to pose a serious risk to the public’ – perhaps because of his penchant for bird watching and reading Evelyn Waugh…” [heretical.com]
• 17 May 2011: “Simon was kept at HMP Wolds in East Yorkshire until May 17.  He was then released under licence from prison, and escorted to a bail hostel in York. He is now subject to ‘MAPPA3’, as he is classed as one of the ‘critical few’! This regime involves two roll calls per day, case conferences by senior police and probation service, and no internet access. “MAPPA3 is for high risk, or high profile offenders, it is not exclusively for sex offenders.” The usual stay at the hostel is 12 weeks, but he could be obliged to stay there until the expiry of his licence in 2013 – depending on various factors, such as availability of somewhere else to live. This is a back door way of increasing his sentence and he has been treated as if he were a recidivist criminal, or a dangerous paedophile. However, the hostel is small and at least he is now be able to go out and visit a library, park, or cafe…” [heretical.com]
• 24 May 2011: The Labour Party War Against White Britain by The Occidental Observer.
• May 2011: “Simon was kept at HMP Wolds in East Yorkshire until May 17. He was then released under licence from prison, and escorted to a bail hostel in York. He is now subject to ‘MAPPA3’, as he is classed as one of the ‘critical few’! This regime involves two roll calls per day, case conferences by senior police and probation service, and no internet access. The MAPPA regime has up to now been used only for sex offenders, but is ‘evolving’.. Simon who is, of course, classed as a ‘racist’ – will be treated as if he were a dangerous paedophile. He has been informed that that MAPPA3 can only be imposed for 12 weeks, but it is a back door way of increasing his sentence and other, longer term, restrictions may well be imposed. He should at least be able to go out and visit a library, park, or cafe.” [heretical.com]
• June 2011: “The hostel is small and at least [Simon] is now be able to go out and visit a library, park, or cafe.” [heretical.com]

The following is a summary provided by Simon Sheppard, as archived from heretical.com on 16 October 2011:

Prosecution of the Heretical Two (H2)

Simon Sheppard was found guilty on Friday July 14, 2008 of eleven counts of ‘publishing material deemed likely to be racially inflammatory’ – all relating to internet publishing posted in Torrance, California – words protected by the First Amendment! Stephen Whittle (Luke O’Farrell) was found guilty on five counts also relating to internet publishing. The case had some analogies with the (failed) extradition hearings in London for Dr Toben’s deportation for trial in Germany for ‘holocaust denial’ and with the Zundel trial. However the Germans claim jurisdiction over German nationals even if they post material on the internet abroad and/or live abroad. In the case of the H2 an English court went further still by asserting jurisdiction over writings on the internet if they could be downloaded in England.

Simon’s remaining seven charges were considered by the jury the following Monday. These related mainly to printed material on which the jury was unable to reach a decision. However, they left over the weekend for Ireland, then flew to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and surrendered to officials in order to seek political asylum in the U.S.A.

The law over internet publishing in the UK had been reinterpreted without debate to end freedom of speech on the internet, presumably acting on the orders of their masters in the E.U. and the Heretical Two were facing the imminent prospect of lengthy prison sentences. They were held by the Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.) at Santa Ana Jail, California, USA. Correspondents were asked not to place return address stickers on envelopes; as all letters with labels of any kind were sent back marked unauthorized. They could only send two replies per week so used this site to thank the many people who had already written with messages of support and requested they kept writing, as it all helped. They also thanked those who contributed to the defence funds.

The first immigration court session was held on September 17 with Bruce Leichty who was hired as defence attorney. The judge claimed that she did not have the power to release the Heretical Two under the defensive procedures adopted by the US authorities. The ‘asylum-only proceedings’ for the Heretical Two was heard by immigration judge, Rose Peters, on October 14. An attempt to get them released before the ruling on asylum was denied by the judge, whose reasoning appeared contradictory. At the ‘calendar meeting’ of the immigration court on Thursday 13 November – the judge set the merits (main) appeal for three afternoons in blocks of four hours from 2 pm on March 10, 12 and 24 of 2009.

The H2 were still detained in jail in California for activities in America which the British government now deems to be crimes, i.e. exercising the right to free speech, but which ironically are not held to be crimes under American law.

In December 2008 Simon’s retrial was held in his absence, as the British government was not prepared to wait for the outcome of the political asylum proceedings in the US. The new trial commenced on Monday December 8 at Leeds Crown Court and six charges were considered – one charge was dropped. The trial was deferred on December 22 to January 5, 2009 – the following day the jury went out to deliberate and on January 8 found Simon guilty on three counts relating to Tales of the Holohoax and later in the day, by a majority verdict on two charges relating to Don’t be Sheeple – even Professor Rabkin’s cogent arguments that the Jews were a religion and not a race had failed to impress the jury.

The establishment had so far effectively managed to contain reporting on the trials and asylum attempt to cold and slanted reports in the Yorkshire and Lancashire media, without any discussion of the many issues arising from the case. The H2 belatedly obtained considerable publicity in this area – The Yorkshire Post carried the most extensive reports, but was extremely biased, to the point of dishonesty. The Main Hearing on March 10 only lasted 90 minutes and concerned documentation.

Reports on the Hearings on 12 and 24 March, 2009 follow: …. the Heretical Two’s asylum hearing proceeded before the U.S. Immigration Judge, Judge Rose Peters. Simon Sheppard and Steve Whittle (who were brought into court in handcuffs and leg irons, which, they confirmed, was standard procedure when asylum seekers are held in detention pending the hearing of their case, and not victimization of themselves) – the H2 presented their own cases. The U.S. government was represented by its attorney, Miss Myers. The Court heard evidence from Simon and Steve about their experiences at the hands of the British police and Crown Prosecution Service, and also from their English counsel, Adrian Davies, who gave evidence about the relevant provisions of English law (the Public Order Act 1986, as amended) and the English Court’s assertion of jurisdiction over web pages hosted on a server located in Torrance, California. The hearing was conducted in a very fair, courteous and thorough manner, though inevitably Simon and Steve were at some disadvantage, because they are not lawyers, and are moreover being held in prison, where they have had very limited facilities to prepare for the hearing.

After a lengthy sitting, the Court adjourned to 1 p.m., West Coast time, on March 24, when Simon and Steve addressed the Court on their own behalf, and Miss Myers made representations on behalf of the U. S. government. [Report ends]. On, Tuesday, 24 March, HHJ Peters heard closing arguments from Miss Myers, counsel for the U. S. government, and Messrs Sheppard and Whittle on their own behalf. At the conclusion of the argument, HHJ Peters reserved judgment, which was to be handed down in writing in due course. Since the case of the Heretical Two involved unusual questions of fact and law and more documentary evidence than is usual in asylum hearings, the judge’s decision to reserve her judgment was not surprising. It was delivered within 30 days. In the meanwhile, Messrs Sheppard and Whittle remained in Santa Ana jail.

The Leeds Crown Court Hearing on March 30 was deferred until May 15 to await the decision of the American asylum court. There was been further limited reporting in the UK – Yorkshire Post March 31 and Hull and East Riding News March 28.

The Heretical Two lost their Claim for asylum on April 5, 2009 – Anglo-phobic ‘judge’ Peters, had previously supported the cause of Sean Kelly (O’Cealleagh). She granted asylum to this IRA member because “it was a purely political case.” Kelly was one of three men sentenced to life for the public beating, stripping and shooting of Corporals Derek Wood and David Howes in Belfast in 1988. He had been released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, relocated to the USA, and then post-9/11 served with a deportation order. The H2 had 30 days to appeal against the, clearly, pre-determined decision, but Simon subsequently contacted the authorities to say that they would not appeal. Simon and Steve were deported from LAX on June 16, arrived in London June 17, where they were arrested, taken briefly to Leeds Crown Court, and then to prison. The Heretical Two would like to express their sincere thanks to all their American supporters who wrote with letters of support, visited and sent in funds.

The H2 appeared in Leeds Crown Court again on Friday on July 10 2009 for sentencing. Simon received a very harsh sentence of 4 years and 10 months sentence and Stephen – two years and four months. Simon’s sentence comprised 12 months concurrent on the three counts relating to Tales of the Holohoax, followed by a consecutive sentence of 12 months in aggregate on the two counts relating to Don’t Be Sheeple, followed by two years and six months in aggregate on the eleven Internet counts, followed by four months on the Bail Act charge.

On Tuesday, July 14 the Court of Appeal (Richards LJ, Jack J and HHJ Baker QC) gave leave to appeal against conviction on all the Internet counts, but refused leave to appeal with respect to the hard copy counts.

A forfeiture hearing took place on Friday July 31st before Judge Grant at Leeds. The judge decided every contested point against Simon and contravened the letter, as well as the spirit of the law, as many items had been illegally seized by the police in the first place on their three raids. He ordered the forfeiture and destruction of large amounts of valuable office equipment – mainly comprising large printers, which Simon had serviced. An appeal was lodged against sentence re: forfeiture of the printers, computers and other office equipment was heard at the same time as the internet publishing appeal, i.e. not within the statutory twenty-one days. This full appeal hearing before three judges was held on Thursday November 26 and 27, 2009 at the Law Courts, Strand, London.

An appeal is being made to the European Court of Human Rights over the decision by the Leeds Appeal Court judge not to review the notorious decision in Reg. v. Birdwood when Judge Pownall’s decision that “the truth is no defence” in race cases was upheld. This appeal should result in some useful publicity in a few years’ time. Stephen was moved from HMP Leeds (Armley prison) to the lower category Everthorpe Prison in East Yorkshire, but Simon remained at Armley voluntarily as a category C prisoner, as he had a “decent job in the print shop.” On January 29, 2010 – news was received that the appeal against conviction on internet publishing on a foreign website was lost. The appeal against forfeiture of good was also lost.

Fortunately, the appeal judges ruled the sentences were excessive and reduced Simon Sheppard’s sentence by a year to 3 years and 10 months and Stephen Whittle’s sentence by six months to 1 year and 10 months. Leave to appeal against sentence was granted on internet publishing, but appeal with respect to the forfeiture of goods order was denied. A subsequent appeal court hearing certified “points of law of general importance” which enables the H2 to directly petition the Supreme Court for the right to appeal on these points.

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, formerly the judicial committee of the House of Lords, refused the H2 leave to appeal (no surprise there then!!!). It is the practice of this Court not to give reasons for refusing leave to appeal, whereas it would be considered an error of law for any other court not to give reasons for its decisions. The H2 are now entitled to petition the European Court of Human Rights for leave to appeal to that court, which they could not do before, as would-be petitioners are obliged to exhaust all domestic recourse first. All Simon’s office equipment has now been destroyed by the Authorities – who are exuding quiet satisfaction over a ‘job well done.’

Meanwhile, Steve, out on bail at a bail hostel in Blackburn which he found fairly agreeable, was caught in a minor breach of his bail conditions a few weeks after his release, and sent to Preston prison in June 2010. He was found by the police using the internet in Blackburn public library. The UK is not so different from China and Burma in its treatment of political dissidents – except that there are far fewer of them, as most opposition is safely contained within the system – genuine opponents are hysterically denounced as ‘racists’ and ‘nazis’ by the covertly controlled media. Four months later Steve was released back to the bail hostel, and finished his sentence in mid April 2011.

On 15th July 2010 Simon Sheppard was moved from Armley to a privately run prison – HMP Wolds and was ‘downgraded’ to a category D prisoner. He was moved again – this time to HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire on December 17, 2010. This is an open prison and has a good reputation and extensive grounds, but has large numbers of Moslem prisoners and “racist incident report boxes everywhere you looked.” On Wednesday 22 December, five days later, three prison officers arrived at 7.30 am and he was handcuffed to a Negro officer, in a deliberate attempt to provoke him, he was then banged up in a segregated holding cell to await transport back to HMP Wolds. The Prison governor refused to explain the reason for this apparent abuse of authority, but Simon was later informed that his ‘offence’ put him in a special security classification which meant that the jail could not allocate him – a higher office had to give permission, but this procedure had been ‘overlooked.’ The allocation to Sudbury was therefore flawed, so he had to be shipped back to HMP Wolds. His treatment, ostensibly, had nothing to do with his actions in prison [but more to do with his views and comments made by supporters?]…Simon was kept at HMP Wolds in East Yorkshire until May 17.

He was then released under licence from prison, and escorted to a bail hostel in York. He is now subject to ‘MAPPA3,’ the only one in North Yorkshire, as he is classed as one of the ‘critical few!’ This regime involves two roll calls per day, case conferences by senior police and probation service, and no internet access. “MAPPA3 is for high risk, or high profile offenders, it is not exclusively for sex offenders.” The usual stay at the hostel is 12 weeks, but he could be obliged to stay there until the expiry of his licence in 2013 – depending on various factors, such as availability of somewhere else to live. This is a back door way of increasing his sentence and he has been treated as if he were a recidivist criminal, or a dangerous paedophile. However, the hostel is small and at least he is now be able to go out and visit a library, park, or cafe…

Simon reports that he is spending his time productively and is writing a book on psychology.