> (Thanks to Chuck Fager and Timothy Hodges for this report. Please forward to media and elected-official contacts.)
> On August 3, Timothy Hodges read the statement below to the Johnston County Commissioners during their public comment session. Timothy is president of the Johnston County NAACP .
> Chuck Fager of Quaker House, Fayetteville , then read from a letter by interrogator Matthew Alexander to President Obama about how torture has increased the danger to US troops. Commissioner Tony Braswell, who has a son in Afghanistan , asked Chuck questions for 20 minutes.
On August 3, Timothy Hodges read the statement below to the Johnston County Commissioners during their public comment session. Timothy is president of the Johnston County NAACP .
> Chuck Fager of Quaker House, Fayetteville , then read from a letter by interrogator Matthew Alexander to President Obama about how torture has increased the danger to US troops. Commissioner Tony Braswell, who has a son in Afghanistan , asked Chuck questions for 20 minutes.
> – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the Commission. It is a pleasure to see you all again.
> Tonight I want to speak briefly to you about a subject that is close to my heart, namely keeping our community safe from terrorism, foreign or domestic.
> You all know that some Johnston County residents, including one Daniel Patrick Boyd, were recently arrested for allegedly planning jihad actions somewhere outside the United States .
> I hope and pray that justice will be done in this case, and that all these defendants will receive a fair trial, in accord with all the American constitutional guarantees. I trust you will join me in that hope.
> However, as I read the federal indictment handed down last week, I learned something important that I want to share with you, because it bears on an issue that I have discussed with you before.
> Let me begin with a partial quote from the indictment, on pages 3 and 4, where it says that, and I quote:
> . . . The defendants DANIEL PATRICK BOYD, a/k/a "Saifullah,"[and the others] . . . did knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully combine, conspire, confederate and agree with other individuals . . . in preparation for, and in carrying out, a violation or violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 956, (Conspiracy to murder, KIDNAP, MAIM OR INJURE PERSONS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY), that is, conspiring with one or more persons to commit, at any place outside the jurisdiction of the United States, an act that would constitute the offense of murder . . . , KIDNAPPING, MAIMING, AND INJURING, if committed in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States and in so doing, commit an act within the United States to effect an object of such conspiracy.” [Unquote.]
> What I learned from this, ladies and gentlemen, was that it is now a GRAVE CRIME in the United States to plan and conspire to kidnap, injure, maim or murder someone in a foreign country. Such plans and conspiracies are subject to investigation and punishment.
> Mr. Chairman, on several occasions I and others have tried to convey to you many credible allegations that numerous such conspiracies — many more such grave crimes — of kidnapping, maiming, injuring and even murdering, persons in foreign counties, have been planned and carried out in Johnston County, from the Aero Contractors facilities at the Johnston County airport, which is under your direct jurisdiction. The fact that these kidnappings, injuries and maiming have been called by the name of “extraordinary rendition” does not change their unlawful and conspiratorial nature.
> We have brought to your attentions many pages of evidence to corroborate these allegations, and pleaded with you to exercise your responsibility for the airport, to see to it that any such conspiracies to kidnap, injure, maim or murder persons in foreign countries are stopped, and those responsible for them brought to justice.
> Again tonight, Mr. Chairman, I want to urge you to take steps immediately, to examine these many credible allegations involving Aero Contractors, and refer all findings to state and federal law enforcement authorities.
> Conspiracies to kidnap, injure, maim and murder persons overseas have no place in Johnston County , or anywhere else in America . I respectfully call on you to uphold the laws of America in the county facilities which you oversee.
> Thank you very much for your time and attention.
>
Note: The above was forwarded to me from Timothy Hodges President of the Johnston County NAACP.
