William M. Kunstler
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My Life As a Radical Lawyer
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published
1994
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10 editions
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Politics on Trial
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published
2002
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6 editions
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The Emerging Police State: Resisting Illegitimate Authority
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published
2004
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Deep In My Heart
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published
1966
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4 editions
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Trials and Tribulations
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published
1985
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2 editions
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?: The Original Trial of Caryl Chessman
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published
1973
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The Case for Courage
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Hints and Allegations: The World (In Poetry and Prose) According to
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published
1994
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4 editions
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Rebel at the Bar: An Autobiography
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published
1994
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Deep in my Heart
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“And that’s the terrible myth of organized society. That everything that’s done through the established system is legal. And that word has a powerful psychological impact. It makes people believe that there is an order to life and an order to a system. And that a person who goes through this order and is convicted has gotten all that is due him and therefore society can turn its conscious off and look to other things and other times. And that’s the terrible thing about these past trials that they have this aura of legitimacy an aura of legality. I suspect that better men than the world has known and more of them have gone to their deaths through a legal system then through all the illegalities in the history of man. Six million people in Europe during the Third Reich, legal, Sacco and Vanzetti, quite legal, the Haymarket defendants, legal, the hundreds of rape trials throughout the south where black men were condemned to death all legal, Jesus legal, Socrates legal and that is the kaleidoscopic nature of what we live through here and in other places because all tyrants learn that it is far better to do this thing through some semblance of legality than to do it without that pretext.”
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“And that's the terrible thing about these past trials, is that they have this aura of legitimacy, this aura of legality. I suspect that better men than the world has known and more of them, have gone to their deaths through a legal system than through all the illegalities in the history of man.
Six million people in Europe during the Third Reich? Legal.
Sacco Vanzetti? Quite legal.
The Haymarket defendants? Legal.
The hundreds of rape trials throughout the South where black men were condemned to death? All legal.
Jesus? Legal.
Socrates? Legal.
And that is the kaleidoscopic nature of what we live through here and in other places. Because all tyrants learn that it is far better to do this thing through some semblance of legality than to do it without that pretense.”
―
Six million people in Europe during the Third Reich? Legal.
Sacco Vanzetti? Quite legal.
The Haymarket defendants? Legal.
The hundreds of rape trials throughout the South where black men were condemned to death? All legal.
Jesus? Legal.
Socrates? Legal.
And that is the kaleidoscopic nature of what we live through here and in other places. Because all tyrants learn that it is far better to do this thing through some semblance of legality than to do it without that pretense.”
―
“And that is the terrible myth of organized society, that everything that's done through the established system is legal -- and that word has a powerful psychological impact. It makes people believe that there is an order to life, and an order to a system, and that a person that goes through this order and is convicted, has gotten all that is due him. And therefore society can turn its conscience off, and look to other things and other times.”
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Topics Mentioning This Author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On The Same Page : Elizabeth A.G.'s Let's Read Around the USA Challenge | 2 | 10 | Feb 18, 2022 07:12AM |
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