{"id":2469,"date":"2023-11-20T01:57:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T01:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2469"},"modified":"2023-10-13T15:03:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T15:03:32","slug":"chap-49-skip-forsakes-legal-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2469","title":{"rendered":"Chap. 49 – Skip Forsakes Legal Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 49<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skip Forsakes Expert Legal Advice<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     On Monday, December 19, we met with the lawyers Steve recommended \u2013 two different sets of lawyers.   We\u2019d first stopped at the NYC headquarters of the ACLU about handling a class action law suit to stop police profiling for stop-and-frisks (arising out of our Oklahoma City bust) – saying we knew a friendly judge who would be happy to spill the beans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     In the afternoon all six of us (minus Huck) were back on the Jersey side of the Hudson River heading to the office of the Constitutional Rights Center.  Suddenly Sally pointed, \u201cHey, there\u2019s the airport exit! \u2013 Really close by if this next meeting doesn\u2019t make me feel safe, everything<\/em> feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Leaving the Lincoln Tunnel, Rocky had made a joke about the heavy toll we paid to get into the City (the heavy burden we were carrying) but getting out was free: “Last chance everybody – our ‘Get out of jail free card.’ Keep heading straight back to Minnesota. Don’t give Steve the chance to bungle this – and we all end up locked up before nightfall.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve used the lack of laughter to say, \u201cTime to get serious,\u201d and began briefing us on what to expect.  Occasionally twitching his mustache, he told us the lawyers we were off to see were very experienced with politics, terrorism, constitutional rights stuff.  They\u2019d handled cases representing Tom Hayden in the Chicago 8 trial, Native Americans at Wounded Knee, the Weather Underground in the Brinks Armored Car Robbery.  More recently, they had been successful suing the U.S. government to stop unlawful surveillance and to check executive power in the \u201cGlobal War on Terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cThey\u2019ve negotiated deals where \u2013 before you turn yourself in \u2013 the government agrees not to prosecute you, or agrees to get you a reduced sentence, so we should be okay.  I don\u2019t think anybody, except maybe Skip, has done anything that could lead to charges at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     We had been careful to plan what we told the Rights Center lawyer to just put Skip in the middle of all this, and have the rest of us be like Patty and Sally who knew nothing until the ride up to the City.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     With a final tug at his moustache, Steve finished: \u201cOne thing they\u2019re going to tell us is that everything we tell them is confidential and will be held in strict confidence \u2013 except<\/em> if we start blabbing about this to other people, or<\/em> tell them we\u2019re about to go out and commit some crime \u2013 then they have a duty to stop us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell, is it a crime just to hold on to our information, keep what we know from the authorities?\u201d Skip asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cGood question for the lawyers \u2013 that\u2019s a gray area,\u201d Steve replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Sitting in our second less-than-opulent conference room of the day, Skip, holding his St. Paul Saints baseball cap in his lap, did all the talking, keeping all names out of it, except his own.  Before he was too far into the story, one of the lawyers (there were two of them) said, \u201cHold on a minute.  There has to be an attorney \u2013 client relationship established in order to make what you tell us confidential, and if you say things in front of these others, you lose that right of confidentiality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Sally, dressed for the first time in the one business suit she brought along (in case of flying we guessed) broke in: \u201cWe don\u2019t know anything about this.  Maybe the rest of us should just leave you two alone with Skip.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cThat\u2019s probably a good idea,\u201d the other lawyer said, \u201cbut Steve, you\u2019re an attorney, right?  If you want to stay, and tell us you\u2019re acting as Skip\u2019s lawyer \u2013 that would be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     So we all left the room, except Skip and Steve, and couldn\u2019t wait to learn what transpired after we left.  Meanwhile, Sally already knew the flight schedules out of Newark to MSP International.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     An hour later, Skip and Steve emerged, and we gathered outside for a recounting.  Steve started: \u201cLook you guys, it\u2019s not good.  They advised Skip to immediately call the FBI, said they\u2019d walk over with him right now to the FBI office at the Courthouse.  Skip will tell you his thoughts in a minute.  My advice is that the Land Yacht go back to Huck’s and his musician buddies, and just go on with being Rumpkins.  Forget all the murder mystery and terrorist stuff.  Forget you ever heard anything about any of it.  AND DON\u2019T TALK ABOUT IT!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Skip said he was pondering his next move \u2013 that he appreciated all the advice \u2013 but was going back to Philadelphia with Steve on the next train.  \u201cPhyllis is okay with having us back, but you guys should stay close by – Huck’s place is only an hour away straight up I-95.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Rocky said, \u201cI\u2019ve been best buddies with Scotch [his nickname for Skip] since 1972.  I\u2019m not abandoning him now.  I don\u2019t know enough about it all yet.  I\u2019ll make sure my buddy gets to the authorities if it becomes necessary.  I\u2019m going back to Philly with Scotch and Steve.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Our doctor, Max, said his ex-Lisa might be implicated indirectly through her brother Ken, and felt the best way to look out for her was by going back to Philly as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Skip, Steve, Rocky, and Max then headed back to Philadelphia on the Metro Liner.  Patty said, \u201cSally, your choice, ride with me up to Huck\u2019s or drop you at the airport?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cMy curiosity has got the best of me \u2013 this exceeds any past harnessing of my imagination.  I can\u2019t leave now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 49 Skip Forsakes Expert Legal Advice      On Monday, December 19, we met with the lawyers Steve recommended \u2013 two different sets of lawyers.   We\u2019d first stopped at the NYC headquarters of the ACLU about handling a class action … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2469"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2469"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2664,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2469\/revisions\/2664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}