Voice of Freedom

I was "introduced" to Gerry Spence and his legal work and writing when I had the opportunity to read and review "The Smoking Gun," one of Spence's fifteen published books. His legal work alone is impressive; he has never lost a criminal case and has not lost a civil case since 1969. (http://www.gerryspence.com/index2.html)

You might be tempted to think that's because he's only taken on cases he saw as sure things, but quite the opposite is true. Spence, instead, has chosen to defend the innocence or civil rights of people for whom justice seems a distant ally, but people and causes for which Spence feels need good representation--among them Imelda Marcos, Randy Weaver, Karen Silkwood.

My most recent "acquaintance" with Gerry Spence came when I happened upon his book, "From Freedom to Slavery," published 1993 in a used book store. Perhaps you are one of those people who only read the newest book out or the latest book of the month--if so, I beseech you to reconsider. The messages, for there are many, in "From Freedom to Slavery" are every bit as appropriate and thought-provoking today, if not more so, than in 1993. No matter if, when you've completed this book, you agree or disagree with Spence. The most important thing will be the thoughts and ideas that the book will promote for you as an individual as you read it.

This is a look at America and the growing lack of freedom that many of us haven't stopped to consider, and for those who have considered that very fact, there is much for them to learn and consider in this book. To read the first chapter, go to the website link under "Supporting links."

Be prepared to be shocked if you aren't fully cognizant of the facts of the Randy Weaver trial--the man whom most of us remember only as the skinhead charged with the murder of a government agent at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. Spence defended Weaver pro bono, taking the government to task for its innuendos and out-right misrepresentations of facts. If you are one of those folks, who like many of us believe the bad guys "get off" because of some loop hole, be ready to open your mind.

For all his fame and notoriety, Spence has a very down-to-earth manner of looking at life and a knack for pure logic that few possess. He is a man of the land, having been raised in small towns in Wyoming and still making his home there today. As a young child, he lived a very rural and earthy existence, one where his family and himself lived from the land. Spence's love of the land and many of the views of Native Americans are evident in his prose, and even there--or especially there--it is difficult to argue with his logic.

If I have whet your appetite to learn more about this enigmatic man and his ideas, work, and books, I invite you to visit his website, available in the supporting links section. While at the site, be sure to look over his "Shared Ideas" section, and the section on his public interest work.