After the Alabama Supreme Court set an execution date for me for April 19 2002, my life has become a circus. Two different psychologists were dispatched to my cell to determine if I was, might be – or might become suicidal. I assured them that I am not suicidal. I have a firm belief that suicide is morally wrong, and George and I are continuing to fight for an investigation by Congress into the conspiracy and cover-up in our case, a subsequent overturn of our convictions and our immediate release, including compensation for our loss of freedom, affection of family, and property, for a total of $42 million.

Shortly after the “date” was announced, the warden , and the prison Commissioner and his deputies came to my cell to tell me they had decided I could have two interviews - one state and one national. I had already chosen an investigative reporter to have the state exclusive and plans were underway for an interview. But a few days later the Commissioner returned with the warden and another man I’m certain was a “bigwig” with a statewide police organization. The Commissioner told me he had changed his mind about the interview “in consideration for the police community”. I’m no fool, and I’m no ‘shrinking violet”, and I asked him bluntly if he had changed his mind under political pressure. He immediately looked down – a certain giveaway that I had hit the bull’s-eye. However, his reneging has backfired. In a letter to the reporter, I told her that the Commissioner was violating Federal policy dealing with prisoner’s rights according to a famous class action lawsuit in which the Federal courts ruled that prisoners cannot be denied face-to-face media interview except for legitimate security concerns. So, the TV station, seeing the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with the first woman scheduled to be executed in Alabama in 45 years, is suing the Commissioner for violation of the First Amendment. Other reporters on a Friday Night PBS news reviews program admitted that the Commissioner’s sudden reversal of his permission for interviews made them suspicious that our charge that there was conspiracy and cover-up in our case may have credence.

Then, a week later, the Alabama Supreme Court suddenly changed my execution date to May 10, 2002 without explanation, though the media have conjectured that the Alabama Supreme Court was concerned that I would be viewed as another “April 19th martyr” by the so called “patriot community”. Ironically, I had not even noticed the date’s significance until the court and the media made a big deal of it, which points out that the so-called “right-wing”, “radical”, “extremist”, “anti-government” movement is largely a media fabrication blown way out of proportion to the actuality of the size and organization of various protest groups. The media love to consider themselves onto “something big” while chasing ghosts.

There is a flurry of activity on the internet and other places concerning my “date” and I am very grateful for the outpouring of support. I’m receiving letters from all over the world, Even so, many are concerned that George and I are mentally unstable for pursuing appeal to Congress rather than the courts. But, I did have a two hour visit with the best DP lawyer in Alabama, and even he honestly admitted that the appeals process is so biased toward the prosecution that our chances are slim for acquittal and release. Settling for a commuted or reduced sentence is not an option for us. We are entitled to a full investigation, and we are not afraid for all the facts to be revealed.

The media continue to report that we are “extremists”. Compared to what? We have libertarian beliefs but we are certainly not “anti-government”. The fact that we are vocal about the abuses by government agents or agencies we’ve encountered make us no more “anti-government” than the NAACP or NOW, who vocalize similar complaints.

George and I are far from mentally incompetent. The enmity toward us is for one simple reason – we refuse to be victims, and we refuse to continue to be railroaded by the same court system that puts us on Death Row. If I may borrow a Yogi Berra quip – "It’s not over ‘til its over".

Signed by: Lynda Lyon

April 18, 2002.

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