Rubashkin sentenced to 27 years in prison

I was outraged by the overly unusually cruel punishment levied against Sholom Rubashkin, in a grossly disproportionate manner to others guilty of similar crimes.

Please read the following stories about Rubahin”

Free Sholom Rubashkin! Professor William L. Anderson Explains
http://bit.ly/b3Z2dY

White-collar blues http://bit.ly/czYX7M

Read the coverage in the New York http://nyti.ms/d1iJ6a

Read the coverage in the New York Jewish Week: http://bit.ly/bJrghC

Read the coverage in JTA: http://bit.ly/97fJqa

Everyone of us is fallible. We are all human. We make mistakes, and are in one way or another are penalized for them. Those that are in the public eye, in the spot light, are scrutinized more and are judged by some imaginary measures. Those that are wealthy or famous are just as vulnerable, or sometimes even more so, than all of us who live, transgress, and go on without public humiliation, jail, emotional and financial burdens, and hefty monetary sums.

Sholom Rubashkin was a manager of the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa, when government agents raided the plant and arrested almost 350 illegal immigrants that worked there. In November, Mr. Rubashkin was convicted of 86 counts of federal bank fraud linked to loans to the company.

Prosecutors have asked Judge Linda R. Reade to impose a life sentence, but later lowered their request to 25 years. The Judge increased it to 27 years, which is essentially is a life sentence.

Let’s now look at the broader picture. We have to admit that Mr. Rubashkin did so much good for everyone that he encountered. He gave jobs to so many people, undoubtedly propelling Iowa’s economy for many years. Parents were able to feed their children, farmers and small business owners were able to thrive, as their businesses blossomed. He certainly improved the economy of Postville, the city where his company was established. The bank made many millions of dollars on interest alone, the government made many millions of dollars in taxes. He was giving meat and poultry to the poor for free or half price from his butcher store.

Over 37,000 people signed a petition in a very short period of time in his defense including high ranking government officials. Would it make a difference if 100,000 people would have signed or 1,000,000,000 people, or would it take the president himself?

So what is going on here? Why are we so vicious towards him? Why take such extra-ordinary measures to create this man-hunt? Is it because he’s minority – so different than the rest of the folks in Iowa? Wearing his peculiar clothes, beard and side-locks in place he stands out like a sore thumb in Iowa’s farming country-side. Is it because PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is once again violently pursuing the rights of the animals it represents, while purposefully trampling the lives of human beings? Let’s face it, butchering isn’t pretty, but the rest of us are unlikely to stop eating beef anytime soon!

In a country where one is innocent until proven guilty, a man was ripped out of his place of business, incarcerated without bail, and now awaits a sentence that is far more grievous than received by murderers. Giving a life sentence, robbing a man of any chance at life, tearing his family asunder is a true death penalty. The interpreter for the court in the repercussion of Postville told that people were brought in chains in a meticulously organized manner into makeshift rooms in groups of ten to rooms without cameras. Does it not remind us something that happened in early 1940's in Europe?

Yes, the bank unfortunately lost $26 million. But while Mr. Rubashkin was dutifully paying his debt to the bank, the bank had actually received over 20 million of it in interest alone. Any company, if sued by the government, can go bankrupt. Microsoft giant lost many billions when government was on its tail about 10 years ago (does not matter for which reasons). But as was mentioned, the bank would not lose anything if not for the scandal, which was started and further engineered by the prosecution. Prior to the raid bank was making significant revenue from Agriprocessors. Therefore, in my opinion, the bank's loss was to significant degree caused by the prosecution.

This case has been manufactured out of thin air, and it is preposterous that the mass media does not focus on the fine details, which make this case a travesty of justice. The entire raid started due to immigration issues. Had Mr. Rubashkin been tried on those and actually been found guilty, his prison sentence would have been minimal. Prosecution decided though to pick and choose, and “dig up dirt” on Mr. Rubashkin, to see what else would surface. They then, as if by magic, completely drop the entire immigration charge, and charge with federal fraud. For what? A very antiquated and obsolete Iowa law states that farmers are to be paid within 3-4 days after the transaction. The prosecution found multiple occasions where Mr. Rubashkin paid them 5-7 days later. He never stiffed anyone, just literally paid the farmers a couple of days late. Please be advised that for that, this man’s life is on the line.

The other charge is that he allegedly over-inflated some of his sales receipts as if to show more revenue in order to receive the bank loans that he did. Before this situation erupted, Mr. Rubashkin was paying the bank back regularly and as stated previously the bank had already made over 20 million dollars back on him alone in interest. Now, because of this case, and this forceful lockdown of his business for the above reasons, he cannot obviously pay the bank the rest of what is owed, making it close down, and inadvertently closing on the bank.

Picture yourself, making a few mistakes in life, and then brutally, in a whirlwind, being swept away for what seems like forever from your loved ones, your family and friends. Even if you are one of those people that don’t rely on your emotions to make your decisions in life, look at the pure facts in this case. The case is severely flawed, and the alleged charges chosen and dropped deliberately in order to maximize the penalty.

When you live in a supposedly just country, where does one turn when the government and the prosecution are turning away from the founding ideas of our forefathers. Where does one turn, when murderers and rapists are given 8-10 years in prison, while Mr. Rubashkin is looking at a life sentence, and has been already rotting away in jail without a chance of bail, even without a sentencing. Where does one turn in this country, when justice is no longer being served. Where are the federal taxes being spent, on the security and safety of this country – wrong again, it’s months and years on the Rubashkin case, as the prosecution is deliberately and mercilessly butchering Mr. Rubashkin’s life. Picture yourself in a dream world where O.J. Simpson goes free because of fame and money, and Mr. Rubashkin is facing life in jail for a few misdeeds. Understand, that this is reality. The American dream has been literally butchered into this nightmare. Please understand that it could be you, or someone close to you. Would you scream, and call all the government officials you could reach, would you stand up in protest? Now is the time!!! Please join the rest of us, along with many prior high level government officials like Janet Reno, William Barr, Richard Thornburgh, Edwin Meese III, Ramsey Clark and Nicholas Katzenbach, all of whom served as attorney general. They have united with many others in order to stand up for this travesty of justice. Stand up to the prosecution. Stand together for Justice for Sholom!