National Action Forum
Michael New Action Fund
P.O. Box 100
Iredell, Texas 76649
SPC. MICHAEL NEW UPDATE 6/6/99
(D-Day 55 years ago)

Just a note to bring you up to date on what's happening in the various areas concerning Michael's case.

1.  The Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA) finally ruled!  It only took them eleven months to turn down Spc. Michael New's appeal.  (After taking two years to first hear it!)  So they've done their job, stalling and delaying justice for over three years.  (If you want a copy of the legal brief filed on Michael's behalf by LTC Henry Hamilton (ret.), please send us a contribution of at least $5, and we'll send it to you.  Pretty dull reading unless you're an attorney, but full of the legal arguments of why Michael New was right in what he did - for more reasons than he understood at the time!  We have about 50 on hand.)

2.  This means you may stop sending petitions to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, or to us.  The petitions many of you signed demonstrated to many Congressmen that American citizens are not going to accept the forcing of their sons and daughters into mercenary service under the UN.  You rattled their cage, and they, in turn, demanded answers from the Army, who finally let go of the case.  We may use these petitions yet, adding them to the next round of demanding that the next court rule in a timely manner.

3.  Next legal step is the Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces (CAAF), highest military court.  They do not have to hear this case, they may choose to ignore it and let the lower court rulings stand.  But we predict they will hear the case.  Why?  Because if they don't, then they will lose such an excellent opportunity to delay justice for another year or so!  (Keep in mind that we are not allowed to a civilian court with this case until we have "exhausted all military remedies."  The Pentagon has seized on the word, "exhaust," as the operative principle.)  So, we're down to the last military obstacle.

4.  The book, MICHAEL NEW - Mercenary...or American Soldier?, is selling well.  We are into our second edition, with most of the typos and errors corrected.  And we've added a little bit of new material.  Written by Daniel New, with some help in structure and content by Cliff Kincaid, this is not light and casual reading.  The only complaint we've heard is that there's so much "meat per page" that when the reader finished overlining the good parts, the whole book had been colored yellow!  The reader complained, "I can't send that to my Congressman - he wants sound bites and high lites so he can read the book in ten minutes."  (A contribution of $20 will bring this book, or the video documentary, GOOD CONDUCT, to your address postage paid.  And $30 will bring them both!  And you may order them sent to an APO or base address or for active duty military personnel for 1/2 price!)

5.  We are considering, and have been urged, to release this book in a pocket edition, very cheaply, in order to get mass distribution.  This is a feeler.  Do you think you would be interested in ordering 50 copies of the book in a condensed version, for, say $50?  (I don't know if we can do that, but we're taking bids now.)  They would have a cover price of $2.50, but would be primarily designed for giving away to your friends who care about our national sovereignty.  Primary target would be veterans, active-duty personnel, high school grads who might otherwise enlist, etc.  Your reaction to this post may well determine whether we take this large step.  We have to order in huge quantities to get such low prices.

6.  Rolling Thunder XII "Ride for Freedom" took place over Memorial Day to Washington, D.C.  An estimated 200,000 motorcycles, each with two riders, plus many others who came by car, bus and plane.  Perhaps a half a million people showed up to say they want our POW/MIA's of previous wars accounted for.  A candlelight vigil (using glo-lites) was very moving, as Taps was played on a bugle, then Amazing Grace on a bagpipe.  Many powerful speakers, including Capt. Joyce Riley vonKleist, on Gulf War Syndrome.  Daniel New spoke on Michael's case, as Rolling Thunder has taken a public stand endorsing Michael New's position.  Consider joining Rolling Thunder.  You don't have to be a veteran, you don't have to own a motorcycle.  You do have to love your country (you radical!) and want to see an accounting for and the recovery of ALL our POW's and MIA's from WWII, from Korea, from Viet Nam.  Rolling Thunder is concerned with victims of previous wars, and also with preventing this kind of treasonous abandonment of our soldiers in future wars.  For this reason, the shift in legal status of Americans serving under the UN is of particular interest to them.  Thanks to President Artie "Dictator" Muller for their strong support.  Thanks also to Mark "Boomer" Pedersen, to Mike Woods, and many others for making this a success.  (When two presidential hopefuls come, you know they smell votes and influence.  Senator Bob Smith and Patrick Buchanan were kind enough to warm up the crowd for me.)  We sold out of the T-shirts with the message:  "Real Americans don't wear UN blue!"  Next year we'll have a patch with the same message.

Rolling Thunder
P.O. Box 216
Neshanic Station, NJ 08853
7.  What are you planning for Saturday, October 23?  That's UN Day.  May we suggest that you and a few friends consider a barbecue, using a United Nations flag as a great way to demonstrate your feelings and to exercise your right to free speech.  Perhaps in front of city hall or in a city park where it's legal to have contained fires.  We offer these rags for a contribution of $15, postage paid, or you can order from Ed Steelhammer in quantity.  Ed's flags also make great targets!  Or, you might just like to drag one around with you when you go out in public.  Great conversation starter.

8.  ESSAY CONTEST - We are going to sponsor an essay contest for high school students in the coming school year, which gives you an opportunity to educate one or more students.  We're picking the exact title, establishing the rules, and determining prizes.  There will be some scholarship money for top prizes, but we're most concerned with getting the video and book in front of a lot of students.  Your ideas are hereby solicited, and if you have experience in this area, we ask you now to help us plan and organize.  We would consider sponsors and may well need judges from your state, if you do too good a job organizing this!  :-)  Thanks.

9.  This illegal war of aggression being perpetrated upon Yugoslavia and Serbia is a travesty.  American blood will flow, before this is over, and the world is now on notice that the USA is no longer the impartial champion of non-intervention (we were, at one time!), the champion of liberty.  Did you know that the government has ordered 9,000 purple hearts from a company in Tomball, Texas?  Wonder why they need those?  Here's a site which focuses on this NATO war of imperialism and colonialism - all designed to bring us closer to a One World Government, where war can be "outlawed" by the One World Army.  Peace at gunpoint.  Sound familiar?  Visit Committee Against U.S. Intervention

It is my personal prediction that, when the world is frustrated enough with this mess, the UN will be called in to "give the world a Kofi break" and Kofi Anan will mediate a truce and "save us from ourselves."  It may take a more clever twist than that, but in any event, watch for the UN to be the big winner in all this.



Submitted by Daniel New, Project Manager, Michael New Action Fund, and Director, National Action Forum.  ©1999, MNAF. Permission to reprint or distribute in full is granted.