Book Club

The last of the Oregon's Operation Backfire defendants was sentenced today to four years three months in prison -- and book report. Jonathan Paul's lawyer had challenged the prison sentence in June, when Aiken first imposed it. However, Aiken rebuffed all four of the legal challenges that were put forth.

Aiken had given recommended reading to previous defendants (See EW 7/5) but today she demanded a book report to be turned into her before Paul reports to prison on October 1.

Paul is to read New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Vision to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time which Time Magazine "called an astonishing tale of compassion."

When Aiken turned down defendant Daniel McGowan's request to delay reporting for prison, one of the reasons cited by the government was a children's book The Secret of Terjian, being sold via his prisoner support web site to raise money for those involved in what many call "the Green Scare."

EW still has not received information on when Jacob Ferguson, the defendant whose body-wired recordings with other defendants broke the case open for the government, will appear before Aiken.