A letter of explanation
regarding recent events
from Mark Henry Lankford,
20th February 2006
At the outset, I want to extend my most sincere and heartfelt thanks for all the prayers, kind & encouraging words of hope/happiness and actual help in terms of items and funds. I cannot express my feelings with mere words for such caring. Unfortunately, our intense hope and expectations are delayed. I say, "delayed”, for we will again be at the same point of hope and expectation soon. Freedom was in my grasp this month, only to be snatched away by people without hearts, without care for anyone but themselves and most importantly, on the losing side.
Due to the confidential aspect of Federal Court Mediation Procedures, I am not able to describe to you what actually happened and I will not, due to my respect for this particular Court. You know, however, what did not happen. It is my firm belief that the agents for the other side did not attend the matter in good faith. The truth and proof of the matter will one day see the light, for all to see.
We must now wait for the decision of the 9th Circuit Panel, which will come, in my view, before the end of summer. After that, we take the necessary steps in response to the decision of these experienced and fair judges. Believe me, fair judges have been very rare in the prior history of my case, now going back almost 22 ˝ years since October 1983! I assume we will have a positive decision and will operate henceforth, upon that assumption. If I'm wrong, it won't matter much.
The state of Idaho, my enemy, continues to wish to murder me, even while acknowledging in prior proceedings that they have no case, don't really know what actually happened and according to my original, corrupt judge, could not argue that I should have a sentence that has a possibility of freedom. What a strange, illogical and stupid system! Like a senior officer here at IMSI said to me, "We can't expect real justice in this life.”
I would like to take a moment to say that there are some good, intelligent people in Idaho. I have some good friends here and over the years, almost all I have met disagree with what their state has done and is doing to me. Without any doubt, Idaho is fantastically blessed with natural beauty. My attorneys, Andrew Parnes and Chuck Peterson, are very good men and highly intelligent, excellent lawyers. They also believe in my innocence.
I want everyone to know this fact: I am completely, unequivocally innocent of killing or assaulting anyone, ever! I will also tell you that I am guilty of the crime termed "accessory after the fact”, which carried, in 1983, the maximum punishment of 2 years, not 5. I wish I had any other option on that terrible day.
As many of you know, I am not a man opposed to compromise and understanding. As I near 50 years in April, I seem to have more and more moderation in my viewpoint, attitude and understanding of others. However, this does not extend to those that mistreat others, predators, abusers and those that give an oath to honor/obey the U.S. Constitution while lying, wasting the public dollar and trying to murder me for crimes committed and confessed to by another person.
Unbelievably, my brother was approached by those against me and asked to join a "Friend of the Court” brief as an enemy to my possible freedom had we been able to come to an agreement in mediation! My brother told them to "Shove it deep”. (A very colorful language, there) My attorney told me this should have been expected, even though it is a shameful, evil way to proceed. You see the type of people with which we are dealing. What we should now do is get as many people as possible to join a "Friend of the Court” brief demanding:
1. an
immediate settlement to this very long case,
2. My
immediate release, and
3.
Compensation for the years I've been locked up in solitary,
condemned to death and abused, which are over and above the 2
years I'm responsible for in the first place! (Now 20 more and
counting.) Friend of the Court letters may be sent to Fran or me.
Any help from any other attorneys would also be advantageous.
Listen, I've tried (as I always do), to look at this from the view of the State and try to understand how they could conclude that I am guilty of murder, ascribe to me a motive (non-existent) and that I thus deserve to be murdered like an unwanted dog. With my high I.Q., Christian faith and years of life experience, I can truthfully tell you that it is impossible for them to honestly arrive at an end point wherein they would take an oath before God and state, "I know Mark Lankford killed Mr. And Mrs. Bravence and should be murdered for it in conformance to Idaho law.”
At the most, a person could say, "I think he is guilty”, which is not good enough and should never be good enough in a supposedly civilized society! I will paraphrase a few statements made by people in opposition to me over the years and these are documented. Original trial judge stated, "I don't know who did what.” Deputy Attorney General and original Prosecutor, "Without Bryan, we have no case”. Original trial judge, "Bryan is a Prince of deceit”. I submit Idaho has no case against me, cannot prove their little theory of the case, has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, has stolen over 20 years of my life, had a fantastic chance to settle this pathetic injustice and now does not care how much more of scarce and better-spent public money they waste in a losing effort! To what do I attribute such a position: stubborn pride and non-accountability! I could throw ignorance and stupidity in the mix, but these are actually professional, experienced men that probably go to some church on Sunday and pray to a lord that stands for peace, kindness, truth, honor and patience! Even more, Jesus preached mercy and righteousness! Woe to these misguided souls, for it is written: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” As we say in Texas, no matter how thin the pancake, it still has two sides. The other side of that statement on mercy is scary, even to an old, raw-boned former bull rider like me and I don't scare easily!
I hope you're still with me, for we have a ways to go. Here, I'll answer some Frequently Asked Questions:
What next, after a possible, positive court decision and exhaustion of state appeals? Well, at that point, Idaho would have to retry me or release me. What are the chances of me accepting some deal offered? Close to non-existent.
How long will all this take? Between 9 months to 1-˝ years and yes, IMSI will keep me in solitary the entire time! How do I feel? Ready, full of energy, confident and like one of my attorneys said, "Bring it on!”
How can I care about and love my brother? No matter what, Bryan is my little brother and I will love that boy until I stop respiring. I submit that we should love each other, no matter how difficult that may be or society being antithetical to us really loving each other. It seems we strive to oppose, a by-product of being inculcated with the idea that competition leads to excellence.
What do we do now? I will fight this injustice with every atom of my being and I need your help. The winner of the super bowl started planning years before the game, so let's plan now. We need to have a "M.H.L. Defense fund” set up, as this will be necessary. If there is a new trial, Idaho will lie, cheat, whatever it takes to give me death. Their prior acts are indicative of future behavior. They are cold-blooded killers dressed up as lawyers and judges, acting like they are protectors of the public, paragons for righteousness. Stalin, Hitler, Saddam and all tyrants use this same rationale, which is a charade! We need a defense fund like Tom Delay has, so let's ask all politicians to contribute! I will need a top-notch legal team if there is a new trial. Hence, the legal defense fund.
This is a fight for not only my life, but for truth to overcome institutionalized deceit, hypocrisy and corruption! Consider that a matter of months ago, the Idaho County Prosecutor Kirk A. MacGregor, a man that could have ended this matter, was the Idaho County Public Defender! He would have been on my Defense, if a judge had so ordered, a few months ago, but now he' wants to try to murder me! This sort of back and forth goes on throughout the American legal system, which should make us all ashamed!
What else should we do? By e-mail, letter, fax, etc… we need to contact as many Idaho legislators (many of which are reasonable, down-to-earth citizen politicians), Idaho businesses or anyone doing business with Idaho, all Idaho "sister-States” and Idaho cities "Sister cities”, ministers of trade that are lobbied by Idaho to buy Idaho products (Mexico, China, Taiwan, etc) and raise holy hell about this case, which is a human rights violation in every aspect! I need your help and assistance, no matter how little or insignificant you may think your help would be! This is not a game of tiddlywinks that we're playing at the feed store! The punks are actually trying to murder me and in the most cowardly fashion.
So, it's on!! I hope everyone understood the "Clothes list” idea. I do feel like "Lazarus” at the gate and when (not if) we win, the need remains. Don't be shy sharing your thoughts and ideas with me. I'm tough and can take criticism, disagreement or suggestions, as long as it's constructive. I've been ridiculed and lied about by other people recently on a personal level. I pray for all those that would embark upon such an avenue and ask them to stop, for once you've been accused, convicted and sentenced to death for crimes you did not commit, abandoned by many members of your family that profess to love you (even the brother that you stood for as best man at his wedding), attacked by coward, amateur Nazis behind your back and in solitary for over 20 years, little lies about you don't really mean much. I'm still man enough to own up to my mistakes, pray for my enemies, forgive them, fight for what's right, and try to smile and hope that things will improve for all of us.
Some Random Observations:
Since I've not written in a while:
Iraq, no matter what errors led to the current situation, we're in it hip-deep. We will not be well served and I'm talking about the entire world, with a failure in Iraq. It will not be easy, more will die, enormous amounts will be spent over that which has already trickled between our collective fingers, but the alternative is unacceptable! As you know, I'm not a Republican, but it doesn't matter, I'm an American citizen.
I saw an interview with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld this past week, with Charlie Rose. When I'm nearing 74, which I hope happens in 2030, I would be proud to be as sharp as Rumsfeld. I don't agree with him on many things, but he's probably the best we could have at his position right now. His boss should listen more attentively to his wisdom. In fact, a huge summit with the smartest people in the world, no matter religion, country, creed or party, should be convened to definitively solve the most contentious, troublesome issues of earth at this late date of 2006.
So far, we've only, as a human race, worked on these issues in a piecemeal fashion. Sure, we've come a long way, but before we get tired from patting ourselves on the back, consider the issues we all face today, 19 February 2006:
Multitudes of humans, mostly with dark skin, are starving to death. So many terrible diseases for which we have no cure and many people dying while we do have cures (or at least medicines) but we would rather not do what it takes to minister to them for economic reasons. Wars or conflicts all over the place, with more weapons and armies developed daily. A planet groaning under the weight and activities of over six billion people, which will only increase in number and severity. There is religious hatred and conflict worldwide, threatening to destroy humanity. Every country in debt, which will not change, because population increase necessitates more expenditure on medical, defense, services and infrastructure needs. We really don't all live like beings that truly care for one another. This is very sad for me, but I know it's the same for all of us, deep in our hearts. We must change this course!
Gay marriage has become a political hot potato in the U.S. When I was arrested in 1983, I would not have thought this could be, nor would I have thought a popular and awarded movie would be called a "Queer Western”. So, I guess this is progress? I'll say what I believe needs to be said about the gay marriage controversy, after first describing the opposing vantage points.
If you're against it, you're a bigoted, un-American right-winger. Not true. If you're for it, you're an enlightened person that believes in equal treatment for all people. Not true. If you're against it, you're some religious fanatic that hates homos, or you're just homophobic and ignorant. Again, not true. If you're for it, you're complicit in destroying traditional values, assisting in the destruction of the institution of marriage and a liberal idiot. Also not true! Get the picture? It's an exercise in sophistry, only used to divide us with an ever-changing line of rhetoric. Each prior point has only some truth, which is convoluted so much it becomes untrue.
So here's my view, besides it being a no-win issue. The U.S. constitution will have to be changed to outlaw gay marriage, no ifs, ands, or buts. Why? It is an exercise of life and liberty to marry whom you wish, provided the Constitution does not explicitly preclude such a union. Now, I have homosexuals in my family, even a lesbian sister. If she wants to marry another woman, I say okay. But, here's the issue: I'm a Christian and also say it can't be "blessed or sanctified” by a church (or at least the kind of church I endorse). For it's not precisely on the same footing as a man/woman marriage. You think I'm harsh or too conservative? Think again.
As a Christian believer, albeit, I believe some things are sacred and this will help everyone understand why there is such opposition to gay marriage. We Christians do not hate homosexuals, for all sin is the same and we're all sinners. But two liars getting married are not the same to us or even two thieves, why? Well, a believer, which possesses what I call a "spiritual contract” with God, actually strives to live a life without sin. It's a process and doesn't happen overnight, but we try to reduce sin in our lives, much like a polygraph needle, trying to get to the point where the needle doesn't move (the less squiggles the better).
Now, when wedding another in church, this vow is also with God, not just your loved one. Gay marriage offends our spirit and viewpoint because we are being asked to accept as sacred a union between two people who by their very and overt orientation are, to us, sinning and will continue in this behavior without a thought of changing~! It will never be able to be reconciled and that's just a natural fact. I do agree it's tough if you're gay and I say "civil unions” are okay, for benefits, rights, and etc. should be extended. Consider if a man and woman came to church, said they wanted to be married in the church and also said "we believe adultery is fine and hope to, after we're married, have sex with all of you here.” You see, that's a deal-breaker, at least in the churches I go to.
I imagine all this will change in a generation or so, which would not bother me. It's simply an alien concept to so many of us.
So, my attorneys were wrong about me being free by now, but they were considering all mediations that had gone before. They can't be responsible for the recalcitrance and obstinate unreasonableness of one misguided man. We will win this case and when free, I have a lot of ideas on what needs to be done to prevent such injustices in the future and a lot of other ideas on a variety of subjects concerning reform for the betterment of us all. I certainly want to write a book or two, the first being a biography on my very unique life.
My faith has not diminished with all the adversity I've endured. It has only been strengthened, energized, activated and aroused! My dreams remain intact, ever expanding. Did you know that 99.9% of organisms that ever lived on earth are now extinct? That's such an amazing concept!
So, I will close this visit and I will try to write to everyone I owe letters to in a timely fashion. I'm behind because I had hoped to be able to write from a different address by now. Keep hope alive! Fran, Adele, all the gang and I need and request your prayers/positive energy especially now as Fran's mom faces a troublesome medical diagnosis. We all need to be strong and connected.
Stay in contact with me, for this is only a little rough patch before we hit smooth water. Make a difference each day, trying to at least cause one person to smile and feel better! There is much to do, the fields are vast and the workers few. Stay strong and write!
Better that many guilty persons escaped unpunished than one innocent person should be punished. "The reason is, because it's of more importance to the community that innocence should be protected than it is that guilt should be punished.” (John Adams, 1770)
Namasté, love and peace, Mark Henry Lankford
Letter by Mark, dated October 2007
Occasion: The final decision whether he should be retried on Idaho labour and expense or else released, was after some wearing travelling between Idaho County, the 9th Circuit Court and the Supreme Court, thrown back to Idaho. The Idahoans want to retry him although they have serious problems with finances and thus, among others, rouse wrath among the civil public who end up paying for it with their taxes.
Dear Friends: My name is Mark Henry Lankford. I am a fifty-one year old man who, since 2nd October 1983, has been incarcerated and who, since October 1984, has been sentenced to death. I was innocent in 1983. I was innocent in 1984. I remain in 2007 factually innocent of a crime of which I was convicted and for which for more than two decades my own life has been on the line. I need your help.
On 7th November 2006, I became close to jubilant. Freedom - that is, glorious freedom and physical freedom - seemed legally within reach. On 7th November 2006, a three member banc of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rendered a decision on my case which read as follows: "....The judgement of the district court is reversed and the case is remanded with instructions to grant the petition for a writ of habeas corpus, with appropriate instructions to retry Mark Lankford within a reasonable time or release him...." (see website). Retry or release. The words seemed almost magical. They evoke something close to ecstasy. Since, however, for close to twenty-five years I have in Idaho been a factually innocent victim of a corrupt criminal court system and corrupt criminal machinations designed to terminate in execution, I have learned that no victory on paper is secure. I remain today as sequestered behind concrete and steel as when too long ago I arrived in this hell hole.
One of the ironies of the situation - and trust me, only one - is that for more than twenty-three years the state of Idaho has in reference to the crime of which I was convicted known, to use the vernacular, "who done it." Bryan Lankford, a younger brother, has acknowledged that he alone committed the crime for which both of us were sentenced. Bryan Lankford will perhaps forever remain behind bars. The case was long ago solved.
What from the state's perspective was not solved was what to so with a wrongfully imprisoned man. I was and remain that man. In a rational environment, a solution might to Idaho have seemed fairly obvious - that is, someone who is wrongly imprisoned should expeditiously be released. Idaho is not, however, rational. I appeal from behind bars.
Idaho knows that in reference to myself, there is no case to retry. The legal foundation of the original conviction was decimated by a conservative appointee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. There is no physical evidence connecting me to any crime. There are no witnesses. There is a confession whose details conform to what is known about the case. What course of action other than effecting my release can Idaho reasonably take? Please believe that Idaho is considering other options. Deputy Attorney General L. Lamont Anderson has said as much.
You, however - that is, friends who have for years been solidly supportive and new friends who feel viscerally averse to injustices and to their perpetuation - can begin to drive a wedge between tactics designed to abort and/or to delay my release and efforts by my legal team to liberate me. You can do so by breaking the silence. The silence can be broken if each friend communicates with the following entities:
The Honourable Clement L. Otter, Office of the Governor, Post Office Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720, United States of America, telephone: +1 208 / 3 34 21 00, fax +1 208 / 3 34 34 54 governor@gov.idaho.gov, salutation "Dear Governor"
Kirk A. MacGregor, Esquire, Idaho County Prosecuting Attorney, Post Office Box 463, Grangeville, Idaho 83530, United States of America, telephone: +1 208 / 9 83 01 66, fax +1 208 / 9 83 39 19 kmacgregor@connectwireless.com, salutation "Dear Prosecuting Attorney"
Lawrence G. Wasden, Esquire Office of Attorney General Post Office Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720, United States of America telephone: +1 208 / 3 34 24 00 fax: +1 208 / 3 34 25 30, e-mail through his website, salutation "Dear Attorney General" -
and if each friend focusses on the following issues:
- Mark Henry Lankford's prolonged incarceration as a factually innocent prisoner
- a November 2006 federal court ruling, confirmed in October 2007, that Mark Henry Lankford should be retried or should be released
- the absence of any legal foundation for a retrial for Mark Henry Lankford
- the imperative that Mark Henry Lankford should in the service of jusrice be released.
Copies of communications can be mailed to a national newspaper of your choice and/or to the following: Idaho Statesman Post Office Box 40 Boise, Idaho 83707-0040, United States of America telephone: +1 208 / 3 77 64 32 fax: +1 208 / 3 77 64 49 electronic mail: editorial@statesman.com; newsroom@idahostatesman.com and, if convenient, a blind copy can be electronically mailed to me. You can make a difference! I thank you for your attention in reading this letter. Exciting legal developments have begun to occur, developments which will as updates on my web site appear. I close with felicitous wishes to you and to your families. Please take care and as always in peace.
Namaste. Yours truly, Mark Henry Lankford