Sami Al-Arian was a tenured professor at the University of South Florida. His family immigrated to the US after the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians from Israel. Al-Arian was 17 years old when he began his life in the United States. During his adult life, he remained concerned about the fate of Palestinians and was an activist on behalf of his homeland. Using the Patriot Act, the US government listed many foundations, activist organizations and nonprofits working on behalf of Palestinians as terrorist organizations. The government then used Al-Arian’s association with some of these groups as the basis for prosecuting him. And though he was found not guilty by a jury, the judge in the case took the unusual step of overriding the jury’s decision and keeping him in prison. His and his family’s story is recounted in USA vs. Al-Arian by Line Halvorsen.

Steve Kurtz awoke to find his wife of 20 years, Hope, dead beside him. He called an ambulance in an attempt to save her, but when the paramedics arrived, they saw scientific implements that worried them. Not understanding what they were seeing or why it would be in a private home, they called in the haz mat team and FBI to investigate potential bioterrorism. Kurtz is, in fact, an artist whose work examines genetically modified foods and demystifying germ warfare. His work has been exhibited at venerated institutions such as Mass MoCA and the Corcoran Gallery in DC. And while all evidence points to Kurtz’ using benign materials, and being trained and supervised by respected geneticists, prosecutors are pursuing prosecuting Kurtz for criminal mail fraud–an unprecedented legal action with far-reaching implication should they succeed. His case has not yet gone to trail. He is a professor at SUNY Buffalo, and his story is recounted in Strange Culture by Lynn Hershman Leeson.

Between these two films and cases, there is powerful evidence that while our government is making war on foreign soil, we are at risk at home. In every totalitarian regime that I know anything about, undermining the intellectual core of a society is an early step for regimes to ensure that there is no thoughtful opposition to their aims. After our human rights come our civil liberties (click here if you need a refesher) and a willingness to give up those rights when a state of fear has been carefully crafted around us, is truly dangerous. After jail, which is where Al-Arian is now and what Kurtz is being threatened with, is execution. At what point do we start fighting these obviously criminal prosecutions and stand up for theirs, and in turn, our own, liberty?

To complete my Trifecta, I’ll add a/k/a Tommy Chong by Josh Gilbert. While I wouldn’t call Chong an intellectual, he represents a powerful cultural force. His comedy and celebrity are attributes that are considered subversive, particularly when they serve a cause that the administration does not agree with–namely, the farcical drug wars. This film also illustrates unchecked, overzealous prosecution.

One striking image that appears in all three films are groups of white men in suits, with perhaps one white woman, making up the team of prosecutors. The same image in all three films is profoundly scary to me.