Death Claims Another American Hero

Another one of my heroes has died. Attorney Leonard Weinglass, 77, died on Wednesday in New York City. He was a victim of pancreatic cancer.

A lot of attorneys, probably most, get into that profession for money and prestige. Weinglass (pictured) was not one of those. As an ardent leftist and a true believer in justice and free speech, Weinglass spent his life defending those that the government was trying to punish and silence because of their political views.

Michael Krinsky, a partner at the law firm where Weinglass worked, said, "I always considered Lenny the modern-day Clarence Darrow. He was a lawyer who devoted himself to defending people, usually for political reasons. I think one of the reasons he was so effective with juries is they saw his decency and sincerity."

Among his more famous clients were Black Panthers (including Mumia Abu-Jamal), the Chicago 7 (Rennie Davis, Tom Hayden, Lee Weiner, Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin, John Froines), Angela Davis, Kathy Boudin of Weather Underground, Anthony Russo and Daniel Ellsberg (charged with leaking the Pentagon Papers), and more recently the Cuban Five (charged with spying for Cuba).

Ellsberg said of Weinglass, "He wasn't drawn to making money. He was drawn to defending justice. He felt in many cases he was representing  one person standing against the state. He was on the side of the underdog. He was also very shrewd in his judgement of juries."

Hayden said, "Len was the best trial attorney I ever met. . .He exemplified the best qualities of a Jewish upbringing; he questioned everything. He was a funny man, a man of wisdom and passion who would throw himself into deeply unpopular causes because he believed in human rights."

I doubt that most people in America even know who Leonard Weinglass is or have ever heard of him. He cared much more about his clients that trying to make himself famous. But like Clarence Darrow, he was never afraid to stand alone in challenging the powers that be -- regardless of the consequences. He spent his life trying to make the world a better place for everyone.

America could use a whole lot more people with the brilliance, eloquence, and courage of Leonard Weinglass.