I have a chapter in my book, "I Wept by the Rivers of Babylon (A Prisoner of Conscience in a Time of War) about Muhammed Ali.
4 months before I was sentenced to 6 years (the maximum was five) Cassius Clay gained notoriety for refusing to be inducted.
His attorney was former Governing Body Vice President and Supreme Court litigant Hayden C. Covington.
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Sidebar:
A week ago I spoke to an attorney at Starbucks who has been a lawyer for all the major Pentecostal TV evangelists. I asked him
if he ever met Covington. Well--his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree! He told me quite a story about being in the room with Ali, Covington and Ali's Black Muslim handlers.
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There are many facts about Ali/Covington and the secret policy of the Watch Tower Society most JW's are missing.
I'll just skim the surface.
1. Ali never spent a day in prison nor a day in jail.
2. Covington blew off a case he was in the middle of handling when the Ali money was offered. (My friend and fellow inmate, Sam S. was fighting in court having paid Covington ten thousand dollars to represent him.)
3. The G. B. directed local congregation leaders to "take aside" young brothers and lecture them privately. The brother was to never admit he had been directed, counseled or advised by the Organization--he was to claim it was his own ideas, beliefs and conscience at work.
4. The law provided community service for Conscientious Objectors in place of military service. JW's were told they must refuse alternate service. Nobody went to prison for refusing military service--ONLY FOR REFUSING ALTERNATE community service.
5. Covington famously told the press: "I take exception to remarks that this man is under the influence of the Muslims in any way." Covington's only legal contribution to the case was offering a compromise (!) whereby Ali would serve 18 mos. instead of five years. Ali's second lawyer, Quinnan A. Hodges of Houston, master minded an appeal on a technicality (Ali's draft board failed to cite the reason for refusing his claim as a C.O.) which resulted in overturning the conviction.
6. The WTS did not/would not help any brothers to prepare their legal defense beyond making available a booklet written by Covington (titled, "Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News 1950) Note: The JW was not told the book existed--he had to figure it out for himself and then ask for it.
7. A simple legal precedent--if cited and provided by the WTS, would have--in many cases, exempted JW brothers from prosecution:
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Hull v Stalter, 151F. 2d 633 (1945), said:
“The fact is, they have been recognized by the Selective Service System as a religious organization and are entitled to the same treatment as the members of any other religious organization...”
Brothers, such as myself, who were ignorant of the above, went into court not knowing their rights.
8. Young draft age brothers were expected to give up legal rights to community service to become a public spectacle proving Jehovah's Witnesses were the true religion. I personally was counseled by Brother Gene Beard and Brother Wally Coulter (Overseer and Asst) I would have to go to prison or be judged apostate at Armageddon.