• AFP-sponsored event in D.C. our own tribute to amazing Congressman.
By Victor Thorn —
On November 7, AMERICAN FREE PRESS will host a gathering and memorial to honor former United States Representative from Ohio James A. “Jim” Traficant, Jr., who died one year ago on September 27 on his farm near Greenwood, Ohio. As a way of remembering Jim’s legacy, from September 9-12 this writer interviewed four leading figures in the truth movement: AFP outreach director Pete Papaherakles, musician and activist Paul Topete of the patriot rock band Poker Face, publisher Nazarius Cavan and political activist Jim Condit, Jr.
Papaherakles, who will be the master of ceremonies at the event, explained the significance of this tribute: “We’d like to honor Jim for not only his contributions to AFP, but also because of what he did for our nation. He was the most fervent American I’ve ever met, and his first interest was always to do what was best for this country.”
Cavan agreed.
“Jim put America first and everything else second,” he said. “He was a true patriot. He didn’t want to see our country fall apart.”
On a personal level, Papaherakles knew him better than most.
“Jim was larger than life, with a heart to match,” he said. “Every time he met somebody his eyes would light up and he’d give them a big bear hug. There wasn’t any fakery with Jim like all the other cheesy politicians. He was real.”
Topete also saw Traficant up close.
“Jim spoke at Freedompalooza on four different occasions,” said Topete. “We loved him, and for three days every summer at these events he was a rock star. He could be your brother, father, uncle and peer all at the same time. He loved the common man, and this was obvious all the way back to his sheriff days up until he served in Congress.”
Papaherakles echoed Topete’s characterization of Traficant.
“Jim was as hard-headed as they came, yet also compassionate,” he said. “That’s why, as a sheriff in Youngstown, Ohio, he refused to lock up people who couldn’t pay their mortgages during a foreclosure. It’s a shame that his fellow congressmen unanimously turned their backs on Jim when he got railroaded and sent to prison in 2002.”
Condit viewed circumstances in the same light.
“Jim sacrificed himself when he went up against some very powerful forces in the government, even to the extent that they sent him to jail,” said Condit.
This same tenacity fueled Traficant’s desire to launch Project Freedom USA, which struck right at the heart of America’s moneyed elite.
Papaherakles described this effort: “Everyone knows that the IRS and Federal Reserve are part of the Marxist-communist hold on America. Jim’s message was important, and it could still pick up momentum if given the proper promotion.”
Sharing this sentiment, Cavan added: “People were really getting behind Project Freedom USA, and this fact scared the government.”
STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEATH
The question on many people’s minds today is whether nefarious forces were at play in regard to Traficant’s untimely demise. Papaherakles definitely believes something is not right.
“I didn’t want to rush into any conspiracy theories, but when you put all the details together, it starts to look very suspect,” he said. “For example, I rode with Jim in the car on many occasions, and he drove like an old lady. He stuck to the speed limit at all times. Are we supposed to believe that, while pulling his tractor into a garage on level ground while going two miles per hour, it suddenly tipped over backwards and crushed him to death? I spoke with the police chief, who wouldn’t discuss this matter, and the fire chief, who also remained tight-lipped. I was also given the silent treatment by Youngstown’s coroner. It stinks to high heaven.”
Topete didn’t hide his feelings.
“I believe Jim was murdered,” he said. “It wasn’t an accident. Where is the last person to see Jim alive? He needs to be interviewed.”
But why would those in the highest corridors of power want to see Traficant dead? Consider for a moment the Democratic Party’s complete disarray. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is tanking. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) is popular among liberal Democrats, but most voters would reject his socialist policies. Imagine the excitement that would have surrounded a Traficant bid for the Oval Office.
The possibility of a presidential run piqued Papaherakles’s interest.
“Everyone wanted Jim to announce that he’d run for president in 2016,” he said. “If you think Donald Trump has charisma, Jim blew him out of the water. He had an ability to speak with people at their level. He’d tell me, ‘You have to put the hay where the goats can get at it.’ ”
Likewise, Topete excitedly said: “Jim was thinking about running for president. He should have been the Ron Paul revolution. Jim was a genuine threat because he appealed to populists, conservatives and Democrats alike. Plus, he was one of the few congressmen that spoke out about AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee].”
Cavan put it all into perspective: “I’m really surprised that the government didn’t kill Jim earlier like they did to Kennedy. This guy never stopped. He wanted to save America, and what he did was like climbing Mount Everest. I can see why the government would have wanted to do away with him. He was so outspoken, and they didn’t appreciate that. Traficant pulled the curtain back like the heroes in the Wizard of Oz and showed everybody who was in control. Jim opened people’s eyes and got them thinking again, especially about reforming the tax system.”
Victor Thorn is a hard-hitting researcher, journalist and author of over 50 books.
Honoring Jim Traficant
• Outreach Director Pete Papaherakles plans D.C. event.
• Promises big-name speakers, awards, special video
On November 7, we will be hosting a gathering and memorial to honor the late, great former United States Representative from Ohio James A. “Jim” Traficant, Jr. and the wonderful work he did for our country. The specific details are still being worked out, but we have already booked the conference hall at the Capitol Skyline Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on that day.
Jim stood up for AMERICAN FREE PRESS, and we feel it is the least we can do to honor his legacy by inviting AFP supporters to come together to celebrate and remember the maverick congressman. The world truly lost an American hero when Jim’s life was cut short on September 27, 2014 in a tragic farm accident in Portland, Ohio.
A LIFE OF GOOD WORKS
Throughout his life, Jim was dedicated to truth, justice and serving the common good.
While in Congress, he may have been a Democrat but he was always his own man. In fact, he often found himself at odds with the party’s leadership over issues like immigration, taxes and abortion.
Over the years, he supported a number of good causes and individuals—any one of which would have ended the political career of a lesser man. These included bucking local elites as Mahoning County, Ohio sheriff by opposing foreclosure orders on several unemployed homeowners. He also stood up for accused WWII camp guard John Demjanjuk, flying all the way to Israel to rescue the Ukrainian-American from an unjust death sentence.
Since the powers-that-be were unable to corrupt Jim, they had to silence him, so they convicted him on trumped-up charges and locked him away in prison for seven long years, which he served in full because he refused to lie and admit guilt just to shave a couple years off his sentence.
Tragically, his latest effort, spearheading PROJECT FREEDOM USA (PFUSA), a grassroots populist organization that sought to terminate the Internal Revenue Service and fire the Federal Reserve, was still in its infancy.
In the months leading up to his passing, he had been traveling the U.S. for AFP, spreading the message of PFUSA in small, local gatherings. It was clear that Jim’s message was getting out and that he had much work left to do.
And this is why we feel that, if anyone deserves an award named after him, it’s Jim.
AWARD NAMED FOR TRAFICANT
At our upcoming gathering, we have decided, we will be giving out for the first time a free speech award in honor of Jim, called the JIM TRAFICANT TRUTH IN JOURNALISM AWARD, which will be sponsored by our sister organization, the FOUNDATION TO DEFEND THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
Jim’s good friend, AFP writer and artist Pete Papaherakles, will be the master of ceremonies of the event. Pete has also put together a wonderful video that will air for the first time, showing the last years of Jim’s life and his efforts to spread the word about PFUSA.
In addition, we are planning to have a number of prominent speakers who will talk about Jim and his various projects as well the state of the nation. Attendees will also hear from members of AFP’s staff, who will discuss what’s going on at this newspaper and THE BARNES REVIEW and share memories of Jim. We will also get an update on PFUSA’s plans for the future from someone associated with the group.
NEW BOOK OF JIM’S WRITINGS
Finally, the editors at AFP have been working diligently on a collection of Jim’s writings that we are calling Beam Me Up: A Collection of the Writings of Jim Traficant. This will cover the time he started with AFP in 2011 up until his untimely passing in 2014.
“NAME YOUR OWN PRICE” ADMISSION
Jim was a populist, and he believed in working for the good of America. This is why we will not be charging a flat fee to attend the memorial. Instead, in the spirit of Jim, we would like attendees to pay what they feel they can afford. We’d rather see people be able to come to this memorial than be turned away because they cannot afford it.
In our next issue, we will be providing more details about this event. If you have any questions or would like to attend, please do not hesitate to call AFP Managing Editor Julia Foster at (202) 544-5977 during regular business hours.
CHRISTOPHER J. PETHERICK, Executive Editor
His farm is in Greenford, OH.