Trying to douse terror label(Firefighter labeled for "anti-US sympathies")

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

This is a local Denver firefighter, who opposes the war and who has made remarks regarding opposition to illegal immigration.

Apparently, a federal task force has labeled him a domestic terrorist. The original charges were for weapons violation, for selling fully automatic machine guns to an undercover FBI agent.

The "domestic terrorist" label seems to have been added based on his stated opposition to the war and his remarks about illegal immigrants. He's also accused of having ties to "an unknown domestic terrorist organization".

Stan Ford was arrested for alleged illegal gun sales. But the firefighter argues he's not a domestic terrorist, as a federal task force has claimed.
By Alicia Caldwell
Denver Post Staff Writer

>snip

In an hour-long interview, Ford, a suspended Denver firefighter, spoke about what he says are outrageous allegations that he has sympathies with hate groups or others who would overthrow the government of the United States.

"This kind of insanity wouldn't have happened if 9/11 didn't happen," he said. "I think this is a sign of things to come."

>snip

"If I don't believe in the war, does that make me an anti-U.S. person?" he asked. "I love my country. We are the greatest country in the world."

>snip

In hearings, prosecutors have introduced transcripts of recorded conversations in which Ford talked about illegal immigration. In an interview Friday, Ford said he has been allowed to see only a portion of the transcript so he can't be sure of the context. But he said he thinks he was talking about the illegal immigrant who is alleged to have shot and killed Denver police Detective Donnie Young in May 2005.

MKJ http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3642555

[Redstone]

1. Well, maybe if he hadn't been selling illegal weapons in the first place

none of this might have happened?

I'm not going to feel sorry for him. Sounds like publicity-hounding to me.

Redstone

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. The weapons charge is serious. I would question why the federal government

is tacking on "domestic terror" charges, based primarily on comments he's made.

He's certainly not the most sympathetic character, however, I ascribe to Mr. Paine's words:

"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression. --"

MKJ

[rodeodance]

5. Yes, if he has the terrorist label assigned to him because of his comments

then, as he says it is serious

[Dhalgren]

3. I agree with you regarding the gun sales. But the "terrorist"

charge is scary. If he had been a proponent of the War On Iraq, would he be labeled a "terrorist"? People say all kinds of stupid things and speak out of their ass on a regular basis - it has always been one of the perks of being an American. Now, however, Americans have to "watch what they say", as Ari and Rumsfeld said a couple of years ago. This is a warning to every opponent of the war - "Shut the fuck up behave in the acceptable way. If you ever fuck up, in any way, your government will screw you to the wall".

Charge and try him on the arms charges. Stop the fascist "tagging" of "terrorist". The Nazis would have charged him as a "communist" or "Jew"...

[Kagemusha]

4. Well said.

That's exactly the problem with these kinds of labels in a court of law.

For all we know he has ties to vegans.

[400Years]

6. I see you've jumped on the new red-scare bandwagon

[Redstone]

7. Nope. Read a book titled "The Terrorist Next Door."

And remember that the second-worst terrorist attack in the US was done by an American.

Redstone

[400Years]

9. which attack would that be? Wounded Knee? The Trail of Tears?

[Redstone]

10. Oklahoma City. I'm an Indian, so pushing that button doesn't work on me.

Redstone

[400Years]

11. be sucker if you want

but I will never trust these people.


and if you think genocide of your own people is less of an atrocity that OK city, there's not much I can say to you.

[Redstone]

12. Well, "those people" aren't going anywhere. Seems we might want to

get used to the white folks, since we're kind of stuck with them.

Redstone

[MrPrax]

8. Are they pushing the 'terrah'

charges because the case itself is generally weak (entrapment?) OR the State has simply found it more expedient to dispense with basic rights like habeus corpus, bill of rights, under the hubris of national security.

It would be scary to think that ambitious district attorney's are fudging 'terrorist' credentials of common perps simply to make themselves more attractive in elections.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

13. I got that exact impression from the article, especially since it sounds

as if he had extensive contact with the undercover agent, which seemed to indicate that the agent worked extra hard to persuade him to break the law.

However, the extra charges, based on remarks he made unrelated to the gun sales, definitely gives one pause. MKJ