From Paintball Practice to Prison:

[CharlesGroce]

A Look At One of The Most Controversial Terrorism Cases in the Country

<snip>

In Virginia, a judge sentenced three men to prison Tuesday, including one to life and another to 85 years, on terrorism charges connected to a game of paintball. But the sentence is coming under intense criticism – from the judge herself who described the sentence as "appalling" and "Draconian." ...

In an unusual development, the judge in the case, U.S. District Court Judge Lonnie Brinkema, called the lengthy sentences "appalling" and "draconian" but said she had no choice under federal law. She said "We have murderers who get far less time. I've sent Al Qaeda members planning attacks on these shores to less time. This is sticking in my craw. Law and justice at times need to be in tune." ...

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/06/16/151233

</snip>

Those new Ashcroft judicial rules in action! Judges are now 'reported' if they deviate from federal sentencing guidelines. Listen to the audio of the story for more at the link above. The judicial system is becoming a scary machine (over 2.2 million Americans are in prison right now, doubling since 1990. In the late 70s, less than 300,000 Americans were in prison.

[lanparty]

1. That's pretty obscene!!!!!

I know TONS of people who play a LOT of Paintball. Can THEY be sent to prison for 85 years??????

BTW, there are rednecks down in neo-nazi training camps preparing for a "race-war". Should they be sent to prison???? In other words, would John Ashcroft be nearly inclined to send evangelical rednecks to prison for practicing to kill black folk in a race war????

[corriger]

2. ah the amerikan whore state out of control domestically and

abroad.

[AP]

3. Did you see this quote from that article:

"There is a case right now pending on appeal to the Fourth Circuit in Virginia which involved a guy who was convicted of smuggling cigarettes across state lines and then donating $3,000 of the proceeds to Hezbollah. No proof that he was sending it for any sort of illegal purpose. His co-conspirators got five-year sentences. But because he was convicted of also having made a donation to Hezbollah in Lebanon, he got a 155-year sentence. And the sentences are just completely out of whack with any sort of common sense or with any sort of moral culpability."

[cprise]

5. Does that make him a political prisoner?

[AP]

6. It makes him a good case for a pardon from a courageus future president.

[cprise]

8. The one that wants a Republican running mate?

[sam sarrha]

4. this is a good example of democracy and fairness in the West

[JayS]

7. Were any of the three felons? n/t

n/t

[Kellanved]

9. seems to be the case : NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/16/national/16paintball.html

--snip
...
Yet the judge also made it clear that she believed the men had knowingly supported a terrorist entity and were guilty. In fact, it was she who convicted the three defendants this year, in a conspiracy trial where all three waived their right to a jury.

...
--snap

[JayS]

11. That makes a bit more sense then. I'll try and find more on...

...this later. I know here if you are a felon in possession of a firearm, paintball gun not included, you are in serious trouble. I'm hoping there is much more to this story than what we are reading about here.

[gatlingforme]

10. Ashcroft gets his kicks from putting these new "guidelines"

into effect by having the judicial system become a TIP organization. The attorneys hate it.