Unbelievable

[BayCityProgressive]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0903-10.htm

sounds like Cuba is the one that needs to place an embargo on the USA for silencing dissent. This is very scary.

[King Bush II]

1. what ever happened to

freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas? this case proves how much we really do need to change our government...

[sexybomber]

2. the part that scared me the most was

" 'And the judge said, you know, ‘what kind of a message would four months in jail send to other revolutionaries?’ And he pretty much made it clear that he wanted to set an example out of me and again stated that he wanted to give me at least a year in prison.' "

What kind of message would that send? Well I know for a fact that giving an innocent man a year in prison sends the message to other revolutionaries that we need to fight even harder! (In a completely, totally, absolutely nonviolent fashion.)

on edit: it's a frightening situation when someone is arrested and thrown in jail for expressing his right to free speech and I'm afraid to browse his site for fear of it somehow associating my name with the revolutionary (by completely, totally, absolutely nonviolent methods) movement, and thus possibly implicating me for some ridiculous charge.

[BayCityProgressive]

3. I am nonviolent all the way

but I consider myself revolutionary because I think our government is a failure and we need a new system. But I would never hurt anyone I work through activism and this scares me into thinking Attorney General ASScrack will show up at my door.

[sexybomber]

4. Exactly!

What are they going to do next, ban teaching about Gandhi? On second thought, I wouldn't put that past the morons in power right now...

[sandnsea]

16. I thought about that

Browsed anyway. DU is in trouble. No links to bomb making sites Admins, or they'll need to build a new prison for all of us!

Seriously, the home page looks like they could have taken it right out of DU, except a month's info condensed on one page. Columbia plantation attacks, Iran students, some high school kids threatened by the FBI, Iraq war, you know, the general stuff.

Very scary.

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

5. he didnt author it, US govt knew, yet claimed he did.

Welcom to Bush/Akkroft's Amerika.

He did NOT even author the material in question, he
only provided a weblink on his website.

The US govt knew this, yet still lied that he authored
it.


wow.

a political prisoner.

[sexybomber]

6. Coulnd't Amnesty International make a pretty damn good case here?

I was a member in high school, and one of the things they fight for is freeing prisoners of conscience in repressive regimes around the world. Certainly the US is beginning to qualify as a repressive regime, and this guy is certainly a prisoner of conscience. However, I don't think any amount of letters are going to get him released early... :-(

[indigo32]

14. I would think so

I get action alerts and still write letters. I should go directly to their site and check it out.

[tom_paine]

8. The first of many -- Imperial Amerika no longer belongs to the Free World

But for awhile this twilight should persist. Though to be quite honest, I could easily see purges and roundups by 2006.

And the Imperial Subjects of Amerika will continue to lick Imperial Boots, no matter what happens.

[tom_paine]

7. Very believable -- Imperial Amerika is much more like the Soviet Union

Than the Old American Democratic Republic which is rapidly fading as if it never existed, providing us with this brief twilight as it exits stage left.

This is only the beginning. The first few fat raindrops of a dark storm that is preparing to fall upon the world. The Totalitarian Storm which we fought against (opposite of where we stand now) in DuybyaDubyaTwo. We are a bit "kinder and gentler" than Grandpa Bush's former business partners in Germany.

Just a bit. Since things have just begun it still remains to be seen just how Soviet...just how Nazi we will go.

And don't look to the Amerikan People to save us from anything. They are hypnotized sheep, and will obey orders, so long as the transition to Nazi/Soviet isn't too abrupt.

And to be quite honest, I expect even then the Busheviks would have plenty of willing tools for the New Brownshirts (who will have a patriotic name and a PR-friendly).

This is just the beginning. These are the "Good Old Days". It's just about all downhill from here (no human endeavor goes 100% in a straight line, so I will guess that as Rome had it's occasional Vespesian or Marcus Aurelius, so will Imperial Amerika...but not before the mad Caligulas and Neros of the Bush Dynasty have had high carnival, I'm guessing).

[BigDaddyLove]

9. Political prisoner?

"Federal officials charged that Austin had illegally distributed information about how to build Molotov cocktails and "Drano bombs" on his web site."


Yep, nothing wrong with knowingly distributing illegal material on your website on how to make bombs.

There's a law against this sort of thing (for good reason); he broke that law and he's going to jail. Good.

[sexybomber]

10. read the article, dude

It wasn't his website. He had a link to another website, of which a small part was devoted to illegal activities. It also said that the very same information was widely available throughout the internet. I can see how the author of the bomb-making stuff itself should do some time, maybe, but not this guy.

on edit: maybe you'll change your stance on free speech if/when they decide that DU contributes to subversive activities (which, as I've found, would be a completely, totally, absolutely inaccurate conclusion) and start tracking down its members. Yeah, that's a tinfoil interpretation of the situation, but not a completely implausible one.

and furthermore, you mention that "Federal officials charged that..." Do you blindly believe everything the Federal government says without first analyzing it to decide whether you think it is true or not? That, my friend, is simply dangerous. I'm not personally attacking you or anything, just a thought.

[BigDaddyLove]

12. I read it dude................

The link was from HIS website, HE knew about the info on explosives, HE linked it anyway.....it is ILLEGAL to do that, HE is going to jail.

Got it?

Moreover, you can thank a DEMOCRAT (Feinstein) for coming up with the law making it illegal in the first place.

[BigDaddyLove]

15. Two more things..........

"...maybe you'll change your stance on free speech if/when they decide that DU contributes to subversive activities"

If someone on DU decides to provide information on how to make illegal explosives, then they deserve to get arrested and thrown in jail.

"Do you blindly believe everything the Federal government says without first analyzing it to decide whether you think it is true or not? That, my friend, is simply dangerous."

Bullshit. Either the information was there, or it wasn't; no analyzing or blind belief neccesary. If it was there then he broke the law and deserves to be in jail. Pretty simple really.

[Bushknew]

11. Is information on how to make a gun equally dangerous?

Is information on how to make a gun equally dangerous as information on how to make a bomb?

IsnÕt buying guns at trade shows more dangerous to the nation than
giving a link to how to make a bomb?

BTW, violence is not an effective means of changing government.

Live by the sword die by the sword.

[BayCityProgressive]

13. Well Feinstein sucks so it is no surprise. She is worse than Joe

[Q]

17. "Have we gone too far with this First Amendment business?"

- Bill O'Reilly, August 29

[indepat]

18. The Feds must go after the hardened criminals: corporate-types who

have bilked the public to the tune of trillions of dollars apparently fall beneath their radar-screens.