Two views of a radio host on trial over threats to judges

[Elmore Furth]

What's the fun of being a 'shock jock' suggesting violence against one's adversaries if you have to account for it in a court of law?

Right wing hate speech is supposed to be free, isn't it?

To prosecutors, Mr. Turner, 47, was a white supremacist and “domestic terrorist” who tried to incite others to murder three judges who rendered an opinion that he disagreed with.

To the defense, Mr. Turner was not only a radio shock jock, exercising his right to free speech — he was also an F.B.I. informant, spewing rhetoric at the agency’s instruction.

Jurors were asked on Wednesday to wrestle with those opposing views, as lawyers for both sides gave their opening statements in Mr. Turner’s trial in Federal District Court in Brooklyn.

Mr. Turner is charged with trying to intimidate three federal appeals judges in Chicago who issued an opinion in June upholding a handgun ban. Mr. Turner had posted a threatening message on his Web site saying, among other things, that they deserved to be killed. He also posted their contact information and pictures on his site.

Two views of a radio host on trial over threats to judges

[zbdent]

1. I wonder if some of those who called in to his show who follow his alleged "beliefs"

are very happy that, if what he says is true, he's a stool pigeon, an informant ... and was going to expose them ...

as I recall, that often earns "regulators" a bullet in the back of the head ...

Of course, righties don't condone that kind of action ... unless it was the federal agents who were killed just before Koresh locked down Waco ... then the Righties were ignoring the fact that Koresh's org. killed law enforcement agents ...