Pissed because Obama was elected, man sentenced to nine years for torching Springfield church

[CatWoman]

A Springfield man was sentenced to nine years in prison today and ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution for torching a predominantly black church in November 2008, a crime authorities said stemmed from racial hatred over Barack Obama's election hours earlier.

Benjamin Haskell, 24, had pleaded guilty in June in US District Court in Springfield to two federal civil rights charges in connection with the fire at the Macedonia Church of God in Christ allegedly set by three local men shortly after 3 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2008.

District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor imposed the sentence for crimes of conspiring to deny the civil rights of members of the church and for burning the church. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement.

``The burning of the Macedonia Church because of racial hatred and intolerance was a vicious attack on one of our most cherished freedoms -- to worship in the religion of our choice safely and without fear of discrimination,'' US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, who attended the sentencing hearing, said in a statement.


http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/11/man_sentenced_t_4.html?camp=misc:on:share:blog

[slackmaster]

1. What a dumbass

[bluestateguy]

2. Cool

I guess he won't be voting in 2012.

[formercia]

3. Sic Semper Tyrannis.

He got his due process.

[AtomicKitten]

4. He can light himself on fire in jail when Obama/Biden are reelected in 2012.

[CatWoman]

8. ROFL!!!

:hi:

[11 Bravo]

10. We could bake him a cake with matches and lighter fluid inside.

[pipi_k]

5. The only reason he got the plea agreement was because...

he agreed to wear a "wire" to help prosecutors in the case against his accomplices.

Otherwise, he'd probably have gotten more time.

As it was, at sentencing, the judge implied that he (Haskell) was sort of an idiot.

His accomplices must be shitting themselves right now, knowing they could get twice the sentence he got.

I say good. They really ARE idiots.

[Canuckistanian]

6. He'll be popular in prison

Ironically, he'd better ask for a segregated cell block.

[gratuitous]

7. Tell me again

How not-racist all the opposition to the Obama administration is? I will freely admit that not everyone against the Obama administration does so out of racist passions, but every racist bigot is against the Obama administration. And if we have to listen to all the stove-piping that Obama and the Democrats have to put up with (viz. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, George Soros, et al), then I don't think it's too onerous for Republican critics to have to distance themselves and distinguish themselves and their position from the odious likes of Mr. Haskell. If they dare.

[CatWoman]

9. not all Republicans are racists

but the die hard racists are Republican

:hi:

[gratuitous]

11. Funny, innit?

How Democrats are constantly being admonished that they need to distance themselves from Unacceptable Opinions or risk being deemed Not Serious, but Republicans are never asked to alienate their bigoted base by denouncing their crazy/lethal/terrorist antics.

:loveya:

[Judi Lynn]

12. I found his ugly photo. Had to see the face of someone this twisted:

http://cdn1.newsone.com.nyud.net:8090/files/2010/06/springfieldchurch.jpg http://www.cbsnews.com.nyud.net:8090/i/tim//2010/06/22/macedoniachurchofgod_370x278.jpg

http://www.boston.com.nyud.net:8090/news/local/breaking_news/fire2.jpg

The church he destroyed, temporarily.

http://media.masslive.com.nyud.net:8090/breakingnews/photo/8895257-small.jpg http://media.masslive.com.nyud.net:8090/breakingnews/photo/bfhaskell2009jpg-af6b628307e30832_small.jpg

Benjamin Haskell.

http://blog.masslive.com.nyud.net:8090/breakingnews/2009/01/Suspects.jpg
Hope this scum will serve every day of his sentence, and be obligated to pay every bit of restitution. Same for his creepy cohorts.

Hope for the congregation in rebuilding the church.

[political_Dem]

13. I'm glad he will face justice.

However, Beck and the rest of his RW comrades continue to incite these assholes with their rhetoric of "revolution".

It is amazing to me not too long ago that the RW was wagging their fingers and telling us to "be good patriots" and "support the POTUS in a time of war."

They are nothing but hypocrites.