FC: More on arresting reporters and Florida case, by Paul McMasters

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Wed Jun 27 2001 - 09:23:37 PDT

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    From: Paul McMasters <Pmcmastersat_private>
    To: "Declan McCullagh (E-mail)" <declanat_private>
    Subject: Another journalist arrested
    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 08:46:46 -0400
    
    Declan,
    
             People are right to be concerned about the arrest of the Florida
    journalist for his reporting on problems in the local police department. But
    this sort of willingness by public officials to arrest reporters first, ask
    questions later is not all that uncommon. For example, a couple of weeks
    ago, a small-town reporter in Prince William County, Virginia, was invited
    onto public property by a public official for an interview about a matter of
    public concern and then arrested by a county police officer wearing a
    "relaxed uniform." She now faces a criminal trespass charge carrying
    punishment of a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
    
             For an account of that incident, see
    http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=14158.
    
    Paul McMasters
    
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    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 07:17:51 -0700
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    From: John Young <jyaat_private>
    Subject: Re: Police arrest newspaper editor for criticizing Florida cops
    Cc: Officeat_private, postmasterat_private, SSolaresat_private,
             Attorneyat_private, JAvaelat_private,
             BDillonat_private, JWeekleyat_private,
             TomOat_private, merilimccoyat_private, cpcjrat_private,
             HBethelat_private, JAnthonyat_private, carmenturnat_private,
             emcat_private, cypherpunksat_private
    
    Declan,
    
    Three Key West The Newspaper articles by Dennis Cooper
    about the Key West government scandal:
    
       http://cryptome.org/kwtn-bust.htm
    
    John
    
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    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 01:50:25 -0700
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>, politechat_private
    From: Tim May <tcmayat_private>
    Subject: Re: Police arrest newspaper editor for criticizing Florida cops
    Cc: Officeat_private, postmasterat_private, SSolaresat_private,
             Attorneyat_private, JAvaelat_private,
             BDillonat_private, JWeekleyat_private,
             TomOat_private, merilimccoyat_private, cpcjrat_private,
             HBethelat_private, JAnthonyat_private, carmenturnat_private,
             emcat_private, cypherpunksat_private
    
    At 10:32 PM -0400 6/26/01, Declan McCullagh wrote:
    >Police in Key West, Flordia have arrested a newspaper editor for printing 
    >an article that criticized an internal police investigation, according to 
    >an Associated Press report. This brutish action by police and prosecutors 
    >should be widely denounced.
    
    I would denounce it, but the fact is that our denouncements don't matter.
    
    Political prosecutions and trials have become the norm.
    
    Personally, I have been closely involved in two serious criminal trials. In 
    both of these criminal cases, those charged either were found guilty or 
    would have been had they gone to trial (one of them died before the trial). 
    In the case of the guilty person, he received no prison term for 
    perpetrating a very serious crime. Why? Because there was no political 
    interest in his case, so the usual excuse about how "overcrowded our 
    prisons are" was used to let him avoid a prison sentence. When there is no 
    interest in a case, a rap on the knuckles is the worst fate most street 
    criminals ever face. However, if there is political interest, then charges 
    are magnified and hyped and information is leaked to "U.S. News and World 
    Report" about the horrible terrorist who awaits prosecution by the 
    protectors of our freedoms. Even though our jails and prisons are said to 
    be so crowded that violent felons are given bullshit "be a good boy" 
    releases, political trials such as the cases of Parker, Bell, Henson,  and 
    others are the focus of cop activities  and aggressive prosecutions.
    
    We let murderers, arsonists, and kidnappers go free so that the prisons can 
    be filled with people who write fanciful essays about the "Circle of 
    Eunuchs" and those who criticize local doughnut eaters.
    
    Keith Henson faces much more prison time than does the violent criminal in 
    the case I am involved with. Because Henson is a thought criminal, while 
    the violent criminal is just an ordinary criminal. And in these beknighted 
    states of America, being a though criminal like Bell, Parker, or Henson is 
    far worse than being a rapist, murderer, arsonist, or thief.
    
    Time for another Revolution and for about a hundred thousand dishonest cops 
    and judges to face trial for and be put before firing squads.
    
    --Tim May
    
    
    -- 
    Timothy C. May         tcmayat_private        Corralitos, California
    Political: Co-founder Cypherpunks/crypto anarchy/Cyphernomicon
    Technical: physics/soft errors/Smalltalk/Squeak/agents/games/Go
    Personal: b.1951/UCSB/Intel '74-'86/retired/investor/motorcycles/guns
    
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    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 07:07:32 -0700
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>,
             Eric Cordian <emcat_private>,
             Matthew Gaylor <freemattat_private>
    From: spiker <spikerat_private>
    Subject: Re: Police arrest newspaper editor for criticizing Florida cops
    
    Here is an organization in Florida that needs to be notified about this 
    Police State tactic.
    
    The Police Complaint Center in Tallahassee, FL
    http://www.policeabuse.com/
    
    The Police Complaint Center
    4244-223 W. Tennessee St. Tallahassee, FL 32304
    Ph: 850-894-6819
    
    The Police Complaint Center Complaint Forms  (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
    http://www.policeabuse.com/pccform.htm
    
    Click below to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
    
    
    You also need to contact Alex Jones in Austin, Texas.
    He is an expert on exposing police misconduct.
    He may schedule you as a call-in guest on his show.
    
    INFOWARS  (Alex Jones home page)
    http://www.infowars.com/
    
    Alex Jones Videos
    http://www.infowars.com/videos.html
    
    Alex Jones
    3001 South Lamar
    Suite 100
    Austin, TX 78704
    
    E-mail: alexat_private (Alex Jones)
    
    E-mail the Producer:  violetat_private (Violet Nichols)
    
    Listen to Alex Jones M-F, Noon-3pm EST,  11am-2pm CST, 10am-1pm MST, 
    9am-Noon PST.
    http://sce.m2ktalk.com:8000/listen.pls
    
    (Second show) M-F, 10pm-1 am EST, 9pm-Midnight CST, 8pm-11pm MST, 7pm-10pm PST.
    http://www.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=8041&addr=207.126.64.52:8010&file=filename.pls
    
    Archived Alex Jones shows
    http://www.m2ktalk.com/infowars.htm
    
    Callers to all of GCN's shows can use a toll-free number  800-259-9231
    
    Sincerely,
    David E. Parsons
    Denver, CO
    
    *********
    
    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 16:48:18 +0800
    Subject: Re: [itlizard] Re: FC: Police arrest newspaper editor for
             criticizing Florida cops
    From: John bell <dingdongat_private>
    To: itlizard discussion list <itlizardat_private>, <declanat_private>
    
    Declan,
    
    Thanks for your comments.
    
    I agree with your draconian analysis, but the editor obviously knew the law
    existed and new the risks he was taking.
    
    One wonders why he took the risk and what his agenda is.  Why not get a web
    site not based in Florida to publish instead ?
    
    Here is Western Australia, we are not allowed to refer to investigations by
    the Official Corruption Commission, est. by the state Govt., to inquire into
    allegations of civil service personal corruption and corruption of the
    process.
    
    It seems rather like defenceless and unarmed Australian journalists at
    Balibo in Timor some years ago, who where were murdured invading Indonesian
    forces.
    
    The TNI (Indon Armed Forces) were either seeking to avoid international
    scrutiny of their invasion, or in a country where life is cheap, shooting
    anyone who got in the way and anyone remotely associated with those
    resisting their invasion.
    
    The old law of war correspondents when I went to Viet Nam was never to get
    between the two front lines, as it is hard to debate immoral behaviour when
    being targeted by riflemen.
    
    What upsets me is that their editors knew the ground rules and appear to
    have been more interested in a good stories.
    
    Cheers  John Bell
    
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    From: "R. v. Head" <4whpat_private>
    To: <declanat_private>
    Subject: Re: Miami Herald reports Florida cops knew law is unconstitutional
    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 12:13:23 -0400
    
    Mister Cooper may not have major newspaper bucks behind him, but he surely
    has access to a telephone, with which he can contact any of hundreds of
    lawyers who'll ably and gladly handle the criminal defense for the
    opportunity to prosecute the 42 USC 1983 action ("depriving any person of
    his civil rights while acting under color of state law ...)
    
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