Hutaree Militia Members Acquitted of All Major Charges

[Meddle]

In a startling development, a federal judge today acquitted seven Hutaree members of all conspiracy charges, concluding there was not enough evidence that they plotted a violent revolt against the government that included killing a police officer and bombing a funeral.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts dismissed all charges against five of the defendants. But illegal weapons charges remain against two defendants, the accused ringleader David Stone Sr. and his son Joshua Stone.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012032...weapons-counts

[Meddle]

I'm not sure what to think. This was an oddball case from the start.

[Detroitnerd]

Here's a good take on what to think of the FBI, and its "paid informants" [[feel free to read "agents provocateur"):

Fake terror plots, paid informants: the tactics of FBI 'entrapment' questioned

Critics say bureau is running a sting operation across America, targeting vulnerable people by luring them into fake terror plots

... FBI entrapment is a widespread tactic. Within days of the 9/11 terror attacks, FBI director Robert Mueller issued a memo on a new policy of "forward leaning – preventative – prosecutions".

Central to that is a growing informant network. The FBI is not choosy about the people it uses. Some have criminal records, including attempted murder or drug dealing or fraud. They are often paid six-figure sums, which critics say creates a motivation to entrap targets. Some are motivated by the promise of debts forgiven or immigration violations wiped clean. There has also been a relaxing of rules on what criteria the FBI needs to launch an investigation.
Often they just seem to be "fishing expeditions".


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...e-terror-plots

[Gannon]

Yeah, I'm wondering how much that damn huge raid cost us, too.


I feel the judge was in the right. I think the FBI and other government organizations are out-of-control. The Patriot Act and all associated legislation needs to be repealed. The TSA needs to be dismantled...yadda, yadda...not related to this, other than with the momentum of rant.


Sincerely,
John

[Dent]

This is the FBI trying to justify their existence. This story was in the latest issue of Wired Magazine and is much more worrisome: http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/2...as_largest_and

[Scottathew]

I'm on the fence on this one too. Maybe I just don't have enough facts.

I could swear I remember they had a plot to kill a police officer, then at his funeral kill all the other police officers that showed up.

Regardless of whether they're legal or not, they do seem to be very tea-party-ish. Definitely Santorum supporters.

[Dent]

I’m not sure who the Hutaree [[stupidhandle) would fall in line with on the political spectrum. They prove to be even dumber then many of the Obama-trons. Perhaps the Heaven’s Gate clan, except they [[Hutaree) did not want “an hero”.

[poobert]

I’m not sure who the Hutaree [[stupidhandle) would fall in line with on the political spectrum. They prove to be even dumber then many of the Obama-trons. Perhaps the Heaven’s Gate clan, except they [[Hutaree) did not want “an hero”.

Well, these guys aren't exactly liberals.

Wikipedia classifies them under "far-right politics" but even as a liberal I'd be hesitant to brand them as such. Outside of the random nonsense [[I don't think the position that Javier Solona is the anti-Christ falls anywhere on the spectrum), they appear to be a revolutionary Christian anarchist-survivalist group.

Frighteningly, groups like this have tripled since 2008[[guess why?). They scare me a lot more than "Obama-trons."

While I mostly agree with the judge's ruling I'm not convinced that all these inbreds running around in the woods with guns talking about killing cops are harmless.

[Detroitnerd]

Please remember: The issue is not whether these people are "harmless." The issue is whether they broke the law. And if the FBI is meddling with them, probably employing some shady "informant" and dangling the possibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars in front of him if he can show proof of them doing something illegal ... that in itself should be illegal.

The principles of the constitution, I would imagine, should come before political expediency on all sides of the political spectrum.

[maxx]

It's interesting that the bigger story about FBI paid provocateurs has not been in the major media. The Columbus Dispatch wrote about it.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...n-militia.html

[Gannon]

Not surprising. I am always amazed that people expect the truth from popular media.

G. Gordon Liddy told us at UofM-D in 1983 or so that the major news was already controlled...and we were 'lucky' to have the BBC from across the river. He started my on a lifetime of searching out alternative news sources.

When the truth DOES come out, like that San Jose Mercury News series on the CIA sources for inner-city drugs...it gets quickly and firmly dealt with, retracted, and the reporter and their sources silenced. Read up on what they did against the author of that series...


No Cheers

[compn]

“It’s ironic that today marks exactly two years that Mr. Piatek has been incarcerated,” said Weiss, who has long argued that his client was wrongfully locked up pending trial. “I don’t know if he will ever get back the two years that were taken from him.”

i have no opinion on this case.
but 2 years in prison? thats nuts.
what happened to the right of a speedy trial?