Newsbytes files this report on the bust, bringing quotes from the FBI to the table:
“People can rant and rave on the Internet all they want, but when they cross the line of calling people to action to violently overthrow the Constitution of the United States, they have a problem,” said McLaughlin [a representative from the FBI’s LA field office].
However, regardless of what the FBI thinks, calling for overthrow of the gov’t is not illegal, which is probably one reason why RaisetheFist’s webmaster wasn’t arrested. More likely, the FBI rep is throwing around scare words so skew public opinion and create the impression that the webmaster was a violent terrorist in wait. (Which begs the question: if you were actually planning the violent overthrow of the gov’t, would you announce it on a website?)
Apparently the feds also were after the webmaster partly for defacing some corporate websites — something the article says he admitted to during six hours of interrogation. I’m a little suspicious of this “fact,” since this guy should be well aware that you shouldn’t talk or admit a damn thing to police of any kind without a lawyer present to help you protect yourself. The only reason I can think of that he’d crack is that he’s pretty young — only 19 — and living at home.
In case the feds are reading: radio is my bomb.
Previously:
RaisetheFist.com Is Back Up 1/30/02 San Francisco Indymedia has confirmed the FBI raid on RaisetheFist.com Feds and Police Raid Independent Journalist
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