Why does "Judge Dread" come to mind?
He is charged with a felony and thown in jail on 1 Millon dollars bond; for voicing his thoughts to a medical (mental heath) worker. Wouldn't it be better to get him the help he needs and keep an eye on him until he gets better. I do think he has a mental issue and needs help but what is preventing the goverment from framing someone they say thought something? Ms. Cleo will be the goverments star witness.
a. Stiles made a statement indicating that he planned to commit an act of terrorism.
b. Based upon his own statement, Stiles is obviously considered "a threat to himself or others" (to ignore such a statement these days is not only
foolish, but
negligent).
c. Protections against the government manufacturing charges - and SUPPORTING EVIDENCE - are virtually non-existent, but
not everybody is willing to become a
co-conspirator.
He had a plan but not the means, no guns nor bomb making materials. He could get a lawyer to say he was taking up writing a fictional book about terroism and was doing research, he could also say he was just running his plot ideas past the medical worker and cops to get their thoughts. With the right lawyer this would be a waste of money and time and he still won't get treatment.
Just because there were no weapons or bomb-making materials
found, does not mean they do not exist in some secret location. Corrupt lawyers
abound, both for the prosecution and the defense. He could easily find a lawyer to spin almost any yarn he desired...
IF he could afford the cost. The hard part would be to find
12 idiots that would believe that he was "writing a book", and his research required him to make terroristic threats.
Making terrorist threats is a way of saying you don't have a first admendment right if they don't like what you say.
Guilty until proven innocent is the new way with the goverment.
At the risk of repeating myself - to
ignore the threat of an act of terrorism these days is not only
foolish, but
negligent. It is no more covered under 1A than is screaming "
FIRE" in a crowded theater considered an expression of 1A. Personally, I would evacuate myself from the theater. You can wait until you see the flames and felt the heat, if that's what you choose.
The job of the police is to act upon threats, not to determine the validity of those threats.
That is the job of the courts, and
that is where his application of 1A rights will be determined. Pax...