As clashes between police and protesters subsided outside the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, county prosecutors charged eight people with conspiring to cause a riot as part of a terrorist act.I talked about this a few days ago, how cops raided several homes in the St. Paul area and arrested hundreds because they PLANNED to protest. Now we see how some of those arrested are being charged with serious felony crimes...conspiracy to commit terrorism.
The eight suspects were arrested in connection with raids of homes in the Twin Cities that were conducted by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department before the convention began.
The charges are highly unusual because of the terrorism aspect. Ramsey County Atty. Susan Gaertner said she could recall no such case in her 24 years with the prosecutor's office.Bruce Nestor, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which is representing several of the suspects, called the charges ridiculous.
"This was the most serious charge that we found that was supported by the evidence," she said. "The terrorism aspect is appropriate. This is not your average criminal charge, but this was not your average crime."
If convicted, the suspects could each face up to five years in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.
The accusations are "an effort to equate publicly stated plans to blockade traffic and disrupt the RNC as being the same as acts of terrorism," Nestor said in a statement.
Our government is planning on putting people away for up to five years for the crime of planning to dissent against the GOP during their little party. It's the definition of thoughtcrime, they were planning to dissent. If they had actually been able to pull off the "vile terrorist act" of dissent, it undoubtedly would have been worth ten or twenty or more.
The "intent to dissent" is a terrorist act in George Bush's America. That's the real story in St. Paul this week. The police state in this country exists now. This is not a nebulous warning about a future Orwellian dystopia, this is Ramsey County, Minnesota, 2008. Do you honestly believe that the intent to block traffic is punishible by up to five years in prison, that it is on the same level as planning to blow up a chemical plant or trying to otherwise harm Americans, that it should be a Federal offense punishible by prison and fines?
Your government thinks so. They think it's applicable in this case because they planned to protest the GOP, and our leaders will not tolerate that kind of thing. They will not tolerate the intent to protest. That is the truly scary part: the notion that this was a grand criminal conspiracy.
The accusations of the government are very harsh.
According to the complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court, the eight suspects are leading members of the RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist coalition. For at least two years, the group mapped out violent methods to disrupt the convention and prevent delegates from entering the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, according to the filing. The group allegedly had considered barricading bridges, spraying delegates with urine and possibly kidnapping delegates.
The arrests follow a nearly yearlong investigation by the sheriff's office and federal law enforcement agencies. An undercover investigator and informants were used to monitor the group, according to court documents. The inquiry found that the group had connected with sympathetic factions in dozens of cities to recruit volunteers and raise funds, according to the documents.
Now, planning kidnapping and assault is one thing and certainly those ARE directly harmful to Americans, and worthy of prosecution. But this is a government that has lied to us before on much larger issues. Not much of a stretch to send a chilling warning to anyone else who might want to commit intent to dissent.
The death of liberty to thundrous applause, and all. Will the Obama campaign address the abuses of power in this country?
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