Radio Host Hal Turner Arrested for Making Online Threats
By Jacob Sullum
Yesterday the FBI arrested a white supremacist in New Jersey for threatening federal judges, based on his online response to the recent 7th Circuit decision that said the Second Amendment does not constrain state and local governments. Here is a description of the crime that Hal Turner, an Internet radio host, committed:
"Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed," Mr. Turner wrote in a blog entry on June 2. "Their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions."
He said the three judges, William J. Bauer, Frank H. Easterbrook and Richard A. Posner, should be made "an example" of in order to send a message to the rest of the federal judiciary: "Obey the Constitution or die."
Mr. Turner also posted the judges' photographs, phone numbers, work addresses and courtroom numbers.
There is no indication that Mr. Turner or anyone else acted on his warnings. Nonetheless, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in an affidavit that it believed his comments constituted "a threat to assault or murder a United States judge."
This does not seem like a "true threat," one kind of speech the Supreme Court has said can be punished without violating the First Amendment. Turner did not actually threaten to commit violence; he simply argued that violence would be justified. What he said seems closer to incitement, except that in this case there is no threat of "imminent lawless action," one of the requirements imposed by the Court. Unless I'm missing something, what Turner said ought to be protected speech.
What do you think? Does the posting of photographs and information about the judges make a crucial difference?
As The New York Times notes, Turner's arrest is reminiscent of the "Nuremberg Files" case, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld a $109 million civil judgment against the operators of website that arguably encouraged violence against abortion providers. In 1999 I argued that the website should be protected by the First Amendment, the position that a 9th Circuit panel endorsed before it was overturned by the full court.

liberals want a one way street. The maggotous people don't have the integrity of mind to see their hypocrisy, though i'm sure the ones in the higher echelon have a clear understanding of their deceit. That's really a line that deserves swift justice. We fought to forge this country to free ourselves from the very tyranny that is the heart of the liberal perspective. Even spiritually. They want you to accept it when they rape, murder , cheat, steal, plunder, and destroy your freedom and liberties, yet they have an utter abhorrence to the suggestion that they should receive as they give out. That is the definition of evil. you'll see it everyday, everytime they speak. Justice it their most hated concept.
http://www.seeingtheforest.com/archives/2005/12/repubicans_drop.htm
Read the preceding link. Replace the word liberal with the word Jew. Reread everything this guy has said.
I don't know much about this guy but the media is putting him out to be a white supremacist. He's being sent to a court where the Du Bois version of racism and segregation is standard protocol. i heard they;re going to have a clam bake at spike lee's house after the trial. You're hearing calls of incarcerated sodomy. Everyone of those people should lose their citizenship. That's just blatant hypocrisy. They want vigilante justice. hypocrites. But the courts know it's not about justice. the issue is the same. It began and ends on the same note. Power.
Jx, what the hell are you talking about? If you are trying be sarcastic over the last 5 posts, it's lost on me. So if you are, ok.
If you are not, I am rather worried. Judges ruled on the 2nd ammendment and they should be put to death? What? "They are just evil and society should destroy them". WTF are you talking about? Seriously, I am so taken aback right now by your posts.
if a group of judges handed out cigars to a group of pedophiles, totally foregoing sane legalities.. it should be a protected right for american's to express their opinion. On the small level, to the greatest level, (less on top) government abuses and moves to deeper abuse of their authority. How do you check an unlawful governance? There is only an illusion of justice in our justice system. they are quite guilty of abjuring justice on a continueous basis. we need to check that. We really need an overhaul. there's all these questions, what do we do about this, what do we do about that?? we hold them accountable and guilty. We had politicians in Connecticut looking to enforce farming restrictions on people. There were very nefarious reasons for it. It is really in the interest of freedom, prosperity, and well being to do 'whatever it takes" to stop those people. When the british were being bombed by the germans, the democrats in america took a back seat and said 'all's fair in war'. Luckily japan got us involved and for selfish reasons we sided with the british. They didn't have a problem with the nazi 's on a moral level. It was a personal level. With japan involved, that give germany too much leverage over the U.S. let's get involved. here we are in the modern day, and these democrats are the same democrats. When you have a politician that's lying to the people. any means that is plausable should be expressed as 'good'. It would have been 'good' had the U.S. prevented the germans from invadeing Czechoslovakia. Should that be illegal to state?
you have 8 cops, they come into your store. they kick out the customers and begin to rape your wife on the counter. what do you do? do write out a letter to city hall? or do you hand a shotgun to your son, and say, hey, we're taking these guys out boy.'
honestly what do you do? if at anytime it should be illegal to answer such a question, it is really the time to remove all officers. it is war.
we need to have more guns in the hands of more people. it would be great to see communities, towns and states, shed the shackles of government. if it takes an armed militia, it's not because of unreasonable citizens. It's a unreasonable government, working for the few whom wish to control the many. That's why we have democrats and urban teen pregnancy . It's their prevention.
they have no brains, and no moral center. why don't they attack russian in the middle of winter.
Way to keep the intellectual and rhetorical bar raised high.
But the people and they establishment are become evil. The direction of hate crime laws and you can see they can sentence this guy for eternity. Did he not speak the truth? those judges should be put to death. They know their crime is against humanity and justice. They fully resposible for putting them selves in a possition where they are to SERVE HUMANITY AND JUSTICE. They are directly neglegent on these two fronts. neither are they insane. They're just evil and society should destroy them. That is the truth, if it is illegal to proclaim such, then we're defeated. We can not let these people incriminate in such method.