Laws, Feds, & the Internet

The following was in today's San Francisco Chronicle.  BTW, quoting 
the entire article as I have done is probably a violation of "fair 
use" - but de minimis ...

All under *current* law, folks.

[hmmm -- encryption doesn't do much for exhibitionists and 
braggarts, does it?  ;-]

==============================

MAN JAILED FOR INTERNET MESSAGES

Associated Press

Detroit

	A college student was charged yesterday with posting computer 
messages describing the imaginary binding, rape, torture and murder 
of a woman who used to be in his Japanese class.

	"Torture is foreplay, rape is romance, snuff (killing) is climax," 
prosecutors say one of Jake Baker's messages read.

	The student, 20, was charged with the federal crime of transmitting a 
threat to injure.  He was jailed pending a bond hearing today.

	Baker, who was suspended from the University of Michigan last week,
told reporters he was within his rights to post the messages on the
Internet.  By posting the messages, he gave other Internet users
access to them.

	If convicted, Baker could be sentenced to up to five years in 
prison.  The name of the woman was not released.

==================================

===================================
Rich Dutcher, San Francisco Greens
P.O. Box 77005, San Francisco, California 94107 USA

"That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want police protection from their slaves."
                          Kim Stanley Robinson, "Green Mars"

Greens, of course, only enslave plants - so weed-whackers work better than cops ...
====================================

On Fri, 10 Feb 1995, Richard F. Dutcher wrote:

> 
> The following was in today's San Francisco Chronicle.  BTW, quoting 
> the entire article as I have done is probably a violation of "fair 
> use" - but de minimis ...
> 
> All under *current* law, folks.
> 
> [hmmm -- encryption doesn't do much for exhibitionists and 
> braggarts, does it?  ;-]
> 
> ==============================
[Article Deleted for the sake of Brevity]

Now mind you, this kind of writing is demented, however, what ever
happened to fiction, free speech and such.  At this rate, Steven Spielberg
should be in jail as well.  I thought you had to prove intent, the saying
something or writing it is not bad as long as you didn't have the intent
or present capability to carry out such.  BTW, I like all of Steven
Spielberg's writings and movies, and now HB830 from Oregon rears its head
and fangs.  Did this guy intend to threaten or was it fiction?  How would
they even know? 

Next thing you know they will limit all free speech.

Bummer.

dh
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