We have previously discussed the often unhinged reaction to jokes and postings referring to violence by authorities. It is certainly understandable and commendable to take such postings seriously, but even when all available evidence points to a juvenile exchange or bad joke, the cases seems to go into autopilot with prosecutors and police insisting on absurd charges. That appears to be the case of Texas teenager Justin Carter who has been held for over four months due to a single sarcastic posting on Facebook for “terroristic threats.” This case shows, once again, prosecutors and police showing no judgment or logic in the handling of such cases.
Carter’s nightmare began with Justin and a friend were arguing on Facebook with someone else over the online video game “League of Legends.” Someone said Justin was insane and he responded in juvenile jest with “I’m fucked in the head alright. I think I’ma (sic) shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them.” His family says that he followed that with “LOL” and “J/K.” However, a woman in Canada called police and a week later a search warrant was issued.
Prosecutors then brought charges without showing any discretion and this void of logic was followed by a judge who set bail at $500,000.
There is no reference to a single piece of evidence supporting a claim that there was any intent to commit an act of violence. Yet, this young man is being held for months on an absurd bail amount in a case based on what appears to be juvenile banter. The concern is that we now have this massive counter-terrorism system funded by billions of dollars each year and employing thousands of investigators and prosecutors. There have been relatively few serious cases to feed and justify this system. When any case enters the system and “terrorism” is mentioned, it seems to go on autopilot. No one wants to be accused of being soft on such crimes.
If there is more to this case, someone needs to identify it. As it stands, this sounds like a cruel joke on a teen who has been languishing in jail for a sarcastic joke.
A hearing to reconsider Carter’s bail is set for July 16.
Source: CNN
Adults who can’t tell the difference between terrorism and teenagerism will terrorize.
I concur.
nick spinelli 1, July 8, 2013 at 9:46 am
In related news, the quality of common sense was just put on the endangered list.
I’m gonna ply devil’s advocate here. What if nothing had been said or done about this, and the kid actually DID go and shoot up a kindergarten? Then what would people be saying?
I’m kinda sympathetic with law enforcement in this situation. They’re in a position where they can’t win. If they haul the kid in and he meant nothing by it, they look like jackbooted thugs. If they leave him alone and it turns out he was just trying to throw them off his scent with the “J/K” and actually does do something, they know they’ll be blamed for not preventing a catastrophe.
RobinH This woman had a valid concern. How she was exposed to this FB post does not worry me. I have a small facebook set up, I know the people on it and I can evaluate intent. …And I’m older so I am not exposed to too many youthful idiot indiscretions. ….Though I was quite capable of them 40 years ago. LOL
My curiosity is how the local police, in the boys town found out. How many layers of Bureaucracy the notice went through, and were the local police required by homeland security to send this notice up the ladder?
….. or I wonder if this is one of those queries that the government does not have to answer?
Is this teenager being held without due process because the formidable secret security orders it, and has no compunction to explain nor justify its reasoning.
Professor Turley states,
“If there is more to this case, someone needs to identify it. As it stands, this sounds like a cruel joke on a teen who has been languishing in jail for a sarcastic joke.”
I don’t understand it at all. The bail hearing should be interesting.
Do any Lawyers here know if this teenager has a right to the process and paper trail of how the notice of his facebook post came to attention, and when, where, and by whom this whole process came to be?
Speaking of terror tactics.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/08/california-female-inmates-sterilized-doctor-said-it-was-more-cost-effective-than-welfare/
excerpt:
That shameful past is coming back to haunt the state as a new report emerges that almost 150 female prison inmates were sterilized between 2006 and 2010 without state approval. The report released by The Center for Investigative Reporting claims that at least 148 women received tubal ligations during that time frame. Records show that between 1997 and 2010 the state paid $147,460 to doctors to perform the surgery on inmates.
And we have a kid who may feel so abused by the system that his jokes may become reality.
1984… You are US!
I believe that this is a case out of new braunsfels Texas that really got out of hand….. I had the opportunity to speak with a gentlemen very locked into that area….. He ended up quitting that job and sought employment elsewhere based upon this travesty of justice….. He spoke up and was moved out basically…..
Unbelieveable.
@ davidbluefish you just put another question into the game. exactly how does a woman in canada read the fb posts of kids arguing in america over a game.. is she a family member to one of the other boys this young man was arguing with? does she consider herself the fb police and just goes around digging up random posts to read? and as im reading more up on this story im noticing people calling out for information on this so called woman . they want to know exactly what you asked. while many want to know what happened to her common sense. personally i say she is brain washed and really does believe that the poor(moneywise) muslims really did fly a plane in the towers and by waving a magic wand also knocked down tower 7 with a abra ca dabra
“This case shows, once again, prosecutors and police showing no judgment or logic in the handling of such cases.”
It is Texas after all.
However, if sarcasm is outlawed, then only outlaws will have sarcasm and this place will by default become a den of outlaws.
I love Texas! (That was maximum sarcasm.)
what seems to be missing here is the well known fact that the elites aka 1% aka the real ogres who run the corporations formerly known as the government are out to show our youth they have no rights,freedoms, amendments, constitutions personally these no tolerance bs laws, and non common sense cases are happening because its to be shown that we are mere slaves to them and are not allowed to joke around, we are only here to work low wage jobs anyone working in a job making more then low wage 1. must be a mason
2. must do the bidding of those higher up on the bs pole
3. it is designed to break the will of those who consider themselves and informed.
Too much of their used to be private information has been given out by defectors, by those who woke up and realized what was truly going on, and definitely by those who decided to turn their lives back over to GOD or should i say a HIGHER POWER. they want this chaos. because a favorite slogan of theirs has “always been out of chaos will come order” OUR ORDER” which in turn is their one world corporation and all will worship the master of chaos and confusion. and the best statement ive read so far
”
The concern is that we now have this massive counter-terrorism system funded by billions of dollars each year and employing thousands of investigators and prosecutors. There have been relatively few serious cases to feed and justify this system”
is exactly what it is all about. the false flag terror attacks are being called out for the lies they were/are. and those involved are being named so the millions spent must be recouppeed one way or another. they get a two for one deal. they get to fill up their jail cells with innocent victims while also showing them you thoughts are you being free are over. in other words. THE OVERLORDS ARE SHOWING THEIR TRUE FACES!!!!
“It is certainly understandable and commendable to take such postings seriously,”
I wonder if the NSA word mining program picked this up and flagged it before the woman in Canada notified authorities.
“However, a woman in Canada called police and a week later a search warrant was issued.”
What and which “Police” did she call? Did this woman call the boys local PD. or did she dial her local police and and they called ?, then ? called ? etc. How many calls and notices to what agencies were made before the local police were notified? If this scenario happened and say 5 agencies were involved, I can see a real Bureaucratic pressure put on the local cops
to beat their chests and impress the powers that be.
I wonder if the locals had interviewed the kid, decided it was simply youthful idiocy, slapped his wrist, and walked away, ( which is what should have happened) ..
How would the 5 layers of “concerned” bureaucratic authorities reacted.
.Some dogs don’t get called off the hunt too easily. Especially government dogs. Sometimes when they don’t find the bone they make one up.
They create their own “Wishbone” bring it to the public waging their tails, and via the Fogologue machine, explain how good they are. :o)
Of course the Woman may have called a direct 911 line to the boys local PD. I don’t know how that would be done, …. but there are many things I don’t know. ….. My question to this is, would the local PD have kept this totally internal? Are there guidelines from homeland security stating what notifications and what agencies to contact?
Daily Kos blogger Justin Doolittle has an excellent piece on the Carter case as well as other similar cases. It is worth reading and following the links.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/08/1221921/-Prison-State-now-gobbling-up-youths-over-threatening-social-media-posts
The kid should be out of jail and his jailers should take his place.
It should read, “Yet, this young man.”
In related news, the quality of common sense was just put on the endangered list.
I wasn’t aware that Guantanamo now extended into Texas.
Reblogged this on euzicasa.
Contrast official behavior here with your previous post about the former St.Louis police officer (current thug) acquitted.