you should know about.
Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth are activists from Minneapolis, MN, who were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Iowa investigating animal rights vandalism from 2004. They both refused to cooperate with the grand jury, and were put in jail. Carrie is still being held on civil contempt of court. On 11/19, Scott’s civil contempt was dropped and he was indicted for conspiracy under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Scott was released on 11/30 pending trial.
http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com/
This happened yesterday:
http://veganthis.org/blog/?p=625
Moderators: kylervk, Joe, Hank Fist, inx515xhell
Some things that have been going down in Iowa.
When I think of all the harm the Bible has done, I despair of ever writing anything to equal it- Oscar Wilde
- Bullet Tooth
- One Man Wall of Death
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Re: Some things that have been going down in Iowa.
but why do we need to know this?
Re: Some things that have been going down in Iowa.
you might not personally need to know about this if you feel that your day to day activities are not threatened by this sort of abuse of power. but most people should be concerned about this, regardless of political affiliation.
grand juries operate in a manner that is unconstitutional and are an attack on the few liberties we have left in this country. consisting of a couple dozen jurors(not screened for bias), the grand jury operates in secrecy and the regular rules of evidence do not apply. a judge is not present; defense lawyers are not allowed in the court room. grand juries have been used in recent years to intimidate and go after people with the loosest of political beliefs and affiliations(Scott Demuth, one of the victims in this case who is on trial for an alleged Animal Liberation Front action isn't even vegan--he's a bow hunter who did a thesis paper on various forms of activism, which included the ALF).
this is effective in gaining intel on movements and people who the govn't suspects COULD be up to something, by pressing and intimidating those summoned to a grand jury to snitch on their friends or face legal consequences.
resisters can be held for up to 18 months or the length of the grand jury(the position Carrie finds herself in currently).
the fact that this is all taking place in iowa should have some significance to those of us who care about, at the very least, free speech--because thats what this case boils down to.
grand juries operate in a manner that is unconstitutional and are an attack on the few liberties we have left in this country. consisting of a couple dozen jurors(not screened for bias), the grand jury operates in secrecy and the regular rules of evidence do not apply. a judge is not present; defense lawyers are not allowed in the court room. grand juries have been used in recent years to intimidate and go after people with the loosest of political beliefs and affiliations(Scott Demuth, one of the victims in this case who is on trial for an alleged Animal Liberation Front action isn't even vegan--he's a bow hunter who did a thesis paper on various forms of activism, which included the ALF).
this is effective in gaining intel on movements and people who the govn't suspects COULD be up to something, by pressing and intimidating those summoned to a grand jury to snitch on their friends or face legal consequences.
resisters can be held for up to 18 months or the length of the grand jury(the position Carrie finds herself in currently).
the fact that this is all taking place in iowa should have some significance to those of us who care about, at the very least, free speech--because thats what this case boils down to.
"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats" - H. L. Mencken
- Bullet Tooth
- One Man Wall of Death
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Re: Some things that have been going down in Iowa.
none of that was contained in the links provided. thank you.
Re: Some things that have been going down in Iowa.
@nonymous wrote:you might not personally need to know about this if you feel that your day to day activities are not threatened by this sort of abuse of power. but most people should be concerned about this, regardless of political affiliation.
grand juries operate in a manner that is unconstitutional and are an attack on the few liberties we have left in this country.
the fact that this is all taking place in iowa should have some significance to those of us who care about, at the very least, free speech--because thats what this case boils down to.
You don't believe in the Constitution anyway, so don't expect anyone here to be sympathetic towards your fucked up and hypocritical views. Funny that in this instance you cry for a constitution...
Since you're such a movie buff, here's a fitting quote from a great movie:
If you want sympathy from me, look in the dictionary between "shit" and "syphilis".
---success in social interaction lies in making them afraid to see you disapprove