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Blogging All the Way to Jail
Glyn writes "Time magazine is reporting on Josh Wolf the 'first blogger to be targeted by federal authorities for not cooperating with a grand jury.' Josh would have normally been protected from government coercion by California state shield laws but the prosecutors have argued its a federal matter, using quite shaky logic. Josh's blog is being updated by his mother, providing updates on what is happening. From the article: '"Not only does this logic seem silly," Wolf told TIME in June after receiving his final subpoena, "but if unchallenged it will have a deleterious effect on the state protections afforded to many journalists, both independent and those that are part of the established media." Judge William Alsup of Federal District Court rejected Wolf's arguments, and declared him in contempt of court. So he is now being held in a detention center in Dublin, Calif, where he could remain until next July.'"
The people most likely to be on his tapes are his friends, family & associates.
So in choosing to protect his friends from being prosecuted for the crime of arson over choosing to protect the rest of us from being victims of an arson fire makes for a better civilization?
What an enlightened attitude.
- High Tech workers, please say NO to Union Carpenters, their Union sees fit to control our compensation.
That is why they were granted the warrant: to see if there is useful information on the video. They had probable cause to get the warrant (seeing him filming near the protests). Nobody's rights are being violated here, this is just a run-of-the-mill protecting protesters case where some kids makes himself out to be a victim. They should charge him with felony obstruction of justice. Get over yourself Slashdot, this is NOT a "your rights online" paranoia-fueled big government tin foil hat case!
The argument for federal jurisdiction here seems pretty shaky, and one can question the validity of a subpoena based on mere speculation that video might show illegal activity, but I don't see why this should fall under shield laws for journalists. The purpose of shield laws is to enable journalists to make use of confidential sources. There aren't any confidential sources here. The guy shot video footage of people with whom he had no confidentiality agreement in a public place in which they had no expectation of privacy. There's absolutely no reason that journalists shouldn't turn over evidence of this type. If the state shield law actually does allow journalists to refuse to turn over evidence in situations like this, it is a badly written law.
You're such a fucking idiot.
They burned a police car as a symbol of protest. They are NOT running around starting fires because they want to see how many people get caught in them and how much property they have destroyed.
The fact is that no one is in danger of these people.
Learn to think. We'd still be British colonies (with all the abuses) if things were left up to you.
That's how it works already. The National Guard can be federalized and controlled by the president at any time. There's nothing the state can do if they don't like it. You are a terminally brain dead fucking moron.