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FBI Seeks Suspect's Web Game Records
wiredmikey writes "The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday asked the administrator of an Internet game to hand over records of communications by Jared Loughner, following a Wall Street Journal article describing disturbing messages the accused shooter wrote over a three-month period last year. In an interview, David McVittie, the administrator of the Web game Earth Empires, said he was contacted by the FBI, which requested the files, including 131 messages that Mr. Loughner wrote."
Obviously, they have plenty of probable cause connecting him to an actually serious crime, and they probably obtained a warrant in this case to get these records. While Loughner may not have left explicit notes along the lines of "I'm going to shoot people", it would definitely be relevant for the purpose of establishing his mental state.
Not every search-and-seizure is objectionable, you know. Sometimes, the government is actually doing its job properly.
I live in Victoria, Canada... we had two young teens murder a young girl, it was all planned and VERY sad what they did to her.
They used WOW to communicate, and one guy admitted to another friend to killing her on WOW... and they got those records.
Not surprised at all. I'm actually very satisfied knowing that NO channel of communication should be considered '100% secure'. Face to face is the only place 'privacy' has a chance at existing... and I say chance, because technology can be anywhere at anytime.
Hopefully these messages give more insight... what an amazingly sad example of how broken our society is, and how helpless the parents are when their ADULT son is off the hook
No, it is not. You do not understand what "fascist" and "dictatorial" actually mean. Plus, exhortation to violence is not protected speech. Finally, even if it were protected speech, the government is allowed to access it with a warrant while building a criminal case. You, sir, are an idiot.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Nothing on the record shows he was pro communism, he happened to have read Marx, but he also read Ayn Rand. Hmmm, pro-pot, anti-religion, read Marx and Rand? To me, that sounds more like a libertarian than a liberal or a conservative.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Too many witnesses. This case is open and shut. Any information requests, while they may end up using them in court, are done primarily out of curiosity. The FBI is just trying to figure out why people lose it and rampage, and they will likely be upset when they discover there is no reason.
I think the entire debate around the rhetoric has been skewed - both the people that are claiming the rhetoric caused him to do it (who knows, but most likely not) and the people that are crying foul at even bringing up the rhetoric.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to discuss the rhetoric as a result of the shooting for this reason: it demonstrates why the gunsight imagery and "2nd amendment solution" talk is so repugnant in the first place. This tragedy - a bullet through a congresswoman's brain, a dead 9 year old girl, and the rest - is what these people are so coyly hinting at with these ads and this talk.
I think there is plenty of value in shaming the perpetrators of such rhetoric not by implying any cause and effect, but by making them realize just how serious and disgusting these things they are hinting at are.
while [ 1 ]; do echo -n -e "\xe2\x95\xb$((($RANDOM&1)+1))"; done