From: Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 1996 16:44:23 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Jim Bell, stay out of Georgia....
Message-ID: <199608030708.AAA21521@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 09:54 AM 8/2/96 -0400, Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com> wrote:
>>>   JONESBORO, Ga. -- An 18-year-old self-styled anarchist who allegedly
>>>   distributed a free, homemade pamphlet with anti-government rhetoric
>>>   has been charged with advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government.
.....
>Brian -- why do the cops do busts like this where they know they will be
>thrown out?

1) Because they can
2) Because they can get away with it
3) Because most of the public approves of this kind of <noun deleted>
4) Because they can put out press releases encouraging 2) and 3)
   and folks will believe them.
5) Because if the case gets dropped it _might_ make Page 43 of the 
   newspaper and will be covered in a way that makes it clear
   that they're the good guys.
6) Because the state/city/town will cover their legal costs
   and penalties if they somehow lose a lawsuit
7) Because the state/city/town _won't_ cover the costs of a real
   defense of the "self-styled anarchist", who'll have to put up
   with a lot of crap as well as the 47:59:59 hours they can
   keep him in jail for no good reason plus any more until he
   can make bail for the bogusly heavy charges they'll lay on him.
8) Because once you're a "self-styled" anything, you don't get no respect.
9) I've never met any cops who were bullies - have you?
10)It's covered by the Anarchists and Commies Exception to the First Amendment.
#			Thanks;  Bill
# Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts@ix.netcom.com
# <A HREF="http://idiom.com/~wcs"> 	Defuse Authority!