From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 10:14:32 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Breaking Legal News....
Message-ID: <v03102800b022a095d611@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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(Apologies if these stories have already been discussed...my ISP is making
changes to the system, and outages have ensued...)

First, the Ruby Ridge killer Lon Horiuchi will have to leave his protective
WitSec  program to stand trial for the murder of Vicki Weaver, who was
unarmed and whom he fired at recklessly. The charges: manslaughter.

(I don't defend the bounty being placed on Horiuchi's head, which I
understand is up to $125,000. Them danged militias are practicing AP. My
hunch is that old Lon is gonna get shivved one way or another.)

Second, charges have also been filed against Kevin Harris, who was tried in
a Federal court, and acquitted. Now the state is repeating the trial. (And
the litigation was extensive in the Harris case, and Harris was acquitted
based on a self-defense argument--for those who didn't follow it, the Feds
were lying in camouflage, shot the dog, then the son of Randy Weaver fired
at the Feds, the Feds killed the son, then Kevin Harris fired back, killing
a Fed. In other words, a classic close quarters fire fight, initiated by
the Feds without warning.)

As with the Rodney King Four, this is not being called a case of "double
jeopardy." If the state charges don't stick, try again in a different
jurisdiction, Federal. If the Federal charges don't stick, file in a
different jurisdiction, the state. I call this double jeopardy, and I don't
see how a reasonable person cannot call it this. Perhaps the Feds can have
a victim persecuted (er, prosecuted) first at the local level. If that
fails, the state level. If that fails, the Federal level. And should that
fail, the World Court in the Hague could take over the case and put
Interpol onto the persecuted.

Third, the Disneyland case is proceeding. The children "traumatized" by
seeing the actor playing Mickey remove his mouse head in front of them. Oh,
the horrors! And this is set to be a _jury_ trial. If I were called in and
forced to sit on this jury, collecting my oh-so-generous $5 or $10 a day,
I'd pull out my H & K and blow someone away. (The hysterical grandmother,
acting out her inner demons, deserves a Hasty Pudding prize for overacting
and absurdity. You have to see it yourself.)

Fourth, and then there's the Florida case of the woman who claimed a CAT
machine took away her psychic powers and collected a million dollars  in a
jury trial. (I lied about this one being "breaking" news...it's actually
from Peter Huber's excellent book about frivolous lawsuits and science on
trial...I think that was the name of it, "Galileo's Revenge: Science on
Trial," or similar.)

And the taxpayers gets to pay for most of this shit.

--Tim May

There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."