21-Year Old Gets 25 Years in Prison for online threats to South Park Creators

[Kregisen]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/24/virginia.terror.sentence/index.html?hpt=T2


A 21-year-old man who admitted posting online threats against the creators of the animated TV series "South Park" was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison.

Zachary Adam Chesser encouraged violent jihadists to attack "South Park" writers for an episode that depicted the Prophet Mohammed in a bear suit, court documents said.

He posted online messages that included the writers' home addresses and urged online readers to "pay them a visit," the documents said.

"His actions caused people throughout the country to fear speaking out -- even in jest -- to avoid being labeled as enemies who deserved to be killed," U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said. "The fact that a young man from Northern Virginia could support such violence and terror is a sobering reminder of the serious threat that homegrown jihadists pose to this country."

Chesser pleaded guilty in October to providing material support to terrorists, communicating threats and soliciting others to threaten violence. The three charges carried a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

"I accept full responsibility for all of my actions, and I would like to take the opportunity to express remorse," he said in court.

Chesser, who was born in the United States, converted to Islam in high school. U.S. District Court Judge Liam O'Grady told Chesser he had made a big leap from being a high school athlete to a traitor.

Chesser also admitted that he tried to go to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab, an Islamic militant group that the United States considers a terrorist organization.



I'm not saying that online threats aren't a big deal, and South Park IS one of the best TV shows of all time, but doesn't 25 years sound a little excessive? Can't you get away with rape and murdering people for less than that?

[Wesker1982]

http://mises.org/rothbard/ethics/thirteen.asp !

[Anti Federalist]

I'm not saying that online threats aren't a big deal, and South Park IS one of the best TV shows of all time, but doesn't 25 years sound a little excessive? Can't you get away with rape and murdering people for less than that?

Of course it's excessive.

It's designed to make a point, that point being, silence Mundane.

[Batman]

I guess so. Now is he actually a Muslim or did he just try to hang out with them?

[doodle]

This could be serious threat, that is why such a term. Perhaps they are trying tpo make it more punitive to send out message to other Adam Chesers out there. Another terrorist Adam Gadhan is apparently still on the run.

On a side note, could US tax payers be stuck with paying for lofty security costs for South Park creators like British tax payers have been paying for Rushdie for decades?

[mac_hine]

http://mises.org/rothbard/ethics/thirteen.asp !

...If, then, proportionality sets the upper bound to punishment, how may we establish proportionality itself? The first point is that the emphasis in punishment must be not on paying one’s debt to “society,” whatever that may mean, but in paying one’s “debt” to the victim. Certainly, the initial part of that debt is restitution. This works clearly in cases of theft. If A has stolen $15,000 from B, then the first, or initial, part of A’s punishment must be to restore that $15,000 to the hands of B (plus damages, judicial and police costs, and interest foregone). Suppose that, as in most cases, the thief has already spent the money. In that case, the first step of proper libertarian punishment is to force the thief to work, and to allocate the ensuing income to the victim until the victim has been repaid. The ideal situation, then, puts the criminal frankly into a state of enslavement to his victim, the criminal continuing in that condition of just slavery until he has redressed the grievance of the man he has wronged.[3]

We must note that the emphasis of restitution-punishment is diametrically opposite to the current practice of punishment. What happens nowadays is the following absurdity: A steals $15,000 from B. The government tracks down, tries, and convicts A, all at the expense of B, as one of the numerous taxpayers victimized in this process. Then, the government, instead of forcing A to repay B or to work at forced labor until that debt is paid, forces B, the victim, to pay taxes to support the criminal in prison for ten or twenty years’ time. Where in the world is the justice here? The victim not only loses his money, but pays more money besides for the dubious thrill of catching, convicting, and then supporting the criminal; and the criminal is still enslaved, but not to the good purpose of recompensing his victim.

I wish I had Rothbard's brain.

[doodle]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/24/virginia.terror.sentence/index.html?hpt=T2



I'm not saying that online threats aren't a big deal, and South Park IS one of the best TV shows of all time, but doesn't 25 years sound a little excessive? Can't you get away with rape and murdering people for less than that?

There seem to be different standards on these issues:



Few are charged over threats against US officials
Feb 13, 2011 8:47 AM EST

In northern California, John Gimbel of Crescent City, had been on the Secret Service's radar for years of profanity-laced e-mails that called for the death of Obama, and before him, President George W. Bush - and their wives and children. But the service only moved to arrest him shortly before Obama visited the San Francisco area in October 2009.

At Gimbel's trial, jurors were shown vivid e-mails filled with racial invective and calls to violence. Gimbel argued he was merely exercising his free speech rights. A Secret Service agent wrote in court papers that Gimbel said "he didn't want to harm the president, but only wanted to draw attention."

The jury split over the verdict, leading to a mistrial and the government's decision to drop charges.

Adam Albrett, a Fairfax county, Va., patent attorney, was arrested after he posted a message on the White House Web site that he planned to kill Obama unless he left office. Albrett left his contact information and also indicated he planned to leave water and food for his dog, Mara.

In August, federal prosecutors and a judge accepted Albrett's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=14020657

[Doug8796]

I am on the fence on this one. There are extremist muslims that are completely irrational, but he doesn't deserve that long.

[qh4dotcom]

Too Excessive

[doodle]

I am on the fence on this one. There are extremist muslims that are completely irrational, but he doesn't deserve that long.

If real threat, this could be very serious as hahapened in another case where someonbe had to get new identity.
Not sure if related case but if Adam is same guy who was in touch with the guy who fled to Yemen and issued fetwa, it would be very serious.

[fisharmor]

U.S. District Court Judge Liam O'Grady told Chesser he had made a big leap from being a high school athlete to a traitor.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Hello all, welcome to bizarro world, where death threats against those who profane Islam is the same thing as treason.
This in a state that still has the words SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS on its flag with a picture of a tyrant getting gigged like a fuckmothering bullfrog.
Gotta go let my head explode now.

[LibForestPaul]

http://mises.org/rothbard/ethics/thirteen.asp !

Thank you for that article. Never even knew such a perspective existed. And it makes sense...

[HOLLYWOOD]

5 years from the maximum 30 years... I see a trend here, that the federal government is inflicting the harshest and maximum sentences. If you're over the age of 50, that's pretty much a life sentence. This could become blow-back, because if government continues on this track, people will go FAIL-SAFE with the "Nothing To Loose" deductive rational.


The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) to the United States Constitution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution) is the part of the United States Bill of Rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights) which prohibits the federal government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_States) from imposing excessive bail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excessive_bail), excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruel_and_unusual_punishment). The U.S. Supreme Court (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States) has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause applies to the states (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporation_of_the_Bill_of_Rights)

Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase describing criminal punishment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment) which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffering) or humiliation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humiliation) it inflicts on the condemned person.

[low preference guy]

i don't think the sentence should have been longer than 5 years

[EvilEngineer]

Muslims need to grow some thicker skin... one little irk and they are up at arms and threating to kill. It's a non-event now a days if every other deity or prophet gets defamed or made fun of.

Oh well... the modern crusades continue on.

[Jinks]

I don't think he should go completely unpunished, but like some have said here, online threats are RARELY credible, nobody can actually threatened a person's life without being tracked and found, or exposing himself. Sadly, some people who have nothing to lose or fear nothing, will be more likely to make credible threats regardless of the consequences to himself.

[BamaFanNKy]

See.... I read this and didn't think Muslim. I thought of those soulless Gingers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY39fkmqKBM

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

wtf people that actually commit murder sometimes serve less LOL