Why I think Jim Bell is getting railroaded

Tim May tcmay at got.net
Tue May 20 22:31:10 PDT 1997


At 8:25 PM -0800 5/20/97, Alan Olsen wrote:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>I think that the Government is trying to make an example of Mr. Bell.  I
>think
>that much of the charges reported in the news are flase.

Yes, it appears the fuckers are ignoring the lack of any significant
criminality (no bombs, no water poisoned, nobody murdered, no buildings
blown up, and no national capitals extinguished) and are throwing him to
the wolves.

They know that civil rights groups won't touch Bell with a 30-foot pole,
because of his advocacy of murder as a solution to the Problem, and because
he is not a good "poster boy" for a long public trial over free speech
issues.

And they probably have a pretty good case, given the American judicial system.

>Here is why...
>
>1) They claim that Jim was actively trying to disrupt 911 service and poison
>the Bull Run water supply.  These are non-political targets.  Jim only thinks
>in political targets.  (I remember trying to get him to come to grips with
>the
>idea that such a system as AP would not be used just for government types.
>That is would be used against anyone who had enemies.  Could not even make a
>dent...)

Exactly. This just doesn't compute. Bell never talked about poisoning water
supplies, in connection with his theories. (I don't deny that he might not
have speculated with his friends about how easy it might be to do X, or Y,
or Z. We all do such things, and this is the nature of any inquisitive
mind. But it ain't a crime, folks.)


>2) The warrent is sealed, yet the media is reporting all sorts of things
>about
>the case.  Where is the information coming from?  Sounds like planted
>information to keep people from complaining too much when they send him up
>the
>river for a few years...  (Whether he survives long in custody is another
>story.  I would be willing to bet that if he does not "cooperate" that he
>will
>have some sort of "accident" while in government hands.)

Actually, in most cases like this the "perp" is found to have hanged himself.

I never met Bell, but I sure hope this doesn't happen to him.

>3) The suspected crimes list keeps changing.  How many times has the
>"official" story changed?  Each time it gets more and more lurid.  (And many
>of the crimes are ones that get used against damn near every case the
>government tries against someone who threatens the security of the state.
>Belief starts to wear a bit thin after a while...)

The cops are clearly working with the media whores--that guy Painter is an
example--and are "tuning" their story to maximize the PR value.

It's the American Way.

--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 at 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."










More information about the cypherpunks-legacy mailing list