Now right-wing nuts are being targeted.
Although their "extremist" free speech is full of hate, racism, and right-wing paranoia, the Michigan Militia appears to have been railroaded as well. And guess who's in the center of this mess? The FBI.
The Associated Press reports as of an hour or so ago:
DETROIT — Federal authorities touted the arrests of nine members of a Michigan militia as a pre-emptive strike against homegrown terrorists, declaring at an initial court hearing that the suspects with "dark hearts and evil intent" wanted to go to war against the government. Five weeks later, prosecutors are scrambling to regroup after a judge questioned the strength of their evidence by ordering the so-called rebels released until trial and saying they had a right to "engage in hate-filled, venomous speech." "The government is falling short," said David Griem, a former federal prosecutor who's not involved in the case. "The message that's been sent to the community is there are problems with this case." During two days of hearings last week before U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts, prosecutors tried to show how dangerous they perceived the Hutaree militia to be by playing secretly recorded conversations. Those talks, however, revealed no specific plot. Under questioning by defense attorneys, the FBI's lead agent on the case seemed unprepared. Roberts ordered the nine released from jail under very strict conditions, including electronic tethers and curfews.
