Precrimes, Hutaree, and Free Political Speech: Questioning the Federal Government's Decision to Raid Hutaree in Michigan

Eight of the nine members of Hutaree pled not guilty to charges brought against them by the federal government. As the story developed this week, we now know that an FBI agent infiltrated the compound and set up the raid from within.

In federal court today, they played a recording the FBI agent made during exercises with the scary guys in camouflage who shot guns on their own private property. Here is the transcript from court and that hearing:

"How much longer are you going to put up with a foreign army controlling your streets and highways?" David Brine Stone was heard saying.

"Now's the time to strike and take our nation back."

William Swor, Stone’s attorney, argued he was exercising his constitutional right to free speech. I have to agree. If this is the evidence they have, there are many of us in trouble for claiming the need to take our nation back.

"What we heard today is that Mr. Stone talks a lot, that Mr. Stone is angry," Swor said in court. "There's nothing that says he was looking to make war on the United States."

If this is the evidence the federal government used to move in on these scary guys in camouflage who shot guns on their own private property, the rest of us freedom of speech loving people who are worried about the current direction of our country could be in a lot of trouble.

I am not sure I see a crime in these words, and this isn’t Minority Report where you can be found guilty of pre-crimes either.

The FBI agent who infiltrated the group of scary camouflage guys who shot guns on their own private property noted Thomas Piatek had over 50 firearms in his possession and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Excuse me, but this doesn’t make someone guilty, in case the FBI agent forgot about the Second Amendment, which places no limits on the amount of arms and American can bear.

The eight men and one woman with seditious conspiracy, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. If this group of Americans had “weapons of mass destruction” then why should we doubt Saddam Hussein had WMDs too? What are the weapons of mass destruction? Where did they find them? I want proof as well, especially since this Justice Department is run by many of the same Democrats who mocked George W. Bush’s claim.

The more I look at this raid, the more I fear for our own rights, as it seems the federal government is now looking to incriminate anyone who says, “we need to take our country back” and owns some bullets and firearms, which pretty much describes your average tea party the Democrats and the mainstream have gone out of their demonize in recent weeks.