June 21, 2006

• One cute little girl without a daddy at home...
• GramMa, I think the little girl is his niece, though she seems to be an important part of his life. And I just realized that Daniel's sister and niece live in my neighborhood (based on the testimonials). Wouldn't be surprised if my son plays with her in the park... And almost hope that's not the case, as I would hate for this story to get any closer to me than it already is.
• While life w/o parole seems excessive for arson (esp in light of those convicted of other, more serious crimes who seeming get insanely light sentences), these were hardly victimless crimes (damage: est. $80M) and, while no one was hurt or killed, that was more luck than anything the arsonists could have prevented. Fires have a way of jumping fences. There are legal, effective ways to protest that don't include burning things down. And while it seems that Mr. McGowan is a decent guy and has a long history of legal, effective social action and protest, if he did indeed do this he ought to have considered his little girl's well being before striking a match. Once you have kids, it stops being about you. He will have his day in court.
• Ah, neice. Sorry. Nevertheless. The shit of it is, he seems like a solid guy who hasn't ever crossed over into violent protest before. His work with womenslaw strikes a particular chord of sympathy with me, as I have worked with similar organizations in the past. Accusation is a far cry from conviction, however. If he is indeed innocent, ti's my hope and faith that a jury will see it and render the appropriate verdict OR that the other accused with him will do the honorable thing and inform prosecutors that McGowan was not involved.
• Is this the case of the squeaky wheel gets the oil or of the nail that sticks out gets hammered down? Damn. If you believe in anything, make sure you keep a low profile, else Uncle Boogeyman is gonna getcha.
• [Pointless and irrelevant image removed by admin]
• It coulda been worse, had they shot him in the head.
• Eight times.
• "There are legal, effective ways to protest that don't include burning things down. And while it seems that Mr. McGowan is a decent guy and has a long history of legal, effective social action and protest, if he did indeed do this he ought to have considered his little girl's well being before striking a match. Once you have kids, it stops being about you." QFT. I can't download music illegally anymore. Becuase if the RIAA decides to sue me, my family suffers. So which is worth more to you? Sticking it to the man (and his insurers) or taking care of your family?
• Which is to say nothing about whether the punishment fits the crime. I'm not a big fan of arsonists though. They are up there with drunk drivers in "callous disregard for human life". How do you KNOW no firefighter will be killed putting out what you started?
• And to say nothing about whether he actually is guilty.
• http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEED81E3EF93BA35755C0A963958260 http://www.courttv.com/archive/press/shannon.html So, Shelley Shannon set fire to several abortion clinics in 3 states, and shoots a doctor. She gets 31 years, 10 of which are for shooting another human being. Nothing I could find mentioned the possibility (or lack) of parole. The mind reels.
• The laws have been changed since 1995. If you wanted to burn stuff, should have done it 6 years ago.
• Well shit, that frees up my weekend.
• Typically one has to commit murder or theft on a grand scale to earn a life sentence; to earn the label "terrorist" one has to commit politcally-motivated mass murder. None of the 11 indicted as "ecoterrorists" are charged with those crimes; yet prosecutors are aiming for life sentences for several of the defendants. But if the accused are guilty, they're guilty of arson, which usually brings a sentence of five years, and of using extreme methods to advance an otherwise honorable cause. That, and really, really bad political timing.
• Here's a similar article from a few months ago: By labeling animal-rights and environmental defense activists as 'eco-terrorists,' business lobbyists hope to clamp down even further on nonviolent protest.
• I think there are larger issues at stake here (much more so than setting fires, disregard for family and lawless behavior); I was a bit surprised that there wasn't more healthy dialogue in this thread. Regardless, I find it disturbing how variants of the terrorist label are slapped around like butter on hotcakes. Animal enterprise terrorism for example. So Pete, what are you in for?? Oh, I set some mink loose... I use to be a proud little demonstrator myself, but I would have second thoughts engaging in such stunts during this day and age - legal as they were... I find this story quite telling, as it hints of a government looking to quell individuals with a loud voice in opposition. While not official, it's common knowledge among individuals involved with Daniel's case that the Government's sole piece of evidence is a recorded statement from another individual who has admitted himself to setting several of the said fires, and without his cooperation would be facing mandatory life (not to mention the reward money this particular individual supposedly received). Daniel was outspoken during the RNC, especially bringing to light the story of Jeffrey Luers. Seems like he may have set himself up. Just food for thought... I don't make any presumptions of guilt/innocence, but something smells rank in the house of Gonzalez. I don't condone any illegal activity, but c'mon!
• I forgot to mention that Daniel used the alias Jamie Moran during the RNC demonstrations.
• Memo in Support of Motion for NSA discovery [pdf] ... the discovery in this case and other documents obtained by the defense plainly indicate that Mr. McGowan himself was of particular interest to the government for his political activities and his activities related to the support of prisoners [prior to his arrest]... Based on our review of the discovery, it appears that this government monitoring of Mr. McGowan's political and support activities occurred prior to when he first became a suspect or a person of interest in the investigation of the crimes for which he is now charged. In other words, Mr. McGowan was already on the counter-terror radar of government agencies before he became a suspect in this case. Common sense, reason, and appreciation of the lessons of monitoring campaigns gone by teaches that a person such as Mr. Mcgowan would fall within the scope of a warrantless monitoring scheme now." Interesting read for anyone intersted in how ye 'ol warrantless NSA wiretapping comes in to play for domestic cases.
• Why Aren't Michelle Malkin or David Horowitz Going to Prison With These Animal Rights Activists?
• Potential NSA wiretaps in Oregon 'Green Scare' case?
• First Member of SHAC 7 Heads to Jail for Three Year Sentence
• PETA is now a terrorist organization?
• More on the AETA.
• (Cross-posted for reference.)
• Arson defendant gets seven years
• Thanks for posting this update, homunculus.
• Here's more: Facing Seven Years in Jail, Environmental Activist Daniel McGowan Speaks Out About the Earth Liberation Front, the Green Scare and the Government's Treatment of Activists as "Terrorists"
• The Terrorism Enhancement: An obscure law stretches the definition of terrorism, and metes out severe punishments.
• Daniel McGowan: Court Documents Prove I was Sent to Communication Management Units (CMU) for my Political Speech Daniel McGowan Jailed, Allegedly For Writing Huffington Post Blog