This cropped up on my Twitter feed last night. I’ve read the link – and a couple of others – and I refuse to believe it’s for real. There must be something else to the story.

Justin Carter jailed for Facebook comment

I had a quick search in the forum to see if this had been discussed but found nothing. It’s not a dissimilar story to the Paul Chambers debacle.

Does anyone know if there is anything more to this than is being reported?

After a Facebook friend with whom he played video games described him as “crazy” and “messed up in the head,” Carter replied — sarcastically, one imagines — “Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head, I’m going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still, beating hearts.” He added “lol” and “jk” for good measure. For this he was arrested by Austin police, charged with making a “terroristic threat,” and thrown into prison. He may languish there until the start of the next decade.

Why charge for this
Seems madness and given the constitutional rights

Am I surprised that some busy-body reported him? No
Am I surprised that the police felt obliged to investigate? No
I am surprised his bail was set at $500k, he wasn’t questioned until after a month in jail had passed and his “crime” has a possible 8 year sentence.

Scratch deeper at the facade of our so-called ‘free and democractic’ society and you find that it is neither.

Nothing surprises me about America anymore.
As Jello Biafra sang

“Just like Rome
We fell asleep when we got spoiled
Ignore human rights in the rest of the world
Ya might just lose your own”

The US has developed the ultimate form of democracy – a dictatorship with the illusion of freedom.

We have moved a fair bit in that direction, if the Robin Hood Airport debacle is anything to go by.

Similar story here in Oz today, though no jail I don’t think… Ridiculous innit…

Bit like getting drunk, setting up a facebook page telling people to riot, then sobering up and taking it down.
Four years…..

From elsewhere on the Internet:

His bail: $500,000, according to NPR, an amount his family can’t pay, thus keeping him behind bars as he awaits trial. He could face up to eight YEARS in prison.

Justin was placed on suicide watch last week, his dad says.

“Without getting into the really nasty details, he’s had concussions, black eyes, moved four times from base for his own protection,” Jack Carter elaborated.

“He’s been put in solitary confinement, nude, for days on end because he’s depressed. This is extremely traumatic to this kid. This is a horrible experience.”

“He’s become very depressed, very scared, and … concerned that he’s never going to get out of there. He’s pretty much lost all hope.”

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/justin-carter-arrested-for-facebook-comment-placed-on-suicide-wa/

Held in custody for any length of time for a clearly joke comment, admittedly in bad taste and not funny, is a travesty.

To possibly sentence him for eight years is ridiculous.

How is his statement “terroristic” in nature. The “threat” is non-specific, is not targeted at an individual and clearly due the hyperbole involved – “eating their still beating hearts” is not serious.

In a free society everyone should have the right to make stupid comments – so long as they don’t target specific individuals

Seems completely over the top, but then they think everyone having guns is a good idea and consider monthly school massacres as a price worth paying for guns, so nothing surprises me about that country!