Maine activist cited for bin Laden stunt (Idiot Alert!)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/15/06 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

PORTLAND, Maine - A Democratic activist spotted on a highway overpass dressed as Osama bin Laden on Halloween faces additional charges for the stunt.

Tom Connolly was charged Wednesday with terrorizing and reckless conduct, in addition to the original charge of criminal threatening, prosecutor Stephanie Anderson said in a statement.

All three charges are misdemeanors.

"Halloween or not, in this day and age you do not get to dress as an international terrorist and wave what appears to be an AK-47 at rush hour traffic," Anderson said.

Connolly did not immediately return a call Wednesday.

Police responded to calls from motorists on Interstate 295 about a man on an overpass wearing a white robe and carrying a fake assault rifle. The costume included plastic dynamite and grenades, in addition to the toy assault rifle. Before he was arrested, Connolly walked toward officers as plastic grenades tumbled onto the ground, an officer said.

Connolly is fortunate that he wasn't shot, Anderson said. "Not only was it ill conceived, it was criminal behavior," he said.

Connolly, a lawyer, made headlines when he divulged President Bush's drunken-driving arrest days before the 2000 election. During the Democratic Convention, Connolly passed out "W is for Wiener" buttons. He also has been known to don a George W. Bush mask and dance for passing motorists.

[NormsRevenge]

sorry, no pics. (or are there?-)

[Glenn]

The humor-challenged need help.

[AmericanMade1776]

Tom Connolly

[Boulton Defiant]

"Halloween or not, in this day and age you do not get to dress as an international terrorist and wave what appears to be an AK-47 at rush hour traffic," Anderson said.


There are some things in life that you would assume don't need to be spelt out!

[AmericanMade1776]

PORTLAND, Maine -- The Democratic lawyer who donned an Osama bin Laden costume -- complete with toy assault rifle -- to make a political statement in South Portland on Halloween is facing additional charges over the incident.

http://www.wmtw.com/news/10325627/detail.html?rss=port&psp=news

[beltfed308]

Skerry and this guy should start a comedy team. They would really do well.

[AmericanMade1776]

He is not just a Democrat Activist, he is a Democrat Lawyer

[NormsRevenge]

Here's to some pokey time... he can work on his act there

[AmericanMade1776]

Police said the costume included plastic dynamite, grenades, and a replica of an AK-47 assault rifle. "The whole thing is just incredibly bizarre," said Police Chief Ed Googins. "It just crossed the line." The chief said there was no way to tell from a distance if the gun was real or fake. Connolly also was carrying a sign that said "I love TABOR," a reference to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights on the Maine ballot, but at least one person who saw it thought it said "I love the Taliban," Googins said.
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=5614570&nav=menu34_2_8_14

[SIDENET]

He also has been known to don a George W. Bush mask and dance for passing motorists.

What a nutcase. I wonder what his DU name is.

[AmericanMade1776]

Tom Connolly's Halloween Outfit at Portland Police Headquarters

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for the mug shot,

I hope he likes beans, hot dogs and baloney sandwiches.

[fight_truth_decay]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1729707/posts

There might have been some back in the day when this happened in local papers. This was about TABOR which did not pass which this Maine attorney was Against.

[AmericanMade1776]

Portland lawyer Tom Connolly, a failed 1998 Maine gubernatorial candidate and a Gore delegate at the Democrat convention in August, admitted he leaked information to the press about Bush's DUI but said he acted without the knowledge of the Gore campaign.

Connolly said someone who was in Biddeford District Court when Bush's 1976 case came up was concerned that it had never been reported and alerted "a public figure" about the case.

Connolly said he obtained a copy of a court docket of Bush's arrest, which he gave to a local television reporter.

But Abbott said the timing of the leak "has made people very skeptical" about what motivated Connolly, who did not act on his own.

"People will pursue the issue of where this came from. Someone had to look for this. It took a serious effort to get it. We'll definitely hear more about it here in Maine."

Abbott predicted the story would run its course over the weekend, but would eventually hurt the Gore campaign.

"It's of interest to people in the media, but the campaigns will get back focused on issues," he said.


Jim Tobin, a longtime Republican political strategist from Maine, thinks the effect on the election will be minimal. "People are going to see this for what it is, a Democratic dirty trick."

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2000/11/3/154940.shtml

[AmericanMade1776]

I hope he does hard time in the slammer.. Another Democrat Botched Joke!

[DogBarkTree]

He should be in trouble for this stunt but I cant help but laugh at his stupidity. Sounds like he is in training for a Darwin award.

[AmericanMade1776]

How do you like this pic of Tom Connolly?

Lawyer Tom Connolly sat in a police cruiser after he allegedly startled motorists yesterday in South Portland, Maine. (Gordon Chimbroski/ Portland Press Herald via Associated Press)

[Izzy Dunne]

But...but.... it was just a botched joke!

[reagan_fanatic]

What a maroon.

[NormsRevenge]

Looks like he's enjoying the ride in that pic , I hope his cuffs are nice and tight.

[fight_truth_decay]

I love TABOR was misinterpreted by the idiot national news media..This was to show bin Laden loved TABOR. This attorney was against said taxpayer bill of rights and was trying to draw attention to the fact with the help of his idiot wife as well who designed the sign saying she was very proud of his guerrilla tactics which he is known to employ. They are known to be a part of the far Left in the People's Republic of Portland and like surrounding communities.

The less attention paid to him, the better.

He glories in the limelight, thus the stunt. I am surprised it is still an ongoing story; but then Yahoo can be a bit slow for news, and thus needed to pull up some stories off their dusty shelf under Update. The focus at the time was the kid in NY who dressed up as a Nazi.

[Adder]

There is no way this guy should be "charged" with anything.

"Over the line"?? C'mon.

What a bunch of hysterical ninnies.

Now if they want to charge him with being a stupid dumblecrat POS...thats different.

[HereInTheHeartland]

"What a bunch of hysterical ninnies. "

Waving a realistic looking weapon is ok to do over interstate overpass?

[monday]

"There is no way this guy should be "charged" with anything. "

You are right. They should have just shot him as the terrorist he was portraying and then tossed him in the ground.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

There are some things in life that you would assume don't need to be spelt out!

So anybody seeing this incident would be terrorized because they would think it really was Osama waving an AK-47 on a highway overpass on Halloween?

The guy is an asshat, but to call this criminal conduct is Orwellian.

[Adder]

Cut me a break...look at the picture...its not very "realistic".

AND EVEN IF...once the cops saw the reality, charges should not have been brought.

We are becoming the most "charge" happy society I ever saw...its ridiculous.
This one ranks up there with the kid who wore a Hitler outfit. Poor taste, sure...but to "charge" him with a crime?

Hep me out, Libertarians! LOL

[lowbridge]

bump

[armymarinemom]

Hehehe, snort.

[fight_truth_decay]

Not very realistic? He was at a distance where authenticity of weapon(s)(grenades and gun by major interstate) was not easily distinguishable as toys.

[dbehsman]

Maine Activist Cited for Bin Laden Stunt

From the article above:
Tom Connolly was charged Wednesday with terrorizing and reckless conduct, in addition to the original charge of criminal threatening, prosecutor Stephanie Anderson said. All three charges are misdemeanors.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail, but a lengthy jail term was unlikely, Anderson said. A trial was scheduled for Dec. 19.

I hope they throw the book at this nut. But, then again he is a democRAT and therefore the laws do not apply to him. I learned long ago that democRATS are above the law. They are above the standards that they set for everyone else. That's just the way it is.

[Adder]

It still doesn't justify "criminal charges".

[fight_truth_decay]

If I remember correctly from the first stories out, the key question for prosecutors was was whether he pointed the replica gun directly at anyone. Fake grenades at a distance..well guess you wait til the pin is actually pulled to determine the threat. ;)

This attorney, planning said act, was well aware of the law, so most likely stayed at the edge of the "safety" zone free from a felony charge. Having a reputation as a guerrilla activist helps proving, at least so far, he is only a public nuisance and continues to make a name for himself after the Bush DUI allegations.

This story (USAToday) I am referencing is about two kids in a car pointing a toy gun and other toy gun arrests. Using a gun "in a crime" is a different matter.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/local_toy_guns_.html
Odds would be great, as well, he would have a liberal judge coming from the People's Republic of Portand area.

[fight_truth_decay]

Correction: Portland