I'm not talking about the one-paragraph charge against the Oregon folks. Someone wrote that up overnight, I'm sure. I'm talking about the 32-page, six-count criminal complaint against Cliven Bundy, which I linked to upthread. That is not a hastily-written legal document-- too many names, dates and details for that. My guess is that the charges were written up a while back, but the feds saw all the support that Bundy had from locals and were afraid of the reaction if they brought the case then. When Bundy left Nevada to go up to Oregon, they saw their chance and pulled this out of a drawer. That's true. I'll agree with THAT assessment.
The business of the "impeding" felony is still garbage.
I was party to discussions in a previous life where the principals acknowledged that it was an option, but hesitated about going there. The Hammer was too big.
As a libertarian, aren't you concerned about the now-vast and ever-growing body of Federal criminal statutes that apparently can be bent to any end, looking at this case?
As a libertarian, aren't you concerned about the now-vast and ever-growing body of Federal criminal statutes that apparently can be bent to any end, looking at this case?Abso-freeping-lutely. And as a lawyer, I scream about it in court whenever I'm defending someone. Not too many judges listen, unfortunately.