The Manifesto of a bomber/terrorist

[Bravo]

I don't know if any of you are familiar with Eric Robert Rudolph.

He is the guy that did the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996. He also bombed a gay nightclub and an abortion clinic there. Then he came over to Birmingham and bombed another abortion clinic here. Fortunately two excellent eye witnesses here followed him in his truck and got his tag.

After this bombing, he went back to the North Carolina woods and successfully eluded the biggest FBI manhunt in history for five years. At one point there were over 500 people searching for him and he was able to evade capture. One morning while searching through a trash dumpster in a tiny North Carolina town, he was arrested for vagrancy. When they booked him into the jail - he was ID'ed...

The feds had a choice to jail him in either Atlanta or Birmingham because he committed felonies in both cities - but for some reason, they put him in the jail here - where he has been awaiting trial for two years. As a result, our local paper has been providing much coverage of the guy and the upcoming trial.

Yesterday, he plea'ed out - accepting life without parole. Part of his plea bargain included the ability for him to publish a 'manifesto' kind of like the Unabomber did. It was 11 pages long and was in this morning's paper.

He hates abortion and he hates gays. His rambling anti-government diatribe goes on and on about the "regime in Washington" and how he was justified in his acts.

Not a single line of apology or contrition in the entire deal. His closing sentence was...

"And now after the government has signed, the talking heads on the news opine that I am "finished", that I will languish broken and unloved in the bowels of the supermax, and but I say to you people that by the Grace of God, I am still here - a little bloodied, but emphatically unbowed".

I cannot believe the federal government plea bargained the guy. While there were no witnesses or evidence in the three Atlanta bombings, there were two excellent ones here - one of which is an attorney and the other was a medical school student at the time. He is now at Harvard Law School. With two witnesses like this, who personlly followed his vehicle, I cannot believe they did not have enough confidence to take him to trial and get the death penalty as they did in the McVeigh case.

As it stands now, he will be in the same prison with the Unabomber Kacinzski.

Beware the white, blue eyed, red blooded American terrorist....

 

[DaveE]

Oh but it all makes perfect sense. I'm against abortion because it's murder and to prove I'll kill some people.

It's a little like, I'm against war so I'll start a violent bloody riot. This country is just overflowing with brilliant minds.

 

[Rockford35]

To make progress, there will be those that suffer the consequences. And, on the day of judgement, they will be saved.

Ever wonder why religion is always scrutinized?

This is a perfect example.

R35

 

[Bravo]

To make progress, there will be those that suffer the consequences. And, on the day of judgement, they will be saved.

Ever wonder why religion is always scrutinized?

This is a perfect example.

R35

No doubt about it...so now he can sit in jail for 50 years at the expense of the taxpayer...

 

[Rockford35]

At least I'm not paying for it.

See, here in Canada, that guy would get 15 years and be out in 8. That way, we save taxpayers money.

Then we have a public inquiry into the whole thing years after it's over and spend 40 million to find out as much as we do on day one.

It's a great system.

Remember the gallows? Bring those puppies back...

R35

 

[Slingblade61]

The gallows live on CSPAN.

When I rule the world, I'll be setting up a special appelate court that hears nothing but death penalty appeals. That way the process is expedited in less than a year and then up you go....gallows at dawn.

 

[Silver]

Rock...he'd actually get life with no chance of parole for 25 years (just to clarify)...assuming it was 1st degree murder. (I feel the need to impart that, being that I wrote my 100% criminal law final today...if all I can get out of it is correcting golfers, it was worth it!)

A friend of mine's dad was actually one of the doctors in the series of famous cases that legalized abortion in Canada. I thought that was kinda neat.

 

[Rockford35]

Rock...he'd actually get life with no chance of parole for 25 years (just to clarify)...assuming it was 1st degree murder. (I feel the need to impart that, being that I wrote my 100% criminal law final today...if all I can get out of it is correcting golfers, it was worth it!)

A friend of mine's dad was actually one of the doctors in the series of famous cases that legalized abortion in Canada. I thought that was kinda neat.

Silver,

Not to criticize, but can you honestly tell me that everyone that is charged with 1st degree murder in Canada gets 25 years with no chance of parole?

This place is like McDonalds....people coming and going out of the jails every week. I went to school with two guys that beat the life (literally) out of a prostitute and left her on the outskirts of the city to die. They got 6 years each, out in less than 4. The system isn't perfect, but for something like that, it's pretty cut and dry.

It makes me sick.

I hope you do your part to put some of these guys that get off with a slap on the wrist away for a long time. I would appreciate that.

R35

 

[Rockford35]

The gallows live on CSPAN.

When I rule the world, I'll be setting up a special appelate court that hears nothing but death penalty appeals. That way the process is expedited in less than a year and then up you go....gallows at dawn.

Sign me up. Popcorn and dead guys. Sounds like a plan!

R35

 

[Silver]

Not everyone that's charged gets that...often they'll only be convicted of the lesser included offence of manslaughter (in the example of the guys you knew: an unlawful act that caused the death of another person...basically). Manslaughter has no minimum sentence...basically it's killing someone by doing something illegal (ie assault) without having the intent to kill them.

The minimum sentence for murder is life imprisonment. 2nd degree garners that caveat of "no opportunity for parole for 10 years" and 1st degree is 25. I believe that there are certain opportunities for "early parole"...but those minimums exist. Robert Latimer (a case you're probably familiar with...the Sask farmer that killed his daugther with cerebral palsy (or was it cystic fibrosis?) to put her out of her misery) tried to argue for his sentence to be commuted as it was constitutionally unjust as he was basically just trying to help her...he failed and the Supreme Court of Canada delivered one of their extremely rare unanimous judgments presented as a whole, rather than by an individual judge saying "no effin way". I *think* he only got 2nd degree though...although I could be wrong.