# Remember the "Hutaree militia" arrests? Charges dismissed. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 27, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-hutaree-militia-arrests-charges-dismissed/616998 "2012-03-27T23:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-hutaree-militia-arrests-charges-dismissed/616998/1 "2012-03-27T23:50:49Z")
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/key-charges-dismissed-against-michigan-militia-members-charged-with-plotting-war-on-government/2012/03/27/gIQAfUYVeS\_story.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/key-charges-dismissed-against-michigan-militia-members-charged-with-plotting-war-on-government/2012/03/27/gIQAfUYVeS_story.html) DETROIT — A federal judge on Tuesday gutted the government’s case against seven members of a Michigan militia, dismissing the most serious charges in an extraordinary defeat for federal authorities who insisted they had captured homegrown rural extremists poised for war. … The trial, which began Feb. 13, will resume Thursday with only a few gun charges remaining against militia leader David Stone and son Joshua Stone, both from Lenawee County, Mich. They have been in\*\* custody without bond for two years\*\*. ============================= Two years without bond. I hope they countersue for millions. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-hutaree-militia-arrests-charges-dismissed/616998/2 "2012-03-28T00:37:06Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Two years without bond. I hope they countersue for millions. From the story they sound highly dangerous; keeping them in jail where they can’t kill someone seems reasonable. Judging from the story the mistake the government made was overreaching in the charges, especially against white right wingers. A judge probably would have sustained the charges if the group was darker skinned, non-Christian, or left wing; but the law tends to go easy on white right wing Christian fanatics until they openly start killing people. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-hutaree-militia-arrests-charges-dismissed/616998/3 "2012-03-28T02:13:03Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > From the story they sound highly dangerous; keeping them in jail where they can’t kill someone seems reasonable. Judging from the story the mistake the government made was overreaching in the charges, especially against white right wingers. A judge probably would have sustained the charges if the group was darker skinned, non-Christian, or left wing; but the law tends to go easy on white right wing Christian fanatics until they openly start killing people. Freedom of speech, remember? If the government couldn’t make a _Brandenburg_ case (“imminent lawless action”) they had to let them go. Until they do, in fact, start killing people, there’s nothing anybody can do about it. That’s the price we pay for the First Amendment, any yahoo can say whatever they want. Unless, of course, you want to abridge the First Amendment, which would have consequences I don’t even want to think about, not just for the nutters but for your pet causes as well. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-hutaree-militia-arrests-charges-dismissed/616998/4 "2012-03-28T02:28:12Z")
Here’s a previous thread that was bumped for the recent developments. > **[Are the Hutaree Militia guilty of sedition?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=641888)** > > 7 people go on trial this week for sedition and weapons charges; all are members of a group that call themselves the Hutaree Militia. They say their talk of killing police officers and overthrowing the government was innocent fun. \[ ...