# Teen convicted on terror charges for being "anti-American", launching model rockets **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299 "2005-06-15T00:14:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299/61 "2005-06-15T20:53:27Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > You think overenthusiastically branding a student as a “terrorist” and the President overinflating terrorism arrest records are _unrelated?_ For the record, the Court did not charge the student with terrorism. He was charged and convicted of “making terroristic threats” which is an entirely different beast. You’re overenthusiastic in your desire to hijack threads for purposes other than that of discussing the OP. Please go away. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299/62 "2005-06-15T21:42:57Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > I just wonder if Mr. Bush plans to tout this incident as an example of “another terrorist captured” by the Patriot Act, given his tendency for [vastly overinflating the numbers](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002331444_terror12.html) in his current stump for renewing its sunset provisions. I doubt it. The young man was convicted of making terroristic threats, true, and I suppose an enthusiastic recounter could twist that into “terrorist.” But since the law under which he was convicted was a Pennsylvania state law, not the Patriot Act, I think any attempt to claim relevance to the Patriot Act would be sorely misplaced. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299/63 "2005-06-15T21:50:13Z")
After reading the article, some things still don’t add up. The article claims that the Molson shirt was actually cited as anti American terroristic evidence? That does not sound right. It goes further to claim he himself reported the wall scrawled threats (along with other people) and was ignored, but when the “bounty” was posted, someone turned him in? Again, something does not sound right. If things are as the cited article claims, he may have a very good shot at an appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299/64 "2005-06-15T22:08:17Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > After reading the article, some things still don’t add up. The article claims that the Molson shirt was actually cited as anti American terroristic evidence? That does not sound right. It goes further to claim he himself reported the wall scrawled threats (along with other people) and was ignored, but when the “bounty” was posted, someone turned him in? Again, something does not sound right. If things are as the cited article claims, he may have a very good shot at an appeal. An appeal must be based on errors at trial. You may not appeal simply because you think the evidence should have been weighed differently. As I read the article, the Molson shirt was not evidence adduced at trial: > [@](#): > > After he was arrested 10 days ago, Ms. Gibbons had noted to reporters that he was wearing an “I am Canadian” T-shirt. Based on the Molson beer commercial, the shirt declares, among other things, that the wearer lives “in a house, not an igloo.” ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299/65 "2005-06-15T22:16:59Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > It goes further to claim he himself reported the wall scrawled threats (along with other people) and was ignored, That’s why I think he was more bragging/attention whoring than anything else. The message got no attention, so he pointed it out. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299/66 "2005-06-15T22:45:58Z")
I don’t know enough (obviously) to take either side. So, I’ll just sit on the sidelines and see what develops (if anything). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teen-convicted-on-terror-charges-for-being-anti-american-launching-model-rockets/308299.md?page=3)