# Yes, you can go to prison for nothing more than expressing your views on a message board

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-you-can-go-to-prison-for-nothing-more-than-expressing-your-views-on-a-message-board/543353>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [June 15, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-you-can-go-to-prison-for-nothing-more-than-expressing-your-views-on-a-message-board/543353 "2010-06-15T21:37:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-you-can-go-to-prison-for-nothing-more-than-expressing-your-views-on-a-message-board/543353/61 "2010-06-17T23:06:13Z")

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If we can just get [Sharron Angle](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=567553) to post her views on a message board…

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-you-can-go-to-prison-for-nothing-more-than-expressing-your-views-on-a-message-board/543353/62 "2010-06-18T01:25:14Z")

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> [@Otara](#):
>
> “I said it before but I will say it again - the fact that he tried to hide his identity by logging in on other user accounts and trying to hide his IP address strongly indicate he already knew his words were over the line.”
> 
> Or shows he knew there was a possibility of social reprisals or being expelled from his course. In itself its not proof of knowing the speech was actually illegal, only a wish to avoid some kind of consequence.
> 
> Otara

You are basically restating what I said in the post you are quoting. I never said this indicated he knew his words were illegal or would result in his arrest. My point is - at trial, when the jury was shown what he posted and given evidence he tried to hide his connection to the posts, that probably made his behavior appear to be more sinister or threatening. If something is just a joke or an instance of drunk posting, would you really go to such lengths to cover your tracks? And whether or not he seriously meant for the threats to be carried out they pretty clearly are in violation of the relevant section of the Federal code cited in previous posts.

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