White supremacist blogger Harold "Hal" Turner of North Bergen says his case is about free speech, but he refused to discuss it today -- telling a TV reporter "no comment" -- after a brief court appearance in Hartford on charges that he urged violence against two Connecticut legislators.
Turner, 47, was arrested after posting a blog in which he encouraged people to go after two high-ranking state lawmakers who sponsored a bill that would have created monitoring of how the Catholic church handles it finances.
On his blog, Turner said he "advocates Catholics in Connecticut take up arms and put down this tyranny by force. To that end...we will be releasing the home addresses of the Senator and Asemblyman who introduced [the bill]."
The measure eventually was scuttled amid protests by Catholics.
But the issue remains: Is Turner a criminal?
The U.S. Supreme Court already has drawn distinctions between "fightin' words" and actual threats to someone's safety. However, it's up to prosecutors to show true intent that Turner meant what he said and said what he meant. How far is too far might not even be an issue.
“It is our intent to foment direct action against these individuals personally," Turner wrote in his blog. "These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die.
“If any state attorney, police department or court thinks they’re going to get uppity with us about this, I suspect we have enough bullets to put them down, too.”
Soon after the postings, police in Connecticut issued a warrant for Turner's arrest, charging him with inciting injury, a lower-class felony that could carry prison time. He spent a weekend behind bars in New Jersey and today was arraigned, as required by law, in Hartford. Then he left the courthouse, free on $25,000 bond.
“Mr. Turner’s comments are above and beyond the threshold of free speech,” said Capitol Police Chief Michael Fallon. “He is inciting others through his web site to commit acts of violence and has created fear and alarm. He should be held accountable for his conduct.”
Turner first emerged in 1992 as North Jersey’s coordinator for Republican Patrick Buchanan’s run for president. He was soon on Sean Hannity's radio show and, in 2002, launched an online show.
Trouble began in 2005, when he posted the names and addresses of three federal judges presiding over a lawsuit involving a white separatist who solicted an undercover FBI agent to kill an Illinois judge.
Just a year later, he blogged that "we may have to assassinate some of the people you elect on Nov. 7.”
And on it's gone.
Comments
Turner has been arrested again and is being charged with threatening three appellate judges in Illinois who ruled on a gun rights case. You may think this guy is a scumbag but it's becoming clear to me that Big Brother wants to make the Internet a nice safe place for people to buy stuff and celebrities to Twitter their fans. He's just the first in a long line of people that must be silenced.
I HAD ISSUES WITH HAL TURNER FOR A LONG TIME HE STEPPED OVER THE LINE I SPOKE WITH FBI AGENT WHEN HE CAME TO MY HOME LAST YEAR AND I SHOWED HIM STUFF THAT HAL WAS DOING WERE THREATS AND I THINK THE AGENT SENT THEM TO WASHINGTON D.C ALONG WITH OTHER STUFF I SENT IVE BEEN MONITORING HAL TURNER FOR A LONG TIME AND BELEIVE ME I KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM THAN YOU WOULD EVER THINK OF.HAL TURNER HAS THREATEN CONGRESSMEN I SENT WARNING TO THEM AND THE FBI AND SENATORS HE HAS ALSO THREATEN.NOW THAT HE IN JAIL MY WORK IS DONE FOR NOW HOPEFULLY THEY WILL CONVICT HIM OF ALL THE STUFF HE HAS BEEN DOING.
CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL.
REMEMBER THAT TELETYPERS FROM THE SIXTIES??? THE INTERNET DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
I had several run in s with hal turner with him running his mouth at me and my internet radio since then he really hasnt been a real pest anymore and me and him were at each others throats for about 2 years untill he finally got the message to keep his racial hate remarks and threats off my blog.now he in jail after i too reported him on several threats to congress and senators he been keeping a low profile since 1005 to 2008 but in 2009 he followers decided to attack my admins for the blog and were banned since then I really hope he gets what he deserves in prison 10 years for threatening 3 federal judges
Boobie sorry about the caps
read this .its the same old stuff he has been doing for years and it finally caught up to him
www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52689
THE WAR BETWEEN ME AND HAL TURNER STARTED
HERE IS WHAT HAPPEND WHICH CAUSED THE WAR BETWEEN ME AND HAL TURNER
ABOUT 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO SOMEONE CAME TO ME AND SAID HEY JIM DID YOU KNOW THERE AN IDIOT BROADCASTING HATE AND HAS MENTIONS YOUR INTERNET RADIO AS LOW RATING UNDER HIS? AND I REPLY BACK IN PM ON YAHOO AND I SAID NO WHY?HE STATED THERE A JERK NAMED HAL TURNER OF THE HAL TURNER SHOW SLAMMING EVERYONE INTERNET RADIO AND I SAID OH REALLY GIVE ME HIS LINK AND THEY SENT IT I WENT ON THERE THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND LISTEN TO HIS SHOW HE SAYING THING LIKE IM POSTING THE HOME ADDRESSES AND HOME PHONE NUMBERS OF SENATORS AND CONGRESSMENS AND SURE ENOUGH HE DID I SCREEN SHOT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION MADE CALLS TO THERE HOMES AND WARNED THEM ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON HALF I COULDNT GET THROUGH THERE LINES WERE BUSY AND I ALSO SENT COPYS OF THE SCREEN SHOTS TO THE FBI OFFICE IN WASHINGTON D.C ALONG WITH THE US MARSHALL SERVICE FINALLY SOMEONE FROM THE FBI OFFICE HERE CONTACTED ME AND WE MET
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