AHAHAHAHA!!!

What, can't blame this on Bush?

Call Mr. Holder, maybe he'll help you out as much as he has Pvt. Manning.

The people who commit these acts of vandalism aren't protestors, they are... well vandals. That said, the government is going overboard with this. This is not justice.

She should have the right to refuse immunity, if she'd rather plead the fifth. If she is later found to have protected a criminal, she should do time.

Slam, voting for Nader wouldn't have made this situation any better. The legal system is never reformed by supporting doomed third-party candidates that only let the most right-wing ticket possible get in.

The current situation could only have been worse for everyone, INCLUDING BRADLEY MANNING(who is a political prisoner and should be released immediately)if Ralph had taken 15% and McCain had been elected with the 46% he did get-the best possible showing Ralph could have made.

SO give it a freaking rest. Yes, Obama hasn't been as good as he could have been...but nothing would be better now if the left had left McCain in(and probably left us with President Palin by now, since McCain would never have survived his entire first term)in the name of "the long term".

If you vandalize or know someone who has committed a crime, you're a subject to the law. The Courts have spoken. She will sweat it out in jail until she realizes that her accomplices are criminals and should be tried for their crimes against Seattle. Why do these idiotic vandals think that by breaking windows and destroying property will bring down the world economy of trade? You are only hurting your own community and putting fear into your neighbors. But this woman Plante will confess her crimes and those of her other criminal friends. Otherwise she is going to get very strong lifting those weights in jail..

I found myself in a similar situation once when a federal prosecutor wanted access to my sources for an article I wrote about a shooting. Luckily, I was able to get pro bono counsel and they negotiated a deal - I testified but did not reveal any sources who had not already agreed to come forward.

What I wonder is this: in my case, the shooting I wrote about involved a felon, and therefore the case was a felony case. My attorneys told me that, should I resist a motion to compel in a felony case, I would not just be thrown in jail, I would also become a felon. No trial, no conviction, do not collect $200, go straight to being a felon. I would lose the right to vote in some places, lose the ability to live in many apartments, lose the ability to get a security clearance and probably many jobs (outside of journalism, anyway), and much more. That was scarier to me than jail.

So, I wonder: does the same thing apply here? On top of being thrown in jail for resisting a motion to compel, will Plante and the others now also be felons? (I'm assuming it's felony-level because federal prosecutors are involved, but please correct me if I'm wrong.) If so, the damage here goes well beyond simple imprisonment for up to 18 months. This will follow them for the rest of their lives.

I found myself in a similar situation once when a federal prosecutor wanted access to my sources for an article I wrote about a shooting. Luckily, I was able to get pro bono counsel and they negotiated a deal - I testified but did not reveal any sources who had not already agreed to come forward.

What I wonder is this: in my case, the shooting I wrote about involved a felon, and therefore the case was a felony case. My attorneys told me that, should I resist a motion to compel in a felony case, I would not just be thrown in jail, I would also become a felon. No trial, no conviction, do not collect $200, go straight to being a felon. I would lose the right to vote in some places, lose the ability to live in many apartments, lose the ability to get a security clearance and probably many jobs (outside of journalism, anyway), and much more. That was scarier to me than jail.

So, I wonder: does the same thing apply here? On top of being thrown in jail for resisting a motion to compel, will Plante and the others now also be felons? (I'm assuming it's felony-level because federal prosecutors are involved, but please correct me if I'm wrong.) If so, the damage here goes well beyond simple imprisonment for up to 18 months. This will follow them for the rest of their lives.

Gah sorry about the double post!

http://leahxvx.tumblr.com/post/338964733…

She's free.

Good for her. Sticking to your beliefs has become an uncommon occurrence. We should all support her and arrange time to visit her to provide words of encouragement.

#16, I don't think she was sprung because she stuck to her beliefs. The other two remain in jail. I suspect the one was sprung because she's a lunatic.

#19, the Stranger doesn't "do" journalism. It's a parody pyublication, similar to The Onion.

Check out all the Unregistered Comments in this thread ––Clearly the actions by federal prosecutors and the rest of the Department of Justice (with their associates) have had the desired effect: scare the shit out of people. Smashing federal property doesn't advance public discourse, but an overarching Constitutional principle calls for greater scrutiny from Attorney General Eric Holder and former Constitutional Law Professor Barack Obama. In the balance are the further erosion of the credibility of the justice system in general and the current administration's commitment in particular. Oh yeah, and a bunch of people in jail that should never have spent a single night in jail, at least not for refusing to sign the proverbial confessions under coercion.

The issue here is not whether this young woman has information that would lead to the indictment of a brave group of stick-wielding, attention-starved chumps. The issue is the bastardization of the Grand Jury system and the need to either fix it or jettison the entire mess. The Grand Jury was wisely introduced to U.S. courts with the intent of protecting citizens against unfair prosecution, but they have morphed into a modern-day version of the Spanish Inquisition - exactly the opposite of the founding fathers intent. The U.S. is the only nation remaining that maintains the Grand Jury system and its continued use is an embarrassment.

Leah has been released. Can we keep coverage of the other two circulating?

@17: Or because she's a skinny, white, cis-gendered person who greatly appealed to the masses.

There are still two people in jail for absolutely no good reason.

Turns out there are consequences for breaking other people's shit.

@25
How lucky for you, the penalties are not as harsh for improper use of an apostrophe.

@22 has it right.