Heavy Metal Lyrics Posted To Facebook Result In Arrest For Terrorist Threats

from the so,-unfriending-just-isn't-harsh-enough? dept

Mon, Sep 8th 2014 9:06am — Tim Cushing

Maybe the time has come for Facebook to implement a [Not a Threat] tag to go with its new [Satire] tag. That way, precious law enforcement resources won't be expended hunting down and arresting someone who really isn't threatening anyone.

WFIE 14 News is reporting that 31-year-old James Evans of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky was arrested on terroristic threatening charges after he posted lyrics from a song by the heavy metal band Exodus on Facebook. On August 24, Evans posted the following quote from the song “Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)”, “Student bodies lying dead in the halls, a blood splattered treatise of hate. Class dismissed is my hypothesis, gun fire ends [the] debate.” Shortly thereafter, he was taken into custody by authorities under the rationale that his posting constituted a threat “to kill students and or staff at school,” according to his arrest warrant.

Evans ended up spending 8 days in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights. Terroristic threat charges haven't been dropped but his case has been deferred for six months. He's also been ordered to undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation -- all for posting lyrics written by someone else.

According to Evans, even some of the officers he spoke to felt there was no reason he should have been arrested. But the statement made by (why?) the county's school resource officer seems to indicate this response was perfectly justified. Resource officer Mike Drake said "multiple agencies" received calls about Evan's post. When you have multiple complainants babbling about school shootings, you really can't just sit around the precinct doing nothing. What you can do, however, is get a little context before booking someone on criminal charges. Turning someone into a criminal simply because they showed a little lack of judgement isn't the appropriate response. Beyond that, there's the First Amendment -- which doesn't cover actual threats but definitely protects stuff a bunch of people mistakenly viewed as a threat.

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Filed Under: exodus, first amendment, free speech, james evans, lyrics, social media

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That One Guy (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 7:19am

Not a helpful alternative
Maybe the time has come for Facebook to implement a [Not a Threat] tag to go with its new [Satire] tag.

Given so many police, following after the FBI's example, prefer their 'threats' to be harmless and homegrown, [Not a Threat] would just help them find more people to arrest, since they'd know it would require a minimum amount of work on their part, they'd never be in any real danger, and best of all, it would provide a nice, easy distraction from dealing with any real threats.

Though to be fair, if a number of agencies were phoning it in regarding one post, there are clearly far too many people with way too much free time on their hands, and worse, they all seem to have bought into the whole terrorist boogieman scare the government loves so much.

Not every threat, or potential threat is a 'terrorist threat/danger', but I suppose it makes them feel all tough and brave when they can pretend they're 'fighting terrorists', rather than just dealing with regular people/criminals/idiots.
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Ninja (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 7:54am

Turning someone into a criminal simply because they showed a little lack of judgement isn't the appropriate response.

I wonder, why would it be "lack of judgment"? What if he likes the group and thought this particular quote is kind of funny given his job or something? What if he was merely listening to the song and quoted some random part? Did the guy show solid evidence of mental issues, behavior problems etc etc?

Or are we prisoners of our own overblown fears of everything?

I wonder when we went from Contemporary Age into Scared-of-everything Age.

Note: this is not criticism aimed at Tim specifically but rather at us all. I also started thinking he could have chosen better lyrics but then I began asking myself when I had became so thin skinned.
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BentFranklin (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 8:13am

That album is being release by label Nuclear Blast:

http://exodusattack.com/site/

Nuclear Blast is a German label:

http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/

Nuclear Blast is a RIAA member:

http://riaa.com/aboutus.php?content_selector=aboutus_members&f=n

Shouldn't RIAA be exposed for profiting from dissemination of material that incites violence against children?
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ltlw0lf (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 8:45am

Re:
Or are we prisoners of our own overblown fears of everything?

Yes.

In a day-in-age of helicopter parents, people being thrown in jail for felonies for leaving their post-toddler kids playing video games in a car on a cool, cloudy day for a few seconds to run into the store to buy milk, and people who believe that we must hire PR firms to carefully monitor and scrutinize what we put up on Facebook, we have become prisoners of our own stupidity.

I still routinely get comments from people about what I chose to share here or on Facebook (and I really don't share much.) I think we, as a society, have become too voyeuristic/stalkerish/creepy towards everything everyone else is doing wrong while ignoring our own faults and failings. Technology has certainly made this easier, but technology won't solve this problem. Unless you are being hurt physically by someone 'elses actions, or you have good reason to believe grave results will come from their failures, maybe it is best to worry about yourself and not what everyone else is doing. (It was good advice my mother gave me in elementary school too.)
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:16am

He's in serious trouble if he downloaded any of the music.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:17am

And nobody has attempted to blame video games yet? For shame
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:17am

Re:
I wonder, why would it be "lack of judgment"?

He is a Facebook user.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:20am

His troubles have just started. I bet ASCAP goes all nuclear on him...
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:22am

Guilty until proven innocent
There is not a single constitutional right not under assault by the police or your neanderthal education system!

It is literally more important that we track down and ostracize or jail people that look or did something that could considered homophobic or racist, or downloaded something that RIAA did not like, or looked at a cop crossways instead of defending the founding principles of this Nation.
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Ninja (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:31am

Re: Re:
Aha. I think people are having an insanely hard time accepting that there are those who think differently and have different opinions. If we could agree in disagreeing over something without further implications (as in: trying to emerge "victorious" from the discussion) things would be much, much better. Or better yet, we could actually use dissenting opinions to make ourselves better.
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Gumnos (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:31am

If only...
If only someone [cw]ould arrest those quoting Bieber, Miley Cyrus, or Taylor Swift 😉
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Scote, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:33am

We really need more context to this. Just saying he posted lyrics from a song does not necessarily mean what he posted was not a threat. Granted, I think the cops need to have a sound reason rather than scare tactics before making an arrest, however one could easily make real and credible threats of imminent harm using song lyrics as a source. So, just saying "Song Lyrics!!!" doesn't prove the issue one way or another.
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Ben (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:40am

Lesson learned, he'll never plagiarize again
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:41am

Re:
From the linked article:

An avid heavy metal fan, Evans frequently posted various song lyrics on Facebook prior to his arrest.

In addition to that, he was released after 8 days. I'm not sure what they did for those 8 days, but you would assume that they found nothing to suggest he was going to shoot up a school.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:43am

Exodus’ management commented on the issue in a press release, saying, “The band Exodus does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying. That being said, the band is somewhat baffled by the fact that this man being charged for what seems against his first amendment rights of Freedom of Speech.”

At least their reaction was not sending a C&D for violation of copyright on the lyrics.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:53am

$$
I hope all charges are dropped, the arrest expunged from his record and he is awarded a large sum of cash for having his civil rights violated.
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bob, 8 Sep 2014 @ 9:59am

Re:
Ninja: Agreed.
it reminds me of a comedian talking about someone who got shot (with a stray bullet) while pumping gas.
people referred to it as being "at the wrong place at the wrong time"..and the comedian properly pointed out that in fact, he was NOT in the wrong place at the wrong time. he was low on gas and was therefore at the gas station.
the right place at the right time.
there is no need to call his actions into question as he was doing absolutely nothing wrong.
Likewise, someone posting lyrics, no matter what lyrics, is doing nothing wrong.
Otherwise it's like the kid who got tracked down because he had "fresh prince" on his voice mail (including "shooting some b-ball outside of the school". ) and that got police to track him down and locked down several schools until that happened.
he also was doing nothing wrong.

where's the line? research and context need to happen before arrests. that research and context will help define if a line is being approached, crossed, or doesn't exist.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:00am

sounds as if the resource officer needs to get a life! if all he's got to do all day is hunt down postings on facebook, he cant have much else to do!!
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:04am

Re: $$
Paid for by the taxpayers.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:06am

Re:
It appears he was "notified" along with a number of other agencies.

I'm sure this is on the list of "thwarted domestic terrorist attacks" list that the NSA keeps well redacted from the public.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:09am

I wonder who's going to be the asshole that goes to an Exodus concert /reunion and calls the authorities.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:10am

Re:

That album is being release by label Nuclear Blast:

http://exodusattack.com/site/
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:18am

Re:
however one could easily make real and credible threats of imminent harm using song lyrics as a source.

Yes. One could. But he didn't.

He's 31. He's not a student or teacher at any school and probably hasn't been for some time. No specific school was mentioned in his post. Unless you can point to some person or building he actually threatened, the charge is bogus.

If there's any context, it's that he often posts song lyrics, and given that context this should have been taken as simply being more song lyrics.
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Baron von Robber, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:18am

Imagine if he posted lyrics from Ice T's "Cop Killer".

Full tactical police arrest with drones and a tank.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:19am

Call the authorities now
I am willing to bet those exact words are now pasted all over numerous documents in the possession of the police, prosecutors and others who went forward with this blatant violation of civil rights. Based on their logic though, just having that written down is a terrorist statement and they all need to have the same thing done to them.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:23am

The county
But the statement made by (why?) the county's school resource officer

It's made by the county person because it can't be made by anyone from any particular school because he did not actually threaten (or even mention) any particular school or school district. They just have some vague notion that he'd probably not bother to travel out of the county to do his shooting, I guess.
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Richard (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:26am

Google
Why didn't law enforcement have the sense to google the offending phrase (like I just did) before spending money on arresting a harmless person.

In the modern world you have to be pretty much brain dead not to think of doing that.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:27am

Re: Re:
I would post Pat Benatar lyrics, but I'm afraid I would legally be authorizing people to hit me.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:28am

Re:
Or the Special Victim's Unit would have to come and run a rape kit on him.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:29am

Re: Google
Apparently it wouldn't have mattered if they did. They haven't dropped the charges, so presumably knowing that they are song lyrics doesn't change anything for them.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:32am

Re: Google
And what if he did subsequently shoot up a school while they were waiting for their crappy Comcast internet to return the Google result?

You would be up in arms if this had been posted, they did nothing, and he followed through with this threat and attacked a school.

Of course, they probably could have knocked on his door, asked "are you going to shoot up a school?" and when he said no, they could have asked a few questions, possibly acquired a warrant and searched his house (assuming he didn't let them in, allow a search, and give them some lemonade), and gone back to their jobs. That may have been better than throwing him in a cell for more than a week and sending him for a psychiatric evaluation that will presumably let us all know that he likes crappy music.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:35am

After his release, James Evans said, “It’s nonsense. I feel like my civil rights have been violated. You know first amendment freedom of speech out the window. Even all the guys I was in the cell with they thought it was nonsense themselves. I had several officials tell me it was nonsense, that there was no reason why I should have even been here.”

Putting everything else aside, I have to say that I am particularly moved by the fact that everyone else in the cell with him thought this charge was bogus.
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murgatroyd (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:42am

Missing the point
You folks are all missing the point. Clearly this guy is dangerous. I'll bet he even has stacks of pre-nibbled breakfast pastries in his kitchen, and he's just waiting for the right time to distribute them to unsuspecting elementary school kids so that he can proceed with his plan for world domination.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:43am

Re:
That would be the logical conclusion, but since twitter is considered to be more or less a platform for non-journalistic communication and Exodus musics dissemination is considered to be for art. The result is different standards.
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Dan T., 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:46am

Context is important
The article fails to give sufficient context to tell just how silly the charges are. The exact context of where this person posted those lyrics would matter a great deal. If it's in a message thread about heavy metal lyrics, that's a different thing than if it's in reply to something announcing a local school event.

Unfortunately, things posted on the Internet have a strong tendency to end up getting taken out of context, so reactions to them might end up way out of proportion to the manner in which the posting was originally intended.
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TruthHurts, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:48am

Ignorance in Schools isn't from the Students
This is absolutely ludicrous. I would be filing civil rights violations lawsuits against the police department, county/state attorneys as well as the school involved with the charges, and take away their budget for the next 50 years.

1st Amendment trumps idiots working for the school and morons working for the police department.

I'd have their badges and see them in prison for false arrest, falsifying charges, lying to a judge to get a warrant, etc.. Let them rot in prison for trampling on civil rights.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:51am

Re: Context is important
It was on his Facebook status - where he routinely posts song lyrics.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 10:56am

Re: Ignorance in Schools isn't from the Students
While there is a quote from the resident storm trooper from a local school, there is really nothing to suggest that the school had anything to do with him being arrested.

There is an indication that "multiple" agencies were warned about his Facebook status and local police took the ball and ran with...well, rammed it somewhere.

While I can understand reacting, questioning him, and possibly getting a warrant for a search if he did not simply allow one, 8 DAYS IN A CELL? Presumably, a threat of an attack on a school would get a little priority - I cannot come up with any justification for this particular investigation taking longer than a few hours.
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Just Another Anonymous Troll, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:00am

Re: Re: Google
So we should violate constitutional rights on the off chance that he was going to shoot up a school, and dumb enough to post it on Facebook?
Welcome to 1984, good sir.
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John Fenderson (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:03am

Re: Re: Google
"You would be up in arms if this had been posted, they did nothing, and he followed through with this threat and attacked a school."

You're making an assumption here. Personally, I would not have been up in arms about the police if this had happened, because his post was not a threat.

Also, this argument is quickly becoming a pet peeve of mine. Why is it that "but, but, but, people will be pissed off if we don't do this" is considered a legitimate point, but the fact that people will be pissed off if they do do it is not?

It seems to me that if the police are going to use their power to trample on someone's rights, they need a reason that is a bit better than "if we didn't trample his rights and he turned out to be a bad guy, people will be mad at us."

"Of course, they probably could have knocked on his door, asked "are you going to shoot up a school?" and when he said no, they could have asked a few questions"

If there was a real concern, this is absolutely the way it should have been handled.
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:08am

Re: Re: Re: Google
Not at all.

I could see questioning him. If there seemed to be a reason to search, ask him to allow it, and if he refuses go to a judge with cause for a search (assuming you could find some) and get a warrant.

I'm pretty sure if I were a detective looking into this Facebook status, it would have gone like this:

Me: (knock knock) Excuse me, are you James Evans?
JE: Yes, I am.
Me: Did you post this on Facebook (showing him his status)
JE: Yes, I did.
Me: Are you planning on shooting up a school?
JE: Umm...no. Those are just song lyrics. I like the song.
Me: In this day and age, don't you think that this may have rubbed a few people the wrong way? People have made calls about it.
JE: I wasn't really thinking about that, but I guess so.
Me: Do you own any firearms?
JE: No.
Me: Given the situation, do you mind if we take a look in your house and car just to make sure you are an idiot that made a bad decision rather than a psychopath planning to kill a bunch of children?
JE: No problem. I have to get back to sitting in my mom's basement with loud music playing while I eat hot pockets, but feel free to look around.
Me: Thanks. We will be out of here shortly.
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John Fenderson (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:13am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Google
"Me: Given the situation, do you mind if we take a look in your house and car just to make sure you are an idiot that made a bad decision rather than a psychopath planning to kill a bunch of children?
JE: No problem."

But what do they do if he says no? That's not a hypothetical -- if I were the one talking with the cops, I would never consent to such a search.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:13am

Gary Holt (the lead guitarist/singer) of Exodus and replacement of Jeff Hanneman in Slayer has to weight in on this, be invited to fucking tv, i'm sure some californian affiliate of some of the fucking broadcasters can get him in on.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:20am

Re: Re: $$
Which is THE RIGHT THING! Taxpayers owe it for not doing anything to a police force that does this shit!
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:27am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Google
Probably nothing. All accounts in this case suggest that there is no reasonable justification for a search warrant, but without being on-scene, there is no way to be sure.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:28am

Re:
Think about what you just said.

Now think back to our founding fathers.

Whom said more and has done more for the freedom of innocent people? The Founding Fathers (literally terrorists by today's definition), or the current day police and Government?

Really now? as things stand I might be more willing to trust a criminal over a government official!
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:30am

Re: Re: Re: Google
Also, this argument is quickly becoming a pet peeve of mine. Why is it that "but, but, but, people will be pissed off if we don't do this" is considered a legitimate point, but the fact that people will be pissed off if they do do it is not?

I agree. The whole first section there was mostly rhetorical. I whole-heartedly think this entire thing should have been handled - at most - by a short conversation with the guy at his front door. Now, if he freaked out at the doorbell ringing, or there was an arsenal on the table behind him, that would be something different, but a detective knocking on his door and asking if he was nuts is probably as far as this needed to go.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:31am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Google
Why is he an Idiot, because he posted lyrics to a song, for the music he likes on a social sharing site.
what gives you the impression he's living in his parents basement, was that information put out there somewhere?
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:35am

Re:
I voted your post insightful. I wish i could have voted it funny instead...
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Richard (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:38am

Re: Re: Google
You would be up in arms if this had been posted, they did nothing, and he followed through with this threat and attacked a school.

No, I would be up in arms if, while they were wasting their time with this guy, somebody else attacked a school which is substantially more probable.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:41am

Re:
It's because Exodus is like the first Thrash Metal band ever with slogans like "Kill The Poseurs", they oppose society since Reagan...Sure they could have exagerated lyrics but Slayer themselves admitted to being 75% parody when it comes to lyrics, not Kerry King lyrics though, the guy writes about real things compared to the other members not just hell and satan heh.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:43am

Re: Re: $$
Yeah, thats one instance where taxpayer money would righteously be used, unlike say pay for F-22's that poison the pilots as they fly around.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:44am

Re:
surely not reunion, their hiatus was 92-03.
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pouar (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 11:58am

Welp, better arrest Cannibal Corpse and sentence them to multiple life sentences based entirely on their lyrics.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:01pm

He's also been ordered to undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation
Can we get those for politicians? And corporate executives? And cops?

I'm legitimately concerned for the mental health of pretty much everyone in a position of power in this country. We can barely struggle to maintain physical health; nobody even cares about mental health. Police routinely gun down unarmed pedestrians, the president talks about torturing prisoners like it was as mundane as shopping for socks, we've got world-ruining megacorporations writing laws that prevent competition, and so on.
We're a nation of broken people. How do we get help?
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Michael, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:17pm

Re:
The first step is to ensure the mental health of all of the mental health providers...
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:34pm

Re:
The first step to getting help is admitting that there is a problem...

Now which of those in power is going to actually ADMIT that they have a problem???

Yeah, I thought so... bring on the revolution (I think I hear the black copters approaching already... dang those guys are fast on following up on random posts, not so much on actual plots or activities).
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PRMan, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:49pm

Re: Re:
That's because you haven't spent enough time with criminals...

Never trust either one.
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PRMan, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:51pm

Re:
Jesus? But people don't want to recognize the consequences of sin, so there is no hope...
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:53pm

It's not mentioned how he was arrested, but we can assume that any suspected "terrorist" of any kind will get the full S.W.A.T. treatment, stun grenades and all.

And that's a good thing, since otherwise they might be sending their SWATs to raid people who fall behind on child support when they have no one bigger to go after.
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Blackfiredragon13 (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:53pm

Disgusted
I like and listen to a lot of heavy metal. If I sing paranoid by Black Sabbath will that get me commited to the local suicide ward?
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RD, 8 Sep 2014 @ 12:58pm

Re: Re:
Because "on the internet."
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Uriel-238 (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 1:34pm

We are all criminals.
So I spend time with one every day.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't trust myself either.
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Willis (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 2:32pm

I thought for sure that Tipper Gore's PMRC would've squashed all this devil music by now!!
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 2:56pm

Be afraid, be very afraid. Then because of your fear, do something really stupid.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 2:57pm

Re: If only...
...arrest those quoting Bieber, Miley Cyrus, or Taylor Swift...

At least Taylor Swift has songwriting talent.

The other two...
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Mark, 8 Sep 2014 @ 3:33pm

ACLU and civil rights violations
I don't know if this guy has cash or not but the ACLU might be very interested in this.
They are already raging against militarized police.
I only like about half of what they do at the ACLU but someone has to stand up to this government.
Isn't a president that can do anything he wants really just a king?
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JBDragon, 8 Sep 2014 @ 4:39pm

Re:
Did the guy threaten ANYONE? 1 Single person? No, then where's the treat. Is this "Minority Report"? Is Tom Cruse around arresting people for Pre-Crimes??? The guy posted Lyrics of a Song!!! Did the Band arrested? They're the ones who wrote them and then SING THEM to a bunch of people!!! Are they sitting in jail. I'd again ask why on them also. But there's no crime going on. He did not threaten a single Kid.

This country really is going into the Dumps of hell and Communism. No war needed. We're doing it to ourselves. I'd be suing someone for having to sit in jail for 8 days for doing nothing illegal. No crime, not a single thing did he do wrong.
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JBDragon, 8 Sep 2014 @ 4:43pm

Re: Re: Re: Google
Tom Cruse must be on the Job in the Pre-Crime Unit. (Minority Report). Even though you haven't done a single thing Illegal, they for some reason can throw your ass in jail for 8 days for what? Doesn't matter anymore.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Sep 2014 @ 5:40pm

Re:
Obviously the whole site needs to be shut down and delisted indefinitely. Just to be sure, you know.
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Coyne Tibbets (profile), 8 Sep 2014 @ 5:43pm

We're waiting
"But the statement made by (why?) the county's school resource officer seems to indicate this response was perfectly justified. Resource officer Mike Drake said "multiple agencies" received calls about Evan's post."

Sir, could you please list all those agencies right now?
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Sep 2014 @ 1:40am

1980's political correctness is back hardcore it seems, lyrics like these were encouraged even by mtv i the late 90's/early 2000's.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Sep 2014 @ 1:45am

Re:
>He's also been ordered to undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation

Gary Holt (Exodus Lead guitarist, singer, lyricist" should turn himself to a nuthouse in protest to this, or go even more public.

Reminds me of 1986 when some numbnuts were trying to tie Slayer to neo-nazism and how long people not into Slayer believed that, early 2000's they still had to explain lyrics behind Angel Of Death....
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Sep 2014 @ 1:53am

Re: Disgusted
Reminds me of the spoken part before Triumph Of The Swill by the Dead Kennedys from 1986 : "Tonight we found our son dead from a gunshot wound, he had headphones on and an Ozzy record playing...so we called our lawyer!" I tell you things are going on in reverse with the supposedly most liberal President ever.
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Niall (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 1:54am

Re: Re:
I think that was the point of his comment...
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Sep 2014 @ 2:01am

Re: Re: $$
Yes, but that's reasonable - people shouldn't be any worse off after they help the police with their enquiries if they're innocent.

Similarly, if your house gets raided by the police, they should have to put it back as they found it (the cost should ultimately be extracted from the guilty party if they'e ever identified, but that's for later, after they're convicted). Curiously, in the DDR you did have the right to compensation for any damage done if the Stasi raided you, provided you didn't mind being continuously harassed by them until they got bored or you took the hint.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Sep 2014 @ 2:04am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Google
Well, he should have given attribution :)

in all seriousness, if he had provided attribution, even in a follow-up comment, that would have made the police look even stupider even if it wouldn't have stopped them arresting him.
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PaulT (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 4:45am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Google
"I wasn't really thinking about that, but I guess so."

...but if they don't like it they don't have to follow me on Facebook. I won't censor myself because some idiots don't like what I enjoy. They have many ways to not read my posts if they're so offended.

Just pointing out that "I waive my right to free speech because someone might get offended" isn't the only option here...

"you are an idiot that made a bad decision"

Why is posting lyrics from a song you like, presumably for the enjoyment of other metal fans you have as friends, a "bad decision". Why does not considering the reaction of the most scared moron out there make him an "idiot"?

"I have to get back to sitting in my mom's basement with loud music playing while I eat hot pockets"

Because no gainfully employed adult likes listening to music and posting lyrics they like to others during their down time...

Well, they may have been gainfully employed until their arrest and jail time for posting some song lyrics lost them that job, of course.

Your bias and silliness is duly noted.
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Uriel-238 (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 1:08pm

1986 the backmasking / Satanism scare was still going.
Yeah as late as 1986, they were still scared that metal turned teens into mind-controlled satanists through secret back-masked messages.

It was only when gangsta rap came out that the moral powers decided they'd rather have that good ol' Satanic death metal, but then the rap cat was out of the proverbial bag.
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Uriel-238 (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 1:10pm

Re: Re: Disgusted
WHAT?

FDR and Kennedy were far far far more Liberal than Obama. Obama is a kinda leftish Conservative.
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John85851 (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 3:23pm

What is this country coming to?
For all the posts who say "he should have thought about that before posting": when did we get to the point in this country where we have to self-censor ourselves because someone somewhere might get offended? Why are we so scared that someone will post a song lyric to Facebook or Twitter and go shoot people? Have we been watching too much CSI and Criminal Minds??

And who was the school administrator who found the guy's Facebook post and called police "just in case". Really? He honestly thought this guy was a threat to his school district? With what evidence? And the police believed this person, arrested the guy, and held him in jail for 8 days?!

Like I said, what is this country coming to?
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Uriel-238 on a mobile device (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 3:55pm

Us and Them
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
the poster bearer cried
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside

-- Old Pink c/o The Funny Farm
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Dan G Difino, 9 Sep 2014 @ 4:13pm

Being a Moron IS illegal sometimes
This could be blamed on the education or lack there of this metalhead has under his belt, so don't be too quick to lable him, but MORON would be a good name for instance when the name calling starts..
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Dan G Difino, 9 Sep 2014 @ 4:20pm

Re: What is this country coming to?
Maybe if people self-censored their blog posts, there would be far fewer detainess awaiting someone in a position of authority to inject some common sense into the record and far fewer cries of fowl for censorship. IDIOTS
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Uriel-238 on a mobile device (profile), 9 Sep 2014 @ 4:52pm

Now that it is an arrestable offense to say the wrong thing at the wrong time...
...on the basis of offense by or reports from concerned citizens then we should go ahead and make it arresable if the police get offended, say, of a video recording on YouTube that makes cops look unfavorable, or of opinions that may paint the police in a bad light (such as "Cops Lie").

Heck, a corporate officer who takes offense at a bad review of his company should be able to call it in and get the police to investigate the dissatisfied customer...er...subversive element.

In fact, why don't we attribute any instance of dissent or grief or artistic license or creative expression (that someone with power doesn't like) with stupidity worthy of investigation, a SWAT raid and detainment.

That'll keep the peace.

Oh wait: we tried that for hundreds of years and thought it was a really shitty way to live. In fact we enshrined in our constitution an ammendment about that. Arresting people for saying things is a really crappy idea.

Are people so uneducated, and so far removed from how shitty an idea dictatorships are that we have to experience them first hand before we gripe? I thought that was the whole point of Joffrey in SoIaF.
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dale, 9 Sep 2014 @ 8:16pm

Re: If I quote Hitler, am I a Nazi?
Quoting a speech or song does not mean you endorse it.
Scholars who quote Hitler or Goebbels do so to help explain them, not to support their positions.

The song lyrics appear, to me, to be a critical commentary on mass shootings in schools.

If the lyrics were clearly indicated as lyrics, they cannot be assumed to be a literal statement endorsed by the poor schmuck who posted them.

Literalism is the way that totalitarian religions and regimes control the masses.

"Repeat a lie enough and people will believe it." Goebbels

So arrest me!
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John Fenderson (profile), 10 Sep 2014 @ 10:17am

Re: Re: Re: Disgusted
Although the liberal/conservative divide is largely meaningless, if I had to place Obama on that scale, I think I agree with you: like Clinton, he's a right-leaning centrist.
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Sheogorath (profile), 13 Sep 2014 @ 9:33am

Re: Re: If only...
Don't you mean 'fucking' talent? Quite literally...
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Uriel-238 (profile), 13 Sep 2014 @ 11:09am

Tempting fate.
This thread is still active?

Sometimes a man has to tempt fate:

I've been waiting for this
I have been waiting for this
All you people in TV land
I will wake up your empty shells
Peak-time viewing blown in a flash
As I burn into your memory cells
'Cos I'm alive

They're coming 'round the corner with the bikers at the front
I'm wiping the sweat from my eyes
--It's a matter of time
--It's a matter of will
And the governor's car is not far behind
He's not the one I've got in mind
'Cos there he is-the man of the hour, standing in the limousine
"I don't really hate you
--I don't care what you do
We were made for each other
--Me and you
I want to be somebody
--You were like that too
If you don't get given you learn to take
And I will take you.

Holding my breath
Release the catch
And I let the bullet fly

-- peter gabriel, Family Snapshot
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A R S, 15 Sep 2014 @ 11:54pm

Really
In the local paper the two main police dept say they were not involved with his arrest. The story seems to say that the resource officer, who is a member of a police dept, that consists of him made the arrest.
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