What kind of insane country are we living in?
37 months in prison for saying the words "burning Bush?" I saw this item on the new Reason blog. (Which is great, by the way. Note to Tim Cavanaugh: gabba gabba, we accept you, one of us.) I thought there had to be more to it than that.
But apparently not much more, though. The guy (Richard Humphreys, a.k.a. "prophet Israel Humphreys") is clearly a kook. "I said God might speak to the world through a burning Bush," he said. "I had said that before and I thought it was funny." I don't find it funny, but it's a free country. They say.
It looks like Prophet Israel Humphreys told his joke to the wrong bartender, who reported the nut to the authorities. I don't have all the facts that the jury had when they reached the verdict, but it sure doesn't sound like a real plot to kill the president. They're really going to put this guy in prison?
I'm pretty sure my local bartender is good people. But you might want to check yours out. Or maybe just stick to the weather and your health when you don't know who's listening.
Posted by Dr. Frank at December 10, 2002 10:16 AM | TrackBack