I respect your right to free speech, but please do all on this public forum a favor and educate yourself before you speak. Too much Rush Limbaugh lately, my friend - step slowly away, you can do it! I love how those on the Right hate government, until it is the police, FBI, CIA or any other type of secretive authority - then the Right blindly supports them. I never understood this phenomenon.

Did you know that, since a 2004 directive by Bush, the FBI has been extensively building its network of US informants, allowed to spy in US citizens on US soil?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/fbi-proposes-bu.html

So, “Forever Texas” go ahead and congratulate the FBI mole for informing against and drumming up false charges against his fellow men who trusted. You know, informants where highly popular in Hitler’s Germany. I learned this in class, yep, neighbors spying and ratting out neighbors and friends to the SS for small, ridiculous actions perceived to be against the “authority”

Be Proud, as I am sure you are. No? You would no sooner let your republic crumble and allow the spying of American citizens so long as it fits in your twisted view of “showing” those darn “lefties”. Huh?

I weep for my nation…Nazi Germany is not far off if citizens support the spying and the snitching on neighbors, and especially if they blindly support agencies such as the FBI/. This is SCARY, people, SCARY. Obama, get on it!

Those “malcontents” on the Left, as you call them, do a tremendous service to this country. Are you denying their freedom to protest? WHY do you call them enemies from within, protesters at the RNC were just exercising their civil liberties.

When the government elected by the People of this nation cease to LISTEN to the demands of the People, the People absolutely have the right to petition their grievances to the Government, and in the course of 8 long years - evidenced by Cheney’s “So?” comments about the Iraq War being unpopular with the people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SypeZjeOrY4

and the “So?” from Bush about false intelligence/LIES (however you choose to see it, the results are still devastating) it is clear that the leadership of this country hold the People’s views and wishes in contempt. This is the highest treason - BUSH and CHENEY and treasonous anti-constitutional, spying, outlaws at the FBI and CIA (who also torture humans) are traitors to this great nation the USA - a land built on revolution against tyranny and a land of LAWS and a land of FREEDOM. It is treason at the highest level. THEY - Bush, Cheney, lawless FBI - are the enemies from within, so please get your facts straight, friend.

You say that the “weight of evidence” indicates that Brandon Darby did not have good intentions. Might I ask that you lay out the supposed evidence that you have weighed?

I have known Brandon Darby since he was 16 years old and I am very familiar with his character and his orientation toward political action. I know that he would gladly die or go to prison before he would act as a provocateur or help suppress political dissent in the way insinuated by his detractors.

If Brandon was cooperating with the FBI before he met McKay and Crowder it proves nothing. The RNC Welcoming Committee (see http://www.nornc.org) for instance, suggested that they were planning to disrupt the RNC by “any means necessary”. Even in a perfect world, officials would be compelled to conduct investigations in order to protect the Republican Party’s constitutional right to hold a public political meeting. How would you feel if neo-fascists were planning to shut down a political meeting over defense of the environment, gay rights or reproductive freedom?

It is important to point out that I’m speaking hypothetically about the supposed evidence that Brandon Darby acted in bad faith. It is not my intention to assert that McKay and Crowder are guilty of the crimes for which they have been indicted. That must be decided by the court and I pray that they have an impartial trial.

Again, the internal details of the case have not been revealed to me, but the weight of evidence appears to show that the investigation uncovered a plot to accomplish the disruption of the RNC by acts of arson. At that point, a conscientious citizen cooperating with officials would have made the acquaintance of those planning to manufacture and deploy the firebombs.

You absurdly state that Brandon “had no interest in non-violence” and is therefore a hypocrite for taking action against any plot at all to commit violence. The fact is that Brandon has previously condoned violent action when necessary to defend innocent people. That is not the same as aggressively attacking an open and peaceful political meeting and endangering innocent people.

In the mean time, Brandon has done a tremendous amount of non-violent work with Common Ground and other organizations. He has also become a father.

If you knew him well and had been in frequent discussions with him as I have, you would know that his orientation toward violence has changed greatly. While I believe that he would still fight to the death to protect innocent people if necessary, it is not hypocritical nor is it surprising that he would try to prevent a violent crime that is both ugly and counterproductive to the social justice movement.

The “good question” remains–and I suppose it is a fair question in light of the history of the FBI vis a vis political protest–as to whether Brandon was originally an FBI snitch or began cooperating out of genuine concern for people’s rights and safety. This will be answered after the trial when all the facts can be brought to light. Until then, I assure you that Brandon Darby was and is an activist first.

(By the way, thank you, GorBud for your remarks).

I would like to know more about the trouble CGR volunteers had here in New Orleans with authorities, and if they now suspect Brandon was behind the harassment.

It is a good question if Brandon was at first a committed activist and then was turned into an informant, or if he always was in cohoots with the Feds. As an activist Brandon had no interest in non-violence, he advocated violence and armed self defence against police and others. Either he was putting on a show, of has become a totally hyocrite. Time will hopefully reveal more about his motivations, but there is enough evidence now to show he became a snitch long before any plans he would find disagreable materialized, and he provided information to the FBI about many more people than were involved in this scenario.