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[conjugate]

This is not a Chronicle article, but I wasn't sure if there was a more appropriate place to post.  I looked at the various places and this seemed closest.

Anyway:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/anarchist.twitter.raid/index.html

This is the story of a man arrested, and many possessions seized, on the grounds that he caused riots.

I was struck in particular by this quote:

The published book seems sympathetic to the tactic of confronting police and destroying property of companies considered harmful, usually -- though not always -- multinational companies. Writing such a book is not a crime, though, and many of the other books cited by the police as evidence justifying the search after the fact can be bought on Amazon.com.

If that isn't worrisome enough, consider this:

Some of the other evidence the feds seized that shows he promotes riots? Steampunk magazine, for one. Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs.

Now, this article was written from a painfully biased viewpoint, and I wonder if any forumites have any information that might make the government's position here seem more reasoned and rational?  Do I need to be afraid that I have a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs and The Communist Manifesto (I think I still have that; it was an assigned text for a political science class many, many years ago) and therefore a raid on my apartment could be justified?

[cgfunmathguy]

Wow. Has Obama heard about this yet? Maybe he ordered it? I mean, I thought all of this stuff only happened during Republican administrations. Amazing.

[\snark]

I'm stunned. Really, I am. People wonder why I don't trust the federal government to be benevolent in any regard. This would just serve as another example of my reasons.

[polly_mer]

Do I need to be afraid that I have a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs and The Communist Manifesto (I think I still have that; it was an assigned text for a political science class many, many years ago) and therefore a raid on my apartment could be justified?

Um, Conjugate, I not only have a copy of Buffy and a copy of The Communist Manifesto that I bought for myself, but I also have a copy of Mein Kampf, also purchased for my own use, and I probably still have a copy of the Unabomber's manifesto lying around on one of the computers here.  I'm not even going to list some of the other items I have on my bookshelves or in electronic form, all of which I acquired by legal means, but apparently would put me on some kind of watch list.

[oldfullprof]

Re Democrasts:  the Clinton administration persecuted Gary Hart's ex-campaign manager.  His recounting of it is very funny, as well as sad...Forgot the name.