Michigan Minister Sent to Prison for Warning Judge He Could be Tortured by God

Associated Press, Wednesday, 11/12/2008

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,451086,00.html

DETROIT  —  The American Civil Liberties Union is taking up the case of a southwestern Michigan minister who was sent to prison for warning that a judge could be tortured by God.

The ACLU said it asked the state appeals court Wednesday to release the Rev. Edward Pinkney on bail while he appeals a probation violation. Lawyers claim his free-speech rights were trampled in Berrien County.

In 2007, Pinkney, 60, was convicted of paying people to vote in a Benton Harbor election.

Months later, he wrote an article in a Chicago newspaper, People’s Tribune, saying the judge who handled his case, Alfred Butzbaugh, could be punished by God with curses, fever and “extreme burning” unless he changed his ways.

In June 2008, another Berrien County judge, Dennis Wiley, sent Pinkney to prison for three to 10 years after finding that he had violated his probation by making a threat against the judge.

“Those are words that would … put the fear of God into anybody, as a threat that this could happen to them if they do not do what Mr. Pinkney wants him to do, whatever that might be,” Wiley said, according to a transcript.

“To our knowledge, this case marks the first time in modern history that a preacher has been imprisoned for predicting what God might do,” said Michael Steinberg, legal director for the ACLU in Michigan.

Pinkney is in a state prison in the Upper Peninsula, roughly 600 miles from his home. While incarcerated, he received 3,500 votes as the Green Party candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 6th District.

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Can you go to prison for saying a judge has lost his mind?

That is not to say the Rev. Pinkney is not wrong, delusional and just fucking crazy as a loon. He was convicted of paying people to vote in a Benton Harbor election. Not to “Christian”.

Everything was OK, until Ole’ Pinky wrote that the Judge in his case, Alfred Butzbaugh, “could be punished by God with curses, fever and “extreme burning” unless he changed his ways”.

I mean, Pinky was on probation. What do you do when you’re on probation? Shut the fuck up!!

Again, a religious asshole threatens someone who interferes with his illegal activity with retribution from the Almighty. It’s like God is this guy’s hit man or something. What’s with the “curses, fever and “extreme burning”? Just ask God to kill the guy, although after R&R in Bangkok, I was pissing razor blades for a month. So I’m here to tell you “extreme burning” is a serious threat.

So another Judge throws the book at him and he’s in the Big House for three to ten. Who is the craziest, the religious asshole who uses God as a threat, or the Judge who takes him seriously?

There has to be more to this than a loony “threat”. I mean if he had made a voodoo doll of the Judge and tried to put a curse on him, would that still be considered a violation of probation?  How far do you want to take this? Pretty soon we’ll be putting five year olds in the slammer for calling some one a “pee pee head”. My kid almost got kicked out of Kindergarten for saying that….and peaking under the teacher’s skirt, which I defended as “boyish curiosity”. Christ, you would of thought he tied her down and did Her in front of the class, the way the bitch was acting.

I suppose I didn’t help matters much when I reminded her that irritability in middle aged women is often due to lack of sexual fulfillment. Hey, I thought I was helping.

Anyway, the ACLU sees “merit in this case” so you can bet it’s going to continue to be a circus.

Personally, they should throw Pinky and the ACLU in a deep hole and toss a little food in everyday, until the noise stops. Then, just file the hole. Or fill in the hole first. Who gives a shit.

The real scary thought is that Pinky was running for public office and actually got some votes. It just goes to prove my point. The problem with America today is that there are a lot of people should not be allowed to reproduce, vote or drive cars.