[TheForge] Mark Krause held on bomb making charges

[Paul Boulay]

Peter and all,

I visited with Jill Turman at her shop this afternoon. She read me excerpts out of a letter that she'd just received from Mark -- it was dated on the 5th of December. They were some of the most disturbing and disheartening words I've heard in years.
Mark described that his (court appointed?) lawyer told him of the evidence that the federal agents have against him. Apparently it consists of a book on right wing militias from a "how to" point-of-view and a book on homemade munitions of the anarchist cookbook variety and sundry household items that resemble those used in the construction of this particular device. Mark says the books came to him when he cleaned out the effects of a deceased friend (I don't remember the name), that he'd flipped through them but that's about it. Mark says that he's been advised to enter into a plea bargain (in order to avoid a 25 years to life attempted murder conviction -- even though all the evidence is essentially circumstantial.) Mark goes on to say "based on that evidence I might even convict me." He does explicitly deny making any such bomb or placing any such device as he is accused of.
Jill said that she has been in touch with a couple of federal criminal attorneys in Arkansas. Their services would cost $50K to $75K plus expenses plus the cost of expert witnesses. I note that the Mark Krause legal defense fund has $1900 in it. 
What is so disturbing in all this is the sense that "there but for the grace of God go I". Here is a creative hard-working artist-blacksmith who's gone through a divorce and lost his house through foreclosure. He has pulled up stakes and moved cross country to get work. He was apparently putting his life back together when 10 FBI agents with guns drawn show up on his doorstep at 5AM. How many of us have 100K at the ready to defend ourselves from such a random event? How many of us have books, pamphlets or computer files that could be taken as our personal position simply because they happen to be in our possession?  

Paul Boulay

>Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:45:35 -0800
>From: peter fels & phoebe palmer <artgawk at thegrid.net>
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] Mark Krause held on bomb making charges
>To: "Rome H. Hutchings" <rome.hutchings at theprairieismygarden.com>,
>	Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>Message-ID: <4D0ACECF.7020300 at thegrid.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>Any updates on how Mark is doing?
>


Paul Boulay
408-483-1986