The essay in question: a film review I wrote in 2019 about the horror movies “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.”

I blinked twice, rubbed my eyes, and then began digging around on the internet to understand.

To my astonishment, prosecutors had introduced my seven-year-old analysis of feminism’s relationship to horror cinema as “evidence of ideologically driven intent” the previous day.

The appearance of my review in the trial is a brazen attempt at conjuring “guilt by literature” — just one of the tactics prosecutors have used to criminalize speech and use First Amendment-protected speech as a legal weapon against the Trump administration’s political enemies.

Nobody, by the way, is suggesting that Estrada shot or conspired to shoot the officer. He stands accused of two crimes: attempting to conceal documents “by transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials” and conspiracy to conceal those zines. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

  • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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    4 days ago

    So he’s facing charges with a potential 20 year sentence for transporting non-banned literature in a box and failing to notify the police that he was doing so???

    Did the “wearing similar clothing to a person who committed an illegal act” bit get thrown out already?

  • TheFogan@programming.dev
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    4 days ago

    Jesus, what’s next.

    You didn’t give passion of the Christ 5 stars, you must not be a true American.

    Top it off though, it’s fricking insane that say, supporting feminism is fair to show motive and intent. Meanwhile didn’t rittenhouse have like major tweets basically saying that he was hoping for a chance to shoot some protestors, before crossing state lines and shooting some protestors, and the court ruled his public statements would unfairly bias the jury or some nonsense?

  • apftwb@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Criminalizing Zines?

    For no reason at all, here are the leaflets from the White Rose group in Nazi Germany

    Isn’t it true that every honest German is ashamed of his government these days? Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes—crimes that infinitely outdistance every human measure—reach the light of day?

    — First leaflet of the White Rose

    Since the conquest of Poland, 300,000 Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way … The German people slumber on in dull, stupid sleep and encourage the fascist criminals. Each wants to be exonerated of guilt, each one continues on his way with the most placid, calm conscience. But he cannot be exonerated; he is guilty, guilty, guilty!

    — Second leaflet of the White Rose.

    Why do you allow these men who are in power to rob you step by step, openly and in secret, of one domain of your rights after another, until one day nothing, nothing at all will be left but a mechanised state system presided over by criminals and drunks? Is your spirit already so crushed by abuse that you forget it is your right—or rather, your moral duty—to eliminate this system?

    — Third leaflet of the White Rose

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    “evidence of ideologically driven intent”

    Goddam USA has thought police now! Americans can now officially be accused of thought crimes!
    The absolute worst thing there has been warned about since the term was coined by George Orwell.
    A key thing that was not supposed to be able to happen in a democracy!

    But USA is not a democracy, and Federal agencies like ICE, FBI and NSA are now the Gestapo and the SS (Schutzstaffel) of the Trump regime. And some Americans think there will still be fair elections?!

  • atk007@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Media literacy is already low for average American, combine it with the low IQ of a cop, and you get this.