Support Grows for Former Marine Arrested for Posting Anti-Government Messages to Facebook
Support is growing for a former Marine who was locked in a psych ward for posting anti-government messages on Facebook. The man in question, Brandon Raub, says he loves his country, but posts made recently on the social networking site garnered complaints from the online community.
Some of the comments include the likes of the following two, from August 12 and August 13 respectively:
"Friends, you deserve to know the truth. There has been an overwhelming amount of evil enacted and planned against you, your children, and your countrymen. It is great in scope. Your
government evil. It is as simple as that." The next reads, "sharpen up my axe; I'm here to sever heads."
Authorities maintain they didn't spy on Raub's page and that they were only notified after receiving complaints.
More Stories:
Wounded Soldier Reacts to Delay in Fort Hood Shooting Trial Over Suspect’s Beard
Fmr. Navy SEAL on Why He Participated in Video Criticizing President Obama: Intelligence Leaks Could Cost Us Our Lives
F.B.I., Secret Service and Virginia police then took Raub into state custody, allegedly without a warrant and without reading him Miranda rights. Virginia state law allows police to commit someone for an emergency psychological evaluation if they get a recommendation from a mental health doctor, and authorities say they never officially arrested Raub -- he was only handcuffed because he resisted police.
However, a Virginia civil rights group disagrees, saying that when you're handcuffed and taken away, that's an arrest.
A defense attorney from the group who is representing Raub, John W. Whitehead, said in a statement yesterday, "For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon."
Follow Fox News Insider on Twitter
"Given the circumstances with the things that have gone on in the country with some of these mass shootings, it would be horrible for law enforcement not to pay attention to complaints," said Dee Rybiski of the F.B.I. in a response.
