I listen to the last half of Democracy Now! on my way home from work, and heard this very disturbing piece today:

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/9/10/infiltrating_occupy_austin_activists_face_charges

Here’s the synopsis from the website:

As Occupy Wall Street prepares to mark its first anniversary, members of Occupy Austin have discovered that their arrests on felony charges after a protest last December are directly linked to equipment provided by a police detective who infiltrated their group. The activists locked arms inside tubes made of PVC pipe that the police had designed, constructed and dropped off for the protest.

Basically, an undercover Austin narcotics cop “on loan” to some federally funded outfit called FUSION(I have no idea what that stands for), which is an organization dedicated to combating “domestic terrorism,” infiltrated Occupy Austin, who blocked a highway in Houston in December of last year. Apparently, this narc persuaded some Occupy Austin protesters to link their arms using PVC pipe, which he purchased, cut and provided to them.

Then, after they were arrested for blocking a highway, they were charged with “felony possession of a criminal instrument” by the Harris County(I presume here, since the piece doesn’t say, and the alleged “crime” happened in Houston) District Attorney. PVC pipe, as seen in the video, is a criminal instrument? Well, the DA thought so, or pretended to think so in order to serve…somebody. It seems that a female judge initially threw that case out. Then, the D.A., presumably for local political reasons(probably Republican), took the case before a grand jury and got an indictment for this possession of a criminal instrument thing.

All of the sudden, attorneys for the defense show up. I do not know who, if anyone, pays them. The case is now back in front of the same, initially pissed off by the prosecution, judge.

I just want to ask the Prosecutor’s office this: Who paid you enough to seriously piss off a local judge? That’s usually a very bad idea.

To the indicted protesters: Judge is PO’d at DA. Take advantage of this. Notice I didn’t say “to the protesters’ attorneys.”

If they don’t already know that, then they are either worthless or bought.