Jimmy (Jimbo) Wales wrote:
Mr. Austin pled guilty rather than fighting it, which may or may not have been a sensible thing to do under the circumstances. (I tend to think that it was not a sensible thing to do, but I'm not in a position to judge.)
I agree. Guilt or innocence often depends more on the ability to sustain a long and difficult ordeal in the courts. When serious constitutional issues are involved the matter will need to go well beyond the local courts.
In any event, such a law would clearly not apply to Wikipedia, because our intent would never be that people commit crimes of violence. At the same time, of course, I would find it extremely unpleasant to be faced with a bogus prosecution for such a thing. I have a little girl at home, and I don't intend _at this point in my life_ to sit in Federal prison to make a point about freedom of speech. (I very much respect people who would, though, if their life circumstances are appropriate.)
It all comes down to our choice of issues. Instructions for making bombs are never more than marginal to the wider purpose of Wikipedia. The copyright issues are a lot more relevant, and criminal law is not much of an issue. Prison time for infringement of copyrights is extremely unlikely unless you get into the area of ignoring court orders.
Ec