OE and JOHNSON, reputedly students at Cal-Tech, were “reported to have left the country”. There is no family history, no friends, no provenance at all of these two identities, and it appears no one is searching for them.

I suspect that the entire operation was planned by OE and JOHNSON, who were some sort of undercover agents. If so, the story is much bigger than “domestic eco-nutz”; it might have been a misuse of federal power, and/or a test case for the upcoming clampdown on dissent.

The loose end of the MICHIE OE and TYLER JOHNSON history is what intrigues this speculation. The CIA uses “legends”, which are IDs that are pre-created, and when they are replaced on the shelf, the “legends” just vanish into thin air.

The lack of investigation of OE and JOHNSON, who instigated the entire event according to testimony, is damning:

1. JOHNSON gave $200 to COTTRELL to buy bumper stickers which allegedly were the original basis of the crime.

2. JOHNSON bullied COTTRELL into going out that night, or else pay back the money, according to COTTRELL.

3. JOHNSON hid and used the actual incendiaries, according to testimony by COTTRELL. COTTRELL claims ignorance of this more destructive activity, although he admits complicity in the vandalism activity, for which he was sentenced to 8 years. It was the incendiaries that attracted nationwide attention, although COTTRELL was a conspirator in a crime, it was the incendiaries that took it out of the realm of felony malicious mischief to that of a potentially fatal crime of arson and worse.

The involvement of OE and JOHNSON must be clarified. The city of West Covina apologized to Josh Connole for the false arrest, paying his lawyer $20,000 as partial compensation. There remains at least one multi-million-dollar federal claim for compensation for Josh Connole for false arrest, and for the other victims of the illegal search of at least 4 houses in two cities.

Tracing down OE and JOHNSON would help resolve the issue of the false arrest of Josh Connole and the illegal search and arguable detention of 18 students in the houses that were invested, surrounded and ransacked by over 100 federal agents.

For example:

–What is the OE and JOHNSON family history?

–What do their friends say?

–What classes did they take at Cal-Tech? You can’t just “pop-in” to Cal-Tech, there is a lengthy process of application, not many are approved. They look into family history, unless these two were Agents planted, who somehow avoided the application process. Where are the records of OE and JOHNSON?

–Where did they come from? We are not even told their age or where they were living.

–What was their undergraduate college? What was their High School, what city was it in, what clubs were they in, did they get into trouble then, and so on.

NONE of these avenues were made available; it’s almost as if these two just popped into existence, conceived, instigated and enhanced the crime, involving COTTRELL as a “patsy”, and then vanished into thin air. Just as if they were “legends”.

If so, Cottrell’s conviction could be impugned as possible “entrapment”. In addition, if the CIA was involved, it would violate federal legal prohibitions against domestic operations.

WTF is that? Way to show how close minded you are.’

Sorry, I didn’t realize I had to fully intergrate my being into a willful and happy criminal for this exercise to be useful. I’m guess I don’t live up to your ideal for “considering another’s position”. I didn’t realize liking it was a requirement. Heck somedays I’m not happy with myself…

Call me closed-minded if you like, but I still don’t see destruction of property and willful disregard of the life of others to be something to be condoned in any fashion.

Oh, and the fact that he didn’t “want” to hurt anyone didn’t really stop him from actions that very obviously could have killed several people. I realize that his “intent” may not have been the use of a lethal weapon, but we don’t criminalize “intent” as much as “action” and his actions were not only momentarily poor judgement, but quite capable of killing people. Do you support leniency for Drunk Drivers as thier “intent” isn’t to harm anyone?

WTF is that? Way to show how close minded you are. If you can only see an issue from one perspective how can you form a well- based opinion on it? You really dont enjoy that sort of thing? Lets hear those hallelujuhs, you must really be a saint.

Also, I said that the comparison between the abortion clinics was rediculous and inappropriate also, that was in response to what Alan Furman posted.

I never said that what Cottrell did was justified or the right thing to do, I referred to him as misguided. I do not think what he did was good, if anything it created more waste on the planet. My whole point was that he was punished too harshly for what he did. Murderers get away with less than what he has been sentanced to.

Clearly Cottrel did not have a malicious desire to physically injure or kill someone. Erik Rudolph, Saddam, and whatever other psychos you guys are coming up with had entirely different motives. The only reason I said to place yourself in his perspective was that hopefully you could understand the harshness of his punishment.

I get to decide what other people get to own, and to destroy their property at my whim with willful disregard for the lives of others. I take no responsibility for my actions, and I get to use force to make things the way I want them to be. Oh, and fire is cool.

Ok, now; with my new perspective; let me consider this case…

Hmm, I think the judge should have killed him. Maybe his family. Did he have any pets?

Ok, I don’t like that perspective. Maybe thats why what he did is criminal…

Oh, and don’t ask me to take the perspective of a criminal using a lethal weapon when committing a crime again. I don’t really enjoy that sort of thing.