Guy in Malawi in court over failed Rapture

[Thinking Aloud]

A Malawian man has pleaded guilty to circulating false documents, after distributing leaflets predicting the end of the world would happen last month, a court official said Sunday.
Saduki Mwambene, a 39-year-old bicycle repairman, was arrested on April 21 for circulating leaflets published by American televangelist Harold Camping, who had predicted the so-called "Rapture" would occur on May 21.
"Police opened a case for him for circulating false documents that threatened the peace and security of citizens," said an official with the magistrate's court in Chitipa district, on the border with Tanzania.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110612/od ... 0612191255

[Svartalf]

So, why aren't people suing reverend camping out of shirt and boxer shorts?

[Thinking Aloud]

So, why aren't people suing reverend camping out of shirt and boxer shorts?

Because he didn't do anything against the law in the US, I guess.

[Ian]

So, why aren't people suing reverend hatchling or whatever his name is out of shirt and boxer shorts?

There's this pesky "free speech" thing. Reverend Camping didn't force anybody to give away their life savings in preparation for the rapture. That's just what some did after listening to him.

There are limits to free speech. Advocating violence, deliberately inducing panic (shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire), etc. But Camping did not violate any such laws.

I could write a blog about why Chrysler stock is going to plummet the company into bankruptcy this October. But people should take or ignore my advice to sell their shares at their own risk. My predictions are my own opinions.

[Thinking Aloud]

So, why aren't people suing reverend hatchling or whatever his name is out of shirt and boxer shorts?

There's this pesky "free speech" thing. Reverend Camping didn't force anybody to give away their life savings in preparation for the rapture. That's just what some did after listening to him.

There are limits to free speech. Advocating violence, deliberately inducing panic ("shouting Fire! in a crowded theater), etc. But Camping did not violate any such laws.

I could write a blog about why Chrysler stock is going to plummet the company into bankruptcy this October. But people should take or ignore my advice to sell their shares at their own risk. My predictions are my own opinions.

Sell! Sell sell sell!

[Geoff]

Saduki Mwambene, a 39-year-old bicycle repairman, was arrested on April 21...
The magistrate granted Mwambene bail and told him to report for a new hearing after May 21, to ensure the prediction was false, said the official...

[Svartalf]

So, why aren't people suing reverend camping out of shirt and boxer shorts?

Because he didn't do anything against the law in the US, I guess.

Dude, all those poor chretins who expected to be raptured and now hove to live on with the sinners... speak of mental cruelty.

But you have a point, if falsely announccing the apocalypse was illegal, the watchtower society would have been driven out of town like a century ago.

[Audley Strange]

I hope his case is. The rapture did happen, it's just we're all fucking damned.

[Thinking Aloud]

The rapture happened in about 52 AD, just as Jesus said it would. Christianity is just a cover up for the fact that most of 'em weren't taken.

[Audley Strange]

The rapture happened in about 52 AD, just as Jesus said it would. Christianity is just a cover up for the fact that most of 'em weren't taken.

Nice.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

So, why aren't people suing reverend hatchling or whatever his name is out of shirt and boxer shorts?

There's this pesky "free speech" thing. Reverend Camping didn't force anybody to give away their life savings in preparation for the rapture. That's just what some did after listening to him.

There are limits to free speech. Advocating violence, deliberately inducing panic (shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire), etc. But Camping did not violate any such laws.

I could write a blog about why Chrysler stock is going to plummet the company into bankruptcy this October. But people should take or ignore my advice to sell their shares at their own risk. My predictions are my own opinions.

So if I were to use my freedom of speech to claim that I was a police officer and to impose on-the-spot $100 fines on motorists for minor traffic violations, that would be OK, would it?

Money under false pretexts is money under false pretexts.

[Thinking Aloud]

So, why aren't people suing reverend hatchling or whatever his name is out of shirt and boxer shorts?

There's this pesky "free speech" thing. Reverend Camping didn't force anybody to give away their life savings in preparation for the rapture. That's just what some did after listening to him.

There are limits to free speech. Advocating violence, deliberately inducing panic (shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire), etc. But Camping did not violate any such laws.

I could write a blog about why Chrysler stock is going to plummet the company into bankruptcy this October. But people should take or ignore my advice to sell their shares at their own risk. My predictions are my own opinions.

So if I were to use my freedom of speech to claim that I was a police officer and to impose on-the-spot $100 fines on motorists for minor traffic violations, that would be OK, would it?

Money under false pretexts is money under false pretexts.

Yes, but he didn't demand money, which is what you'd be doing there. People making donations is just that. They can't even claim they didn't know what it would be used for.

[Bella Fortuna]

So, why aren't people suing reverend hatchling or whatever his name is out of shirt and boxer shorts?

There's this pesky "free speech" thing. Reverend Camping didn't force anybody to give away their life savings in preparation for the rapture. That's just what some did after listening to him.

There are limits to free speech. Advocating violence, deliberately inducing panic (shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire), etc. But Camping did not violate any such laws.

I could write a blog about why Chrysler stock is going to plummet the company into bankruptcy this October. But people should take or ignore my advice to sell their shares at their own risk. My predictions are my own opinions.

So if I were to use my freedom of speech to claim that I was a police officer and to impose on-the-spot $100 fines on motorists for minor traffic violations, that would be OK, would it?

Money under false pretexts is money under false pretexts.

That would be an impersonation of a legitimate authority figure - entirely different.

[Svartalf]

the very fact he accepted donations, when normally there should have been precisely no point to it, since all people involved with his church should be up there after announced date, proves his bad faith and his fraudulent manoeuvering.

[Thinking Aloud]

the very fact he accepted donations, when normally there should have been precisely no point to it, since all people involved with his church should be up there after announced date, proves his bad faith and his fraudulent manoeuvering.

But there's no fraud as such. If he'd been saying "give me your money and get to heaven" that's different. People donated money to spread the message. They knew what they were putting it to.