Two guys face 110 years of prison for bringing Hezbollah TV in the US

Two guys face 110 years of prison for allegedly providing access to Hizbullah's Al Manar television station

Two Charged with Broadcasting Hizbullah's Manar TV in New York
Two men have been charged with terrorist offences in New York for allegedly providing access to Hizbullah's Al Manar television station which is banned in the United States, prosecutors have said.

They face a sentence of up to 110 years in jail if convicted on the charges of providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

The station, which was listed as a terrorist entity by U.S. authorities in March, allegedly paid thousands of dollars to Iqbal's firm in return.
Iqbal was arrested on related charges in August.

What is this crap? Seriously! Charging people with 110 years because they want to see the two sides of a story (the israël/lebanon war)? 110 years because they don't want to watch the Fox Propaganda Network? 110 years because they want other people to see both sides? 110 years to watch ``illegal`` TV?

This police state is going way too far! I hope they don't get convicted because it will set a precedent and those poor guys don't deserve it at all, not 110 years at least because a moron in the White House decided that Hezbollah was a terrorist organisation.

[edit on 24-11-2006 by Vitchilo]

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[edit on 24/11/2006 by Mirthful Me]

Hmm I guess China isn't the only country that censors there people from he outside world.

Wow that's wack..... nothing more to say really....

Makes you wonder how long will it be before they start censoring the internet or monitoring where people go on the net.

I believe the charges also came from their funding by Hezbollah. 110 years sounds quite right as a sentence for aiding a terrorism group labled by the US government.

[edit on 24-11-2006 by DJMessiah]

Originally posted by Edn
Makes you wonder how long will it be before they start censoring the internet or monitoring where people go on the net.

Oh, they do already. At least monitor your net behaviour.
Piece of cake... or should I say a cookie.

And not all cookies are swept out, I think.

If they were being monetarily supported by hezbollah to broadcast the channel, yup... supporting a terrorist group. Sorry fellas.

If they weren't being supported by hezbollah, then shame on the government for censoring our media.

Originally posted by Edn
Makes you wonder how long will it be before they start censoring the internet or monitoring where people go on the net.

Well... kinda a long story, but I guess we've got all the time in the world.

My buddy and I wrote to our congressman about how they are criminalizing gambling online. I don't want to go into a long discussion there, because it's off topic.

But anyway, he finally wrote back and in this letter he made a very disturbing comment. The view from himself and many other of his constituents indicate that there are many problems with the internet nowadays. The one significant example that he used was the child porn issue.

Now, he didn't actually come right out and say anything, but one can only speculate that with his statement, it would indicate a desire to "federally regulate" the internet in one form or another... so...

Don't hold your breath... it's coming... just a matter of time until they try... and only a millisecond later, I'll be screaming, "Up Yours!"

[edit on 11/24/2006 by Infoholic]

Originally posted by Edn
Makes you wonder how long will it be before they start censoring the internet or monitoring where people go on the net.

isnt that what internet2 is going to be used for?


110 years is a bit excessive, even if they did do it for profit. id say 5yrs max and to me that seems to steep.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Charging people with 110 years because they want to see the two sides of a story (the israël/lebanon war)? 110 years because they don't want to watch the Fox Propaganda Network? 110 years because they want other people to see both sides? 110 years to watch ``illegal`` TV?

You are hyping this up. They were not charged with 110 years it says they can get up to 110.

Even if they get 110 who cares; the organization has been banned in the US it is as simple as that. You break the law you pay the piper.

And let us not forget in order to get a broadcasting license one needs to apply to the FCC first and you cannot broadcast until the license is approved and in this case I assume they did not.

Example we have laws that state we have a freedom of religion, however even religions are not guaranteed they can practice their customs/rituals. I.e., you do not see any religion that accepts human/animal sacrifices being practiced, you also do not see any religion that condones cannibalism being practiced. I think you get the point.



[edit on 11/24/2006 by shots]

Hmm, I am going to peek into the box and push the button by asking "I wonder what exactly they broadcast on their TV?"

I mean noone here can actually truthfully answer that now can they, because we are banned from watching it. Sure now "they" say it is nothing but terrorist propoganda, but how exactly will that affect the patriotic American watching it? I mean if there is nothing to hide but what we already know, why not let it exist. May even help support the WOT if we get a glimpse.

I would just like to know, is it also banned in Europe?

Haha yeah maybe they were just watching it for a laugh! For the patriotic American it probably would be quite interesting to see who and why your country is at war so much.

But if they were actually broadcasting it, like sending out the signal over New York it's a different story, they could have been broadcasting it to terrorists in America.

Originally posted by DYepes
I would just like to know, is it also banned in Europe?

No. I don't think it is banned in any European country.

We have not only freedom speech, but also of choice. But we don't allow airing of violence like some cable networks in America do.


[edit on 24-2-2007 by khunmoon]

This happened in Staten Island if Im not mistaken. Sounds to me that they were putting up free-to-air sat dishes which can pick up a myriad of signals and the government wanted to make a example out of them since people could watch Al-Minar TV which is the Hizbollah based news program. In many peoples eyes its what they trust,like some trust and like FOX, or The BBC and for others Al-Jazeera.


Funny they were having a Memorial in New Jersey advertised in a newspaper and online for Rabbi Meir Kahane. Seems like its a selective terrorist list we keep. I guess some can even openly gather and honor their leaders on American soil, while others are roasted for watching the news.

Charging people with 110 years because they want to see the two sides of a story (the israël/lebanon war)?

Hezbollah is a recognized terrorist organization. Of course they should go to jail for bringing its media arm into the US.

dyepes
Sure now "they" say it is nothing but terrorist propoganda, but how exactly will that affect the patriotic American watching it?

Who gives a damn, they could be broadcasting snuggly soft bunnies for all anyone cares, it doesn't matter what their programming was, they're Hezbollah TV, Hezbollah is legally recognized as a terrorist organization, its absurd to suggest that a recognized terrorist organization should be able to have its own TV station in the US.

It's also extremely hypocritical to complain about FOX, etc.... being biased, and then trying to say a Hezbollah run news source could be remotely objective. It's laughable if it weren't so sad so see the lack of perspective in those sorts of statements.

I think the television broadcasts the government was worried about is the kind where the terror leaders making the broadcast are most likely sending out instructions to terror cells around the world.

I don't think it's Hezbollah's version of FoxNews. It's more like an important part of the Hezbollah terror communication network.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Hezbollah is legally recognized as a terrorist organization, its absurd to suggest that a recognized terrorist organization should be able to have its own TV station in the US.

Occurs because our elected government said so . . . and how can we support a TV station or an internet web side that is not going to be making profits for any of our American base corporations.

I will love to see face to face what hezbollah has to say. . .

Don't we have to stand our own president and politicians lying to us all the time?

Ok so if this station is not banned in any European country, could someone pelase tell me exactly what they are talking about on there? I seriously have doubts that it is 24/7 of just:
"today we killed many innocent civilians in the battle of the great satan empire of America and Israel, we shall cut of all heads and force conversion"

Anyone who buys that load of crap has their head up their ass.

screw that they should hang them for treason against united states of penises

Yeah, I'm gonna go out on a limb and against the grain here and say that this probably has more to do with the corporate monopoly on the broadcast industry than terror.

This past couple of years and I'm sure for the next few years the cable/satelite wars have been heating up between the megacoms. Satelite for one is certainly changing how the revenue stream works in television...for the past fifteen years or so the whole broadcast nets....cable...satelite have left people in the business sort of lost as to how to manipulate and profit from the newly evolving technologies and ever increasing nichecasting...but that's like a whole different thread.

Anyhoo...I would suggest that terrorism is being used as a simple and easy excuse to hide the fact that GE, NEWSCORP et al don't want anybody coming in here and broadcasting without paying the huge satelite carriage fees all these other shmos have to pay.

Hezbollah paid these guys thousands of dollars...sounds pretty cheap to me compared to what the other networks and corporations are pouring into satelite.

I agree it's okay to consider hezbollah a terror group and that broadcasting to disenfranchise american youth might not be too good for us here in the states but it still smells like a money issue to me.

And let's face it if Hezbollah did broadcast in the states the people who'd most likely really get into it are the same that buy millions of gangsta rap cds.

White kids from the suburbs....no flaming please I am of course not talking about any of the members here at ATS who of course are far above this type of manipulation...did that work? Am I in the clear? Phew!

IMO of course and as always.

SPiderj