http://www.mediapost.com/publications/? ... aid=107864
When a Las Vegas newspaper ran an article about the upcoming tax evasion trial of local resident Robert Kahre, the piece drew dozens of comments from apparent sympathizers.
"IRS forcing a Federal Income Tax on a man's wages is illegal," wrote one.
"I have not filed in over 30 years," another boasted.
A third suggested that people should "organize protests at the courthouse."
Now, a federal grand jury has subpoenaed the names, phone numbers, IP addresses and other identifying information about every person who commented on the original article, which appeared in the May 26 edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. News of the subpoena was first reported last week by one of the paper's columnists, Thomas Mitchell.
I'd have to say it's probably not a good idea to go bragging about anything you've done illegal online. Having said that a blanket subpoena is really pushing the limits. As disturbing as this is a blurb near the end of the article is a whole lot sinister:
Other federal courts have limited the government's ability to issue expansive subpoenas to newspapers, bookstores, and other enterprises. In one recent case, a judge in Wisconsin rejected the federal government's attempt to force Amazon to reveal the names of 120 purchasers of books sold by Robert D'Angelo, who was under investigation for tax evasion and wire fraud.
They were rejected but the fact they tried to get that information in the first place should be reason enough to raise more than a few eyebrows.
