[ RadSafe ] xray WMD - Mere Intent and Voodoo Doll

[clayton bradt]

The questions I raise about the Death Ray case relate to whether the
applicable laws on terrorism are appropriate (I think they are not),
whether the legal definitions or 'WMD' and 'radiological dispersal device'
are over broad (I think they are), and whether mere intent should be
sufficient to make one guilty of a crime ( I believe it should not.)
Thought crimes should not be actionable in my opinion.  The punishment
recommended for Crawford's crimes are excessive.  Under the existing
regulatory system I find it hard to believe that Crawford could have
obtained xray tubes on his own. The direct intervention of the FBI, by
procuring them illegally, was necessary for the device to be built.  Such
illegally obtained evidence (the xray tubes) should have been suppressed.
In short I think the legal system has failed to produce a just result in
this case.  Even if everything the government did was legal, what was done
was wrong.

Clayton Bradt