Ex-Marine put in psych ward over Facebook posts

(AP) RICHMOND, Va. - A former Marine involuntarily detained for psychiatric evaluation for posting strident anti-government messages on Facebook has received an outpouring of support from people who say authorities are trampling on his First Amendment rights.

Brandon J. Raub, 26, has been in custody since FBI, Secret Service agents and police in Virginia's Chesterfield County questioned him Thursday evening about what they said were ominous posts talking about a coming revolution. In one message earlier this month according to authorities, Raub wrote: "Sharpen my axe; I'm here to sever heads."

Police — acting under a state law that allows emergency, temporary psychiatric commitments upon the recommendation of a mental health professional — took Raub to the John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell. He was not charged with any crime.

A Virginia-based civil liberties group, The Rutherford Institute, dispatched one of its attorneys to the hospital to represent Raub at a hearing Monday. A judge ordered Raub detained for another month, Rutherford executive director John Whitehead said.

"For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon," Whitehead said.

Raub's mother, Cathleen Thomas, said by telephone that the government had overstepped its bounds.

"The bottom line is his freedom of speech has been violated," she said.

Thomas said her son, who served tours as a combat engineer in Iraq and Afghanistan, is "concerned about all the wars we've experienced" and believes the U.S. government was complicit in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. One of his Facebook posts, she said, pictured the gaping hole in the Pentagon and asked "where's the plane?"

Whitehead said he found nothing alarming in Raub's social media commentaries. "The posts I read that supposedly were of concern were libertarian-type posts I see all the time," he said.

The big concern, Whitehead said, is whether government officials are monitoring citizens' private Facebook pages and detaining people with whom they disagree.

Dee Rybiski, an FBI spokeswoman in Richmond, said there was no Facebook snooping by her agency.

"We received quite a few complaints about what were perceived as threatening posts," she said. "Given the circumstances with the things that have gone on in the country with some of these mass shootings, it would be horrible for law enforcement not to pay attention to complaints."

Whitehead said some of the posts in question were made on a closed Facebook page that Raub had recently created so he questioned whether anyone from the public would have complained about them.

"Support Brandon Raub" Facebook pages have drawn significant interest, and other Internet sites had numerous comments from people outraged by the veteran's detention.

Raub's supporters characterized the detention as an arrest, complaining he was handcuffed and whisked away in a police cruiser without being served a warrant or read his rights. But authorities say it wasn't an arrest because Raub doesn't face criminal charges.

Col. Thierry Dupuis, the county police chief, said Raub was taken into custody upon the recommendation of mental health crisis intervention workers. He said the action was taken under the state's emergency custody statute, which allows a magistrate to order the civil detention and psychiatric evaluation of a person who is considered potentially dangerous.

He said Raub was handcuffed because he resisted officers' attempts to take him into custody.

[tmonta67]

Just one more example why FB was, is and always will be a bad idea. No privacy, and a soapbox for nutcases and mean-spirited individuals with no power in their real lives.

[osbjmg-2009]

"Given the circumstances with the things that have gone on in the country with some of these mass shootings, it would be horrible for law enforcement not to pay attention to complaints."

I agree, but paying attention to complaints means evaluating the credible risk, and possibly some level surveilling and doing research. I'm not sure the FBI has any real detectives left.

[AHSND]

Complaints? I really doubt there were any complaints. Right up there with "you fit the description of..." just a line to justify actions. Unlikely ever thought it would make the news, as with the other 19,999 ppl in Va. alone. Thats right 20,000 similar 'Arrests' in Va. and I have no stats on other states?

[formerlyluvnut]

Well, he was a marine & he is in Virginia, soooooo...........

[ReckonedTruth]

you want to know what is worst than a irresponsible person with a gun?... A TRAINED KILLER WITH A GUN who is mentally impaired ..

..if we as americans dosn't get up on this and take this issue as a serious issue?... all these returning soldiers with MENTAL PROBLEMS as result of remenants of WARS.. can and will be FELt here at home as well.. not only abroad..to the women and children..killed... but to our OWN women and children..

... these mentally impaired soldiers can cause massive destruction with regard to the killing of INNOCENT PPL right here at home..GOD FORBID!

[AHSND]

"...these mentally impaired soldiers can cause massive destruction with regard to the killing of INNOCENT PPL right here at home..GOD FORBID!"
We can be sure 5 yrs ago you were waving a flag/ribbons on car and saying good things about our troops. Now the news tells you otherwise, and you turn 180 degree's of simplicity. Are you ppl 2? can you not see the nose on your face? This man owns no firearms and all derogatory things said are untrue. duh

[burtbiggins]

Oh yeah? Well you all should see MY Facebook page!

[formerlyluvnut]

They are probably looking at it right now.

[emily3451]

eric_b727 pointed out, he was allowed free speech. Remember Timothy McVeigh?? He was a member of our armed services before he decided to take lives in the name of revolution. Would we have wanted authorties to confine Mr. McVeigh, had he posted his thoughts on facebook prior to commiting mass murder? I think we would. Better safe than sorry.

[quark01]

Careful what you wish for, Emily. He has been detained without arrest. Which means no entitlement to due process - no bond/bail hearing, no right to a speedy trial, no chance to face his accuser. Are you really sure you want to give up those rights? You think it okay for this guy, but how are you going to feel when it is you or someone you know?

Hitler killed more than Jews. His government also rounded up people who were 'insane.' Think about how much of your Constitutional rights you want to give up to a government. If 'the people' give up their rights to the government, is it still a government of, for and by the people?

Any action by the government that even remotely looks like it might be an overstep of Constitutional authority needs to be challenged and closely examined.

[AHSND]

A recent movie emerged, I cannot recall name but wow! what evidence Timothy Mcveigh was acting alone nor really even guilty. It never crossed my mind at the time, then you forget. In front of building Ryder truck said to have made a 30 ft deep crater (Time-crime breadown)but pictures clearly show no such thing. Sooo obvious, yet I never noticed, nor did anyone else.

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

It would have been nice if they held the movie theater shooter. And who knows if this poor person may do the same thing?

[A-Patriot]

So it has come down to this. The majority of you all seem to agree this man should be sent to a government reeducation camp(Mental Instution) becuase of some off the wall comments.

However I did not read anybody saying that our current President should seek any type of mental health treatment after he was stating that he felt that he needs to kill Romeny.Shortley after that comment, Mr.Trumka the head of AFL-CIO Union gave a TV interview were he said the following."We will hunt you down. We will slit your throats. We will drink your blood. I will have your decapitated head on a pike in the Madison town square. This is your last warning." Why wasn't Mr.Trumka sent to a reeducation camp along with the president for what they said.

I belive that it should not be surprising,shocking or illgeal for somebody to blow off a little steam by using words. Perhaps everybody that is posting on this forum should ask themselfs this simple question. How many times over the last year have you been driving home and somebody cuts you off, and you say I want to kill that guy? If you answered, yes I have said that you too should be sent to the reeducation camp. Lastly since we are all acting like children these days,we should remind ourselves of this old saying.Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Or in this case words would never hurt me.

[Maerzie]

Thank God, at least ONE war victim MIGHT get the help he needs from the damages of insane wars, instead of being stigmatized. Usually we only count the dead, and forget the maimed and mentally injured. However, war profiteers ALWAYS count their money! This is another, more humane area to spend the enormous, outrageous amounts of money that the millionaires and billionaires get out of paying because they're allowed to deduct amounts like Mitt Romney's $770,000 for a horse! Remember? The deduction for a human child is only about $3500, not equally valued as much as a horse by the "pro-life" party. They get these ungodly tax deduction welfare benefits from those abandoned funds that USED to be used for the food and healthcare of the poor. Obviously the super-wealthy need THEIR greedy "WELFARE" funds even more, so they don't forget how to count and outsource all their plunder!

How much WORK will Romney assign to these Republican welfare clients, who will be getting all this tax deduction profit for doing NOTHING?? Surely these "Christians" plan to spend all that booty on works of mercy, like healthcare for our veterans, and food for the starving, so we have fewer deaths?

[honest_pols]

ADVOCATING OR INCITING VIOLENCE, DESTRUCTION, MURDER,
OR OVERTHROW OF GOVERNMENT, IS WRONG AND UNLAWFUL

Be careful what you wish for, and how you intend it.

Predicting specific events or developments which are or appear to be harmful to our nation, may, under certain circumstances, be construed as criminal, and/or seditious.
Deliberately advocating such actions against the government would likely be considered criminal and even treasonous, under certain circumstances.

The unfortunate results of revolution against any govt, is that those results almost invariably go too far, and become manifest as per the visions of the potential 'overthrowers', thereby creating reasonable cause (in the minds of some), for repeating overthrow of the newly-established order.

It has become apparent, that some within their quest for total freedom, and/or within THEIR concept of ideal government - or NO government at all - do not realize that they are asking for eliminating the nation-state, which would only work smoothly, well and harmoniously, if the world was filled with kind and good-willed people.

[bobnjersey]

[ADVOCATING OR INCITING VIOLENCE, DESTRUCTION, MURDER, OR OVERTHROW OF GOVERNMENT, IS WRONG AND UNLAWFUL ... Be careful what you wish for, and how you intend it.]
----------------------------------------------------
so ... all the founding fathers ... including the first handful of u.s. presidents ... and the writers of the bill of rights ... and the constitution ... qualify in that category?

[fstopme]

djuno wrote "It happened to me, a 65 year old combat veteran from Viet Nam. Do not make or write ANYTHING you would not want your mother to read. You are being legally raped by Obama into submission."

How did Obama "rape" you after Vietnam? He wasn't even old enough to drive yet! I got this far in your comment and stopped. Opinions like these are a waste of time. Absolutely worth zero merit. While I thank you for your service, resentment like this is wrongfully targeted. So do something about it. Run for office. Start an awareness program. Dont sit here and ***** and make sh%t up. That just hurts the country you served.