The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Did Brett Kimberlin Stalk BlogCon? UPDATE: Confirmed or Not?

Posted on | June 6, 2012 | 40 Comments

FROM AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
New developments today in the story of convicted terrorist bomber-turned-progressive activist Brett Kimberlin: Sources report that conservative New Media activists believe that Kimberlin — whose activities are funded by the tax-exempt 501(c) non-profits Velvet Revolution and the Justice Through Music Project — showed up in April at BlogCon, a conference sponsored by FreedomWorks and the Franklin Center.

The incident was uncovered by @JDonels, who reported on his Tumblr blog that a person using the Twitter alias “Robert Slydell” appears to have been involved in the incident:

Did a left-wing activist infiltrate BlogCon Charlotte? Try to intimidate bloggers on Twitter? Did this person know someone who may have hacked Twitter accounts, and have his real name accidentally exposed in the process? And did this person know of efforts to put conservatives in TwitterGulag?

A photo of Kimberlin was circulated among online activists and, sources say, it was confirmed that Kimberlin showed up at the hotel in Charlotte, N.C., where BlogCon was held. Sources say Kimberlin was seen collecting information about the conference proceedings and was eventually escorted from the premises by hotel security.

Kimberlin has been accused of engaging in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against conservative bloggers, including Patrick “Patterico” Frey, Aaron Walker and National Bloggers Club president Ali Akbar. The case has drawn widespread attention, and major news organizations are taking increased interest in the story. Bestselling author Michelle Malkin wrote today:

[Award-winning conservative blogger] Ace of Spades has called for a National Day of Blogger Silence this Friday to focus Capitol Hill’s attention to this vital free speech fight.

UPDATE: Hans Bader of the Competitive Enterprise Institute called attention to the Kimberlin case Tuesday in a letter to the editors of The Washington Times. Meanwhile, Examiner columnist Joe Newby contacted a board member of Kimberlin’s non-profit Velvet Revolution, who claimed there have been “coordinated right wing attacks” leveled at Kimberlin “based on no facts.”

Kimberlin’s criminal career has been the subject of extensive reporting by Massimo Calabresi of Time magazine, Mandy “Liberty Chick” Nagy of Breitbart.com, Ed Barnes of Fox News and other news organizations, and was covered in-depth by New Yorker reporter Mark Singer in his 1996 book, Citizen K: The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin..

UPDATE II: Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) just became the first member of Congress to officially demand investigation of the “threats and intimidation [which] have no place in our national political discourse.”

UPDATE III: Instapundit and Dan Riehl on Chambliss story, which is also now the subject of a Memeorandum thread.

UPDATE IV: Another source contacted me this evening to express uncertainty about the identification of Kimberlin as the person escorted out of the North Carolina hotel where BlogCon was held in April. Furthermore, this source said, there is concern — based on Kimberblin’s known modus operandi — that heightened scrutiny may prompt the convicted bomber to desperate measures.

“He’s a megalomaniacal sociopath,” the source said, adding that the Mark Singer book Citizen K makes clear Kimberlin’s complete contempt for law enforcement and his belief that he’s “smarter than the cops.” Thus, whether or not Kimberlin was at the April event in Charlotte, he might single out individuals associated with the conference as “enemies,” targeting them for “lawfare” harassment or other types of intimidation tactics.

– Robert Stacy McCain, Whereabouts Unknown

 
UPDATE IV (Smitty): Welcome, Instapundit readers!
 

Bookmark and Share
Category: The Kimberlin Files

Comments

  • PaulLemmen

    Holy shit-snizzle Batman!
    If Tabitha weren’t such a cold b … err person, Stacy would have been there and this all might have broken sooner …

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

    Jimmie Bise Jr. is reporting on Twitter that Senator Chambliss is demanding Holder look into the interstate intimidation:

    http://po.st/YeqdM4

    I’m not holding my breath waiting for bag man Holder to enforce the law, but it’s a start.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

     He was actually retweeting Jake Tapper, so maybe it IS getting through the fog.

  • Pingback: Aaron Walker Appealed Gag Order Imposed By Maryland Judge | The Lonely Conservative

  • robertstacymccain

    There is no reason to make this personal, Paul. We are all equally endangered, and this crisis has been the occasion of extensive fence-mending: Erick Erickson actually mentioned me in his post about Kimberlin, and Tabitha Hale has done the same. The story is too big and too important to allow irrelevant resentments or old animosities to get in the way.

  • PaulLemmen

    I am impressed Stacy! The King of Butt-Hurt allows his crown to slip.
    Actually, you are absolutely correct! As I stated in my post yesterday, “My second point: I am not important in this situation. I stole their thunder so I now am a zero, without value. Circle the wagons around those that make a difference. I am old and
    disposable. Ali, Stacy, Liberty Chick, Aaron, Patrick, all of them are young and important players in this effort. Circle the wagons on them. Contribute to the National Bloggers Club fund started for this purpose. Blog about them, their efforts regarding the publishing of factual information about a public figure. This is where the forward edge of the battlefield exists, not in a backwater in Florida with a broken old man.
    Move forward, defeat the foe, those that would silence each and every one of us. Rally to the commanders listed above and give them your support.”I’ll abide by the directions of the commanders, among whom you are listed.

  • http://proteinwisdom.com/ McGehee

    I might have to vote for Saxby again in 2014 after all. Depends on whether he stays on it or is grandstanding.

  • Smitty1e

    If SC is grandstanding, he sure is getting a prime location. But will it spread to Stacy’s cousin, for that special family reunion photo op?

  • EmmanuelGoldstein

    PaulLemon is such a liberal fascist loon

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    Kimberlin is a creep and dangerous.  We do not raise personal issues when a rattle snake is crawling around our feet.  

  • Pingback: Good News: Saxby Chambliss Demands Inquiry Into SWATing » Pirate's Cove

  • Pingback: The Damn Dirty RINO

  • http://twitter.com/walt_gilbert Walt Gilbert

    Excellent news. And, yes — this story has been occasion for considerable fence-mending, and there has never been a time when it was more desperately needed. Situations like this one have a way of subordinating differences of style and putting them into the proper perspective. It’s a shame that it takes something like this to do it, but I’m not going to quibble with that, either.

    What’s most amazing is just how many erstwhile warriors have yet to poke their heads out of the foxhole. Maybe being shown up by Chambliss will light a fire under them.

  • richard mcenroe

    That sounds like criminal trespass to me. Isn’t bad boy Brett still on federal parole?

  • richard mcenroe

    If Cusin John does weigh in, he’ll probably blame the Tea Party…

  • Pingback: The #BrettKimberlin Report D+12 Part II: Flak And Return Fire [#War - Updated Below][BREAKING: ABC News Report] « The Camp Of The Saints

  • Pingback: Why Sure – Brett’s Guilty As Sin? | Daily Pundit

  • Pingback: ABC News Reports Sen. Saxby Chambliss Requested DOJ Investigation of Blogger Swattings | The Lonely Conservative

  • http://profiles.google.com/dianna.deeley Dianna Deeley

     Excellent question, one I have not been able to settle to my own satisfaction. If you get a solid answer, please post it.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

     My understanding was that at some point after his last release on parole, he was released from federal supervision, which under the rules existing at the time of his offense (and those are the ones which apply) means he is no longer subject to parole rules.  He’s out, done his time.

  • http://profiles.google.com/dianna.deeley Dianna Deeley

     Thank you. It’s been harder to get solid information than I expected.

  • nastygram

    So, if I understand this correctly, Kimberlin was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 1981 for the bombings, he somehow finagled paroled in 1993 after serving just 12 years of his 50 year sentence, he had his parole revoked in 1997 for bad behavior, he was somehow re-paroled in 2001, and now, in 2012, 31 years into his 50 year sentence, he’s somehow totally released from federal supervision because he’s “done his time.”  What’s wrong with this picture?

  • Adobe_Walls

    Everything is wrong with that picture. I read somewhere, I’ve no idea where, that when he was re-incarcerated he and his lawyer made a deal similar to a plea bargain eliminating any supervision or parole.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

     Kimberlin was sentenced under the OLD federal rules – before “truth in sentencing” all but eliminated parole in the old sense.  When they changed the rules, those whose crimes were committed before the change are not affected.

  • http://www.goldfishandclowns.com/ Jerry Wilson

     You may be old, but you’re not disposable!

  • Pingback: An Update On He Who Must Not Be Named | Goldfish and Clowns

  • PaulLemmen

    Might have been one of my suppositions. Unless you’ve read my unpublished mega-post. It explains exactly how that happens under the new federal guidelines …

  • PaulLemmen

    Once my attorney clears me to be able to post about this person again, You’ll have your answer. It’s been written for over a week …

  • http://johngaltreport.blogspot.com/ John Galt Report

    Great update to this important story

  • Pingback: Datechguy's Blog » Blog Archive » …and the media dam cracks in the US on “Swatting” » Datechguy's Blog

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/2012/06/senator-saxby-chambliss-calls-out-for.html  Good news.  ABC now reporting the story.  All-American Blogger reports it.  

    This action from Senator Chambliss is helping (a lot).  

  • Pingback: » Stand with Ali - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

  • Sarah Bluemerle

    Was the gentleman escorted out of Blogcon a teeny tiny little elf man?
    Because BKs diminuitive proportions are rather conspicuous.

  • Mm

    Michelle Malkin had a link in a post a couple days ago to a blogger who found, apparently, that become.com shares the same IP address as VU, etc.  Wish I could find it.

  • blaster

    Spam?  Easy to check by pinging.  Answer:  no.  

  • http://thepagantemple.blogspot.com/ ThePaganTemple

     Aaaaarrrgggh, that ‘splain’s things then, he got him a little pecker complex and needs to blow things up, and twould also ‘splain certen other past praclivities.

  • Pingback: Who is the Domestic Terrorist Targeting Conservative Bloggers? | Wizbang

  • Pingback: My Letter to My Congressmen Regarding Convicted Domestic Terrorist and Perjurer Brett Kimberlin

  • RosalindJ

  • Pingback: Who is the Domestic Terrorist Targeting Conservative Bloggers? : Stop The ACLU

Performance Optimization WordPress Plugins by W3 EDGE