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If some federal agent threatened to put my mother in jail, I'd probably say worse, whether she did anything or not.

There's a line between saying things and posting multiple youtube videos threatening to ruin someone's life and "look in" to their kids. That's a threat.

Agreed on the kids part, he probably should face charges for posting threats, but I do have to laugh about him 'threatening to ruin someone's life', considering that people who end up under the microscope of the federal government for posting links rarely have their life improved.

All in all, he is not the most sympathetic of figures, but it doesn't mean the government gets a free pass.

I'm confused. Someone who makes an ACTUAL credible threat against someone typically just goes in a police file. Someone who makes a threat - not even to slander, but to investigate and expose - is committing a crime?

If I say, "Jim is a dirtbag, I'm going to expose him and his whole dirty family," what have I done? It sounds like I'm just an investigative journalist with delusions of being good at my job and who probably has a personal grievance with Jim.

I happen to not be a fan of the individual in this case, but it's important to be realistic about the whole business of threats against reputation.

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