My presumption is that the feds are trying to influence public opinion, and thus, perhaps, the judges. It didn't work on the judge who refused their request to hold the student without bail. I do not criticise the judge, or assume that the student will be tried unfairly. (By the way, I believe he is still being held by the INS.)
But I wasn't primarily talking about that, even. I was criticizing bad thinking, and using the news releases as an example. I could have use the words of an American Legionnaire I read in the 50's who said every American should hate anyone accused of being Communist.
Accused of being. Note that.
It's not just the courts that should assume innocence; any decent person should assume innocence until proven wrong.
As I said, "What I was getting at was that both innocent and guilty people (or Republicans and independents) may read the same things. Not true?"
Rapaire says "the police... do not assume guilt or innocence" and it seemed to me that the FBI was violating that principle and assuming guilt on scant evidence.
Again, I was criticizing bad thinking, criticizing confusing the map with the territory as the semantics people say, criticizing the confusing of fact with opinion, criticizing the claiming of guilt by association with certain words & pictures.