Philly blogger who posted threats to police faces charges

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office is charging a blogger who created Facebook pages that called for killing law enforcement officials and supported men accused of murdering a police officer.

The blogger faces three counts each of criminal solicitation to commit murder, making terroristic threats and harassment.Joshua Scott Albert said he plans to fight the charges:”I think it’s absolutely absurd, and I think it’s a sad day for civil liberties,” Albert said.Albert runs a site called “StaphMeal.com” — a self-described “forum striving to inform readers about current and relevant events in a no-holds-barred kind of way.””I created a Facebook page called ‘Kill Mitt Romney,’ ‘Kill Seth Williams’ and I also did Rush Limbaugh and I also did baby seals. So it was all in satire,” Albert said. “I made a Facebook page too for the two men who were charged in the recent cop’s killing — showing support for those two guys. “Every single thing was a joke,” he said. “If anyone really thinks I want any public official to be murdered, that’s absurd.”Albert said it’s one thing to be upset by something he put on the web, it’s another to bring charges against him.

 Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby said the charges are overdue.

“There’s a limit to what you should be able to post and he’s actually looking for solicitations for hire for murder and I predicted that this  would come and here we are,” McNesby said. “He’ll have to answer in front of a judge and explain why he did it and his reasoning.”