The judge told thel jurors that they must find that when Coronado spoke to a Hillcrest audience four years ago, he not only meant to
1. teach them step-by-step how to commit arson,
2. he intended them to go a commit federal crimes of viloence
3. that arson was “imminent” and “likely” to occur because of Coronado’s words.

1. He did a terrible job teaching them how to commit an arson. It is not enough to know how to fill a jug with gasoline, or how to make a cigarrette or incense fuse. If you do not place the incendiary in the right place it will have little effect. Even many ELF/ALF activists with much practrice have had numerous devices fail or cause little damage. I don’t even think Rod knows much about this.

2. Intent? How could any juror believe beyond a reasonable doubt that they knew for sure what Rod was thinking or intending… I doubt that Rod even knew. But the evidence is clear that Rod had reduced his activism over the years and that he was focusing more and more on his family. The FBI helped him make this decision to give up, with their constant harrassment.

3. Imminent or likely arson!

That is the clincher. There is no evidence that any speech by any activist ever resulted in any imminent arson. If we were to measure Rod’s speaking abilities based on his abuility to incite arson, we would have to give him an F. The law is clearly meant for a diffenerent type of speeech, one full of hate and directing people to go and commit violent crimes immediately.

“The rubber meets the road, I think, when it comes to jury instructions,” Judge Jeffrey Miller said. The jury gets its instructions before beginning its deliberations, which could start Friday or Monday.

Definitons:

imminent
One entry found for imminent.

Main Entry: im·mi·nent
Pronunciation: ‘i-m&-n&nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin imminent-, imminens, present participle of imminEre to project, threaten, from in- + -minEre (akin to Latin mont-, mons mountain) — more at MOUNT
: ready to take place; especially : hanging threateningly over one’s head
- im·mi·nent·ly adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) – Cite This Source
im·mi·nent /ˈɪmənənt/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[im-uh-nuhnt] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. likely to occur at any moment; impending: Her death is imminent.
2. projecting or leaning forward; overhanging.

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[Origin: 1520–30; < L imminent- (s. of imminéns), prp. of imminére to overhang, equiv. to im- im-1 + -min- from a base meaning “jut out, project, rise” (cf. eminent, mount2) + -ent- -ent]

—Related forms
im·mi·nent·ly, adverb
im·mi·nent·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. near, at hand. Imminent, Impending, Threatening all may carry the implication of menace, misfortune, disaster, but they do so in differing degrees. Imminent may portend evil: an imminent catastrophe, but also may mean simply “about to happen”: The merger is imminent. Impending has a weaker sense of immediacy and threat than imminent: Real tax relief legislation is impending, but it too may be used in situations portending disaster: impending social upheaval; to dread the impending investigation. Threatening almost always suggests ominous warning and menace: a threatening sky just before the tornado struck.
—Antonyms 1. distant, remote.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.