Real News From The Blaze:' Marine Detainment Stirs First Amendment Debate

A 26-year-old former marine named Brandon Raub has been involuntarily detained by the police and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after making alleged threats in a series of anti-government proclamations that the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran posted on Facebook. Police were acting under a state law when detaining Raub, that allows emergency, temporary psychiatric commitments upon the recommendation of a mental health professional. Raub has since been questioned by both the FBI and Secret Service.

One particular posting by Raub that is believed to have raised the alarm to authorities is; "Sharpen my axe; I'm here to sever heads," that ABC News reports appears to be a lyric from the band Swollen Members and its song “Bring Me Down.”

Many Raub supporters and critics of the arrest have emerged, arguing that the former marine's First Amendment rights have been violated. The head of the Rutherford institute, a Virginia civil liberties group that is represent Raub, told ABC;  "For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon."

The "Real News" team tackled the case Wednesday, asking if  the authorities should be allowing a wider bredth for free speech? Watch a clip from Wednesday's show below: