Free Speech?
Ravenwood reports of an Alabama man arrested for displaying a sign in his front yard that read:
Our Court System Is a Joke.
It’s moments like this where I wish citizens would organize into mobs, visit the local authorities, pull said authorities’ pants down, and spank them until they cry.
Update: Via Bubba, it seems the judge was pointed at and told bad kitty. That’s not enough. That judge should be jailed.
April 2nd, 2004 at 10:29 am
That’s outrageous! How come he isn’t suing this judge? How come this judge hasn’t been thrown off the bench? I wonder what the rest of the story is, i.e. bad blood between these two, a prior court order, something?
April 2nd, 2004 at 10:31 am
Bad blood is not an excuse to arrest the guy.
April 2nd, 2004 at 10:45 am
This is a complete outrage in my opinion. Just because you don’t agree with something that someone else is saying, you can’t go an arrest the guy. I’d like to see the judge put in jail for a day to see how he likes it when someone else doesn’t agree with his views on a certain issue. But then again, that won’t be happening now will it?
April 2nd, 2004 at 11:00 am
You sure that wasn’t Masaschusetts?
April 2nd, 2004 at 11:45 am
I bet if he had put “(without the Ten Commandments)” at the bottom of his sign, he’d be a free man.
April 2nd, 2004 at 12:05 pm
Here’s more. Sounds like the judge at least got a spanking.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=12893
April 2nd, 2004 at 1:17 pm
Even after reading the link SKB posted, I’m not sure we’ve got the whole story. One of the signs said “Our court system is a joke,” but there were other signs. What did they say?
The arrest occured last August. The man was involved in a custody dispute that the judge heard. Question: was the man actively engaged in litigation in the judge’s court at the time he put the signs in his yard? If so, then that might pass muster as contempt of court.
Common sense tells me that I couldn’t call a judge an imbecile in court. It also tells me that I probably shouldn’t call him an imbecile with a sign in my front yard while he’s hearing my case.
April 2nd, 2004 at 2:44 pm
I’m going to have to disagree with you on that one Les. Reason being: posting a sign on private property shouldn’t be construed as contempt of court. True, he shouldn’t say what he posted on the sign in court itself, but yet he should be free to say whatever he wants in his own backyard, no matter who may “overhear” him.
I dunno… it’s possible we’re not getting the full story, but I sincerely doubt that the judge was acting within his jurisdiction when he ordered the man arrested.
April 2nd, 2004 at 11:24 pm
So how about Martha Stewart? She controlled a media empire. During her trail she could have filled her magazine and TV show with ads saying “The SEC Sucks Donkey Balls.” OK or not OK?
I’d still like to know what the signs said, and whether the guy displayed them in his yard during the trial. Otherwise I’m not jumping to the guy’s defense.
April 3rd, 2004 at 3:15 pm
Well, in quick response… 🙂
Martha could really say anything she want(ed) to in her TV and Magazine ads. It’s up to us, the public to decide whether to give her our money when we want something to read from the bookstore, or watch a television show. There comes a time when common sense has to prevail at some point or another. Martha would have limited herself to an extremely small audience had she done something like that, no matter how many great tips she had on gardening or cleaning your kitchen in this month’s issue.
I agree with you that I would also like to know what the signs said. Could be that the reporters are only once again reporting half-truths, which we see all too commonly these days. If there was anything derogatory to the judge himself personally — then yeah I can see that being in contempt of court. But if it were blatant statements like the one we’re aware of, then I think the actions the judge took were wrong.
April 2nd, 2004 at 10:18 am
Alabama Man Gets No Free Speech
Free Speech, something all of us take for granted at one time or another. Some people’s lives are built on that one principal, being radio DJ’s, reporters, or whatever they do. Those of us who’s lives aren’t dependant on the…