Speaking Of John Ashcroft (R-Choad)

His assault on the First Amendment received a setback the other day. From the Voice of America (the irony of this source, I hope, is not lost on any of you), we get the following:

A federal judge in Miami, Florida has dismissed charges against the environmental organization Greenpeace, saying the group was not guilty of violating an obscure 19th century law designed to prevent the interruption of commerce. Greenpeace lawyers say the dismissal of charges is a victory for free speech.

--snip--

Just two days into the case a federal judge dismissed the charges saying there was no evidence the ship was about to arrive at its destination - the port of Miami. Greenpeace lawyer David Halperin says the not guilty verdict is a victory for free speech in the United States.

"The real importance of the case as we have been saying from the beginning is, it is the first time in the history of the United States that the government has prosecuted an organization for free speech related activities and in our view that is not an appropriate thing," he said.

"For 230 years since the Boston Tea Party and through the civil rights movement the government has arrested and sometimes prosecuted individuals who wanted to stand up for their beliefs and engage in public protest," he added, "but they never went after an organization. And the reason is that if you go after organizations you may cripple the entire process of free speech and public protest."

Note, however, that the judge threw out the case NOT because of the ridiculousness of the government's claim, but because "there was no evidence the ship was about to arrive at its destination." Well, I suppose a win is a win.

Any comments, Jon?