"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Monday, May 22, 2017

Todays' Must-Read: Welcome to the Police State (Update)

From Digby, this comment on what AG Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III is up to while we're all focusing on the Trump circus. This image is a good summary.


Did you really think you had a right to engage in peaceful protest? Read the whole thing.

Update: There's a lot more detail in this article from Think Progress.

The protesters will have plenty of time to think about the extensive charges filed against them — and perhaps that is the prosecutors’ intention. The first trials are not expected to start until March 2018. “In my mind, that violates their right to a speedy trial,” Flores-Williams said.

“Having serious felonies like this hanging over you is an incredible burden on your life,” he said. “Chances are that at a certain point, they’ll either roll on each other or we’ll see plea agreements regardless of their guilt or innocence.”

It's going to be interesting to see how this works out at trial -- the government at this point appears to have violated a whole slew of First Amendment rights, not to mention a few others.

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