Aaron Walker has been banned from writing about Brett Kimberlin for six months by a judge in Maryland.
I have some potentially crazy, stupid, and dangerous advice for Aaron.
1) Go blog about Brett Kimberlin. Violate that unconstitutional order with all due haste.
2) Go take your huge post about Brett Kimberlin and post it on Amazon as Kindle book. Today if possible.
And…
3) When Kimberlin takes you back to court, bring a lawyer or two with you.
I’m not a lawyer. I’m not saying Aaron should take this advice, even. Lawyers can explain why it’s dumb. I’m dumb for even suggesting it. I know I know I know.
But that order the Judge Cornelius Vaughey issued isn’t legal.
It violates the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. You have the right to write true, non-threatening non-inciting things about public figures like Bretty Kimberlin and nobody can tell you can’t.
If Aaron wrote about Kimberlin, would Kimberline bring Aaron back to court? I sure as hell hope so.
Then a lawyer can speak for Aaron and explain to a judge about how the U.S. Constitution works and why a judge in a Peace Order courtroom in Rockville, Maryland doesn’t trump the First Amendment…even if a litigious bomber and liberal activist doesn’t like.
The First Amendment is a muscle. It needs to be exercised.
While “breaking the law to save it” has it’s appeal, I kinda hope Aaron can get back before a judge to appeal the peace order without having to go that far… …but this way may be the quickest, and there is a point where time does become a factor. Representation (and taking the advice of said representation) is essential, either way.
Hopefully, Aaron’s writing post(s) about his ordeal, for publication when the time comes, be it now or after the order is lifted by more conventional means.
And Lee… Somethin’ in your tweet stream to the right of this box caught my eye… Don’t make this about left v right, man… Free speech is for everyone. (And as a lib, too many folks are making it really profoundly hard to support Aaron, what with all of the “tides foundation” “hit man of the Left” “no justice under Eric Holder” trash talk. Libs (in general, anyway) ain’t responsible for anything Kimberlin, et. al. has ever done, and frankly, most of us leaned about the guy last week, just like most on the right. The sooner folks on the right get their “it’s the free speech, stupid” posters and t-shirts, and start talking about how Aaron’s getting hosed by Kimberlin (and at the moment, by the justice system)-without all the partisan bullshit and extended diatribes about the bombings in ’78-the more support for free speech there will likely be.)
I’m pretty sure it was Jefferson who said, “if a law is unjust, man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” It’s why I smoke weed every day, and why I share your opinion that Aaron should keep going. But not until he has a good lawyer. Don’t leave anything to chance with these jackholes. They’ve proven themselves to be dangerous. Be careful.