A Vermont Victory For Free Speech & Civil Disobediance

(8 am March 15 - promoted by Edger)

See important UPDATE below.
Victory!

In June, 2006, Boots Wardinski and Michael Colby had been arrested for disorderly conduct (it was really civil disobedience) in interrupting a speech given by warmonger John Negroponte at his son's graduation from St Johnsbury Academy (VT).

I met Boots and Michael back in late winter, 2007, when we participated in a sit-in at each of our Vermont congressional delegation's (Leahy, Sanders & Welch) offices in Burlington.

Yesterday Michael emailed me to say that in the case State vs. Colby and Boots Wardinski, the Vermont Supreme Court dismissed the charges. The court says the activists were acting within their free speech rights. Michael was ecstatic in his email, "Look out world, our record is clean..."

For now. Michael and Boots take their activism seriously.

Michael (owner of the blog Broadsides) writes, "This is fantastic news for activists. It means that the state cannot arbitrarily arrest and prosecute those who simply stand to voice their political opinions. It sends a clear and unequivocal message to all levels of law enforcement to think twice before engaging in the speech-chilling activities exhibited by the multiple levels of police that day." Read all of it here.

Kudos also to their attorney, David Sleigh.

The Vermont Supreme Court's ruling can be read here.

Media coverage so far: from Vermont Public Radio, Fox44 and on the Burlington Free Press blog, Blotter

(Cross posted at Blazing Indiscretions.)

UPDATE on 3/16/-09 @ 2 p.m.: Michael Colby emailed me this morning to say that he's appearing on a well-known Vermont local radio call-in program tomorrow, Tuesday 17 March.

Antemedius readers in the Burlington-Waterbury (VT) area can tune into Mark Johnson's show on WDEV AM 550 or FM 96.1

Readers outside Vermont can listen to the live stream during the show's 9-11 a.m. EDT time slot. Alternatively, you can listen later to the podcast.

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