Daniel Ellsberg Beats the Rap Again!

There are, God bless them, still people protesting the ongoing wars even in the age of Obama. 131 of them were arrested in front of the White House on December 16, including Pentagon Papers releaser Daniel Ellsberg (recently on people's minds in this WikiLeaks age). They were all arrested on the b.s. charge of "resisting a lawful order" (that is, not moving along when told to by cops while petitioning in as close to person as one can get for redress of grievances from the president).

Details from a Veterans for Peace press release:

Forty-Two arrested opted to appear in court and go to trial with the first group appearing in DC Superior Court on January 4, 2011.  Prosecutors from the DC Attorney General's office stated that the Government "declined to file charges due to missing or incomplete police paperwork."  Presiding Magistrate Judge Richard Ringell confirmed that the cases were dropped and defendants were free to leave.

Well, at least those brave officers got rid of that messy display of political speech when they needed to.

A personal account of the experience by one of the arrested, Leah Bulger.

Comments

[Oh No Mr Bill of Rights]

That incomplete or missing paperwork wouldn't happen to be to repeal the Constitution, would it?

[Nick]

Technicality dismissal rather than allow the police action be challenged on Constitutional grounds. Fuck. Bastards sure no how to eliminate the fight, don't they.

[Apogee]

Damage done. Violating people's Constitutional rights, and then going Emily Litella on them later still prevents them from accomplishing their original goal.

[DADIODADDY]

never mind

[William Tyndale]

And four bothered to comment.

[Lost_In_Translation]

false imprisonment is apparently passe now, being arrested, taken to jail and let go is apparently "no harm no foul" now.

[Tulpa]

Why don't the protesters sue for false arrest?