Stomping on the First Amendment

David Codrea of The War On Guns has been warned in a sideways fashion to stop posting information about Ryan Horsley's trial. Read the whole disgusting thing at Taking the Bait.

Your message has been received loud and clear--along with your warning that you will not hesitate to come down and arrest anyone you suspect of violating this law. Before I give you my reply, I want to make it clear that my response is mine alone. Any retaliation is mine to face, and taking it out on the man who passed your message along at your direction will not be something you can now do outside of a brightly focused light.

That said, OK, I recognize bait when I see it. I'll bite. Here is my considered response. Now that you've snagged me, hang on tight.

First off, if you have anything to say to me, say it directly. Don't go presuming sovereign citizens are your personal messenger boys.

Second, how dare you?

Don't presume to have authority to impose any prior restraint on what I write. Don't presume to warn me about what you will or will not allow me to say.

For you to imply any of my work might be illegal is a vile slander and you know it--if it wasn't, I'd already be in custody (assuming I was allowed to survive the arrest). Hell, you even admitted as much, but qualified that while I hadn't broken any laws, people who comment on this blog might.

David Codrea's public and identified blogging is what has kept me from "going anonymous" so to speak. Several months ago, I did begin an anonymous blog, but I haven't used it very much. I think the only honorable thing for me to do is to transfer those posts over here. Since I've commented and linked to The War On Guns, I'm probably already on the list, anyway.