Look at how AP was used.
Mike, the main reason the Jim Bell prosecution started was his actions, not his words. Some of us on the list (myself included) would be majorly upset if a stink bomb strong enough to make us vomit was used on us (upset enough to want someone to take action against Jim Bell). Had Jim Bell restrained himself to speech, prosecution would have been much more difficult to start. Not impossible, but much more difficult. No government is going to be perfect, as they all must rely on us imperfect humans for implementation. However, the tradition in the United States has been to restrain the government from doing any old thing it likes. This doesn't mean that our government will always be fair and just -- it just means the tendency is strongly that way. Most other nations are not nearly so fortunate. Just because we as a nation have suffered through injustices like Ruby Ridge does not necessarily mean that we on the downward spiral to where such cases are the norm. It does mean, as it always has, that the fight for justice and right must be made anew by each generation. =============================================== Mark Leighton Fisher fisherm@tce.com Thomson Consumer Electronics Indianapolis IN "Display some adaptability." -- Doug Shaftoe, _Cryptonomicon_