Irish Protesters / TABC Screwups

These two items have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but I find them interesting and I'm too lazy to do two posts, so here they are:


A jury in Dublin, Ireland has acquitted 5 protesters who admitted attacking a US Navy plane with hammers and an ax. At Shannon Airport, which is used by the US as a refueling station between the US and Iraq, the protesters attacked and damaged the plane, and then set up a "peace shrine" beside it. They were arrested and charged with "causing damage without lawful excuse". This was their third trial. The first two ended in mistrials.

The five protesters said they were defending Irish neutrality. They believe that neutrality is threatened by the US military using Shannon Airport. The protesters said they thought they could save lives in Iraq by damaging the plane. Under Irish law, property can be damaged to save a life. The jury bought the argument and found them not guilty. As the five left the courtroom, they were cheered by hundreds of supporters. The US Navy said about $2.5 million in damages were done to the plane.

Doesn't look like the US government is too popular in Ireland right now. After 5 confessions and three trials, they still couldn't get a conviction. I bet it would be the same nearly anywhere in Europe. Georgie has made us very unpopular over there.


For the last few years, the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission has been seizing adult materials from establishments selling alcohol. They believed they were justified, because Texas has a law banning the sale of obscene materials where alcohol is sold. On monday, a federal judge disagreed.

This practice violates constitutionally-protected free speech, according to US District Judge Gray Miller. Miller issued a permenent injunction stopping the seizures. In his opinion, Miller wrote, "The TABC may not simply designate materials 'obscene', and then proceed from that untested premise. The law demands a judicial interpretation that this designation is accurate."

Miller also declared the law unconstitutional, because it is too vague, and may include non-obscene erotic movies and books. Miller said, "It cuts a wide and broad swath across territory covered by the first amendment."

I applaud the decision of Judge Miller. It is time that someone reined in the actions of the TABC.