The AP reports that the American Civil Liberties Union has taken the case of Edward Pinkney, “a southwestern Michigan minister who was sent to prison for warning that a judge could be tortured by God.” This year, Pinkney ran for Congress in Michigan’s Sixth District from jail, receiving 3,461 votes.
Independent Political Report
Covering third parties and independent candidates since 2008
I know Ed Pinkney. Keep in mind that his original charge had to do with trying to fix a re-call election, which he was convicted of doing. He then wrote a letter that ended up sending him to jail, as that was seen as a violation of his probation .
I live in the next town over, I’ve interacted with the man when I was chairman of our local Libertarian Party and he was very clear in that he didn’t like me at all due to the color of my skin. So I don’t think much of this “Reverend”.
Regardless of how he feels about my “whiteness”, he still had a right to his opinion in the editorial and shouldn’t be in prison. But since I have little respect for any form of racism, he can stay put for all I care.
I would summarize my opinions in this way: I have NO respect for racism. I have great respect for people, however.
I would protect the rights of any person, including a racist, to speak. I’m not talking about unlimited free speach, I’m talking about the one right to speach that is the most important: political speach and criticism.
If we don’t protect this right, we don’t really believe in free speach at all.
As far as crimes he has committed, I believe in enforcing the law, but if he is, in fact, in jail over exercising a constitutionally protected right to speech…that is a huge concern.
ah, excuse my spelling…drat…lol
OK, I’m getting old enough I need a spell checker.
That someone is a racist is not a valid reason to imprison them on a bogus case.