Fellow blogger
Rodger Shuler, aka Legal Schnauzer,
is still behind bars in the Shelby County, Alabama jail for being the
kind of journalist we wish we had, instead of the kind of journalist we
have. But then again, seeing how being the kind of journalist we wish
had lands them in jail, we can understand why we have the kind of
journalist we have. According to Rodgers wife Carol lots of
organizations are stepping up to help so hopefully we will see and hear from Rodger Shuler again, but then again
this is AmeriBama.
A glaring example of the kind of "journalist" we have in Alabama.
We must dare to defend Rodger Shuler's rights, too.
Roger Shuler might be a wingnut conspiracy theorist and a crackpot.
He might unfairly besmirch conservative Alabama politicians with little or no
evidence to back up outlandish accusations.
But he is certainly an American. As such, he certainly has a
constitutional right to free speech, and that right certainly has been trampled
by a judge in an Alabama circuit court.
It is hard to feel sorry for Shuler: Earlier
this year, he began writing about Rob Riley on his political blog Legal Schnauzer,
accusing the attorney of scandalous behavior in his personal life. Riley, son
of former Gov. Bob Riley, sued Shuler, asking a Shelby County judge for an
injunction to stop Shuler from making such attacks. Shuler failed to show up
for the hearing, then ignored a judge's order to make a court appearance. He
even threw the court's papers out of his car window as he cursed the officers
who were trying to serve them.
That's when Judge Claud Neilson lowered the boom. He
ordered Shuler to remove the offending articles about Riley from the website,
and forbade Shuler from writing anything further about Riley. Shuler ignored
both orders, and wound up being arrested at his Shelby County home Oct. 23 for
contempt of court and resisting arrest.
Shuler deserves to be punished for contempt of court.
See what I mean? The writer had to make it about Rodger Shuler the person, and assassinate his character before he sorta kinda defended his rights. I'm going to admit as one of
them there liberal bloggers in the land of darkness, I mean Dixie, I'm kind of afraid to write on this subject, and I'm kinda afraid not to write on this subject. I know that for the grace of God go I, but what the hell,
if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything, and,
in the end we will not remember the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.
Despite the picture painted by
some Alabama journalist, Rodger Shuler is not a bomb throwing,
wingnut conspiracy theorist. If he were, he wouldn't be in jail IMHO. All you have to do is
read his blog to realize he's
smart and courageous. But this isn't about Rodger Shuler, the person,
it's about Rodger Shuler the American.
When you look for Roger Shuler on the state court database,
Alacourt, the search results return several cases, but none of them is the
defamation lawsuit in which the Shelby County blogger is being jailed for contempt
of court.
If you know the case number, you can type it in, but that
only yields a white screen, blank but for four words in big red letters.
"This case in confidential," it says.
As a result, basic information about the lawsuit, such as
the parties involved, hearing dates and the status of the defendant are hidden
from public view.
According to Marshall, sealing an entire case is rare and
usually happens in cases involving minors. But in this instance, it essentially
creates a secret court in Shelby County, he said.
"There is a secret docket," he said. "That is not common in
American courts."
Hope for Liberty said it best:
This is something to think about when we send our sons and daughters to fight for freedom on foreign shores.
I am for truth no matter who tells it. I'm for justice no matter who it's for, or against~ Malcolm X
