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June 25, 2012

John Edwards, Roger Clemens, and Federal Witch Hunts

DownsizeDC.org has a campaign that you can use at your convenience.

It is called, “Tell your government that you know they did wrong.”

You can use it to complain about any form of Statist incompetence, corruption, crime, or injustice.

The hard-wired message says…

Here's another example of why I don't trust my government, and why I want it to do less.

I added the following comments…

The prosecutions of John Edwards and Roger Clemens were a disgrace.

They wasted our tax dollars.

They cost years of life and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees for these men.

The “not guilty” verdicts of both men was the only redeeming aspect of their trials.

They should never have been prosecuted in the first place. The “laws” under which they were prosecuted had no moral or constitutional legitimacy.

Consider the Edwards case: Campaign finance regulations are an assault on freedom of conscience and the First Amendment. If I support a candidate, I have the human right to support him any way I want, directly or indirectly. My free press rights allow me to express myself, even if (especially if) it's about elections!

(In fact, campaign laws make it HARDER for the “little guy” to organize, whereas the wealthy can afford to pay lawyers and accountants to jump through regulatory hoops.)

The Clemens case was equally disgraceful. Is it okay to lie to someone who asks you about something that's none of their business? I think it is.

Drug prohibition, including steroid prohibition, is not authorized by any provision in the Constitution, and it violates the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Congressional hearings on steroids in baseball was a grandstanding affront to the rule of law and called into question who should've gone on trial. (Hint: They probably have Chairman in front of their name.)

Moreover, Edwards and Clemens _had no victims_. They neither initiated violence nor engaged in theft. Therefore, their alleged actions weren't crimes. 

I hope that Congress and the Justice Department's witch hunters – oops, District Attorneys – learn valuable lessons from these disgraces.

For the Edwards and Clemens juries sent a powerful message: agree or disagree with their ethics and actions, but these men do not belong in prison.

Regrettably, it may have been only due to their fame and pricey legal teams that Edwards and Clemens got off. Poor defendants often don't have a chance against overzealous prosecutors.

That's why you must repeal all federal victimless crime laws and end silly crusades such as “campaign finance reform” and the War on Drugs.

END LETTER

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James Wilson
Policy Research Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

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