'We Will Not Be Bullied'

My friend Paul Jacob released the following statement this morning before his preliminary hearing on felony charges of violating the Oklahoma statute requiring petition circulators to be residents of Oklahoma:

Today, Attorney General Drew Edmondson continues his attack on the right to petition one's government. We are innocent. We sought to understand and to fully comply with the letter of the law. Indeed, those running the petition drive were advised by state officials and followed that advice.

Furthermore, the very statute being used to prosecute us is being challenged as unconstitutional. In recent months, statutes similar to Oklahoma's have been struck down as unconstitutional by two federal circuit courts -- the Sixth and Ninth Circuits -- in unanimous decisions.

Make no mistake: We are here today facing 10 years in prison because we worked for an issue adamantly opposed by the rich and powerful in Oklahoma. The goal of this prosecution is to threaten us and scare Oklahomans away from the initiative process, which gives citizens their best opportunity for real reform.

But we will not be bullied out of our rights as Americans. We will fight this vicious, politically-motivated assault, and we will prevail.

Meanwhile, one columnist suggests that even Vladimir Putin could learn a thing or two from Mr. Edmondson.