I wrote on this blog back in January this year about the tendency of the legal establishment to bravely defend violations of human rights overseas, while pretending selective blindness to the very same thing happening at home.
As yet another example of such bravery, a prominent legal blog posted an article defending Freedom of Speech, journalists and civil rights defenders - in Turkey.
It is good to support the rule of law in Turkey, Pakistan or other countries.
But - when we are doing that, we should practice what we preach, and we don't.
That people are viciously deprived of human rights in America for exposing governmental misconduct, examples of which regularly appear in the media - and I regularly publish such information - is not a prominent feature on that same legal blog.
I am not alone in this fight. Other attorneys and members of the public punished for criticizing judges are going public with their stories.
See, for example, an excellent piece by Indiana attorney Paul Ogden about the striking resemblance of Rule 8.2 punishing attorneys for "untruthful criticism" of judges (found untruthful even when truth of the evidence is irrebuttably proven, see, for example, the #ChristineMire's case, I blogged about it here, here, and here) with the infamous Sedition Act.
That is the United States of America, ladies and gentlemen.
Even if it feels worse than Pakistan or Turkey where Freedom of Speech about judicial misconduct is concerned.
And I do not see prominent legal blogs spending any significant time on this topic. As a means self-preservation, I understand.
Shouldn't we recall one very simply saying - "charity begins at home"?
Let's clean our own home.
Because supporting freedom of speech rights of journalists and civil rights activists in Turkey, while keeping your mouth shut as to the same violations for fear of your livelihood, your own cozy lifestile and your own law licenses appears like just a little bit of hypocrisy to me.
No?
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