This kind of shit really bugs me. Having been the editor of a student paper in my time, I can imagine Thisdell’s dilemma in the face of some over-zealous prosecutor and her goons. Too bad Thisdell didn’t stand firm — it appears she had the law on her side and could have insisted on time to acquire proper legal counsel before agreeing to letting the search warrant be served.
Of course, in this day and age of waterboarding, illegal wiretapping, and impunity for any and all who are involved in it, it should come as no surprise really that the message being heard further down the judicial food chain is: “I can do anything I want, who’s going to stop me?” And so, increasingly, the police will taser anyone who clears their throat (check out this little doozie from my neck of the woods: a guy got tasered for “shouting in public” — yeah, there’s a real menace to society, let’s zap the fucker), while prosecutors will push for extreme measures to be taken.
