Twenty fracking protesters were found guilty of trespassing, but not before the judge used a Calvin and Hobbes strip to encourage them to work within the system rather than break the law to educate people about fracking. Here’s the relevant Calvin and Hobbes strip:
While Winona County Judge Jeffrey Thompson was considering what orders to give the six-member jury as they went into deliberation, he cited one of Bill Watterson’s comics to illustrate a point. In the comic, the boy and his stuffed tiger wonder aloud why superheroes are always depicted battling malicious bad guys rather than fighting everyday problems in, say, the city council chamber.
Judge Thompson went on to encourage the protesters to continue working through the typical regulatory paths ? the city council or county board, for example ? to change peoples’ minds on frac sand mining. When pressed by defense attorney Richmond McCluer on whether the specific Calvin and Hobbes comic strip would be entered into the record as evidence, Judge Thompson gave it to his clerk with a wry smile.
Hat tip: Kevin Melrose
But civil protest isn’t as cool as being a vigilante!
Have you ever tried sitting thru a city council meeting? I’d rather go to jail.
Love it!
I’m a bit confused. The strip seems to indicate the problem with going through the system as opposed to a more radical approach, which would be the opposite of what the judge suggested. She’s effectively telling them to use the Bat-fax…