Re Maryland Gov. O'Malley Jails Immigration Reform Patriot By Joe Guzzardi, April 11, 2008

 From: Paul Mendez [Email him]

The state of Maryland has finally—after 3 and a half years—dropped the charge of threatening a public official against immigration patriot Walter Abbott.

Longtime readers of VDare.com may remember the disturbing story of Walter Abbott.  A working man from Baltimore, Abbott lost his dry wall business and his home due to unfair competition from unlicensed crews of illegal aliens.  Angry and frustrated at Maryland's sanctuary policies that were driving honest citizens like him out of business, Abbott sent a profanity-laced email to Governor Martin O'Malley in March of 2008 that ended in a threat to "strangle" the governor.  The fact that Abbott included his name, address and phone number in the message proves that he was simply venting, not making a credible threat against the life of O'Malley.

Nevertheless, Abbott was promptly jailed.  Bail was set at $2 million—more than most murderers in Baltimore get. 

Abbott was offered a deal to plead guilty to threatening a public official—6 months probation.  He rejected the deal and went to trial in October of 2008.  He lost, and was sentenced to 6 months detention (suspended), 2 years unsupervised probation and a $500 fine. 

Again, Abbott did not take the easy way out.  He went to court a second time to appeal his conviction on the basis that the judge had improperly refused to allow Abbott to argue a free speech defense, and won.

His third court appearance, in October of 2010, resulted in a hung jury.

His fourth trial, in August of 2011, also resulted in a hung jury.

Last week, Abbott learned that Maryland will not be taking him to court for a fifth time.

Abbott may have "won," but only at an immense financial and emotional cost to him and his family.  The absurd lengths that the state of Maryland was willing to go to punish a critic of Maryland's sanctuary policies proves how worried the politicians are of a "peasant revolt"  in one of the bluest of the blue states.  And the absurd lengths that a "traditional American" like Abbott was willing to go to fight what William Houston calls "The Slave Power" should humble us all.

Reader Mendez has been working on a Tea Party-driven petition against the State of Maryland's unilateral attempt to legislate a DREAM Act-style amnesty, extending in-state tuition to illegal aliens.