Dan Choi, our favorite pin cushion was in court yesterday. His lawyer managed to screw the pooch early and put Choi on the stand;
On the stand, Choi said the First Amendment provides for the right of people to petition the government for a redress of grievances, which also, he said, is a moral responsibility of patriotic Americans. Choi responded under questioning by Feldman that he believed his actions were a form of speech, and that the government did not have a right to censor them by arresting him.
At times, Choi raised his voice and spoke in such a tone that he almost seemed close to shouting, especially when asked about his arrest. Under cross-examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela George, he compared the various protests against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to the 1960 sit-in by students in Greensboro, N.C., at a Woolworth’s department store and said he was “insulted” by his prosecution on federal charges.
He claims that after his arrest and rough trade treatment, he could feel his finger for two weeks. What was he doing that he needed to feel his finger? There’s a picture of Choi outside the court house in his camouflaged uniform, but it doesn’t say when the picture was taken so I’m not sure if he showed up in court in that uniform or not, but it certainly looks like it.
For someone who has insulted the uniform often enough over the past few years with his childish behavior, not to mention his behavior before he “outed” himself when he struck a platoon sergeant in his unit, Choi sure is in love with his uniform and the attendant accoutrements. He’s NOT an officer and he shouldn’t be addressed as such, especially since he broke the law at least twice while wearing that uniform.
Eight years as a first lieutenant should be some kind of indicator of the character of his service.