Bristol Mass. DA: It's OK To Break The Law As Long As You Believe In Global Warming

In Bristol Massachusetts it is OK to break the law, that is the message district attorney Sam Sutter gave to the public dropped criminal charges Monday against a pair of fishermen who used their lobster boat last year to block a 40,000 ton shipment of coal heading for the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Massachusetts. You see Sutter is a big believer in the global warming hypothesis. That's what he said when he announced the deal.

The decision that Robert Kidd and I—that’s the assistant district attorney who handled this case—reached today was a decision that certainly took into consideration the cost to the taxpayers in Somerset, but was made with our concern for their children, the children of Bristol County and beyond, in mind. Climate change is one of the gravest crises our planet has ever faced. In my humble opinion, the political leadership on this issue has been gravely lacking. I am heartened that we were able to forge an agreement that both parties were pleased with and that appeared to satisfy the police and those here in sympathy with the individuals who were charged. I am also extremely pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that symbolizes our commitment at the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office to take a leadership role on this issue.

The two criminals will have to pay $2,000 to cover expenses incurred by Somerset police. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a conspiracy charge and reduced three other charges to civil offenses.

Ward and O'Hara were arrested after they used Ward's anchored lobster boat to block a delivery of an estimated 40,000 tons of coal to the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset in 2013.

In statements released through the advocacy group Better Future Project, the men said they were pleased Sutter acknowledged the seriousness of the issue.

''The climate crisis is so terrible and so fast that it overwhelms ordinary political avenues,'' Ward said.

O'Hara said, ''The truth is that taking these sorts of actions is necessary in light of the drastic news that continues to be described by the science.''

The only recent dramatic news about global warming is that it is now 17 years and 11 months since the earth warmed--well, that and the dramatic growth of the polar ice caps.

I wonder what other crimes people in Bristol can get away with as long as they agree with the climate change hypothesis.  No traffic tickets if you are driving a Prius? Can you kill someones cows because you know--cows and methane? Can you steal your neighbor's big screen TV if you claim you did it because is uses too much electric? Can you murder if you dispose of the body in a ecologically efficient manner?

This DA needs to go back to law school.