Two Greenpeace activists trespassed by boarding a boat at sea and now the organization is being sues by the federal government:

To Jonathan Turley, a professor law at George Washington University, this obscure "law is being used to prosecute the administration's most vocal critics in an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment . . . and appears to be part of a broader campaign by (Attorney General John) Ashcroft to protect the nation against free speech."

For much of its history, Greenpeace has used various means of civil disobedience to draw attention to the dangers of nuclear submarines, human rights abuses and threats to the environment.

These protestors are not above the law. When they trespass, stop commerce or otherwise intrude on others' rights, they should be arrested and forced to face the consequences. But the Bush administration is going too far by trying to use the relatively minor offenses of a few individuals to incapacitate an organization.

The prosecution of Greenpeace has the foul smell of politics and an attempt to stifle dissent.

It's Ashcrofts fault.