Sure, he almost certainly will not face the full 13 year sentence if convicted. Sure, the bar against first amendment arguments seem likely to be struck down on

Sure, he almost certainly will not face the full 13 year sentence if convicted. Sure, the bar against first amendment arguments seem likely to be struck down on appeal. Sure, it probably won't turn out as bad as the worst case scenario. These are all true. There is something terribly wrong here, anyway. The fact that he's facing up to 13 years in prison for what amounts to graffiti or very-low-level harassment (the article made no mention of threats, e.g.) is a very bad sign. When the government, or private interests directing the government, can threaten a dissenter with a decade or more in squalid[1], overcrowded[2], deadly[3] prisons for minor nuisances, we are all endangered. [1]: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/05/29/cali-m29.html https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/05/29/cali-m29.html [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_California#Prison_growth_and_overcrowding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_California#Prison_g... [3]: http://solitarywatch.com/2013/03/15/california-prison-conditions-driving-prisoners-to-suicide/ http://solitarywatch.com/2013/03/15/california-prison-condit...