Boston Judge Rules Free Speech Doesn't Count If Cops Need To Beat You

Judge Frances McIntyre lifted the restraining order preventing Boston Mayor Thomas Menino from gleefully sending in his minions to tear down the Occupy Boston encampment in Dewey Square, although the camp hasn't yet been raided. Here's the creepy stand-out line from the judge's ruling:  "Little in the way of expression is outlawed in the United States Constitution, but an act which incites forceful response is unlikely to pass as express speech." Uhhh. So new memo to everyone! You can "express" yourself all you want, up until the cops/nervous mayors/freaked out bank executives decide your face would look a little more friendly to them with pepper spray in it. Thanks for clarifying!

The fun doesn't stop there! In Washington, at least 62 protesters were arrested yesterday after hundreds gathered to stage a non-violent action blocking intersections along K Street -- you know the place, it's where all the lobbyist orcs dwell -- amid heavy rain:

In San Francisco, cops gave protesters an entire five minutes to vacate their encampment during an early Wednesday nighttime raid and then arrested 85 people. So polite! The order came after Police Chief Greg Suhr threw up his hands and declared that no one from the Occupy SF camp was, um, returning his emails? Sure, that sounds legit. [ Garrett Quinn's Boston.com blog / YouTube / SFGate ]