This one goes into the “you’ve GOT to be kidding me” category.

Lee County Chancery Court Judge Talmadge Littlejohn jailed Oxford lawyer Danny Lampley on Wednesday for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in open court. Here is Patsy Brumfield’s story, complete with a mug-shot of the Criminal Lampley.

Here is the contempt order courtesy of Tom Freeland (NMC). Here is the NMC post on the Criminal Lampley’s treason. Here is Anderson’s post about the incident involving the Criminal Lampley.

Don’t think it’s criminal to refuse to recite the Pledge of Allegiance? Me neither. Lampley was exercising his Constitutional right to refrain from declaring his allegiance to the flag or to the U.S.A.

We don’t live in Soviet Russia. In fact, Russians don’t live in Soviet Russia.

How in the name of God’s Green Earth a judge with a college degree, a law degree and some amount of experience as a judge in the State of Mississippi could think that he can force feed the Pledge of Allegiance down someone’s throat is beyond me. Judge Littlejohn can lead the Pledge in his courtroom until the cows come home. But if someone in the courtroom refuses to join in, that’s just too bad.

If anyone should know Constitutional rights and basic notions of freedoms, it’s judges.

And don’t even think that this is about the meaning of Lampley’s refusal or whether you agree with it. This is about Constitutionally protected rights that are not checked at the door of Judge Littlejohn’s courtroom.

Judge Littlejohn’s conduct was ignorant and inexcusable. I hope that Judge John Toney and the Commission on Judicial Performance are already looking at this.