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Inflammatory language? Stephen Downs went to a mall near Albany, New York yesterday with his son, where he bought a T-shirt that expressed a scary, radical idea. He then had the audacity to put the shirt on.

While Mr. Downs was dining with his son in the mall's food court, he was approached by two security guards and told to either remove the patently offensive shirt or leave the mall pronto. He refused, the police were called in, and they arrested Mr. Downs for trespassing. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison.

Fortunately, Mr. Downs just happens to be a lawyer. And not just any lawyer, but the director of the Albany Office of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Oh, and the language on the T-shirt that got Mr. Downs into such hot water to begin with? "Give Peace A Chance." Read all about it.

If he were alive today, John Lennon would probably be in prison. Or as Dylan says,

And if my thought-dreams could be seen
They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only.

Add that to the list of strong language unacceptable in American malls.

UPDATE: More information, including news of the first group protest at the mall over this incident.

Posted by Jay on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 @ 11:44 AM [ + ]

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