Steve Forbes weighed in this week on the dismissal of charges against the Oklahoma 3. In his Forbes magazine column, Forbes applauded the dropping of charges but noted that those with political power still win when the system allows them to harass citizen activists and distract them from their missions.

Edmondson in all likelihood knew this would be the outcome but figured that harassing Jacob and his colleagues would dampen antigovernment activism. Fighting criminal charges—even frivolous ones—soaks up time and money and causes considerable emotional distress. It’s no wonder Big Government types have been actively pushing for similar laws in other states—such laws might eventually be overturned, but until they were, political opponents would have to fight to get around barriers instead of being focused on giving voters the opportunity to rein in tax-and-spend politicos.