We applaud activist David Slesinger’s principled disobedience and willingness to sacrifice his freedom for a just cause. His wish for maximum imprisonment is not only courageous, but a profound gesture indicating, as he says, “the depth of (his) concern” for the direction this country has taken.

In the tradition of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Slesinger’s plea for a maximum sentence forces his accusers and would-be jailers to confront the true gravity of their actions. Gandhi said, “If you believe in what you are doing, give me your stiffest sentence. If you don’t,
then resign.” And even though Slesinger’s situation cannot be compared to Gandhi’s in terms of raw sacrifice, the principle at stake remains the same.