One Small Victory Over Oppressive Government

Well, we got some news recently about a victory over tyrannical government. Recall the motorcyclist in Maryland who had been accused of illegally videotaping a traffic stop by an off-duty cop? Even though he taped a public servant in a public place, where there is absolutely no expectation of privacy?

Well, the motorcyclist won his case on the "wiretapping" issue; those charges have been dropped. He still faces charges for alleged traffic violations that led to the encounter with the nutjob cop, however.
http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/09/27/2244216/Motorcyclist-Wins-Taping-Case-Against-State-Police?from=rss

I find it fascinating and disturbing that he was charged under a wiretapping statute. What kind of prosecutor brings charges like this? For that matter, what kind of cop pulls a loaded gun before identifying himself as a police officer when there is no threat of deadly force?

I mean, it's great that the "wiretapping" charges have been dropped. But make no mistake: Our government is out of control. Will the cop be sanctioned for excessive use of force? Will the prosecutor be sanctioned for bringing such an utterly frivolous case to court?

I had previously posted about this case here:
http://tblooming.blogspot.com/2010/08/photography-is-not-crime-unless-we-are.html

Here is some good commentary from the Cato Institute about this issue (from before the Maryland case was resolved):
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/cops-on-camera/