I've noticed a number of comments on DU asserting that if something is illegal in this country, then anyone who participates in said illegal activity is a criminal, and deserves whatever punishment they get, as they should have simply followed the law.

Have people forgotten the meaning of civil disobedience?

Yes, working in the U.S. (as a non-citizen) without a green card is illegal, and yet many people do so, and even have the "gall" to take to the streets to demand the right to do so. These are not just selfish scofflaws. They believe the law is wrong.

Yes, smoking pot is illegal (in most states), and yet many people do so, in public, in defiance of such laws.

Yes, practicing BDSM, same-sex copulation, and even consensual hetero sodomy are illegal in many states, and yet many people do so.

Yes, "refusing to disperse" from the sidewalk in front of government buildings is unlawful, and yet many people do so.

Yes, having an abortion will soon be illegal in many states if the Talibornagains get their way, and I hope to Goddess that people blatantly and defiantly refuse to follow these laws.

When the law is WRONG, sometimes the only way to get it changed is to refuse to abide by it.

edited for clarity