Department of Gray Lady Understatement: Reprisals Edition

The NYT published an editorial today on the fate of the lawyers who mounted the Ohio vote challenge. Apparently Ohio's AG is now pushing the State Supreme Court to sanction the lawyers for their 'frivolous lawsuit'. The AG, of course, is representing Ken Blackwell, he of the "that paper's not thick enough" voter registration rules. What's the Times say about this?

One of the strengths of our democracy is that citizens are free to question the results of an election. But four lawyers who did just that in Ohio, contesting President Bush's victory, are now facing sanctions. These lawyers, and other skeptics, may not have cast significant doubt on the legitimacy of the outcome. But punishing them for trying would send a disturbing message.

YA THINK?

And also: does the Times really need to pretend that the 'disturbing message' is a sort of side effect of the whole thing, rather than the entire point? What possible reason is there for punishing these lawyers except to send exactly the disturbing message that it ain't okay to challenge election results?

Why not just shoot them, send them off to re-education camp, or send them on a mission for Volunteers for Prosperity, part of the USA Freedom Corps?.