Readers will recall that Willie Nelson, red bandana and all, was stopped last November and arrested on charges of marijuana possession. We wrote a little something about it. Let's try to forget that arresting Willie on possession charges of what officially amounts to under three ounces is ridiculous.

What's even more ludicrous about this case, now, is that the prosecutor, one C.R. "Kit" Bramblett, has offered Nelson and his lawyers a plea deal of appearing in court personally, paying a small fine - and performing "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" in the courtroom.

This is a clear case of favoritism and fandomonium, irresponsible, and should be decried as unacceptable. Hopefully, the fact that the County Judge, the honorable Becky Dean-Walker, has stated that her court is "not a jester court" will ensure that this circus move never unfolds.

It shouldn't have been proposed in the first place, however. This cowpoke move by Bramblett, the County Attorney for Hudspeth Coutnty, comes as a result of the possession charge being adjusted from the initial six ounces to less than three ounces.

That places the case back into the jurisdiction of this court, something that Bramblett has jokingly attributed to an instance of he and the Hudspeth County sheriff "[throwing] out enough of it or smok[ing] enough so that there's only three ounces, which is within my jurisdiction."

Second is the absolutely unfair arrangement that Bramblett proposes. While he has claimed that Dean-Walker "wants to meet Willie," it seems that Bramblett is the one trying to secure a ditty from the Red Headed Stranger. There's no way in hell that the court would allow or consider asking a rapper like Snoop Dogg or Devin The Dude, both well-known advocates of the green themselves, to perform a song in the courtroom as the extent of their "community service."

Neither would a court allow any normal person to perform the duties of his profession in the court in order to escape the charges and secure a deferred sentence. It's not like they'll be asking the next CPA to do taxes for the judge or having someone landscape the courthouse lawn as their act of community service.

The fact remains that the charges against Nelson carry a maximum 180 days in jail and/or $2,000 fine, and that common practice in these cases does not require the defendant to appear in court, but normally resolves such matters through the mail. So just let Willie quietly pay his fine, and maybe issue a private apology for arresting him in the first place, and let the whole thing fade away instead of churning it into a spectacle.

Besides, Mr. "Kit" Bramblett, what makes you think you've got any right to demand that the legendary Willie Nelson play the specific song you've selected?