Today’s Herald-Mail had a semi-interesting Mail Call entry. It’s from a person who claims they were “verbally assaulted” on election day:
I am writing this to the gentleman and his wife who verbally assaulted me on Election Day as I stood outside E. Russell Hicks Middle School. I would like to remind these fine U.S. citizens that I was well within my First Amendment rights to be there, just as much as they were. Not only am I also a U.S. citizen, but I am also a Christian. I appreciate the constitutional rights that our forefathers fought so hard for. … I was merely peacefully performing a civic duty and standing up for something I very strongly believe in. It would be a dismal day in this great country to wake up and realize that those unalienable rights had been taken away from us.
Except the gentleman and his wife also have First Amendment rights which means they are well within their rights to tell this Christian person standing outside the polling place exactly what they think of him or her. Freedom of Speech works both ways.
This person never bothers to say where exactly they were standing while “peacefully performing a civic duty.” It’s an important point because this person may have been breaking Maryland election law. In Maryland it’s illegal to canvass, electioneer, or post any campaign material within 100 feet of either the entrance or the exit to a polling place (Maryland Election Law § 16-206).
Steve
/ November 7, 2008Yep. That law against electioneering at the polling place is the main reason I opted not to wear my “Barack Obama Like a Motherfucker” t-shirt on Tuesday. Didn’t want to risk it.
Rick
/ November 7, 2008@Steve: I’m guessing that whoever called or wrote was one of the old women in the red floppy hats that are always protesting outside the Women’s Health Clinic. The person referred to it as “standing up for something I very strongly believe in.” The fact that the word was “something” and not “someone” makes me think it was one of those old kooks.
If that is the case, I’d love to know what the man and woman said in response. :)