Across the country, seemingly almost every day, there is a news story or reporting on disruptions at school board, election board, county supervisor, and other meetings. A small group of very vocal people, always inferring they represent a sizable chunk of constituents, spread lies, disinformation, and often threats, to those who oppose their viewpoints.
Open meetings will, in most cases, have time set aside for community comment. There are protocols to follow, such as signing up to speak, limited time at the microphone, and what reasonable people would believe to be use of appropriate language. The disrupters often ignore these protocols. They just get up to speak, go over their time limits, scream and shout, don’t observe protocol, and cause such chaos the meeting must be halted or end abruptly.
A recent incident happened at a Maricopa County Board meeting. Without warning, a group of people in the audience rushed forward towards the board members. As one might expect, the board ended the meeting on the spot and rushed out of the room fearing for their safety. This group of people were shouting how they board members were insurrectionists. They believe there was such vote issues, in their minds fraud had occurred, the board were not duly elected. That a “revolution” had started. The group even went so far as to say the board is working for foreign interests. All of which are false, something these maga-followers have trouble believing.
As I pondered once again the state of our country, I wondered aloud how does one resist and combat these fringe groups. These groups who believe we need an authoritarian regime to lead the country. Who believe the lies being spouted from the Trumpist-Republicans. Logic doesn’t work. Facts don’t matter. Truth is lost.
If public comment isn’t allowed, in most cases this infringes upon First Amendment rights. If they are silenced during their “protests,” this violates their First Amendment rights. If they are escorted out, it can appear their First Amendment rights have been violated. All of which will air almost immediately on extremists Internet sites, thus reinforcing their already distorted mindset.
For the meetings being disrupted, free speech rights are still there. One can say almost everything that comes into the mind. Free speech, as the term implies, is almost, but not fully, limitless. A person can lie, an organization can lie, and as we all know, the government has also been known to lie.
If we allow this outbursts, then these groups will continue, thus stopping necessary government business. If we allow them to make threats without consequence, then these groups will continue. If we allow these groups to thwart protocol, they will continue to do so.
These are not peaceful protests nor are their ideas one’s a reasonable person would believe. Yet, they may have the protection of the Constitution. There isn’t anything in the Constitution against people acting the fool, or believing what one wants to believe.
So I’ll come back to my original question, how do we resist and stabilize the country once more? How do we resist the subversion of the intent of the First Amendment? How do we stop groups, including politicians, who are using the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution to destroy the Constitution and take away our freedoms?
Does the Justice Department finally do their job of labeling known organizations, whose goal is to bring about Christo-fascist rule, to spread lies to the masses, to cause chaos, to obliterate the meaning of trust and facts, to destroy trust in institutions, terrorist organizations?
Do we redesign public meetings, which are required, to where people who wish to express an opinion, record their comments prior to the meeting. Then comments are played during the meeting, with those presenting lies and threats weeded out? Are, such as Board of Supervisors, members kept in a separate room from meeting attendees, with everything conducted via video to limit rushes towards the stage? Must comments be submitted in writing, with a word limit, and a staff member reads the comments aloud?
Should local police and sheriff officers start arresting people who disrupt meetings or rush stages, charging them with disturbing the peace or stating threats? Is it time, or past time, for these people to face consequences for their actions?
I truly am at a loss right now as to the right thing to do, the Constitutional thing to do, to combat the lunacy (my current sentiments) that has taken hold of people, both the ignorant and the educated. What do we do?
What are your ideas for resisting what is occurring in our country, resisting the destruction of democracy, and resisting the move to bring about authoritarian rule?
Please share.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 