Talk about your thin-skinned politicians! Apparently, the governor of Maine can now yell at the police whenever he’s insulted by his critics.
Since when did criticism become a crime?
Back in December, Maine Gov. Janet Mills left the door open to tighter gun restrictions during an interview with a local NBC affiliate about officer lapses in the lead-up to the Lewiston mass shooting, including Ban so-called “assault” weapons. The clip was adopted and published maine line, a conservative-leaning news website. The outlet’s post, in turn, drew sharp comments from the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), a militant self-defense rights group that spares no effort in defending personal freedoms. So of course the governor’s office cried out to the police.
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“Documents obtained by The Maine Dispatch through the Freedom of Access Act show that Gov. Janet Mills’ staff forwarded social media posts from the Gun Policy Alliance and The Maine Dispatch to state police and Tagged Executive Protective Service of the Governor,” maine lineSteve Robinson reported last week.
These posts are not threatening at all, except for potentially triggering sensitivities. maine line Nothing is added to the video clip except a brief summary of the content: “Governor Mills leaves door open to possible assault weapons ban after Lewiston shooting.”
FPC featured something more pointed: “Hey @GovJanetMills, three words: Fuck you. No.”
The sentence was short, to the point, and maybe a little bit pointed, but it didn’t mean anything threatening.
despite this, maine line Uncovered emails show Mills’ press secretary passed a link to the post around the office and “another staff member immediately forwarded the post to the Maine State Police employee charged with protecting the governor.”
Robinson said this isn’t the first time Democratic-led state officials have tried to legalize exports. The office of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows questioned whether an article illustration depicting a stylized presidential ballot was a “fake ballot” because it showed the state seal, emails show. This comes after Bellows attempted to oust Republican Donald Trump from the state’s primary.
Part of the Weaponized Legal Model
The dispute in Maine is part of a series of cases across the country involving government officials seeking to abuse the legal system and regulatory powers to punish political opponents. While not as dramatic or high-stakes, it is reminiscent of NRA v. I thinkThe U.S. Supreme Court recently gave a new case to Maria Vullo, the former director of the New York Department of Financial Services, who very clearly used the power of her office to pressure banks and insurance companies until they refused to provide services. Rifle Association.
Justice Sonya Sotomayor wrote for the court: “Sixty years ago, this court held that government entities ‘threatened to invoke legal sanctions and other means of coercion’ against third parties to ‘suppress’ those who did not Popular speech violates the First Amendment. “Today, the court reiterated what it said at the time: Government officials cannot seek to coerce private groups to punish or suppress views that the government disapproves of. “
In the Vullo case, this coercion manifested itself in the abuse of supervisory powers over financial institutions. But for anyone critical of government officials and their policies, it might be an old-school referral to the police. Any such behavior violates the right to free speech.
Gun Policy Alliance Fights Back
“The disdain for natural rights by government officials like Maine Governor Mills and Secretary of State Bellows strengthens our commitment to our mission of making these rights irrelevant,” the FPC said in response to the controversy surrounding the X position recommendation.
In a July 18 letter to Mills and Bellows, FPC Chairman Brandon Combs vowed, “We take the rights protected by the First Amendment as seriously as we take everyone else.”
“As you are surely aware, our X post in response to Governor Mills’ discussion of an unethical ban on protected weapons is clearly protected speech, as there is absolutely no uncertainty about the law regarding this form of speech. If not, some education is Necessary,” the letter continued. “Bare authoritarianism, such as efforts to suppress free speech, is unacceptable to the FPC and our members. We strongly encourage you to learn more about protected speech and weapons.”
Regardless, the first letter of each line of the letter, read vertically, spells out: “Fuck You No.”
The governor’s office had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.
The name of the state police chief was copied in the letter. This seems like a convenient shortcut, given the governor’s office’s tendency to share vitriolic messages with police. It eliminates the middleman and ensures police receive timely and sharply worded criticism of government officials.
Practices that need to stop
Weaponizing the law, courts, regulators and tax collectors is despicable, but it is nothing new. Presidents as far back as Franklin Delano Roosevelt have used the IRS to torture political opponents. Operation Choke Point put federal regulatory pressure on banks to cut off access to financial services to legal but politically disfavored industries. This practice is illegal and undermines any respect for government. It’s also becoming more common.
When the abuse of state power to punish critics becomes the norm, it erases the line between those who actually committed criminal acts and those who have just angered those in power. That’s why when the governor’s office mentioned the insulting social media post and asked state police to take action.
We’ll have a hard time finding out what that thing is unless someone on the receiving end fights back like FPC did. That means mocking thin-skinned government officials, blaming them publicly, and taking them to court. Intolerant officials want to use power that is not meant to be used to hurt critics. This can only be stopped if the abuse itself comes at a high cost.
