Democracy Under Pressure

Once upon a time, St. Augustine Record editorials were dull and predictable, resembling the "not without" editorials at East Tennessee's Oak Ridger newspaper (local DA Jim Ramsey noted the frequence with which the Oak Ridger threw in a "not without," signalling a wishy-washy editorial).
Under Opinion Editor Ed Albanesi, the Record may be turning over a new leaf. Yesterday, I read a rare Record editorial that had something to say about free speech in our town (like Pete Ellis' November 19, 2006 editorial). Thank you! Yesterday's Record carried a thumping, thought-provoking editorial entitled, "Laughing the the Face of the Tea Party," archly mocking local political activists for their signage and ersatz colonial costumes, saying they're dumbing down debate. Bravo.
They're worse than dumbing down debate.  They've been bullies.
I remember November 1, 2011, where these Tea Party ruffians call the late Robin Nadeau, former Congressional candidate Faye Armitage, Sarah Bailey, Judith Seraphin and me "Communists" and "Nazis" in a public meeting -- complete with gun gestures and gun noises. Why? Because we asked County Commissioners to support a St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore. www.staugustgreen.com
Five craven County Commissioners drank the Kool-Aid, voting kook, voting not to endorse the St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore at the behest of people who said it was all a United Nations plot.
Forgive them.
Forgive them all -- every single one of them -- the County Commissioners and the Tea Party for dumbing down debate.
Five St. Johns County Commissioners did not even enforce their own civility rules, and voted against the Park because they were afraid of the Tea Party, its gun gestures, gun noises and false comparisons to Hitler, Goebbels and Stalin. I've talked to several of the Tea Party people since their 11/1/11 public pouting session against the Park and Seashore.  I've talked to several Commissioners.
The Tea Party and I have a number of shared values -- exposing and editing free speech violations and government waste, fraud, abuse, misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance.
Citizens need to be shown how to do it, civilly, without fear or favor, in middle and high school, in community education classes, and in colleges and universities. We need more heroes, and fewer zeros.
Any public officials who chill, coerce, restrain and intimidate First Amendment protected activity need to be exposed and tossed out on their keesters.
The Record itself now needs to stimulate debate, following its own advice to the Tea Party. The Record's criticism of the Tea Party is fair. Is it basically "projection?"
The Record itself is not all that intellectually stimulating, so criticizing three people with three-cornered hats (and unAmerican hates) for not being intellectually stimulating is, at best, facetious.
The Record, after all, prints Ann Coulter, laughing all the way to the bank from the money paid her by people with bizarre hates. The Record can, must and will do better -- our times demand change.