Imagine this.
You know that a number of your neighbors can’t afford to heat their homes this winter. You know how scared they are. And cold. They are backed into a corner. They have no good choices. Your friends decide to do something about it. They hold a fundraiser in a church. You think it is a terrific idea, and agree to cook for it.
Out of the shadows comes a guy (let’s call him George) who seems determined to make the fundraiser unsuccessful. Why, you ask, would anybody object to raising money to help poor people pay their heating bills? It makes no sense! You finally figure it out. He is an anti-abortion activist, and he will go to any end to try to discredit your friends, because they are pro-choice.
He organizes his friends to picket. He gets the word out that pro-choice people are raising money- not for anything to do with abortion, mind you- let me repeat that- not for anything to do with abortions- but for poor people who need help with heating bills.
He brings in a noted anti gay crusader to join forces with him, and they picket- hear this- to interfere with your efforts to raise money for poor people to buy heating oil.
They have some success. Some people turn away. Are they proud of making your fundraiser less successful in raising money to help poor people pay heating bills? You hope not. But in a sad sort of way, they probably are.
But it gets worse. They come into the church hall, and show pictures of aborted fetuses to people who are trying to eat. Did I say that this event has not one thing- let me repeat- not one thing to do with abortion, pro-choice or anti choice? People are revulsed. What is the point of this revolting behavior?
Finally, this guy (we’ll call him George) is asked to leave, and he says no, he won’t. Reluctantly, you call the police. You can’t have this person upsetting all of your guests, disrupting your event. The police come, tell him to go away. He does.
This guy has been a nightmare. You are glad to be rid of him.
But you are not rid of him. He shows up at a school board meeting, and speaks at length, attacking the good name of one of your teachers. He is ranting about a website that is run by one of the teachers, singling out a passage written by a bit of an eccentric, Wilhelm Reich, who opines that babies crave touch.
Who among us hasn’t thought that babies deserve tender, loving touch? There isn’t a hint of anything wrong with this passage until our guy (did we call him George?) intimates that there is something deviant about it. The fact that he even thought of it makes you pause to consider what you think of him. He refuses to give up the microphone, is attacking people personally, and School Committee members decide that this guy isn’t gonna be permitted to hijack this meeting either. You ask him to leave. He won’t and becomes verbally aggressive and challenges you to hit him in front of all those present. Of course you don’t.
You call the police. Again. They make him leave.
Incredibly, he petitions for a restraining order in Portland District Court.
Now here is my question. Who needs the restraining order? Him? Or you?
Mike Miles
Westbrook
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