Michael F Schundler
3 min readJan 28, 2024

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So, I think we are even closer than I thought. Regarding showing up at a political event with an Obama shirt, if the organizers let you in wearing it, that is fine. If you wish to protest in some other way, then ask the organizers if your behavior is okay, if they say yes, then by all means do it. Again, the event belongs to the organizers, and they get to determine acceptable behavior.

Where I partially agree with you is if you want to draw attention to your point of view and you feel you must violate the law to do so. Then do so, in a manner that least disrupts the lives of people who have no interest in what you have to say.

Your goal should be to draw the attention of those who might sympathize with your position rather than alienate those who don't share it even further.

When you commit an act of civil disobedience, by definition you are breaking the law and accepting the consequences for doing so. If you are a repeat offender, the fines and penalties should get steeper to dissuade people breaking the law.

Some people blow up pregnancy centers to "protest" abortion, that is unacceptable. Some people want to intimidate people going to get an abortion, that is likewise unacceptable. You can argue they have a right to protest, but when does protest become intimidation or a violation of a woman's right to an abortion. I am opposed to elective abortions (I am prepared to live with a compromise that 70% or more of American can support). But regardless of how I feel, I don't believe I or anyone has a right to push a sign into a woman's face or throw blood on her for going to an abortion center. Again, freedom of speech does mean the right to try to disrupt the woman from doing what she came to an abortion center to do. No matter, how much you disagree with her.

I also think there is a right way and wrong way to handle disruptions. Some are handled well, and some are not. But how they are handled is an independent issue from whether they are appropriate. Ideally, some very big goons quietly approach the person disrupting the event and quietly escort them from the site to turn them over to law enforcement (much like you handle a shoplifter who steals... except in this instance the disrupter is stealing people's time). The police should charge the person with disorderly conduct if that is all they did, and those charges come with statutory penalties. I do think the "rules of engagement" are being defined as the incidences are becoming far too common.

I don't think Biden has held a single event that has not been disrupted and while I don't support him, he certainly has a right to say what he came to say at an event he holds without interruption. Biden like Trump have shown a lack of class is their responses, but I don't blame either one for being angry at the lack of respect such disruptions indicate, but I don't think they should take the bait and respond other than to ask those responsible to kindly escort the protestors out and the remainder of their audience to remain in place until they are gone.

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