arresting dissent

You may have heard about the Louisiana teacher who was arrested after she was recognized by the chair at a school board meeting and commented about how a superintendent should not have been given a raise when the staff had a pay freeze.

She was told to leave notwithstanding the chair had twice called on her to speak and she responded in a courteous and civil matter. After she left, she was then arrested.

The woman in the immediate story should not even have been told to leave. This was a public meeting. She was called on twice. She was not someone interrupting and screaming from the audience.

My immediate thought after reading about this and watching the video is that American officials are getting arrest happy about cordial dissent. This is not the first time recently someone has been arrested for lawful behavior.

If they become a problem, they should be asked to leave, removed, and then prohibited from reentering. If they walk away, they should not be arrested. Only if they attempt to re-enter should it be taken to a higher level.

America was founded in dissent. Hopefully any elected officials responsible for any part of this woman's treatment will lose the next time they appear on a ballot.