Dear Editor: 

It’s worth taking a close look at the letter to the editor titled “Bad Idea” in the May 1 edition of the Register. The letter writercondemns the April 19 proteston the Boothbay Commonfor “violence, anger and hatred” and predicts the protest could damage summer tourism. 

It is nota badIdea butrather a good idea when more than 800 people gather in a public space to use their Constitutional right of free political speechto protest actions by our government.The writer implies the protest isunconstitutional because, in the writer’s opinion, the protest advocated “violence, anger and hatred.” The writer is welcome to this opinion but,even if it were the case and it definitely was not,such speech is still protected bythe First Amendment.  

Let’s look at the facts about the writer’s charges.There was no physical violence at the protest. If there were, you would have read about it in this newspaper. So, the writer’s accusations must have to do with the people, signs and speeches at the event. This protest was just like the untold number of peaceful protests by millions of American citizens, both on the political right and left, expressing their concerns over government policy since the beginning of our Republic.  The Boothbay protesters, the signs they carried and the speeches following the protest were strongly, even angrily,in opposition to our current government’s policies but calling for violent, illegal action or using hate speech to bring about change? No! 

The bad Idea that somehow the April19 protest would impact summer tourism is not the protest itself but the writer’s hypocritical attack on the right of peaceful political speech. Who would want to visit a place where the local population held the same undemocratic view as thiswriter.Fortunately,the vast majority of the people living on the beautiful Boothbay peninsula don’t and its tourist season is not at risk. 

David Andrews 

South Bristol