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abhikavi OP t1_jebbk3b wrote

Reply to comment by majoroutage in Ramifications of the "Right to be Rude" in Massachusetts by abhikavi

The thing is, it'd either take a lawsuit, or laws would have to be added in MA to protect public speaking time.

Honestly kind of appalling to me to learn this isn't a codified right. I'd assumed this was legally required, not down to the discretion of the chairperson.

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majoroutage t1_jebd4gm wrote

There's a lot of stuff that has been understood as the rights of the people for a long time, now our divisive and power-drunk government has learned it can push those boundaries and maybe or maybe not get in trouble for it.

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abhikavi OP t1_jebfbbu wrote

The thing is, I genuinely have been impressed with my local boards. We have a lot of competent, hard working, level headed people on them. I think they usually make a lot of solid decisions, and when I disagree, I still very much see where they're coming from.

Like, my local politics isn't crazytown bananapants, like some can get. (Ok, the school board has been a little, in the past. But definitely not like, board of health, which is one of the ones pulling Citizen's Time.)

I don't think this is a power play, I think they're just panicking at the idea of someone showing up, really crossing some serious lines, and not feeling like they have the right to stop or limit it.

But.... that doesn't make my losing Citizen's Time access in a bunch of places any more palatable. Well-intentioned or not, it's an important access point.

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