When a protest becomes a threat

Confrontations over social issues can take many forms. Peaceful protests, obstruction, intimidation, stalking and violence are all examples. Unfortunately laws do not effectively differentiate between these various confrontational forms. In free societies, laws do not always treat ideological differences fairly for fear of trampling on a citizens right to free thought and speech. In more despotic forms of government protests are dealt with swiftly and sometimes with deadly force. Free speech is an essential element of our democracy and guaranteed by our constitution, but there are limits. Slander is not allowed. Creating panic without due cause is not allowed. Likewise certain activities used as a means to voice an objection or opinion are not allowed. One cannot jamb up a revolving door to a department store because they sell perfume tested on animals, or drop stink bombs onto a construction site because forests are being destroyed. Striking workers however, can recruit surrogates to parade up and down sidewalks with ready made signs, war protestors can infiltrate funerals for fallen soldiers, religious protestors can interfere in gay right activities, protestors can block access to abortion clinics, and neo Nazis can parade with anti-Semitic banners…. as long as these activities are infrequent and of short duration; But there is one ongoing protest that has lasted for decades and is an every day occurrence carried out by the same few individuals who claim their right to free speech excludes restriction because their message is from God. They claim they are free to continually harass, intimidate, threaten and promote harm to others with impunity. Clergy, politicians and lawmakers cower and avoid suppressing these protest activities because this small group has succeeded in drawing the line between what they believe and any modified or alternate view so narrowly that any reasonable attempt to restrict their activities identifies the police or judges as non Christian. These same militant few are treated with kid gloves by police and prosecutors because the protestors revel in anyone’s attempt to control their activities as an opportunity to publically broadcast their obstructionist cause and claim their cause is the victim of state interference in a free expression of religion. Any other continuing protest activity lasting decades and involving stalking, personal threats, invasions of privacy, bombings and killings by a small group of militant evangelists would have labeled them terrorists and been dealt with swiftly but these few radicals have intimidated our leaders and infiltrated government agencies, not to serve the people but to serve a single obstructionist cause. They succeed because their voices are loud and threatening, not because they truly understand or are compassionate. They persist because they have used their single issue to divide our society into believers and non believers and have created a state of avoidance by the law. Ignore them and they will never go away. They have even corrupted our language. Before their decades long campaign of intimidation the word 'choice' had a good connotation. It was at the core of our democracy and morality. Now the word has been turned into a single evil option that cannot be used without their agenda ringing in our ears. I would urge everyone even partially seduced by their rhetoric to go unannounced to one of their protests and pretend you are violating their barrier, or just stand aside and observe. These people are infiltrating your government and slowly usurping your rights, not just as it pertains to their cause but many more. The intensity of one's beliefs does not make their beliefs any more or less true, and this type of militant evangelism is potentially as dangerous as any other radical cause. I would ask those that enforce the law to apply it equally to these obstructionists. A thirty year reign of intimidation and stalking is not a peaceful protest. I would urge the rational clergy to disclaim these religious intimidators and allow others with different beliefs to exist in peace. If you ignore them you condone their approach and will eventually draw their militancy into your churches. We have had enough of religious wars and the deeper you draw the line between those who pray and those who don't, the less likely anyone seeking religious refuge will cross the line.