Marcia Hayward: Despite living in Live Free or Die state, actions have consequences

To The Daily Sun,

Let me preface my remarks by asking those individuals that harass and threaten Ms. Johnson to cease. Disagreements can and should be done with civility and through appropriate venues.

There are individuals who believe because we reside in the Live Free or Die State, that expression of opinions whether verbal or actions, are not without consequences. Those people are wrong. Many individuals in the City of Laconia, and across the state of New Hampshire find Ms. Johnson’s words and opinions to be extremely offensive and misguided. The consequences for her inflammatory behavior have resulted in State Minority Chairman Renny Cushing asking that she step down from her position as state representative, the Laconia School Board asking for her resignation and the Laconia City Council denouncing her behavior. There have been a flood of emails and phone calls to the City Council and Laconia School Board and a protest on Main Street.

Ms. Johnson’s stubborn refusal to resign, I suspect, resides in the fact she has rights which prompts the repeated response from her “I did nothing wrong.” Ms. Johnson does have rights. She has the right to troll neo-Nazi websites. She has the right to traffic in conspiracy theories and misinformation. She has a right to have anti-Semitic views. Her holding public office gives legitimacy to these abhorrent views a concept that Ms. Johnson doesn’t understand. It comes down to her individual rights vs. the good of the community. Ms. Johnson may win in the short term. I have confidence the constituency will not forget her disregard or lack of humanity. I for one will not let her forget.

(As a point of full disclosure, I ran for state representative on the democratic ticket and lost)

Marcia Hayward

Laconia