Lisbon Town Council Wants Silence of Citizens to be Golden Rule, Well Hang On For That One!!! Free Speech quashed in Small Town America

  

When we think of lack of civil rights and free speech  we usually think of communist countries like Russia , China or North Korea.  What we don’t realize is “Small Town America” can be just as controlling and restrictive.

 Take Lisbon Maine for example. Last Tuesday the Lisbon Town Council eliminated all unapproved speech. If you want to bring up a topic not preapproved you need  to have an audience with a Councilor and convince them you should be allowed to speak. 

If you want to complain about pot holes on your street you must first get approval. If you want to compliment the Public Works Department for a job well done you need to get approval before the Meeting.

What prompted this drastic action?

The only answer I can come up with is desperation. Lisbon Councilors are desperate to keep a lid on the activities of local government.  Too many examples of questionable if not illegal behavior have come to light in the last few years.  The Council wants to go back to the good old days when they could do whatever they pleased without scrutiny from the public.


 Many of these revelations have come out due to the work of a  small but dedicated group of Lisbon residents who have formed a loose coalition of concerned citizens.  This group along with  help from the local blogs *** LisbonMaine.Net ***and*** TLR*** have brought many issues to light that were heretofore hidden from the public.  In doing so many of the Councilors past and present have become embarrassed by their own actions.
This speech restriction is but one in a long line of actions taken to eliminate free speech at Lisbon Council Meetings. The Council has also used Venue size as a speech limiting device as well as placing armed uniformed police directly behind the podium in an effort to intimidate Lisbon Residents.

I think The  Lisbon Council is beginning to realize Lisbon Residents will not be silenced. We have a right to be heard.  We will not be silenced with intimidation or unrealistic regulations.


Respectfully
LisbonMaine.net
Joe Hill