While
in Bar Harbor this weekend, we could not help but notice a small,
vocal group of demonstrators staffing a prominent display set up on
the Main Street sidewalk and advocating the impeachment of President
Obama. In addition to signage, there were large portraits of the
President with a Hitler style mustache. Thousands of summer tourists
were strolling the streets, and two cruise ships were in port. A
brief inquiry indicated that the group apparently did have a permit
from the Town of Bar Harbor.
Observing
the demonstrators for a short time, we saw many people cross the
street to avoid passing directly in front of the display and also to
avoid any verbal contact with the activists. That likely made shop
owners on at least one side of Main Street rather unhappy. We also
saw demonstrators gesturing to, and verbally interacting with, people
who were forced by heavy traffic to drive up or down Main Street very
slowly. In fairness, there was the occasional person who
intentionally walked over to the demonstrators voicing support,
signing their petition, or donating money.
In
our view, this incident raises some difficult questions that
require a lot of careful thought. Of course, our first priority
must be to preserve the First Amendment right of everyone to speak
their mind, no matter how offensive that speech might be to some
willing, or even unwilling, listeners. Still, we also are aware that
millions of people visit Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor every
year to both marvel at the natural beauty of Acadia National Park,
and to enjoy for a brief few days the small-town atmosphere of a
coastal Maine village which they like to think is far removed from
the frustrating extremism and debilitating negativism that have
become so much a hallmark of our political system.
As
other interest groups see or hear about demonstrations like the one
this weekend, it is likely that they too will want to take advantage
of Bar Harbor's high visibility and heavy summer traffic. We believe
that the Bar Harbor Town Council, with input from the town's attorneys,
local citizens, and the Chamber of Commerce, should carefully review
any pertinent ordinances to be sure that the rights and interests of
all parties are adequately protected.