Ohio will again be a pivotal state in the 2008 elections, and what happens within Ohio between now and then will provide us with a good indication of its political health and well-being. Hopefully Dems will make some inroads, but we should not usher in each and every Democratic candidate just because he or she wears a Donkey on their lapel:
Democratic candidate for Congress Mary Jo Kilroy is likely a better candidate for Ohio's 15th District than her Republican opponent Deborah Pryce, but in this video we see her bring Draconian hell down against concerned parents when she was Columbus school board president several years ago. The video appears to be addresses issues other than Kilroy per se, and the website contains some hateful dialogue from the current president Terry Boyd to a parent as well, but the recurring theme in it is that the government will kill voices of dissent regardless of political affiliation.
Kilroy is not without baggage, and her baggage is Constitutional and strikes at the First Amendment -- something all Kossacks, bloggers, political activists and everyone who has a child in a school district has to hold dear.
You can see Attorney Kilroy demonstrably roll her eyes to a well-respected and senior member on the Board named Loretta Heard, who had many more years of experience on the board, who then really gives it to Kilroy hard, blasting her for calling police on public speakers. You can see the police behind the speakers, in fact, none of whom appear to be threatening anyone, or blocking any aisles, as Kilroy suggested.
"What are you going to do, Mary Jo have everybody arrested," she asks. "This is becoming very annoying, the way we are treating the public."
"You are creating a very nasty image for this board in the community," she continues.
A Google search uncovered that video, on a site called "Justice for Kids," and hosted by former Columbus School adminstrators, as well as the fact that a First Amendment case brought during Kilroy's tenure resulted in victory for dissenters who wished to name particular Board members at school board meetings when issuing complaints. Apparently, Kilroy and the Board were engaging in unlawful viewpoint-based prior restraint.
This fall, be careful when you pull that lever, push that chad or click that button on your Diebold machines, and do it with careful reflection and informed consent.