Reuters is reporting that the owner of the Oak Hill General Store in Standish, Maine displayed a sign in his store asking customers to place a bet on the date of President Obama's assassination. Standish is a town of 9.285 in Cumberland County which is in southeast Maine. Cumberland County went to Obama 64%-34%. I am all for free speech but is this really something that falls under that protection? For the full text of the sign and my thoughts go below the fold.
Story here: Reuters Story
The store owner put up a sign asking patrons to place a $1 bet on the assassination date of President-elect Obama with the closing line "Let's hope someone wins." Now I'm not stupid, I'm not naive I have had the assassination conversation with relatives, friends and co-workers. Usually it's along the lines of "Well there are crazy people out there, I just hope it doesn't happen." Putting up a sign and accepting bets in a business is absolutely beyond acceptable. This sign is basically advocating the assassination of our President.
The Town Council held a meeting on Thursday and voted 6-0 to condemn the sign and the actions of the owner of the store declaring it "reprehensible." The store put the sign up on Sunday and has not been open since, but the story fails to explain why that is. My thinking is that he received enough complaints and threats that the owner decided it best to avoid people for a while. Probably a good idea.
Eighty people attended the Council meeting with people both defending the Council and the store owner. The people defending the owner cited free speech. Does this really fall under the umbrella of free speech or should the owner of the store be forced to take down the sign? My thought is that as sad as it is without the last part of the sign it is probably protected, but I do believe the last line "Let's hope someone wins." completely voids that argument. That sentence is basically a call to assassinate the President and as such is not protected. As much as we would like to think that the election of President Obama will help race relations in this country, some nutjob with a gun could end all of that in an instant.
UPDATE - Link to video of the story as covered by the local news in Maine. Hat tip to Phil S 33.