Public official resorts to name-calling on social media

The information shown above was relayed to me by someone who reads Facebook and shows why I have come to disregard that site. The comment is just another example of the rumor, innuendo, and unsubstantiated statements found there. Did I mention “potentially libelous”?

I wonder if the person named above is Councillor Jody Gable of the Columbia Borough Council. Unless I'm shown otherwise, I'll assume it is. The Facebook profile indicates an educated person even if the comments do not. I sense a person with a lot of anger, some of which is directed at me.  Since this attack was personal, I'll make my response personal:

Have I offended you in some way in the past, Jody? If you are who I think you are, then your comments are outrageous, to say the least, for a person of your position and standing in the community. Your mindset might be one of the reasons many people have such a negative view of council. Are you angry because I report what goes on at council meetings? Do you prefer operating in the dark and keeping citizens uninformed?

Do I need to mention that you - a public official - have called a citizen a derogatory term on social media? Again, outrageous. The lack of professionalism shown here is appalling.  Also, your comment incited members of the community to post negative comments about me - very inadvisable for a public official. Very bad form.

Further, I'll thank you not to tell me what news to publish on my site. A government official attempting to restrain publication of news indicates a desire for censorship and fits the definition of "prior restraint," as I alluded to in my original article. That you have done so reinforces the need for awareness of First Amendment rights - my original point.  The First Amendment even guarantees the right to post blather on Facebook. Thank you for helping make my case.

My intent in my blog post was not to offend, but to pay tribute to a beloved citizen, and to relay my experience in gathering information about this tragic event and the difficulty in doing so. First Amendment rights do not stop with tragedy. They're not just for “happy” times.

You say I never post your comments, but I post almost all the comments I receive. I don't post those I deem libelous or obscene. Were they yours, Jody? You have now gotten your wish: Not only have I posted your comment, I've also given it its own headline.

As for the “real Columbians,” who are they? I'll wager I've lived here longer than you have. I've paid taxes here for decades, which I suppose gives me some right to speak out on the good and the bad.

Please tell me what line I crossed, what it delineates, where it is located, and who drew it.

I'll close by thanking you for reading my blog and for directing web traffic here.  My hits for today are almost double.

By the way, you misspelled “pitiful.”