The Boycott That Backfired

The present governance made a conscious decision to boycott all of the citizens of Marco Island, and did so with the utmost cynicism towards those that they don't agree with or just don't like.

Restricting public comment, not answering emails or otherwise responding to written queries, walking out during a council meeting, intimidation tactics and obstructing requests for public documents are the makings of their boycott - their boycott on opinions, discourse, and expression of civil liberties.

The purpose of boycotting the citizenry is but a feigned attempt to stifle the storm of civil discontentment in our city. The tempest they have failed to quiet arose solely out of the present governance's ethical, managerial, democratic and legal lapses.

The net effect of boycotting the constituents of this fine city is that those same constituents will pursue their constitutionally protected redress through the other legal venues accessible to them.

The same intellectuals that contrived this boycott are now aghast at the nearly weekly revelations of actions against them. The criminal investigations, lawsuits, complaints and charges against the present governance seem to manifest as if on a schedule. A councilperson is quoted as saying "Every time we turn around we are getting sued".

What did they expect? Are they so delusional that they convinced themselves into thinking that all of the people they have violated would just go away?

But instead of squelching public comment, the boycott of the citizenry by the present governance catapulted the dissatisfaction into forceful voices that will not be squelched no matter how many character assassinations, epithets, threats, violations of civil rights and personal attacks are spewed by the city manager, by select council members, by the propagandist reporter and by the quid pro quo nouveau city manager vicinus loyalist.

In the annals of recorded history there have been some remarkably successful boycotts, and there have been some remarkable failures. But nothing pales in comparison to the attempt at boycotting ideas, opinions, discourse and civil liberties as attempted by the present governance.

This city's boycott is truly an abysmal failure since opinions, discourse and expression of civil liberties has now found other constitutionally protected venues. And through those legal venues, the geniuses that came up with this boycott can expect more lawsuits, criminal investigations and charges.

That same council person and his cohorts best be prepared to keep turning around.