The Winston-Salem Journal weighs in on the “slugging” of Forsyth GOP chairman Nathan Tabor:
It matters not that Tabor is making political hay out of the incident, playing up the fact that his fellow conservatives are calling the incident liberal intolerance. Nor does it matter that Tabor may have first pushed the man who hit him, Governor Vance Spencer of Greensboro. Because in a video posted on the Internet, Spencer can be seen advancing on Tabor. And after Spencer punched him, Tabor didn’t hit back. The men swore out warrants for charges of simple assault against each other.
Tabor and fellow Republicans, as well as tea-party members and others, were exercising their First Amendment rights by protesting government bailouts outside the office of Democratic Rep. Mel Watt. Spencer, who’d been arguing with the protesters, crossed the line by throwing the punch.
Civil discourse and debate is crucial to our democracy, and anything less is unacceptable.
As the ‘who hit first’ debate carries on, let’s try to remember why Tabor and several others were protesting outside the office of Rep. Mel Goldman Sachs in the first place.
Update: The N&R editorializes in its Monday Short Stack:
A peaceful demonstration outside U.S. Rep. Mel Watt’s Greensboro office led to violence last week when a man with different views threw a punch.
Protests and rallies are common here. People have a right to participate. This country was founded on respect for free expression. Legal consequences are due for anyone who answers speech with a fist.
That’s it.
