One has to admit that the right wing is creative: They keep coming up with new ways to define chutzpah.
Take the latest example: The Rutherford Institute, which believes that "all of civil affairs and government, including law, should be based upon principles found in the Bible," has sent a letter to Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA), demanding that he move his district office because the current one is too difficult for protesters to protest at.
"Unfortunately, it is your choice of office location that has hindered the ability of citizens to effectively communicate concerning issues of the utmost importance to you, Congress and the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia," wrote [Rutherford founder John] Whitehead.
"The First Amendment clearly guarantees individuals the right to speak out publicly and address their government representatives on the important issues of the day," Whitehead added. The Hill 11 Dec
Relo
See the full test of the letter here (PDF). It starts by quoting the First Amendment, and adds at the end:
Relocation will not only serve the salutary purposes of the First Amendment but will serve to alleviate any conflict between these [protest] activities and the rights of property owners who may be inconvenienced by the presence of demonstrations.
In other words, his choice of office location - on the University of Virginia Charlottesville campus - is unconstitutional because the college doesn't permit demonstrations in that building's parking lot. Of any sort. And since Perriello has, as Whitehead wrote, sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, he is Constitutionally obligated to make it easier for Whitehead's followers to hassle him.
Funny thing, protesters haven't had this problem before:
As a small group of five or six people chanted "Thank you, Tom," outside Rep. Tom Perriello’s downtown Danville congressional office Monday afternoon, a larger group of about 70 people responded louder, "No thanks, Tom." Danville (VA) News 10 Nov
Nor, for that matter, have they been barred from meeting inside the Charlottesville office:
Perriello spokeswoman Jessica Barba, however, said that the office has hosted tea party protesters and other concerned constituents inside the office but that other businesses need the parking space outside for their customers.
Barba added that Perriello hosted 21 town hall meetings in August and that his office has offered to post a staffer at a Charlotesville public square to hear protesters there. The Hill
On the other hand, the Perriello's protesters have run into issues with property owners when they tried to burn him in effigy:
The Danville TEA Party has officially cancelled its bonfire and effigy burning planned for Saturday after the event received nationwide interest, according to the group’s chairman, Nigel Coleman.
Coleman said Monday the owner of the property in Blairs has pulled the plug on the event because of the negative attention the rally has garnered. The bonfire originally included burning effigies of Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th District, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in response to their support of the health care legislation.
"The media attention has gotten pretty large," Coleman said. "(The property owner) didn’t want to be viewed poorly, and of course we didn’t want that for them." The (Lynchburg VA) News and Advance 16 Nov
Which leads one to wonder why they aren't demanding that Perriello find a more accommodating landlord in Danville as well, one who wouldn't mind a hanging effigy or two.
It's not enough to provide space to hear constituents' grievances - which Perriello does - he has to provide them space to howl, wail, gnash their teeth, and burn him in effigy, too. But where is that principle found in the Bible?
(Story originally reported by ThinkProgress.)
(Updated to correct a misimpression about demonstrations on the UVA campus. The problem was that the demonstrators wanted to use the building parking lot, and the campus police said no.)