Up next
Author

Senator Susan Collins reported some chalk art found in front of her home in Bangor, Maine. The artwork was done by pro-abortion protesters angry that Collins didn’t support The Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that would codify the right to abortion into federal law.

There aren’t reports of protests outside her Maine home, just sidewalk chalk messages and drawings. She called the cops Saturday night to report “defacement of public property” – the sidewalk in front of her house. The words on the sidewalk read, “Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA —–> vote yes, clean up your mess.” Not exactly a bone-chilling statement but she’s been advised by law enforcement to report anything unusual or out of the ordinary. So, she did.

Bangor police responded to Collins’ West Broadway home at 9:20 p.m. Saturday after she complained about a message written in chalk on her sidewalk, the report said.

“The message was not overtly threatening,” spokesperson Wade Betters said.

Bangor police called the Department of Public Works to wash the message away, Betters said. The message was not visible on Monday afternoon.

“We are grateful to the Bangor police officers and the City public works employee who responded to the defacement of public property in front of our home,” Collins said.

The chalk art re-appeared Tuesday. This time it was discovered by her husband who did not make a call to the police. No word if he grabbed a hose and washed it away this time.

The messages read “If I don’t own my body…what do I own?”, “You work for us!,” “There are more variables than just birth,” “You might not recognize our right to free speech, but I hope you recognize my right to an abortion,” “FOR WOMAN,” “S.O.S. – Save Us Susie,” “Blessed be the First Amendment,” “Vote for WHPA,” “Education is pivotal” and “Mainers for abortion rights.”

One critic labeled Collins “Snowflake of the Year.”

READ RELATED: University's 'Antiracism' Posters Teach Students to View Each Other by Race

This is a silly story but it does spotlight where we are in this battle. Lawmakers and judges, including Supreme Court justices, receive threats by wackos and they have no way of knowing if the threats are going to be carried out. When protesters show up at a personal residence, tensions escalate. The person being targeted, in this case a senator, is meant to feel intimidation and is being sent a message that the protesters know where she lives. What if some rando shows up at her front door and physically assaults (or worse) her and/or her husband? We remember what happened to Senator Rand Paul when his crazed neighbor physically attacked him in his own front yard. With Roe v Wade in limbo, tensions are at an eleven or twelve on a scale of one to ten.

Collins is a pro-choice Republican. She refused to vote in favor of The Women’s Health Protection Act in February because she said it was too extreme. She and Senator Lisa Murkowski, also a pro-choice Republican, support the Reproductive Choice Act. They are working on legislation that will codify Roe v Wade but leave statutes and decisions made due to a provider’s personal religious beliefs in place.

“I support the abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade and affirmed by Planned Parenthood v. Casey,” Collins said in late February. “Our legislation would enshrine these important protections into law without undercutting statutes that have been in place for decades and provide basic conscience protections that are relied upon by health care providers who have religious objections to performing abortions.”

Collins’ office said that she has been the target of recent threats. Pro-abortion people are angry that she voted for the confirmation of Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, especially after the release of the leaked opinion written by Justice Alito on overturning Roe v Wade.

The group Ruth Sent Us is recruiting chalk artists for protests. Chalk drawings of hangers have been spotted as part of protests against the conservative justices. The group organized a protest in front of Alito’s home on Monday. It was held at night and Antifa and black bloc protesters were spotted in the crowd. That’s not a good sign if we are to believe that these protests will remain non-violent. Alito is reported to have been moved to an undisclosed location with his family out of concerns for their safety.

Concerns for the safety of the families of the justices prompted a bipartisan bill to be unanimously passed in the Senate this week. It gives security protection to their families, just like the families of some people in the executive and legislative branches receive. It’s a sad state of affairs when people are so unhinged that threats are made to Supreme Court justices and methods of intimidation are used to sway their votes. Making a police report on sidewalk chalk art may be a silly story but it’s easy to see why Collins abided by law enforcement’s advice and reported the incident.

Source: