“In a free society, both conservatives and liberals cherish freedom of speech as a fundamental value. Unfortunately, this principle is under threat in Josephine County. There is a coordinated effort by the local Republican Party to silence critics – and the evidence is overwhelming.
We have a county commissioner-elect and a sitting county commissioner suing the Grants Pass Tribune in an attempt to shut down the online newspaper. Additionally, Candy Kaiser, the communications chair of the local Republican Party, sent a threatening letter to the Tribune because they published a letter of mine that she didn’t like. Local Republicans assist this effort by frequently trying to get people kicked off social media for expressing dissenting opinions.
This pervasive effort to silence critics is unAmerican. Since when has the Republican Party been in favor of suppressing free speech? It’s alarming to see a political party go to such lengths to violate the rights of others in the community.
This needs to stop. Every resident of Josephine County has the right to express their opinions without fear of retribution. The enemy of free speech should not be Republicans (or Democrats) in the county. The local Republican Party needs to respect freedom of speech for all residents and engage in constructive dialogue rather than trying to silence others.”
