Opinion: Even less freedom of speech today

Open letter to Governor Peter Shumlin:  
Is it illegal to say "hi!" to someone on a public sidewalk or in a public parking lot whom you don't know?

Is that illegal "accosting" to say "hi!" to someone you don't know? 

"Hi! Are you a Vermont voter? Do you have a minute?" 

If they say, "yes", I show them my petition. "Hi! I'm Cris Ericson and I'm collecting petition signature of registered voters to qualify for the ballot in November." 

Is it illegal to ask someone if they are a Vermont voter, if you are a political candidate seeking ballot qualification petition signatures; or is it illegal to ask for such "personal" information? 

Is it too "personal" to ask someone if they are a Vermont registered voter? 

I was forced (not physically, but verbally threatened with police action) to leave the sidewalk in front of a public building today [April 26]. It is a state building in Springfield, Vermont. Entirely public. 

The security guard said he had to ask his supervisors if what I was doing was illegally "accosting" people and illegally "soliciting" personal information. He said he'd get back to me, and took my telephone number and other information. I drove home and waited for hours and he didn't call me.

 This building has offices for the department of motor vehicles in Vermont and other state offices, including programs for disabled children and drug rehab programs. 

The security guard said that one woman who worked for the motor vehicle department complained that I "accosted her" and she complained that I was "soliciting" "personal information". 

What has America come to? 

Should I take action against the State of Vermont for intimidating me, a candidate for Governor and for federal office, U.S. Senate? 

I told him that "accost" is a harsh word. He agreed.

I told him that if she stopped to talk to me after I said, "Hi!", and then decided she didn't like my petition because I explain that, as a candidate, I talk about the marijuana, medical marijuana and hemp for farming issues, then its not me that she doesn't like, it's the marijuana. 

What she doesn't like is my freedom of speech to discuss an issue she doesn't agree with. 

The security guard made it absolutely clear that our discussion was over. He got the point, though I think, that if people agree to talk to me, then when I explain my petition, they don't agree with me on the issues, then the complaint (and he only said one woman who worked for the department of motor vehicles complained) then the real complaint is that she does not want me to have any freedom of speech. 

I also wonder if this is retaliation because I told someone that some woman who worked in the building, after talking to me and finding out about my political positions, stated that she worked in drug rehab, and she turned her back on me and walked towards the building and yelled out, "crazy lady!". 

I told someone that I felt that was abusive language, not that I couldn't handle being verbally abused by her, but that if she works with people who are there to be rehabilitated for drugs, and if she speaks to them that way, then there is very little chance that any of them will be rehabilitated. They will only be humiliated. 

Will Governor Peter Shumlin stand up for the rights of other political candidates to collect ballot qualification petition signatures on public property? Or is this some kind of President Obama scam to suppress our freedom of speech? Since when don't we have freedom of speech on public property?
 
-- Cris Ericson, usmjp@aceweb.com
http://usmjp.com