All good Americans treasure and defend our constitutionally protected First Amendment freedoms of speech, press, petition and peaceable assembly to express varying points of view on political matters.
We justly and properly may communicate with government on issues that concern us. But there is no constitutional right for anyone to commit violent or threatening acts or to disrupt government proceedings.
Some who exceeded constitutional boundaries had to be reminded of that at the Tennessee Capitol on Tuesday.
Several people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct as they shouted protests and engaged in other disruption at a meeting of some members of the Tennessee General Assembly.
It doesn't matter the issue or the cause: Orderly conduct is permitted. Disorderly conduct is not.
In the current case, some demonstrators reportedly grew impatient as a legislative committee spent a long time listening to testimony on a proposed telecommunications bill. They reportedly began chanting about "union busting."
When the demonstrators were asked to desist and defiantly would not, state troopers intervened to restore order. Some of the disruptive people linked arms and fell to the floor, causing state troopers to drag them off.
Unruly behavior certainly is no proper way to "sell" or "debate" any issue or point of view.
Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey correctly said that "the right of all citizens to protest and assemble peacefully is sacred in the State of Tennessee. However, this General Assembly will not be intimidated by nomadic bands of professional agitators on spring break bent on disruption. We talk through our differences here."
Disruptive conduct must never be tolerated in connection with the legal proceedings of our government.