I got an anonymous comment which I unfortunately cannot publish. The commenter mentioned someone who posts on Facebook that posts some, in the commenter's opinion, pretty vitriolic, inflammatory and un1 accusations. I do not read the target's Facebook posts and definitely am not going to mention someone personally that is a private individual, but I liked one facet of the comment. 

i think XXXXX the most level headed of the whole board and is truley working to make our hospital better. with XXXXX stiring up the community XXXXX is doing more damage to this hospital than anyone, maybe our county attorney should make sure no board members spouses talk bad about other board members.the county attorney sure has made a big deal out of it about the Harpers.

I personally and obviously do not agree with the idea that free speech should be stopped for spouses of elected government officials. That would make a spouse less than a full citizen, entitled to the freedoms of the US constitution. Even if a board were to pass something that said "Hey, You! Your Spouse Can't Speak Out About Anything Unless We Approve First", it would certianly be subject to a lawsuit. After all, who is the arbiter of whether something is *bad* or not? Isn't the very essense of freedom of speech the right to speak freely, to speak out, and, although not intentionally, that speech might possibly offend others just by virtue of being spoken? I've seen some people with pictures on their Twitter or Facebook page showing "I am Charlie Heblo", wihch French satirical magazine published some highly offensive cartoons. I support their right to do it, although I probably wouldn't pass on a lot of the cartoons they did, because they are offensive to me. But our courts protect offensive speech. If you had, for example, a matter of public concern, you should be able to speak out about it even if your way of doing it is offensive. I have the right NOT to listen, to watch, to pay attention to those I consider offensive. I don't listen or watch Rush Limbaugh, for example and no one makes me. Likewise, no one makes anyone read a particular Facebook page or even this site. 

But I think there's a good point here. The wife of at least one local government official regularly speaks out against other government officials on her Facebook page. Does anyone think that her husband, the elected official, is actually behind that and using her as his mouthpiece? Really? So that she is not considered to be as full an American citizen as her husband? And yet, if a wife speaking out is an issue that is relevant or of public concern,  why focus ONLY on one certain couple?