ASK WHICH IS MORE IN THE GOVERNMENT’S INTEREST: George Korda: Do government moves protect from threats, or do they silence speech?

The disavowal isn’t the point: It’s instead the federal government’s immediate leap to marshal the power of the federal government to investigate parents at school board meetings for making unspecified “threats.”

What constitutes a threat? Pointing your finger at someone and saying, “I’m going to kill you,” physically striking them, or damaging their property, are clearly threats and violence.

But what about an angry parent at a school board meeting, intent on working to defeat the board member at the next election, who shouts, “I’m not going to allow you to do this to my child!” Here’s another: “I’ll see you’re never again able to do this to students.” An angry parent holds up a sign saying, “Down with school official Nazis!”

If the government is going to police such speech, there’s no end to it.

Which is the point.