A small-town dispute in Iowa has become a textbook case of how free speech works—or should. When 73-year-old Rita Audlehelm wrote a letter to her local newspaper questioning an elected official’s prolonged absence from meetings, she didn’t expect a legal threat in return. But the county attorney’s cease-and-desist letter serves as a stark reminder: the right to criticize government is foundational, not optional. Across the country, democracy depends on citizens who ask tough questions—and officials who remember they serve the public, not silence it.
This story out of Iowa can serve up a Sunday morning warning — if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
