Check it out: Montvale’s Joe Wahler threatens journalists

It’s well established that the haters in Montvale are childish and ugly. But now, thanks to Joe Wahler, we see that they are stupid as well. That’s evinced by Wahler’s puerile and utterly clueless email he sent to us, which is posted above.

Cutting to the chase:

1. Any lawyer worth her salt is not going to encourage self help by a client. What is self help? It’s things like writing childish, amateur-hour threatening letters to publications that write about you. That said, we are pleased that Wahler has confirmed that he indeed is the author of the hate speech about Pastor Jill.
2. Truth is a near-absolute defense to slander and defamation. If Wahler doesn’t want folks to publicize his hate-filled remarks, then he shouldn’t post them to public fora like Facebook.
3. Wahler needs to grow a pair. If he’s going to go for the hate rhetoric and MAGA BS, then be man enough to own it — and the consequences. Those may well be the loss of business opportunities. But he knew, or should have known, when he started his ugly rhetoric that this was a likely outcome.
4. Wahler says he’s standing up for his First Amendment rights. So which of his First Amendment rights have been infringed? The right to look like a hateful jackass? We certainly haven’t impinged on that—in fact, he seems to be more stupid and hateful by the minute. And what about the First Amendment rights of the public to know that Wahler thinks this sort of behavior is appropriate? Or the First Amendment right of a free press? And for that matter, who is the government actor here? We hate to break it to Wahler, but First Amendment rights don’t apply to private entities or publications absent acting under color of state law. And speaking of harassment, his comments about pastor Jill, the LGBTQ agenda and other ugly remarks are barely — just barely — on this side of harassment and hate speech. So he should be glad that he is, in fact, enjoying the freedoms afforded by the First Amendment,
5. Publishing his hateful rhetoric is protected by the First Amendment, and thus is not harassment. Any competent lawyer knows that.
6. We are not afraid of the Montvale police department, even given the incestuous nature of people in the town. So his references to the police department, which has no jurisdiction over a publication located in another state, are utterly asinine.
7. As a reminder, Ginny Bartlett’s manipulative and childish games didn’t work. Wahler’s games aren’t going to work either, and we will be contacting major dailies up and down the east coast with Wahler’s remarks. So Wahler is getting himself in deeper by the minute.

A final caution — if you are going to spew hatred and division, you are going to get called on it. That is particularly the case when, as here, Wahler has never even been a member of the parish. He’s a third party, who apparently got pulled in by his connections to folks at Montvale Landscaping.

All the more reason to boycott Wahler’s business. And no doubt prime contractors, and major employers in the area, will take a dim view of Wahler’s childish, hateful remarks.

And yes, as one commenter noted, the Roman church deserves better than Wahler. Feel free to quote us.

So sue away, Joseph. We look forward to seeing you in court.