Last Thursday, I had an appalling experience I thought never could happen in the United States.

I was one of a small group of Congresswoman Hayworth's constituents that was prevented from entering into her district office building in Fishkill.  Ironically, we were there to deliver a letter, expressing our disappointment that Hayworth had not held a single town hall during the August Congressional recess and inviting her to the town hall we have organized for her so that her constituents could ask her questions.

Two men stopped us at the entrance (apparently at the direction of the Congresswoman’s office) and told us the building was on "lock down", although others were allowed to enter the building while we were talking to them. They then said they'd had trouble once with demonstrators (an incident that interestingly was never covered in the press). Whether or not there had ever been such an incident was irrelevant, because we were not coming to the building to demonstrate.  We were delivering a letter to a Congressional office paid for with our tax money.  

 A member of the Congresswoman’s staff came to the door, refused to answer our questions or to let us in the building, simply saying this was “private property” .  She apparently believed that meant that she could forbid our entry, based solely on her apparent assumption that since we were not political supporters, we were, by definition, there to trash the place.

I found this incident very disturbing. It appears that Nan Hayworth's staff is comfortable with limiting District Office services to those who agree with her. I recall the “good old days” of Congressman John Hall, whose office never turned anyone away, regardless of their views, and who held town halls open to all, even during the disturbingly rancorous health care debate, when foes of healthcare bellowed loudly and jeered every time Hall patiently answered their questions.

• margaret's blog