The angry Magat at my door. [View all]

[murielm99]

We have six people running for four school board positions here in the April 4th election. It is a consolidated election, nonpartisan. A friend informed me that two of the six home school their children. I called the school board member who gave her that information. He is a Democrat, and someone I know. He called the elementary school principal who confirmed that the two are still homeschooling their children. I thought that a school principal and a school board member (who is a retired school principal with a PhD in education) were reliable sources. I wrote a letter to the local paper stating that I had discovered that two of the candidates home schooled their children. I stated that I felt that people who home schooled their children had no business making decisions for our schools. They did not support our schools. I encouraged readers to vote for the other four candidates. I named them and expressed my support for them. I never used the names of the two who allegedly home school. (I did not use the word "allegedly" in my letter).

The letter appeared in the paper. The next day, an angry man pounded on my front door. I answered the door, but I did not let him in. He had a newspaper clipping of my letter in one hand and a checkbook in the other. He told me who he was (I knew) and informed me that there were things in my letter that were "not true." He flapped the clipping at me. He said does not home school his children. He and the other woman who do not send their children to public school here send them to nearby parochial schools. He flapped his checkbook at me and said he could prove that he spends $8,000.00 a year on private school tuition. I don't see much difference. He does not send his kids to school here. He does not support our public schools. I did not argue with him about that or anything else while he was shouting on my doorstep.

I did not unlock my storm door and did not let him in. He kept hinting that he wanted to come in because he could not hear me over the traffic on the road. I called the sheriff. The sheriff sent a deputy. The deputy spoke to him while he sat in his truck. The deputy came into my house and spoke to me. The Magat is not allowed to come back onto my property. Apparently this Magat is a known hothead. He once interrupted a church meeting because he did not like the way they were going to spend money on an elevator. He is a sporadic church attendee.

This Magat told me that he has already seen a lawyer. He is going to sue me for slander, libel and defamation of character. (Remember, I never used his name in my letter). He said we were the subject of "frequent litigation." Thirty-five years ago, my husband and his father were sued by neighbors to my father-in-law's farm property because they had loose cattle. There were two incidents. My husband and father-in-law lost both times. My husband solved the problem by selling all the cattle and refusing to raise any more. The Magat was about four years old then. His family had nothing to do with the lawsuit. They were neighbors only.

My husband does not think this Magat can sue me. He just wants to be a bully. I can support whomever I want for school board. I did not use the Magat's name in my letter. I let my Democratic friends know what is going on. One of them suggested that I get a copy of the deputy's report and any 911 calls. I will do that. I have the FOIA form for it right now.

Any suggestions? Some DU members have spoken about encounters with Magats in grocery stores.

I do not know if the guy started out home schooling and then switched to private schools. I am told that he home-schooled because he is anti-mask and very right wing. I have known him since he was a child. He and his whole family are unpleasant. My friends now report that he is a hothead and a bully.

I am not sorry I wrote the letter. However, I do not want to spend a lot of money on lawyers. We are not poor, but why should I have to go through this? What do you think?