"There is No Free Speech at the Boston Herald" was what I was told directly by 
Shawn Griffin, Boston Herald Web Editor, and "you are now banned."
So what does writing a negative comment about Mitt Romney in the Boston Herald's interactive feature get you? Banned evidently, permanently from future commenting, as this is what happened to me today when I posted three separate comments explaining how Mitt Romney is not very well liked by the LGBT Community.
The alleged offending comment posted by me as KnowThyNeighbor to Hillary Chabot's "GOP Tips Hat To Mitt Romney" according to Herald Editor, Shawn Griffin, was "Heil Mitt-ler" as a response to the first commenter, "max," who wrote "Romney, you make me proud. Every step of the way you have been absolutely magnificent. America needs you." As a married gay man who experienced Mitt Romney's governorship first hand as he first told the gay community that he would not discriminate, but then used us, our civil rights, our families, our relationships, protections and freedoms as a bartering tool for his rise to the Oval Office, I find it extremely offensive to read comments such as "you (Romney) have been absolutely magnificent."
Another commenter, whom the editor removed after I threatened to go public with this, wrote that I should not be referring to Mitt Romney as a Nazi and he hopes my comment gets deleted to which I responded,
"Again I post 'Heil Mitt-ler' Whether the Boston Herald likes it or not "Mitt-ler" is Mitt Romney's nickname in the LGBT Community. This man's administration, his posturing, his connections with groups such as The Massachusetts Family Institute, and his (failed) Presidential campaign, demonized a group of people and continues to do so for political gain. I did not call Mitt Romney a Nazi, he is smarter than Nazis. However, if you draw an anology yourself, then so be it. He will always be referred to as Mitt-ler by me. And my comment is NOT an anonymous one. KnowThyNeighbor is my organization."
This comment was also deleted by Shawn Griffin, Web Editor for the Boston Herald. Really not thinking that this could possibly be happening, especially at the Boston Herald, and that I explained in my second comment why I originally posted, "Heil Mitt-ler" and that I was not just an anonymous poster, I thought, stupidly, that another comment might shine through Shawn Griffin's of the Boston Herald seemingly anti-1st amendment posture. I posted one more comment explaining directly to the Herald that as long as it is considered "an opinion" when someone calls me "immoral" and unworthy of serving in the military, that it is an "opinion" to want to take away my rights or to judge me unworthy of adopting or protecting my spouse and family, then it should honor "my opinion" when I refer to these people as bigots or use the term "Mitt-ler" to help explain my reasoning. Alas, this comment was removed also.
This prompted me to call the Boston Herald's News desk where the young lady, Katy, was extremely surprised that the comments (of which I read to her) were removed and she was able to find the man responsible for this censorship. My conversation with the Web Editor, Shawn Griffin, was shockingly surreal and quite scarey. I was told "there is no free speech at the Boston Herald" and he told me that he "had worked for GLAD (or GLAAD)" but when asked would not tell me any specifics. In reference to other commenters at the Boston Herald, Griffin asked me, "why do you bother with those idiots anyhow?" Not a very supportive statement about those people whose comments are actually not removed.
And the conversation got weirder. Shawn Griffin told me that he did not approve of any posts from me that referred to Mitt Romney as Mitt-ler, even with an explanation, because "Romney is not Hitler." This intrigued me so I asked him what Hitler did, to which Sean Griffin responded, "he killed people." I asked what Hitler did before he "killed people" and Griffin said, "he was just Hitler." I suggested that Mr. Griffin go back to school and take another history class. I said that Hitler and the Nazi's demonized a group, actually many groups of people, in a strategy to rally a country to move in one political direction and put himself in power. Griffin said that "well that (killing of gays) will never happen here." To which I responded, "no, I don't think it will but if you were gay or any other minority and you had to hear 24 hours a day that your existence is destroying this country, marriage, children, the family, you would understand."
But I told him that the reality of a Romney Presidency would be the very real possibility of a Federal Marriage Amendment which would take away my marriage and rights. To which Griffin said, "that will never happen." I said that this is one of the biggest fears in the LGBT community from a Romney or even a John McCain Presidency. He said that I was being ridiculous. And I reminded him that as an editor and a representative of the Boston Herald that he had no right to restrict my free speech or censor my thoughts and to base this censorship on his opinion that there "will never be a Federal Marriage Amendment" among other things.
The Boston Herald should welcome dissenting voices and opinions. The Boston Herald should welcome heated and diverse comments being posted in its interactive comment feature especially when a commenter stands outside of the shroud of anonymity. I am very surprised at the Boston Herald for doing what I allege as restricting a person's Constitutionally protected right to free speech in a public forum where other opinions are allowed, tolerated and promoted. I am very surprised with the Boston Herald for allegedly only allowing comments about Mitt Romney as long as they are similar to the following, "every step of the way you (Romney) have been magnificent" or "Romney, you are a class act in every way, solid gold." And not allowing comments which speak the truth.
Shame on you Boston Herald. Tom Lang, Co-Director
Shawn Griffin, Boston Herald Web Editor, and "you are now banned."