[BIGSTORY.AP.ORG] A local elected official in Maryland who achieved instant Internet notoriety after he threatened to sue a newspaper for publishing his name now says he won't sue after all.Brilliant move.
Frederick County Councilman Kirby Delauter said in a written statement Wednesday he was wrong when he told a Frederick News-Post reporter in a Facebook post: "Use my name again unauthorized and you'll be paying for an attorney."
Try it and you'll be paying damages, court costs, parking fees, and your rain tax (yes, we have one in Maryland) will double.
Delauter says the threat reflected his frustration about feeling misrepresented or misinterpreted by local news coverage. But he says the First Amendment is alive and well in Frederick County.
He just didn't want it to be.
Delauter's threat generated a sarcastic editorial response from the newspaper and an avalanche of mocking messages on social media Tuesday.
Plus today's tip o' the Rantburg hat.