This is one of those stories that makes your blood boil depending on which side you are on.

Troop 45 of the Boy Scouts in Cambridge, Massachusetts came up with a great idea. They put boxes at polling places so voters could place the contents of Care packages in them for our troops abroad (candy, toiletries, magazines, anything to increase comfort levels).

But, one person, ONE, complained that the boxes were an "illegal political statement," and Marsha Weinerman, the Executive Director of the Cambridge Election Commission, caved. The boxes had to go. What she should have done was grab her election-law handbook and read the law.

In Massachusetts, political statements are illegal if they are within the 150-foot polling perimeter only IF they relate to the election at hand. Had this been a Presidential election, Ms. Weinerman would have been right, because tangentially it involves the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the same law says that political statements not related to the current election (i.e. involving state and local offices) are permitted. That is the case here.

Well-intentioned kids putting collection boxes at polling places is a platinum example of America at its finest--enterprising and well-intentioned. We are a country known for helping others and supporting our troops no matter what we think of the war they fight.

Cambridge's mayor, Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., having just dug himself out from under a mountain of flaming emails, letters and phone calls, admitted during a news conference that the problem was due to a misinterpretation, and he says he heartily supports what the Boy Scouts were trying to do. What the mayor did was honorable, and he's to be commended. He could easily have pointed the finger at the Election Commission, but didn't.

Regardless of the law and who's responsible, what the complainer did was a craven act. It had nothing to do with boxes. It was a visceral and obvious anonymous slap at the Boy Scouts. It's cowardly, because he or she has failed to come forth, identify him- or herself, and explain his or her reason for objecting to legally placed troop-amenity boxes.

Folks like this may have anti-American-values, but they're entitled to their opinions except when they take action that causes others harm, such as yelling "FIRE!" in a movie theater. In this case it caused harm to good intentions. They are folks who don't believe in, or strongly object to, Christianity (or any other religion but Humanism), Conservatives and traditional American values.

That loathing is so superglued to their consciousness that they believe anything having to do with the Boy Scouts (who built their organization in 1910 atop a foundation of Christianity, conservatism and family values) must be crushed. But, they refuse to consider the damage caused, and don't care when they do something like this.

The Scouts, who valiantly remain attached to their foundation have a "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy when it comes to the homosexual life style. They strongly support family values and God.

Unfortunately, the complainer put the bull's eye of widespread outrage and condemnation on Cambridge. It should go where it belongs, on the one person who complained and to some extent, Ms. Weinerman.

Cambridge, Massachusetts is one of New England's true gems. But it's experiencing community assassination for the illegitimate complaint of one person, and an election official who is clearly ignorant of the law she is supposed to know.

Mainstream Americans who believe in family values, who stand side by side with the Boy Scouts, share the emotional pain and outrage of attacks by extreme factions. Until now, it's been easier to concede to the demands of a committed minority than it has been to stand up and face them down.

Indeed, we protest, but only by playing "Ain't it Awful" with like-minded people. We need to climb out of that comfort zone and get face to face with people who do things like this to settle our differences in debate. The first step toward peaceful coexistence is a civilized exchange of ideas.