What we have learned in the Covid years, and the Obama-Biden years, is that we must know our rights, protect them, and, above all, exercise them.

At first, it was a revelation, a guy with a camera testing the limits of First Amendment activity at post offices and police stations. Sean Reyes, of “Long Island Audit,” would poke himself and his camera into parking lots and lobbies and simply film the property and every bit of what the all-seeing eye would spy.

Inevitably, an officious bureaucrat would step forward to question and to stop him.

“This is government property. You need permission. And you cannot film me without my permission.”

“I really don’t need permission. This is a public building.”

“No, it’s not. This is a government building. What is your name?”

“You do. You work for the public. And this is public property. It does not belong to the government.”

“I’m an independent journalist gathering content for a story.”

“We got a call about suspicious activity that is making people uncomfortable.”

“Unless you give me a reasonable, articulable suspicion that I have committed a crime, then I will not give you my name or my identification. This is constitutionally protected activity. Please call your supervisor.”