Massachusetts residents(and cops) only???

Question

My son wants to know if it's a felony to address a Massachusetts governor ANYTHING except "Your Excellency, SIR!!!"...

I have a 1966 edition of the Webster's dictionary that has a "Gazetteer" on the back pages that tells its readers how to write to a government official;under "Governors:, it says "To The Hono(u)rable Gov. ???(except the States of Massachusetts and Maine, where it's "To Your Excellency, the Hono(u)rable, Gov. ???"...

And from what my son learned in junior high school a few years ago, it's a FELONY(first offense?) punishable by (he thinks)at least 6 months in Walpole State Prison(???)/$10,000 fine just for ACCIDENTLY NOT addressing Gov[in this case, Mitt Romney] by the ONLY acceptable title of "Your Excellency"...and that the Massachusetts State Police troopers are VERY STRICT about this!...

Can someone pleaseclarify this(State Police troopers on Capitol Security detail OK'd, as well)???...

Now, I'M scared about asking this as well...

I'm surprised that NO one from the MA State Police(or ANY MA resident) has answered--or tried to answer--my question...yet...

The two answers so far are good, but...

BTW, my son's teacher is a Boston-area native who no longer teaches at my son's school...he retired due to health concerns...

Answer 1

I think it is, but then again, you have a 40-year-old edition of a dictionary/gazetteer that may no lnoger be viable nowadays...

I wouldn't worry about getting in trouble w/ the Massachusetts State Police's Captiol Security detail just for asking this question, but the part about Maine having a similar law on their books about addressing their governor, you'll have to let the Maine State Police tell you their rules...

I'm sure Gov. Romney wouldn't mind...besides, why would the MA State Police throw a visiting NY Times reporter in Walpole for 6 months just because of a minor slip of the tongue on his first time in Boston???...

Trust me, ALL MA state troopers are NOT that rude...

Answer 2

The other answer was right...almost...

ANY Massachusetts trooper will tell you that it's just a minor infraction of the rules...you CANNOT be thrown into Walpole just because you didn't say "Your Excellency, sir"...maybe just a $500 ticket, and a verbal promise NEVER to screw up again...

At least here in California, the now-disbanded CA State Police(which merged w/ and became part of the CA Highway Patrol in July 1995) didn't have to tell you...

Relax...