[Vision2020] Moscow's liberal vibe endangered -- by liberals (LMT Editorial)

[Area Man (Dan C)]

T.H. - Moscow's liberal vibe endangered -- by liberals

Tom Henderson

It's not about how they are. It's about who we are. 

No, this isn't another editorial about President Bush administration
abandoning civilization to fight terrorists. 

This is about the odd crop of liberals in Moscow. 

Liberals are supposed to be the tolerant ones, the ACLU types who stand
for liberty and justice for all -- even people who disagree with them. 

The new Moscow City Council gives liberalism a bad name. 

Officials at New St. Andrews College want to operate downtown. They
tried to obtain a conditional-use permit under the old council. The
council, after long and tiring debate, voted to allow permit
applications. 

While not a complete victory for New St. Andrews, it left the door open.
The college would at least receive due process. That supposedly settled
the matter. 

Enter the new council. 

The new council held its first meeting Tuesday. New Councilor Aaron
Ament promptly moved for a moratorium on all conditional-use permits for
educational institutions and commercial schools in downtown. 

The council split on his motion until new Mayor Nancy Chaney broke the
tie in favor of the moratorium. 

Then all hell broke loose. Go figure. 

Chaney eventually changed her vote, saying there hadn't been enough time
for public input. Gee, you think? 

The college doesn't have a conditional-use permit yet. There is still
time to discuss the issue. That's why there's an application process. 

There's much to question about New St. Andrews College. College
officials' published views on issues ranging from women's rights to
black slavery are, to say the least, wiggy. 

College officials may have ambitions for New St. Andrews to become a
prominent -- if not dominant -- influence in Moscow. 

Many Moscow residents react as if they're in Paris on the eve of Nazi
occupation. Unless they contain their hysteria, they won't need New St.
Andrews to destroy the progressive nature of Moscow. They'll do it
themselves. 

College officials may have an agenda. They may be using the system to
further that agenda. But as long as they color inside the lines, New St.
Andrews deserves fairer treatment at city hall. 

People who fancy themselves on the side of pluralism, tolerance and
diversity should rise above the pettiness of the debate. 

Instead, those are the people acting suspiciously like closed-minded
theocrats. -- T.H.