[Vision2020] RE: Daily News: Mayor defends decision to stop reciting pledge at council meetings

[Saundra Lund]

[Apologies if this shows up twice -- the first seems to have disappeared
into cyberspace.  SL]

Thanks for sharing this, Dan.

IMHO, it's yet another fine example of the unbalanced reporting that was one
of the factors that lead to me cancelling my subscription after something
like 17 years.

BTW & in case anyone from the Daily News is reading (I'm cc'ing Nathan
Alford), I ***still*** haven't received my refund.  According to my records,
I renewed my subscription for the six-month period of 7/23/2005 - 1/22/2006
and cancelled (after something like 17 years of subscribing) on 8/28/2005
and my delivery stopped on 8/29 or 8/30.

Harrumph!

On the bright side, I have to say the Daily News circulation was always
*excellent*!


Saundra Lund
Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
nothing.
Edmund Burke

***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2005, Saundra Lund.
Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum
without the express written permission of the author.*****


-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Area Man (Dan C)
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 7:06 AM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Daily News: Mayor defends decision to stop
recitingpledge at council meetings

Mayor defends decision to stop reciting pledge at council meetings; Move
upsets some, from veteran to former mayor

By Omie Drawhorn, Daily News staff writer

The Moscow City Council won't be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before
meetings, but that doesn't mean council members aren't patriotic, Mayor
Nancy Chaney said. 

Chaney took many by surprise when she opted for a Martin Luther King Jr.
quote to open the Jan. 17 City Council meeting instead of the traditional
recitation. 

"We're not automatically saying it at every City Council meeting; you can
still expect to hear it on occasion, but we are finding other ways to
express our patriotism," Chaney said. 

Chaney made the decision to leave the Pledge of Allegiance off the agenda,
but said she checked with several City Council members, who agreed with her.


"Some of the city councilors expressed concern about saying the pledge just
to go through the motions," she said, adding the decision has nothing to do
with a lack of patriotism. 

"I grew up in a patriotic household," she said. "My father was a Marine, and
I still have flags hanging up" in my house. 

The tradition was started by former Mayor Marshall Comstock during his term.


"When I first became mayor, we only recited the Pledge of Allegiance on a
day following a national holiday," Comstock said. "I thought 'What about
saying it before every council meeting?' " 

Comstock said he was disappointed to hear the Pledge of Allegiance will no
longer be a regular part of the City Council agenda. 

"I guess I was a little surprised; Why is there a reason to change it?"
he said. "It's a very appropriate way to start a council meeting." 

When Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts were in attendance, Comstock would encourage
them to participate. 

Councilman John Weber wasn't present at the last meeting but was informed of
the change by curious customers at the Sears store where he is co-owner. 

"I have no problem with doing the Pledge of Allegiance. A lot of veterans
feel the (pledge) is appropriate and are unhappy with the change," he said. 

Don Swanson, Moscow resident, is one who is upset. "I think it's bunk,"
said the World War II veteran. "I think they should do it. It's a disgrace
to us guys who were in (the war) and got shot at." 

"There are some traditions I just don't want to see go away," Comstock said.
But Chaney promised to find new ways to express patriotism. 

Whether it's having Cub Scouts recite the pledge, a high school student
reciting a poem, or other avenues. "We want to find a way to show
appreciation for folks who go the extra mile for their community," she said.
-----------------------------------------------------
Take 'er easy, Moscow,

DC