[Vision2020] an opinion...everybody's got one

[Ted Moffett]

Also, given the moral and ethical implications of the tar sands project in
Canada, even if the Moscow City Council has no legal basis to block the
mega-loads (or approve them, as you point out), as long as they conform to
ITD standards for a state Hwy., the council could have nonetheless
recognized that many of their constituents oppose the mega-load because of
the moral and ethical implications, along with local city impacts, and could
have issued a statement acknowledging these concerns.  Someone correct me if
I am wrong, but I don't know of any legal reason why the Moscow City Council
could not address in a public statment the damage to peoples lives in
Canada, and the local and global environmental issues associated with the
tar sands bound mega-loads, which are concerns their constituents publicly
discussed.

Johnston's op-ed should have emphasized this point.
------------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 10:19 AM, Joe Campbell <philosopher.joe at gmail.com>wrote:



> But the most important distinction that is glossed over is the one
> dealing with Hank’s original article. In the new article, Hank writes:
> “My position is that, regardless of what one thinks of the moral or
> ethical implications of the oil sands project in Canada, it is not up
> to Moscow to pass judgment and prevent legal, permitted loads from
> traveling through our town. If the loads are legally permitted to move
> then we can't change the rules just because we disagree with what the
> loads are or who they belong to. That is an issue for the state
> Legislature, not the city council, to take up.” Well if it is not up
> to Moscow to pass judgment and PREVENT the megaloads, since this is an
> issue for the state Legislature, then it is not up to Moscow to pass
> judgment and ALLOW the megaloads. It seems that Hank should be equally
> opposed to Steed’s motion, which invited ExxonMobil “to use our
> hotels,” etc. Who is Steed to issue such an invitation? This is a
> matter for the state Legislature! At least that’s what Hank would have
> said if he understood the implications of his own argument. But he
> didn’t understand the implications of his argument because he is
> incompetent.
>
> Of course, the question comes to mind: Why, in an area with 2
> universities, does the Daily News hire incompetent and offensive folks
> like Hank? The answer is that it has a radical conservative political
> agenda. That folks who think he deserves to be KILLED for his sexual
> “sins” have set the agenda is something that should worry Hank. But it
> doesn’t because he is apparently too much of an idiot to figure it
> out.
>
> With this last nasty post, I’m ending my participation in Vision 2020,
> at least for the next two years. I’ve taken on some additional duties
> that make my continued participation on this list-serve inappropriate.
> Besides, conservatives like to dish it out but they can’t take it.
> Perhaps with my departure, cowards … I mean, conservatives will come
> back to the V and things will be like they were in the old days. Good
> luck to all of you! I promise to lurk and you’ll always know how to
> find me: philosopher.joe at gmail.com
>
> Best, Joe
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 6:47 AM, Joe Campbell <philosopher.joe at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > I'm beginning to think that the only thing Hank and I have in common is
> that
> > we both laugh when I call him an "idiot." It is hard to know where to
> begin.
> > Suffice to say that this is a nice bit of evidence of the very point
> > My dear but this article is a nice example of
> > "In recent years, 'The Viz' has become a platform where a rather small
> but
> > egotistical group of pompous academics bloviate regularly about whatever
> > fires them up on any given day."
> >
> >
> >
> > On Jun 21, 2011, at 12:47 PM, "Bill London" <london at moscow.com> wrote:
> >
> > Moscow-Pullman Daily News - DNews.com
> >
> >  Henry D. Johnston
> >
> > HIS VIEW: 'Visionaries' exercise freedom of speech
> >
> > June 21, 2011
> >
> > I believe the First Amendment, namely freedom of speech, applies to
> > everyone. One of the things I enjoy about being a columnist is the
> > interaction I get from readers either in person, through email or a
> letter
> > to the editor. The readership of this paper is certainly diverse, and the
> > feedback is usually cordial even when people are disagreeing with me.
> >
> > Except for my last column.
> >
> > Two weeks ago I sided with the Moscow City Council with regard to
> > ExxonMobil's proposed megaload shipments. My position is that, regardless
> of
> > what one thinks of the moral or ethical implications of the oil sands
> > project in Canada, it is not up to Moscow to pass judgment and prevent
> > legal, permitted loads from traveling through our town. If the loads are
> > legally permitted to move then we can't change the rules just because we
> > disagree with what the loads are or who they belong to. That is an issue
> for
> > the state Legislature, not the city council, to take up.
> >
> > Anyway, I received emails from readers complimenting me on my position
> and
> > also took in comments from a few dissenters. And then, as I sometimes do,
> I
> > checked in online to see what the Vision 2020 crowd was saying.
> >
> > If you're not up on early '90s technology, Vision 2020 is basically a
> giant
> > email list called a "listserv" where people share their opinions. In
> recent
> > years, "The Viz" has become a platform where a rather small but
> egotistical
> > group of pompous academics bloviate regularly about whatever fires them
> up
> > on any given day.
> >
> > Two weeks ago, I was their target.
> >
> > Except it wasn't my stance on megaloads that caused me to suffer the
> wrath
> > of these keyboard commandos. Oddly enough it was the fact that they felt
> I
> > painted the anti-megaload crowd with a giant brush when I called them
> > hippies.
> >
> > But guess what?
> >
> > Like it or not, Moscow does have a rather large and diverse population of
> > people who could be defined as hippies, even if they don't fit the image
> > from the 1960s. And it is our diverse culture that makes Moscow unique
> and,
> > sometimes to my chagrin, flavors our political climate to something
> entirely
> > different from the rest of Idaho.
> >
> > At least that's my opinion, which is protected under the First Amendment,
> > just like yours.
> >
> > But the enlightened crowd of "visionaries" didn't see it that way.
> >
> > One user called me an "offensive idiot," and another said my column was a
> > "pathetic excuse for analysis." Some questioned why the Daily News can't
> > fire me and hire better writers and suggested because we live between two
> > universities that all columnists should be college professors or
> students,
> > somehow producing a better opinion page.
> >
> > One person went as far as to ask if anyone knew who I was, where I lived
> or
> > what I did for a living. Why does it matter? Last I checked, I was Henry
> > Johnston who lives in Moscow, Idaho, not Soviet Russia.
> >
> > After reading all the vitriol from these self-proclaimed tolerant
> liberals,
> > I was half expecting an angry mob to show up on my doorstep with torches
> and
> > pitchforks, smelling of patchouli oil and singing "Kumbaya."
> >
> > I'm not sharing this experience because I want to point fingers and whine
> > about someone picking on me. I'm doing so because even as nasty as some
> of
> > the comments were, they and this column are perfect examples of free
> speech
> > in action.
> >
> > Joe Reader has just as much right to call me an idiot as I do to call him
> a
> > hippie. It's all part of being an American and exercising the rights we
> are
> > so very lucky to have.
> >
> > So I encourage everyone to continue to debate topics of every nature in
> > whatever venue we have available, be it on the opinion page, online or in
> > person. I'm tough enough to handle it and will chuckle and smile when we
> do
> > because, quite frankly, not doing so would be un-American.
> >
> > But, then again, that's just my opinion.
> >
> > Henry D. Johnston lives in Moscow. He can be reached via email at
> > moscowmoderate at gmail.com.
> >
> > =======================================================
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >               http://www.fsr.net
> >          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================
>
> =======================================================
>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================
>
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