[Vision2020] Latah GOP censures party chair

[Art Deco]

And They call themselves libertarians.  Delusional.

w.


On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 7:39 AM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

> In a related news item . . .
>
> Courtesy of the Spokesman-Review at http://bit.ly/11FfkCF.
>
> "Coeur d’Alene soon may join a growing number of Idaho cities to outlaw
> discrimination based on sexual orientation."
>
> Courtesy of today's (April 26, 2013) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
>
> -------------------------------------
>
> Latah GOP censures party chair
>
> Steed disappoints several party members with support of antidiscrimination
> ordinance
>
> Latah County GOP Chairman Walter Steed took more flak this week for his
> voting record as a Moscow city councilor. This time he was censured by the
> party for supporting an ordinance making it a misdemeanor offense to
> discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation or gender
> identity.
>
> The City Council passed the antidiscrimination ordinance unanimously April
> 1 without taking public comment or much time to discuss it.
>
> A small assembly of county Republican precinct committee members Tuesday
> voted to censure Steed for supporting the ordinance. The censure came about
> two months after the GOP chairman received a vote of no confidence for
> supporting a council letter to the Idaho Legislature suggesting ways to
> prevent gun violence conservatives considered an attack on the Second
> Amendment.
>
> "We're not happy with the way he's been handling his responsibilities on
> City Council," said Committeeman David Klingenberg, who made the motion to
> censure Steed. He added he knows it will not change the chairman's decision
> not to resign. "We have to settle for a vote of no confidence or, in this
> particular case, a vote of censure. It's the rules, and we're governed by
> them. It is frustrating that he doesn't want to step down, and he seems to
> feel that a majority of this group is not important."
>
> The vote to censure Steed barely passed 7-6 with those in favor of the
> motion expressing disapproval with the city councilor's decision to support
> the ordinance they say is a violation of their civil liberties and supports
> homosexuality.
>
> "That policy legitimizes stuff that we don't agree with and it forces
> people who don't support that kind of behavior to go along with it," said
> Gresham Bouma, a committeeman from Viola and two-time Idaho Senate
> candidate. "It opens people up to lawsuits that they otherwise wouldn't be
> open to."
>
> Klingenberg said the city can govern its hiring policies, but councilors
> should not have passed an ordinance that will penalize business owners that
> do not want to hire people based on sexual orientation or gender identity
> because it conflicts with their personal beliefs.
>
> "If you believe in religious freedom or private property, it's a really
> bad ordinance," he said. "It really flies in the face of the Constitution."
>
> GOP Vice Chairman Thomas Lawford abstained from voting as he is the acting
> chairman while Steed is away on vacation in Europe, but he says he's tired
> of a small contingency of Republicans attributing Steed's actions on the
> council to his political beliefs.
>
> "They do not separate public from private life or what you do on the side
> is not separate from your political views," he said. "It's kind of out
> there for me. But they're allowed to. Yes, you're free to censure Walter if
> you want to, whatever that means. ... There were a lot of people who rolled
> their eyes and said, 'Oh my gosh, seriously you guys, sit down.' "
>
> Idaho District 5 Rep. Cindy Agidius, R-Moscow, said she left the GOP
> meeting just as Klingenberg began to make his motion, adding she doesn't
> want to "throw rocks" at the chairman.
>
> "It's a religious issue and it's going to be very divisive. When you start
> messing with people's religious views, it can get pretty messy," said
> Agidius about the ordinance and people's personal views on homosexuality.
> "Personally, I don't like to discriminate against anybody. I'm interested
> in what you're doing and what you're going to accomplish."
>
> The freshman lawmaker recently returned from her first legislative
> session, and noted varied opinions within the Republican Party that make
> coming to a consensus very difficult.
>
> "Some might say it's easier to work with the Democrats than it is with
> your own party," she said, "and that statement might not be too far off
> depending on the issue."
>
> Despite a vote of no confidence, censure and request for Steed's
> resignation, the Latah County Republican Party's bylaws make ousting the
> chairman very difficult, said Klingenberg. Changes to the state central
> committee's bylaws has prompted the county to revise its own, which could
> simplify the number of votes necessary to remove elected officials from
> their positions.
>
> "I do think there needs to be some super majority," Klingenberg said. "I
> don't think three-quarters is quite right, but there should be some shorter
> standards to go by."
>
> Steed's term as GOP chairman ends in May 2014.
>
> -------------------------------------
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "There's room at the top they are telling you still
> But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
> If you want to be like the folks on the hill."
>
> - John Lennon
>
>
>
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-- 
Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
art.deco.studios at gmail.com
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