<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1476" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE>@page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; }
P.MsoNormal {
FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"
}
LI.MsoNormal {
FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"
}
DIV.MsoNormal {
FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"
}
A:link {
COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
SPAN.MsoHyperlink {
COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
A:visited {
COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {
COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline
}
SPAN.EmailStyle17 {
FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
DIV.Section1 {
page: Section1
}
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I appreciate the spirit of John Danahy's posting, below,
but I need to address the following point on behalf of the
MCA:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The MCA has no intention of endorsing any candidates in
the upcoming election. We made a decision last spring not to take
positions in this year's partisan elections.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>In non-partisan City Council races last year, the MCA did
endorse candidates. Until very recently, our web site stated that our
committee on elections and debates was interested in "supporting and
electing" candidates in the city and the county who were in accord with our
"mission statement."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The MCA mission statement, reprinted in full below, states
that our vision is of a community of "strong, non-partisan grassroots
democracy." In line with that mission, we sought this fall to encourage
community discourse and encouraged people of all political persuasions to attend
the MCA debates and ask questions. Consistency to the non-partisan goal in
our mission statement led us to our decision last spring that we would not take
a position on the partisan county and state representative races in the primary
then, and the general election this fall. We took no positions on any
partisan race, then or now, contrary to some postings that have made their way
onto Vision2020.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>The mission of the Moscow Civic Association is to protect and enhance
inclusive and cooperative community values by broadening public discourse,
organizing and inspiring civic participation, and striving toward progressive
and sustainable community development.
<P class=maintext>Our vision is of a just and equitable society, a community in
which information on important issues is readily available to the citizenry, a
place of strong, non-partisan grassroots democracy. </P>
<P class=maintext>Specifically, we strive to support and/or promote a thriving
community space with: </P>
<P class=maintext>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>An open, responsive, and accountable local government
</SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>A vigorous public education system</SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>Local community-based businesses </SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>Artistic and cultural events </SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>Ethnic, racial, gender, lifestyle, and religious
diversity Civil rights</SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>An integrated community for people of all ages
</SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>Close relations and coordination with neighboring
communities and institutions </SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=maintext>Thoughtful and sustainable development in such areas
as environment, transportation, housing, and agriculture.</SPAN>
</LI></UL></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Bruce Livingston</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Moscow Civic Association</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Committe on Elections and Debates</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=jdanahy@turbonet.com href="mailto:jdanahy@turbonet.com">John Danahy</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, October 24, 2004 1:35 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] The so=called debates</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I have been trying to follow the
fracas concerning the MCA so called debates. As I understand it, the
MCA, an organization of like minded people with a stated goal of endorsing
candidates for office, tried to get a meeting with the specific opposing
candidates and the organization. Such a meeting would then allow the MCA
to choose a candidate to endorse. The meeting would be purposely set up
to allow the members to ask specific questions of the opposing
candidates. This is not a debate!</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Apparently, the MCA got agreements
from individual candidates to appear, knowing the proposed format. The
local branch of the Republican Party objected to the format, calling the MCA
partisan. The Party then tried to get the publisher of the local paper
to be the organizer of such meetings, calling said publisher a non-partisan
entity. Say what??? Who do they think their
kidding??</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">We have yet to see a real
debate. What we have seen is carefully controlled campaigning within a
limited setting. The Republican Party can certainly decline the meeting
set up by the MCA, but to do so because the MCA is partisan, and then
suggesting their own partisan meeting, reflects the overwhelmingly narrow view
that has brought about a deeply divided country.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">If </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Tom</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Trail</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> does not want to submit to the
questions of a group like MCA then he should just say so. The MCA will
then be free to endorse his opponent, if they so wish. The same can be
said with the other candidates. For the Republican Party to intervene
and prohibit such a meeting is to pretend that the views of the members of the
MCA do not count. It is, in effect, denying a portion of this community
access to the political process at the most basic level. Shame on
you!!!</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">John</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>_____________________________________________________<BR> List
services made available by First Step Internet, <BR> serving the
communities of the Palouse since 1994.
<BR>
http://www.fsr.net
<BR>
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>