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<DIV><FONT size=4>Poor, poor Cult Master.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>It looks like that although he loves to wield <EM>The Serrated
Edge</EM>, he doesn't like to feel it himself between his tiny
balls.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<BR><A
href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4>From: "Saundra Lund" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:sslund@adelphia.net"><FONT
size=4>sslund@adelphia.net</FONT></A><FONT size=4>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>To: "'Vision 2020'" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 7:22 PM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Subject: [Vision2020] Me Thinks He Doth Protest Too
Loudly</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR></FONT></DIV><FONT size=4>> Visionaries:<BR>>
<BR>> I understand Rose Huskey's and my most recent efforts have created
quite a<BR>> stir on Doug Wilson's monologue the past few days. Quite
frankly, I find<BR>> the bluster rather amusing.<BR>> <BR>> I want to
preface my remarks by saying that while Rose and I are a team in<BR>> these
efforts, and while I am incredibly honored to consider her a friend in<BR>>
the most treasured sense of the word, I am speaking for myself here.
Should<BR>> you have quarrel with what follows (including the length), your
quarrel is<BR>> with me :-)<BR>> <BR>> I think Rose's speeding
parable posted last night is a good one, but I have<BR>> a few points I'd
like to make.<BR>> <BR>> Comments have come from various quarters
indicating the desire for Rose & I<BR>> broaden the scope of our
inquiries into property tax exemptions and equity<BR>> in Latah County, and
I'd like to address that.<BR>> <BR>> First, as I've said before, I have
absolutely *NO* reason to think that the<BR>> vast majority of non-profits
receiving property tax exemptions aren't<BR>> following the rules.
Period.<BR>> <BR>> Second, I'd like to gently remind folks that Rose and I
are just two people,<BR>> and this isn't a job for which we receive any
financial compensation, nor do<BR>> we want any. The reason I mention
this fact is because rumors to the<BR>> contrary have been spread in the
past, but also because, believe it or not,<BR>> looking into these issues
takes time and a lot of work. We have plenty on<BR>> our plates, thank
you very much, to keep us busy for *quite* awhile even if<BR>> we didn't have
very rich & full lives otherwise :-)<BR>> <BR>> That said, if
anyone has questions about the validity of any property tax<BR>> exemptions,
you are certainly free to make you are certainly free to make<BR>> your own
inquiries. This, of course, also applies to Doug Wilson.<BR>> <BR>>
Indeed, if Mr. Wilson *honestly* believes that other non-profits have<BR>>
engaged in the same sort of shenanigans he's been a party to, then he has
an<BR>> *obligation,* IMHO, to bring those concerns to the BOE. I'm not
holding my<BR>> breath, though, because I don't think he honestly believes
anything of the<BR>> sort.<BR>> <BR>> Remember, Rose & I have no
special training that uniquely qualifies us -- we<BR>> are simply two
concerned citizens who share some (well, probably many) of<BR>> the same
values including justice, fairness, and equity in property tax<BR>>
application, distribution, and exemption. Plainly put, if we can do it,
I<BR>> think anyone can do it.<BR>> <BR>> I'd also like to make the
point that in spite of the implications in his<BR>> monologues, Doug Wilson
is ***not*** a lawyer. He seems h*ll-bent and<BR>> determined to
*demand* that those with real legal training interpret the law<BR>> in the
way *he* thinks it should be interpreted. Not surprisingly, he
wants<BR>> the law interpreted in a way that either *he* gets the upper hand
or *no<BR>> one* benefits. IMHO, that's why he's trying to twist the
law and make us<BR>> think *all* local non-profits ("Consistency would
require virtually all tax<BR>> exemptions in Latah County to be revoked") are
doing exactly what he's done<BR>> with Wilson World. Quite simply, I
think that's nothing more than yet<BR>> another load of hogwash.<BR>>
<BR>> Of course, I'm not a lawyer, either, and clearly Doug & I differ in
the<BR>> correct interpretation of the law. One difference, though, is
that Rose and<BR>> I are asking *questions* rather than trying to ram our own
self-serving<BR>> interpretations down everyone else's throats.<BR>>
<BR>> Whatever spin you want to put on our motivation for raising our<BR>>
questions/concerns (and don't forget no one has a greater self-interest
in<BR>> attributing the worst possible motives to us than Mr. Wilson),
those<BR>> questions *were* legitimate and with merit as evidenced by the
property tax<BR>> exemption revocation for two of the three parcels,
decisions that were based<BR>> in part on the legal advice the BOE received
from its own counsel . . . a<BR>> *real* lawyer, unlike Mr. Wilson. Or,
wait . . . maybe Mr. Whitney was part<BR>> of the dreaded Intolerista
conspiracy, too?<BR>> <BR>> If anyone is still reading, I have just a
couple of other points I'd like to<BR>> make.<BR>> <BR>> It isn't
Rose's or my fault there's apparently a longstanding history in<BR>> Latah
County of not reviewing property tax exemptions annually as required<BR>> by
law. Nor is it our fault that a formal BOE hearing is the only forum
in<BR>> which our questions can be raised. And, it's not our fault
there seems to<BR>> be a longstanding history of granting of property tax
exemptions based on<BR>> not much more than self-assertion of
eligibility/entitlement.<BR>> <BR>> With respect to the latter, though, I
wonder if that isn't really a positive<BR>> comment about our community more
than anything else?<BR>> <BR>> This is a community where it isn't unusual
for deals to be sealed with<BR>> nothing more than a handshake . . . and
trust. I think we all see things<BR>> going on and just assume that
everything is as it should be . . . that the<BR>> applicable rules are being
followed even if -- or perhaps especially when --<BR>> we don't know exactly
what those rules are. We *trust* that most everyone<BR>> is pretty
honest and truthful about the big stuff.<BR>> <BR>> Thus, when requests
for property tax exemption are made, perhaps our<BR>> commissioners, just
like many of us, assume those making the requests are<BR>> genuine, honest,
forthright, and truthful. There might be honest<BR>> misunderstandings
of the law so that some making requests don't actually<BR>> qualify, but
generally speaking, I think it's incomprehensible to most of us<BR>> that
anyone would be slimy enough to ask for a free ride and *not* reveal<BR>> all
the pertinent information.<BR>> <BR>> In that respect, I *hope* this
experience with Anselm House and NSA has<BR>> opened our collective
eyes. Indeed, had those involved gone before the BOE<BR>> with honest
intentions to disclose all pertinent facts, the property tax<BR>> exemption
would have been revoked on the second NSA parcel as well.<BR>> Unfortunately,
though, since some involved had a vested interest in<BR>> withholding
relevant information, those facts weren't available to us until<BR>>
the IBTA hearing.<BR>> <BR>> In his never-ending monologue, Doug Wilson
has referred to Rose & I as<BR>> "troubled people." To which I
respond, "You're DARN RIGHT I'm troubled!<BR>> Whatever our doctrinal
differences (and they are significant), of *course*<BR>> I'm troubled, just
as *any* reasonable person would be when discovering a<BR>> pattern of
blatant disregard for the rules and laws under which the rest of<BR>> us
operate." It's that simple.<BR>> <BR>> So, Doug has started insipid
whining and cries of "Discrimination!" to any<BR>> and all who will
listen. Indeed, even folks who share his worldview and<BR>> read his
blog with genuine interest wonder what on earth has happened to<BR>>
him?<BR>> <BR>> Frankly, I don't give a rip . . . he can whine & spew
vitriol & make threats<BR>> & try to intimidate until the cows come
home. He's just plain wrong, and it<BR>> doesn't matter how long or how
loudly he bellows otherwise: the facts are<BR>> the facts. I
believe any reasonable person examining the objective *facts*<BR>> -- and not
through Doug's self-serving and narcissistic rose-colored glasses<BR>> -- can
see the truth.<BR>> <BR>> One last thing . . . Doug has apparently coined
yet another Dougism:<BR>> Diversity Cleansing. Of course, this is sheer
nonsense and nothing more<BR>> than another trite attempt to deflect
attention away from the real issues.<BR>> <BR>> Nonetheless, I can't
resist saying I think *nothing* would be more<BR>> beneficial to this whole
issue than a good colonic cleansing for Doug to get<BR>> rid of all the
excess . . . well, you know.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Saundra Lund<BR>>
Moscow, ID<BR>> <BR>> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is
for good people to do<BR>> nothing.<BR>> Edmund Burke<BR>> <BR>>
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<BR>> </FONT><A
href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT size=4>>
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<BR>>
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