<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Courtesy of today's (April 6, 2013) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------</div><div><iframe src="http://stats-newyork1.bloxcms.com/dnews.com/?title=City%20Council%20stifles%20free%20speech%20-%20Moscow-Pullman%20Daily%20News%3A%20Opinion&referrer=http%3A//dnews.com/opinion/article_fc9eb1cf-0ec5-5c87-89fa-9300c92da757.html&domain=dnews.com&uri=/opinion/article_fc9eb1cf-0ec5-5c87-89fa-9300c92da757.html%3Fmode%3Dprint" width="0" height="0" frameborder="0" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 0px; height: 0px; "></iframe><h1 style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">City Council stifles free speech</span></font></h1><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><strong style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Posted: Saturday, April 6, 2013 1:00 am</strong></p><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A classic free speech platform took a shellacking at Moscow City Hall on Monday night. An important proposed ordinance on discrimination came before the Council. Instead of hearing from residents - pro and con - the council shut down all public debate. This is a dangerous precedent.</span></p><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The purported rationale was the Council received a "volume of emails" on the ordinance. Were those emails overwhelmingly pro or con? We don't know. Why did three council members change their votes from the last time it was voted on? We don't know.</span></p><div class="encrypted-content" style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; "><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Was the real motivation in cutting off public input designed to steal a well-deserved moment of glory from the poised and hard-working mayor Nancy Chaney who was out in front of this issue? Were the three councilmen who flip-flopped (Wayne Krauss, Walter Steed and Dan Carscallen) terrified of having to try to publicly articulate a means of justifying their positions because they are uncomfortable with homosexuality?</span></p></div><div class="encrypted-content" style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; "><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">An abundance of public interest should not be a trigger to ignore First Amendment input. Instead, the more public interest on a proposed ordinance, the more public input should be encouraged. This is a safety valve for democracy.</span></p></div><div class="encrypted-content" style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; "><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No free society has ever been brought down by allowing public input on controversial matters. When public debate is stifled under the charade of expediency, citizens feel like their voices don't count. Don't foreclose public comments or we will assume you are afraid of them.</span></p></div><div class="encrypted-content" style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; "><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When you ignore the electorate, the electorate ignores you.</span></p></div><div class="encrypted-content" style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; "><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><strong style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Benjamin Onosko</strong></p></div><div class="encrypted-content" style="outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; "><p style="text-align: -webkit-auto; outline: none; float: none !important; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-image: none; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow</span></p></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">I could not agree more with Mr. Onosko. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">The people's right to be heard must not be denied. It is the very foundation of our democracy. Council members Carscallen, Steed, and Krauss had absolutely no right in denying this opportunity to those who attended the April 1st city council session to express their opinions on this critical issue.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">For those of you who may have missed it, here is the opening segment of this discussion.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "><a href="http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CRLreZu8yv8&feature=plpp">http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CRLreZu8yv8&feature=plpp</a></span><br><br><div>Come election day I'll seeya at the polls, Moscow, because . . .</div><div><br></div><div>"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</div><div><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div><div> </div><div><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div><div><br></div><div>"<span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">There's room at the top they are telling you still</span><span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> </span></div><span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">But first you must learn how to smile as you kill </span><br style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">If you want to be like the folks on the hill."</span></div><div><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></font></div><div><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">- John Lennon<br></span></font><div> </div></div></div></div></body></html>