Hello Peter:
I feel your comments diminish, simplify, the actually importance and "real" impact war will have on our city. "But I ask myself: what would I think if the Soil & Water
Conservation Commissioners, say, debated and passed an war resolution, or a flag resolution, or treatise on the nobility of the human spirit, or a condemnation of the
Electoral College?" I ask myself what if the Mayor and elected officials of Berlin or Moscow spoke out about World War II and the extermination of Jews or Chechnya and the slaughter of innocent civilians, would that debate have an impact? Maybe, it would send a message to the nations leaders of those countries that morality, ethics, human rights, and courage are acceptable positions to take for a government even when fear is what leaders are using to retain power and take away the public liberties and freedom in an effort to retain power.
Ken Bradley Corcoran Neighborhood
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.
Peter Klausler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I've read RT's veto promise and the predominantly negative
reactions it elicited here. After a couple of days of
mulling things over, I think that the Mayor's done the
right thing, and deserves to hear at least one note of
support for an unpopular action.
Be clear: I completely deplore the cynical way in which Bush is
exploiting the calamities of 9/11/2001 to justify starting
an unrelated war in Iraq that is needless so far as real
evidence has yet shown.
But I ask myself: what would I think if the Soil & Water
Conservation Commissioners, say, debated and passed an
war resolution, or a flag resolution, or treatise on the
nobility of the human spirit, or a condemnation of the
Electoral College? Whether I agreed with its content or
not, I'd surely feel that it was an inappropriate use of
their time, and an arrogant misappropriation of their proper
mandate.
A war resolution would be no more appropriate at the City
Council. None of these people were elected to represent
me in general matters of international policy. I want them
to retain focus on their specific local responsibilities.
(Where those might overlap with international policy, as
they did in the days of apartheid South Africa investment
divestiture, then action is appropriate.)
Tough call, but RT's right on this one.
--
Peter Klausler, Linden Hills, Minneapolis, Minnesota ',.PY FGCRL
Principal Engineer, Cray Inc. AOEUI DHTNS
pmk@visi,com, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.visi.com/~pmk ;QJKX BMWVZ
_______________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now
