In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Cards for Questions Shows Foibles of Democrats
At tonight's Democratic Club meeting, people wanting to ask questions about the County Charter proposal may be asked to write questions on cards. While the St. Augustine Record article (see below) says there will be a Q&A session, perhaps Roger van Ghent is so uncomfortable with dialogue that he insisted on cards. Defending the indefensible, van Ghent can't stand criticism and can't answer questions. He's both loud and boring, and he puts people to sleep even as he hurts their ears.
But cards for questions at a Democratic function? How indescribably demeaning and schoolmarmish. We're Democrats, not patient with dictatorships.
Cards for questions? That is the way that Flagler College's Forum handles things, avoiding good questions (in favor of untenured Flagler professors' dull ones).
Democratic Club Schoolmarms, please be so kind as to spare us your control freakery. We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, one of which is the right to ask questions, instead of writing them down and passing them to someone to interpret, shuffle or ignore.
As Harry S Truman said, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
Been waiting to hear back from SADC Chair Annette Cappella since she hung up on me last Thursday on this issue. As Wm. F. Buckley, Jr. once said, "why does baloney reject the grinder?"
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