[Peace-discuss] RE: NewsGazette Editorial on twp meetings

[E. Wayne Johnson]

"It was both an example of democracy in action and raw political power."

It was an unfortunate omission (lets call it  "Spin Doctoring") that the issue of 
Transparency was not mentioned in this editorial, since that would have put Laurel Lunt Prussing & Co. in an
entirely different and negative light on the matter.  

Someone mentioned Lenin in regard to the Urbana meeting.  It reminds me of Lennon, who said
"Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey".  Laurel Lunt Prussing and her ilk do indeed have 
something incredibly deceitfully ugly they want to hide, otherwise they would not be trying so hard to obscure it.  
They have grown so smug and comfortable in their tower of iron and stone that they have forgotten that
they are public servants rather than our masters.

The local government in Urbana particularly desires to have full flex of Its Power in a representative
oligarchy in which the Voice of the People and the Will of the People need not be consulted.  They were
mildly offended previously that AWARE, the Greens, and other citizens had been able to put advisory referenda
on the ballot.  The Urbana/Cunningham Twp power bloc did indeed feel that they were losing their iron grip on the gov't,
but since the advisory referenda were directed away from them at National Issues, the infraction was minor.

Referenda on Local Urbana Issues under their direct purveu is a different story.  We tweaked the tiger's whiskers.
They are stung, insulted that We the Underlings dare to question their wisdom, integrity, and authority.  
They surely did demonstrate that they have the Authority.  They have "taken back the township".

I believe that they also demonstrated that they are Measured, Measured, Weighed, and Found Lacking (and miserably so) in the 
Integrity department.  Whether or not they were wise in eradicating the Vox Populi really depends upon how
We the People respond.  Clearly the Powers that Be in Urbana do not desire the interference with Central Government that
is implied by Participatory Grassroots Democracy.