[Peace-discuss] AWARE Playbook makes News-Gazette Editorial

[Jan & Durl Kruse]

Comment below (sent directly to our email and not to peace discuss  
list) from Democratic Operative Ralph L. Langenheim.........
regarding my posting of today's N-G editorial.

On Apr 11, 2008, at 11:47 AM, <rlangenh at uiuc.edu> wrote:

> Fun, wasn't it?
>

My response to (Democratic Operative) Ralph L.  Langenheim:

The fun has just begun!  (see letter to editor also in N-G today)

Letter to the editor today:

 Urbana Democrats squelch democracy

Friday April 11, 2008

At Tuesday's Cunningham Township meeting, I saw Urbana Mayor Laurel  
Prussing, city council member Robert Lewis, county board members Tom  
Betz and Ralph Langenheim, and several former "Democratic" elected  
officials vote against adding items to the meeting's agenda that would  
have provided time for discussion and voting on whether three  
nonbinding referenda – on instant runoff voting, local government  
transparency and a study of water municipalization – should be placed  
on the November ballot.

This would give all citizens of Urbana the chance to express their  
viewpoints on these matters, not just the 70 people who came to the  
township meeting. But providing time to discuss the referenda was voted  
down. Hearing this called democracy at work makes me sick. Let's let  
all of the people of Urbana vote on these issues.

How can you call yourself "Democrats" when you vote against the  
keystone of democracy: public discussion and referenda? I have a sour  
taste in my mouth and I am looking forward to voting against Mayor  
Prussing and anyone else I find out was involved in this strategic  
blocking of democracy.

Fortunately for me and other supporters of democracy, the Prairie Green  
Party is running four candidates for Champaign County Board who are  
supportive of democratic actions such as referenda and will fight for  
the people's rights to express themselves, regardless of how they  
personally feel about an issue. The candidates are: Walter Pituc and  
Kostas Yfantis in District 7, Joe Futrelle in District 8, and Mike  
Lehman in District 9.

ERIC WILSON

Urbana
  Find this article at:
   
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/opinions/letters/2008/04/11/ 
urbana_democrats_squelch_democracy


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