Letters To The Editor

  The following is an e-mail I received today. In keeping with our policy of publishing all readers' letters, we are happy to give the writer her freedom of speech, as guaranteed under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The letter is published verbatim, as it was received. The letter is apparently in response to my column about last Thursday's "Workshop" at City Hall.

  We welcome all readers' letters, and will always publish them in their entirety, sans editing. I will refrain from comment, as I believe that the letter speaks eloquently for itself.

  What a shame Mr. burke of YOUR interpretation of procedure and law.
The amendments of our founding fathers in which I adore and are not
open to interpretation. The "right to bear arms" 2nd amendment does not
mean you are allowed to go sleeveless or roll up your dress shirts and expose your
arms its a liberal twist of truth, It means a right to bear arms !
But liberals will and have perverted that meaning, as far as freedom
of speech I suppose by YOUR liberal interpretation, I or you are free to use
our first amendment right of freedom of speech and run into any store we
choose to and yell fire fire,! when there is no fire!

  The city's resolution states that all business to be address by the
public must follow protocol which clearly states anyone who wishes to
address city government must be done and notified to city staff no later than 3 PM
on the preceding Monday for a workshop dot dash period.

  Ms. Hilton's statement that this is circumvented at will is a lie but
then again since she is a councilperson who made a telephone call at 9:30
am Tuesday morning and did not make a written request to have anyone speak
about anything makes it ok since after all, does she not have to follow protocol?
Apparently not.

  Well then either consider procedure or we have anarchy. We have a
right to assemble peaceably and redress grievances against our government, but
does that mean simply we can say what we want, when we want in a
meeting or anywhere up to and including the supreme court or any other court in our
land ? Then in your interpretation and or opinion I can wear an offensive shirt
into our courts ?

  I suppose you will selectively eliminate this article after all it's
your web site and since this is truth and noncontroversial, it appears only
one point of view of which must be controversial, so it sells your perverted
twisting of freedom of speech! Follow protocol NO, WHY BOTHER if you understood it's true meaning, you would have spoke of truth. But elected not to, so be it.
Go outside in public and say whatever you choose to say, it is our
right!

  However in all meetings we either follow protocol, or we have anarchy! We
may decide to continue with democracy.
As far as your reference to nazism you did a great job at it! It's
called propaganda!

  Congratulations Mr. burke you are well on your way to fascism!

Wishing the Truth be known,

Kim Patterson