Dual Topics: Never Give Up! - A Circus or a Political Statement?

Contained in today's blog is an email I received from Dr. Norma Kreilein and my subsequent reply to her and Jasper's city leaders.

Dear Norma,

Thank you forwarding your email to me.  In my humble opinion, I do not believe skipping any public forum offered by the city is a good idea.  I can identify with your frustration and feelings of disgust  (my inferences) concerning the current biomass proposal.  Regardless whether I have interpreted your position in your email correctly, I respect your input to the city, not only as a citizen, but as a health care professional.  However, I do not believe boycotting any public forum on the biomass matter is prudent.

To quote Thomas Jefferson, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for the people of good conscience to remain silent".  I welcome any further questions the city will take on this matter.  Granted, it appears that questions to the USB and the city council are less desirable than simply hearing out opponents views and questions posed.  As an attendee at past public meetings, it appears individual city leaders are hard pressed to take a position, or to respond to any questions during the hearings.  I am speaking of even ‘easy to answer’ yes or no questions.

No one should be assured that the proposal will be approved after the public forums are held (the plurality denotes a hope of there being more than one public forum).  Thankfully, America is still a country where the voice of the people can and must be increasingly and vociferously heard as afforded by our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, for government (federal, state, local; etc.) will decide what is best for its constituents.    

Norma, I too, read with interest (and dismay) Mayor Schmitt’s comments in The Herald.  Acting as a private citizen, I also sought approval from a Jasper police officer prior to taking a small sign into the chamber.  I am not aware of specifically where the other signs were or what others were doing with their signs.  I voluntarily asked an officer if he wanted mine also.  He seemed to indicate it would be a good idea and I respectfully gave it to him.  Before I get to the others points of my response, I want to again commend your son, Greg, as I was one of the individuals that shook his hand that evening.  The presence and speech of your son is what makes me proud to be an American, particularly given that he is only fifteen years of age.

What the mayor actually stated is more closely to “I don’t want this to turn into a political statement.”  My apologies if this is not an exact verbatim quote.  I will hope Mayor Schmitt will qualify what he stated later, and what you quoted from the Dubois County Free Press.  If I remember correctly, the storyline was the same in The Herald. 

I was in attendance as a private citizen of Jasper and a supporter of the opponents of the present biomass proposal first and foremost.  I was there in a secondary capacity as an independent mayoral candidate.  Although I did not see any other mayoral candidates in the audience, they very well could have been in attendance.  If not, then I fail to see the logic used for removal of the signs due to any political statement and consider it more a personal attack on my person rather than concern the meeting was going to turn into a circus.  If this was the case, I apologize to you and your fellow remonstrators for the mayor having taken his eye off the ball momentarily.  I will look forward to a pleasant discussion with the mayor about my expressed concern.

Norma, honestly I was quite surprised the way you opened your email, but couldn’t agree with you more with what you stated in your last paragraph.  We must continue to question all our city leaders why the present proposal is being fast-tracked.  The foremost reasoning that enters my mind is that Twisted Oak is threatening to walk if a contract is not in hand by a certain deadline.  If so, please let them walk.

I will end with my personal rendition of Jefferson’s quote I used earlier in this response…All government needs to do to gain control over all aspects of our lives is to have its people refrain from their right to free speech and collective power.

Respectfully,

Mack Steffen

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From: Dr. Norma Kreilein
To: Bill Schmitt <mayor@ci.jasper.in.us>
Sent: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:21:31 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Fwd: skip the forum

Quoted today in Dubois County Free Press:

"Mayor Schmitt assured the public 'There will be a public forum before this proposal is approved.'”
So we as citizens of Jasper may be assured that there will be a public forum, then the proposal will be approved. Skip the public forum as it is a waste of time.

I also read with interest your comments regarding the signs at Tuesday's meeting causing it to be a "circus."  My son, Gregory, brought the sign in because the Jasper policeman we spoke to before entering the council chambers not only said it was OK, he specifically said he was not given any instruction to forbid them.  I can certainly understand where opposition and civil rights such as free speech can be a significant distraction to the boards conducting their business.  This maneuver spoke volumes about this entire process.

Greg, the youngest Eagle out of >200 Eagle Scouts in Troup 185, is not contributing to this being a circus.  In fact, last week when he made his presentation about the proposal, he was not censured by the city council or the pro tempore in your absence.  In fact, he was allowed to speak, then applauded loudly by the crowd.  Multiple persons shook his hand and commended him afterward, including a city councilman. 

We have demanded dignity, transparency, representation, accuracy, and accountability.  We have presented objective, well referenced and consensus data and well educated opinions. The closed door sessions and censorship of opposition need to stop.  Risks of the project and its effect on vulnerable constituencies (which have always been our primary focus) continue to render this project fundamentally flawed.  As the 4th of July approaches, we need to return to an open government of the people, by the people, and for the people.  Or has it perished in the City of Jasper?

Norma Kreilein, MD FAAP