Your response raises several questions. Since you seem to glorify in your
new EDC status and seem to be leaning toward fostering the market place of
ideas, it's queer that you'd think to go through channels before posting a
message here, even with the rag called the Daily News listening. Since the
prevailing thoughts are that this rag can't get anything right or per your
rambling only covers community issues by invitation, then perhpas I'm not a
threat.
Of course the idea of limiting the dissemination of information on this
"community bulliten board" just because somebody "outside" the clique might
be reading is offensive in its own right.
The rest of the discussion - shame on you Kenton - about what or what
shouldn't be posted pulls at the root the issue of Internet freedom. Global
threats and accusations about information currently available over phone
lines is just the summit of the freedom issue. Local meanderings about
pre-approving the publication of public information is the mountain.
It's more like malfeasance for a community group or public institution to
act as gate keeper for what I receive at home about my negihborhood, city,
state, country, world.
As for what I gather was your sarcastic backhand at the Daily News, you'll
have to stand in line behind everybody else in town who's taking shots.
Maybe I only get hit in the crossfire, but if you'd judge me on my
abilities or ineptitudes and not the millions who have come and gone before
me, it would be appreciated.
If I was like most in this community, I would write you and your arguments
off from now and forever for spelling my name wrong, twice. But I'm not
like everyone else, I'm simply an individual who lives in Moscow and is
trying to make a living.
I subscribe to this discussion group because I think it is a fabulous tool
for the community. The phone line I use comes out of my house. The computer
is mine and sits in my home, the software is mine, the dog at my feet is
mine and the opinions are written and approved by me (sometimes by my
wife). I am a tax payer, and a voter and am interested in the shape of this
community on a personal level.
I also happen to write for the local punching bag, and as such am able to
utilize the informaion here for the benefit of the entire community.
I do not pick and choose community news. I am slovenly and only write
everything I can possibly manage to write in a week. Sometimes that's good,
sometimes it's bad, always it's in somebody else's lap and subject to
praise or criticism.
If I remember your post on the business park deal, you wrote that you heard
a rumor from a reliable source that something was awry. From that I called
Gib Myers at the city and then called Carole Helm at home. Both were open,
kind and helpful. Yes the issue is ripe in Moscow, and your tip, as it
were, was indeed helpful.
As far as taking the time to put your own spin on the news - shame on you
Kenton - that is a wise policy decision. As per my previous post, though,
my phone at work takes messages 24 hours a day. Is it really a grand
necessity to have a "policy" for dealing with the public in a town this
small? Sure it's nice in case of emergency, but if you always deal with the
public guided by the parameters of policy, everyone begins to feel like a
wet fish.
The people in this community who have managed to see past my Daily News
lapel have seen fit to call me for open and frank discussion anytime of the day. I appreciate that and I hope they appreciate that. Some people trust
me and don't see the need to prepare for spin control. As per your previous
posts on this cyberspace destination, you seem to be an intelligent and
considerate individual, so I won't write you off for eternity.
Thank you, greg
>Dear Visionaries,
>
> RE my disclosure that the Thompson business park deal had broken
>off.
>
> Kenton reminded me on Wednesday that Greg Barton from the Daily
>News is a subscriber and would probably follow up on the business park
>disclosure with a news story (See Thursday's Daily News, p. 1).
>
> I did not see the problem with that and asked Kenton's opinion on
>possible problems. I also suggest that the business park story was a lot
>like community reporting and I thought the Daily News had a policy
>against that sort of thing. (It seems I was wrong, it appears to be done on
>an invitation-only basis, e.g., Greg Barton recent email message).
>
>Steve Cooke
>
>
>
>Date: Wed, 22 Nov 95 12:16:10 PST
>From: Kenton <90142419@WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU>
>Subject: Re: business park
>To: Steve Cooke <scooke@marvin.csrv.uidaho.edu>
>
>It shouldn't be a problem. However, it might create some additional
>tension between you and Carole.
>
>If the EDC had a pro-active public relations policy, it would put out a
>press release rathr than letting the news leak out. That way, Carole
>et al could put the best possible "spin" on the news.
>
>Chances are that Greg is too busy today to look at his e-mail (if he's
>even in town) and probably wo'nt see it until next week... which would
>give you time to suggest that a public announcement might be in order
>since there is so much public interest in the park.
>
>I'd be happy to talk about this in more detail some time.
>Kenton