Re: Argonaut editorial

[WMSteed@aol.com]

Garrett I find it interesting I've gotten you so worked up over my 
questioning of your varied statements on this issue that you demand to know 
my personal position.  

Am I for the ordinance exactly as written? No.  Am I for repealing the 
ordinance? No. Am I for an ordinance? Yes.  Should the present ordinance be 
modified? Probably; I do find your arguments re its ambiguity, selective 
enforcement and the pressure it puts on law enforcement to decide whether or 
not it is being broken valid.

In a message dated 9/19/02 10:04:38 AM, idahomer@hotmail.com writes:

<< It looks to me that you are excepting cultural conditioning without 
thinking 
why that culture believes in such a way. >>

OK. I'll come clean.  I am "accepting" cultural conditioning because we do 
not live in Tahiti, for example, where, I understand, public toplessness is 
culturally accepted.  Even though this is, I believe, a liberal academic 
community, the uproar over the car wash has shown such toplessness is not 
generally accepted in Moscow.

I have no interest in changing the cultural norm on this issue and believe 
that if women will not abide by such norm, they, unfortunately, have to be 
restrained by ordinance.  Laws are only created after the action they address 
has previously occurred and has been deemed unacceptable by the community law 
makers; in this case the elected city council.

As quoted in the Obituary for Common Sense I posted recently on V2020, 
"Common Sense was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion and his daughter, 
Responsibility.  I believe all this was brought about when Common Sense, 
Discretion and Responsibility were not used.

<<how stupid it is to criminalize breasts>>

In my opinion this has nothing to do with breasts but with actions of a few 
which have threatened the many.  The council has acted accordingly and your 
efforts to have the ordinance revoked are the appropriate way to do that as 
well.  If you obtain enough signatures to get this to a public vote, and mine 
will not be one of them, then the majority of those voting will then make the 
final decision.

Walter Steed