WeeVoter Late to the Parade

Some folks are just late to the parade as exemplified in this letter to the editor from Ms. Catherine Theilen published yesterday in the Standard Press website: http://lab.southernlakesnewspapers.com/?p=8685

She criticizes BASD School Board member Larry Anderson for not using Gubnah Walker's "Tools" to twist the thumbs of our local educators to the full extent possible and ONLY saving the citizenry $1.7 million dollars. How selfish and vindictive can the WeeVoters get with their punitive and myopic Tea Party agenda?

She then goes on to say "My suggestion is put the whole district on Obama care." What does that even mean? Does Ms. Theilen know? Does she mistakenly believe that means free healthcare provided by the federal government leaving taxpayers off the hook? My strong suspicion is that she has been the willing, but unknowing consumer of vast amounts of disinformation and likely knows little to nothing about Obamacare.

But the most entertaining and revealing part is that she turns her ill-informed ire on us wayward pamphleteers advising us as follows: "A helpful hint to the people putting political literature on car windshields: please stop.  You are in violation of Burlington city littering ordinance #200-2 sections A & C."



Does Ms. Thielen even read the paper that she submitted her letter to? This issue was clearly settled in our favor in last week's edition: http://lab.southernlakesnewspapers.com/?p=8566

The March 23rd Standard Press article on Bonnie Ketterhagen's Hissy Fit about citizens campaigning on public property clearly stated: “While there are technically no laws against the distribution of the fliers – not even on school grounds, according to Superintendent Peter Smet – Ketterhagen took her case to the police department, wanting the people handing them out cited for littering.

The City of Burlington ordinance, as outlined in 200-2 of the municipal code, says that persons distributing commercial handbills, leaflets, fliers or any other advertising and information material should take “whatever measures that may be necessary to keep such materials from littering public or private property.”

What part of that is difficult to understand? Is the quality of the remaining information in her letter equally off target? What is it about exercising democracy on PUBLIC property that she, Bonnie and the WeeVoters find threatening or offensive?

I proudly admit that I personally distributed leaflets last Saturday and Sunday: http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2013/03/can-wevoter-yell-at-someone-in-bunny.html

Furthermore, we had people go back afterwards, check for loose fliers and pick them up. There were very few and that would not constitute littering under the ordinance anyway, as we took more than reasonable measures necessary to prevent that.

Still not convinced Ms. Theilen? Then go ahead call the cops on me, see where that gets you!

PS. you know what IS intriguing? It is my understanding that an unidentified woman called the police about leafleting of cars during the Home Show at BHS two weeks ago. Reportedly, the policeman who responded asked her what she did with the flier from her windshield. When she responded that she threw it on the ground, he threatened to cite HER for littering. Now what do you suppose the chances are that the woman who littered deliberately (actually breaking the law) and called the police has the initials B.K.? I'd put it in the range of 99.98 to 99.99%!