On rights - and the right to look stupid Politics: Something's missing

One group guaranteed to give local critics headaches is the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

Another nemisis of some: the National Education Association.

Put them together and you can almost see the line forming outside Kootenai Health’s emergency room.

But there’s a line of a different kind that will be forming one week from tonight at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn. That will be a celebratory line comprised of many of North Idaho’s most conscientious and compassionate citizens, people who have been standing up to hatred and bigotry for decades. Several hundred of them will pay $40 apiece to attend the 19th annual Human Rights Banquet, featuring NEA President John Stocks as speaker. The event is sponsored by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

Our goal today is twofold. One is to commend the Task Force on its determination to ensure all people are treated equally: that nobody’s basic rights supersede or transcend another’s; that each of us should be allowed to travel the same unfettered path in the pursuit of happiness.

The second goal is to explain something about rights and the opinions expressed on this page. We’ve become somewhat notorious, it appears, not just for our opinions but the sentiments and beliefs expressed by others. Recent letters by individuals harshly critical of the police, of women, of human rights champions like Christie Wood and Tony Stewart — letters that are deemed in bad or very bad taste — have themselves drawn criticism from other readers saying The Press should not print such nasty missives.

To them we say, we have no law against bad taste. Bad taste doesn’t cross the line by inciting violence or violating some clear standard that would outweigh the writer’s right to express his or her opinion. In fact, bad taste to one might be good taste to someone else.

We invite writers to embarrass themselves. That’s a right we think the First Amendment affords them. Our hope is that calmer, more conscientious citizens will flex their First Amendment muscles and submit a letter that constructively exposes the ignorance and prejudice of others.

In the meantime, we look forward to next Friday’s banquet. If you haven’t already bought your tickets or reserved a table for eight, there’s still time. Order yours by calling 765-3932.

Inside today’s Press is the May 17 Primary Election voters guide for Kootenai County residents.

In it are stories about the candidates — most of them, anyway — and for the first time, legislative hopefuls’ answers to some point-blank questions.

You may notice a handful of candidates, led by five incumbent Republican state legislators, opted not to be included in the guide. That was the consequence of their refusal to answer the brief questionnaire.

The questionnaire was not easy to answer; we’ll give them that. Having to choose “yes,” “no” or “uncertain” as your only three choices does not allow candidates to fully explain the rationale behind their choices. But it’s also true that some politicians are uncomfortable stating clearly how they feel about any hot-button issue. Many have found that it’s easier to get elected or re-elected if nobody really knows what you think.

We hope the voters guide is helpful to you, not just for what’s in it, but for who isn’t.