FIRST AMENDMENT: Protect your rights

City bureaucrats and some wannabe dictators on the Cd'A City Council are plotting to muzzle the public and destroy their First Amendment rights.

By destroying their right to speak freely (and civilly) about city matters at city meetings.

By adopting a "policy" severely (and illegally) restricting public comment at all city meetings.

It's on the agenda for the Tuesday June 7 Cd'A City Council meeting — 6 p.m. at the Library meeting room.

You can find the proposed "policy" (all 17 Rules) on the city website, at pages 170-171 of the agenda packet for the June 7 council meeting.

Find it. Read it. Show up and tell your elected representatives what you think. Remind them that they work for you — not the other way around.

These same city bureaucrats tried this same thing in December 2020. Then they tried to slide their "policy" through on the city council's "Consent Calendar" — no debate and no scrutiny allowed. That failed because Councilman Dan Gookin opposed that underhanded tactic.

Former Mayor Steve Widmyer then killed the entire idea — thank you Mayor Widmyer.

But with a new mayor in office THEY'RE BACK. This time trying to slide it through on short notice — the first possible date after two quick committee meetings in May — with no public distribution or debate.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Don't let them get away with this. Protect your First Amendment rights.

DAVID LYONS

Coeur d'Alene