Last May the Ferndale City Council passed a resolution impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney. During the hearing I urged council not to bring the issue to the vote because it was beyond their power (ultra vires for you Latin aficionados and lawyers).
The latest city to consider such a resolution is Boulder, CO. Some Boulder councilpersons, like a majority of ours, are convinced they're representing the citizens by considering the resolution. Instead, it's more likely their motivations have more to do with themselves than their constituents.
For example, unlike every other resolution passed in 81 years of council meetings only one is conspicuously displayed on the city's website--2007's resolution impeaching Bush and Cheney.
Being incorporated in 1927 some might expect resolutions condemning the torpedoing the Lusitania or the bombing of Perl Harbor, drawing the US into WWI and WWII respectively would be proudly displayed. A resolution against President Nixon in 1973 may also have been warranted, but none of these is preserved for posterity on our city's website.
These were important world and national events and resolutions condemning all three have been proven justified from the perspective of history.
Prominently documenting the actions of previous city councils is respectful. Prominently displaying your own demonstrates a lack of humility, a lack of propriety, and a lack of perspective.
Impeaching the president is the responsibility of our congressmen and senators. There's safety in numbers. There's safety in a mob. Like our council, Boulder's is caught-up in the moment, but vigilantism is expected from mobs--not elected city officials.
Correction
WWI took place between 1914 and 1918. Back then Ferndale, like other cities around it, was part of Royal Oak Township.
Ferndale was incorporated as a village in 1918, but didn't become a city until 1927--nine years after World War I ended.
Even excluding The Great War, there have (unfortunately) been numerous other events for which humanity has paid horrific consequences that didn't merit a resolution from Ferndale's previous city councils (including genocides and ethnic cleansings) or promotion on its website.
Why didn't I edit the article?
I think it would have demonstrated bad ethics to change the wording of something already published in a material way. I've previously corrected misspellings, typos, and grammar errors, but I will not remove articles or substantively change them to cover my tracks.
Tom-
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it does seem odd that the only resolution proudly displayed on the website is one that has absolutely no impact the lives of Ferndale's residents other than to remind us of the time wasted on putting it together. I am sitting here wondering why other actions of council, which have had a positive impact on Ferndale, aren't shown off. The first that comes to mind is the approval of Gage's Products request to expand its operations to include fuel blending. Here is a company that has invested in our city, employed our citizens and has chosen to reinvest here in a time when many companies are running elsewhere. By approving the request council has taken action to ensure a good corporate citizen stays put in Ferndale. That is something to be proud of and to promote to other businesses looking for a home.
Maybe it shouldn't be up to city council to congratulate itself. If actors could self-elect they'd all have Oscars.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment on Gage Products. That's worthy of recognition. I think I'll post something today or tomorrow on www.FerndaleOnline.com's discussion forum.