Haines Township repeals anti-war resolution

Centre Daily Times ^ | 3/1/2003 | Mike Joseph

[Happy Valley Dude]

AARONSBURG - Facing an angry crowd that overflowed their meeting room, the elected leaders of a small Penns Valley municipality Thursday repealed an anti-war resolution that a week ago claimed international attention.

The Haines Township supervisors -- who four months ago voted 2-0 to adopt the resolution opposing a pre-emptive U.S. military strike against Iraq -- voted 3-0 Thursday night to rescind it.

The township residents said they were angry not so much because the resolution opposed Bush administration policy, but because the measure was adopted without asking township residents to discuss it yet stood as though it broadly represented sentiment.

"I object to that resolution," rural Aaronsburg resident Roger Guisewite told the supervisors, "and I would like to see it either removed or amended to say that that is the opinion of the three board members ... rather than the general public."

"When you put the Haines Township name on it," added crop farmer Donn Fetterolf, "that includes all of us."

"What's giving you the right to speak for us?" said resident Dennis Price.

Dan Brannen, the Green Party supervisor who orchestrated the resolution's adoption, apologized to the audience members for not inviting public comment beforehand, pledged not to introduce another such measure and called for the vote to rescind.

The vote came after nearly two hours of heated argument among 50 people who tried to get into a meeting room big enough for about 20. Men dressed in bib overalls, ball caps and unzipped winter jackets leaned against walls, sat on the floor and peered into the room through a doorway.

Only eight or nine in the crowd supported the resolution approved in October by Brannen and Supervisor Dave Atkins, with Supervisor Chairman Ray Decker abstaining. But those eight or nine were well outnumbered by opponents Thursday, one of whom called out from the crowd for Brannen and Atkins to resign and leave the township.

At another point during the meeting, a resolution opponent shouted that a woman who supported it "ought to go back to State College," which led to a rejoinder from a man that the remark was "out of line" and "belongs outside."

Decker then interrupted the escalating voices to restore calm.

"If anybody goes outside," he said, "I'll be telling them. Now that's enough."

The resolution passed on Oct. 17 said that killing "innocent Middle Eastern people, including Muslims, will widen the gorge between people of different races and religions rather than nurturing a union of humanity here and abroad."

A short story about it appeared in the next day's Centre Daily Times. The story was picked up by a news wire service, and both the story and the full text of the resolution were put up on the Internet.

Last week, a three-member Swiss television news crew based in Washington, DC., spent two days in Aaronsburg talking to supervisors and residents, attracting 80 people to a diner for interviews and filing a report about how the Bush administration's threatened war against Iraq has divided the small community.

A protest is planned for Wednesday to urge the State College Borough Council to pass an anti-war resolution.

With 1,500 residents, Haines Township is one of the smallest of Centre County's 36 municipalities. It is part of the eastern boundary of the county, and its population includes both farmers and artists.

Residents Thursday night said the Iraq issue has indeed split them. "I think we're separating our community the same way we're separating our country too," one man said.

The vote to repeal the resolution followed an attempt by Atkins to poll all township residents to gauge their sentiment about the president's policy toward Iraq. But his motion was supported by neither Brannen nor Decker.

Atkins defended his vote in October to approve the anti-war resolution and said he still strongly opposes the Bush administration's policy.

"We were elected by you people to be the supervisors," he said. "There's issues that come up every month that we make decisions on that probably don't make people happy. I have the right to vote the way I want to, the way I feel. If people don't like it, this May there's a primary and my spot's open. It's not too late to get on the ballot."

[Happy Valley Dude]

Looks like the poop has hit the fan. BTW, the Green Party guy was elected becasue no Democrats or Republicans wanted the job. Unfortunately he was elected two years ago, and the the terms frun for six years.

[Libertarian4Bush]

I'd rather have a green than a dem.

[o_zarkman44]

This exposes the true weaknesses of the left. Since they are so "peace" oriented, intense pressure on the left by angry citizens will force them to back down, because they lack resolve or backbone to fight against the mass of public opinion. The left has employed the tactic of intimidation successfully, but since we on the right really have the masses of mainstream America's support, we truely can use our forces to intimidate the left. The girly boys are weak in the ability to stand up and fight a clean, one on one battle. Pressure needs to be put on the liberal media who gives the air of credibility to small groups of anarchists. We have to outnumber them on every front, and question the media when they misrepresent public opinion.

Kudos to Patriotic Americans willing to stand up to those who claim to talk for us and call them for what they are.

[LayoutGuru2]

Of course the repeal of this resolution will NOT receive international exposure.

[mewzilla]

I notice that the little Green dude didn't have the guts to put the question to a referendum. Figures.

[mewzilla]

No, but Mike Gallagher just mentioned it on his radio show :)

[goodnesswins]

OKAY...I took them off THE list...

Arcata, CA
Berkeley, CA
Fairfax, CA
Mendocino Cty
Oakland, CA
Palo Alto, CA
San Fernando,CA
San Francisco, CA
San Luis Obispo, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Clara Cty, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Sebastopol, CA
Topanga Canyon, CA
West Hollywood, CA
Boulder, CO
Nederland, CO
Silver Plume, CO
Telluride, CO
Cornwall, CT
Mansfield, CT
New Haven, CT
Salisbury, CT
Washington, DC
Gainseville, FL
Key West, FL
Atlanta, GA
Hawaii…the STATE
Blaine Cty, ID
Chicago, IL
Evanston, IL
Oak Park, IL
Urbana, IL
Bloomington, IN
Gary, IN
Shaker Heights, IN
Des Moines, IO
Amherst, MA
Brookline, MA
Cambridge, MA
Northampton, MA
Somerville, MA
Baltimore, MD
Takoma Park, MD
Hallowell, ME
Maine State House
Maine State Senate
Orono, ME
Portland, ME
Ann Arbor, MY
Detroit, MI
Ferndale, MI
Kalamazoo, MI
Oak Park, MI
Traverse City, MI
Carrboro, NC
Chapel Hill, NC
Jersey City, NJ
Newark, NJ
Princeton Borough, NJ
Santa Fe, NM
Danby, NY
Ithaca NY
New Paltz, NY
Rochester* NY
Syracuse, NY
Tompkins Cty, NY
Woodstock, NY
Akron, OH
Cleveland Heights, OH
Cleveland, OH
Garfield Heights, OH
Oberlin, OH
Corvallis, OR
Eugene*, OR
Multnomah Cty, OR
Philadelphia, PA
York, PA
Providence, RI
Austin, TX
Springdale, UT
Charlottesville, VA
Burlington, VT
Olympia, WA
San Juan Cty, WA
Seattle, WA
Tacoma, WA
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Stevens Point, WI
2/28/03

[Conservababe]

If city supervisors have enough time to devote to this nonsense instead of city business, the need for their positions should be re-evaluated.

[Right Wing Professor]

Proud to say there's not a single Nebraska city on the list. Go Huskers!

[boxerblues]

We were elected by you people to be the supervisors," he said. "There's issues that come up every month that we make decisions on that probably don't make people happy. I have the right to vote the way I want to, the way I feel. If people don't like it, this May there's a primary and my spot's open. It's not too late to get on the ballot."

yes but the way you vote should reflect the people you represent, not just what you feel

[Husker24]

Thank God for that.

[KC_Conspirator]

I don't see any from KS or MO either. There is one for IA though, but thats no surprise since its the only "red" Algore state in the four state region.

[WOSG]

why greens "over" Dems??? greens are the worst, greens are basically communists in drags like Germany's Joachim fischer, or total idiots.

Our austin city council has several of these types, they are very dangerous even to a local board.

[Libertarian4Bush]

greens aren't corrupt or organized.

[Kay Ludlow]

Thanks for posting this. My husband called and told me about it when he heard it on the radio, so I came here to look for the article.

As usual, CDT talks down to the local, rural Centre County people as can be seen in the descriptions the author uses. I had heard around that a lot of the people down there were outraged over the first resolution, and I'm glad to see the locals standing up and fighting back. Bet they won't let the positions run with no competition for awhile!

The woman who said "go back to State College" was probably right on that. Many "State College" people (not really from State College originally, but from there most recently) are moving out to the rural areas and taking their big government ideas with them. Worth Township had the same struggle between locals and people who moved from State College over zoning. The local people have sat back and ignored government for too long; now they'll have to take it back from the left.