RE: First Amendment

[Karyn Gill <KarynGill@aol.com>]

Kevin, I enjoyed your thoughtful posting.  You covered a lot of 
ground.  One of the things you asked is if anyone is "checking" 
on our representatives.

I work as a volunteer with the local chapter of the League of 
Women Voters.  It's an organization that's been around since 
women got the right to vote in 1920.  One of the things I like 
most about the organization is the commitment of their members to  
attend meetings of elected Boards and Commissions to just sit and 
listen to what is being said.  They're called "observers".  Their 
job is to listen, without speaking, and report back to the local 
chapter on what is going on with the Board or Commission.

In our city, the observer reported back that the members of the 
City Council were meeting behind closed doors to discuss certain 
contracts.  This was against state law.  Based on the observer's 
report, the local chapter wrote an Op-Ed piece for the local 
paper, and the City Council changed its ways.

I wish more groups were interested enough in the political goings 
on of their communities to do this simple thing: observe and 
report back to someone who cares.