I called someone at the Statesman and she told me that they got the info. about the day sessions from someone at CWI before the story was written and there was no attempt to cover anything up. And, for the record, I don’t think I was chastising David. I was just putting the facts out there based on two good sources.

Thank you CWI for working so hard to ensure people are at the public sessions. It seems so ironic that the issue here is holding private meetings, yet CWI is really trying to ensure that just the opposite happens. Also, I guess thank you Boise Guardian for helping CWI publicize these important sessions! Too bad “elite” and “apartied” were used when it appears just the opposite is happening.

LOGICALLY, if the two groups were truly equal in the eyes of CWI, there would be just the night meetings with perhaps a special invitation to the “Elite” to join in.

Appears CWI is trying to get genie back in the bottle.

EDITOR NOTE–It means a system “Apart” and when you give special treatment to one group APART from the rest of society it is indeed APART. We specifically mentioned the situation was NOT racially based.

EDITOR NOTE–In the interest of open forum, the GUARDIAN asks that you give your feedback wherever you choose. We would NEVER ask readers or citizens to refrain from voicing their opinions anywhere. We find it refreshing to hear CWI is opening all meetings to the public. Perhaps they need to clarify the issue with the Daily Paper as well.

Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear
Prowlin’ and a-growlin’ and a sniffin’ the air
He can find a fire before it starts to flame
That’s why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.

With a Ranger’s hat and shovel and a pair of dungarees,
You will find him in the forest, always sniffin’ at the breeze.
People stop and pay attention when he tells ’em to beware,
‘Cause ev’ry body knows that he’s the Fire Preventin’ Bear.
(can’t have a good revolution without a song in your heart.)

Kinda wonder how that applies to the Legislature. Are the attendees at the R’s closed-door cauci paid by taxes– i.e., government-funded?

City Council, etc., of course, can have closed-door (no lowly folks allowed) sessions by calling them personnel or planning or somesuch meetings. There, they can decide whatever, then come out into the open and vote (actually, I suppose, repeat the vote) in public, and it’s OK.
Or are they gonna try to tell us they don’t actually decide before the doors are unsealed? Hah!

It’s government, G-man. It keeps happenin’ — and, as Smokey says, “Only you can prevent” it.

Keep sniffin’ the air and reporting the stench, Guardian.

What you cited simply proves to me that public meetings are a farce mandated by law but in reality mean absolutely nothing. The decisions are made behind closed doors and we get to pony up to pay the bills.

I think they can circumvent open meeting rules in some fashion that way.

Or, they can open the meeting to anyone but announce that only invited speakers will be allowed to talk. Isn’t that what the legislature does?