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About the editor:
The Neu-Ulm Human Rights Commission (HRC) claims that it exists to protect the human rights of all Neu-Ulm citizens. One of the rights that the HRC claims to protect is freedom of expression. Which raises a question: is the HRC interested in freedom of expression for all Neu-Ulm residents or only for certain protected classes?
We ask the question because there was a very public incident on September 23, in which one of the other Neu-Ulm board members openly suppressed the freedom of expression of at least 50 people from Neu-Ulm. On that day, the ISD 88 School Board at its monthly public meeting denied the citizens present the opportunity to address the board on issues of public interest. The Board did so despite its own prior announcement that its meeting would receive public comments on items not on the agenda. The incident was reported in the Journal.
How did the HRC react to the human rights violations by the school authorities? Did the HRC take up the incident at its September 27 meeting? No. Has the HRC made a reference to the members of the ISD 88 School Board and had this letter printed in The Journal? No. Has the HRC sent an order to the printer for hundreds of lawn signs that say: “Freedom of expression for everyone”? No.
No? Why not?
Could it be because the HRC is not the non-partisan commission it claims to be? Could it be that the HRC is only interested in advancing a radical left-wing social justice agenda that responds strongly to any minor rejection? “Protected classes” but doesn’t it care about the constitutional rights of the rest of us?
Neu-Ulm has to rethink the HRC. The community is not going through one “impartial” Commission that is so obviously partisan. Maybe we could do without the HRC. Perhaps all truly non-partisan functions of the HRC could be handled by other city or state offices.
Michael Thom
New Ulm
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