Ed Kemmick's first sentence reporting the City Council "raced through a short agenda" to meet a plane on April 22 exemplifies poor decision making in my opinion. Former Councilman Clark is ignorant in implying a Masonic cornerstone would not represent the whole community. The Masons represent a cross section of the Billings community including teachers, private businessmen and some politicians.
A Masonic cornerstone simply would acknowledge the public library as a "unifying force and an institution that touches the life of every citizen." Basic tenants of Masonry include believing in a strong education system. A fitting way to support this is with a Masonic cornerstone on our new library.
In an address to the American people, George Washington, a Mason, said, "Promote then as an object of primary importance institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge." That sure sounds like something public libraries do. Ed Ulledalen's remark is an embarrassment in asking how the library would benefit allowing the cornerstone.
The Masons represent a group of men who have donated thousands of dollars over the years to programs benefiting the underprivileged through their shoe program, the Language Clinic and the bike program, just to name a few, and they don't ask for anything in return. The Masons vote for mill levies and public libraries.
In their rush to get through the short agenda, the council displayed ignorance and a shortsighted disregard for an organization representing the dynamic freedoms we all hold so close to our hearts and for which the Greatest Generation so bravely fought.
Kitty Field
Billings
Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/mailbag/city-council-shouldn-t-rush-through-decisions/article_f981878f-8707-5b64-85fc-f3485a504d6d.html#ixzz2RbcvHieB
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