Monday, September 17, 2007
Ugly Controversy
This Frances Semler/Minuteman controversy is getting uglier by the day.
In case you missed it, Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser named Frances Semler to the city's parks board earlier this year. It turns out, Semler is a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which is known for patroling the U.S.-Mexico boarder looking for illegal immigrants. Funkhouser says he wasn't aware of Semler's affiliation with the group, but supports her right to be a member. After word of all this got out, two national civil rights groups, La Raza and the NAACP threatened to pull their upcoming national conventions out of Kansas City. In response, the Minutemen now say they will bring their annual meeting here.
I think both sides have some valid points. But no matter which side, if any, you come down on, this whole situation is bad for the city.
I also think it's a negative even for the groups involved. First, the Minutemen look petty for trying to stir things up by announcing they will now hold their national convention in KC. Part of the knock against the group is that they are troublemakers and that move doesn't do anything to contradict that.
On the other hand, La Raza and the NAACP look like they are trying to control city affairs all the way down to the parks board with their loud objections to Semler. Also, they're giving priceless publicity to the Minutemen. A lot of people have been visiting the group's website trying to figure out exactly what they stand for, and many more who had never heard of the group now know all about them. I'm sure that was not the intention of the civil rights groups when they first raised their concerns.
And finally, right now I can't see how this ends well for the city and Mayor Funkhouser, who finds himself in the middle of another controversy. If he asks for/accepts Semler's resignation he's giving in to outside groups and abandoning a supporter. If he doesn't ask her to resign, he'll be viewed by many people as condoning a group that they find offensive. Again, I don't think there's a happy ending here. And if the Minutemen do indeed come here in December, this whole thing could get worse before it gets better. What a mess.
In case you missed it, Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser named Frances Semler to the city's parks board earlier this year. It turns out, Semler is a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which is known for patroling the U.S.-Mexico boarder looking for illegal immigrants. Funkhouser says he wasn't aware of Semler's affiliation with the group, but supports her right to be a member. After word of all this got out, two national civil rights groups, La Raza and the NAACP threatened to pull their upcoming national conventions out of Kansas City. In response, the Minutemen now say they will bring their annual meeting here.
I think both sides have some valid points. But no matter which side, if any, you come down on, this whole situation is bad for the city.
I also think it's a negative even for the groups involved. First, the Minutemen look petty for trying to stir things up by announcing they will now hold their national convention in KC. Part of the knock against the group is that they are troublemakers and that move doesn't do anything to contradict that.
On the other hand, La Raza and the NAACP look like they are trying to control city affairs all the way down to the parks board with their loud objections to Semler. Also, they're giving priceless publicity to the Minutemen. A lot of people have been visiting the group's website trying to figure out exactly what they stand for, and many more who had never heard of the group now know all about them. I'm sure that was not the intention of the civil rights groups when they first raised their concerns.
And finally, right now I can't see how this ends well for the city and Mayor Funkhouser, who finds himself in the middle of another controversy. If he asks for/accepts Semler's resignation he's giving in to outside groups and abandoning a supporter. If he doesn't ask her to resign, he'll be viewed by many people as condoning a group that they find offensive. Again, I don't think there's a happy ending here. And if the Minutemen do indeed come here in December, this whole thing could get worse before it gets better. What a mess.
Posted at 5:59 AM
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