Letter to the Editor by Michael McGowan of Post Falls
On February 24, at the monthly NIC board of trustees meeting, I made a public comment (which can viewed here, starting at minute 9:30).
My mic was cut by the Chair Brad Corkill on the grounds that I was making a “personal attack.”
If you watch the video, you will see that the only possible grounds for that accusation was that I mentioned Teresa Borrenpohl had caused a public disturbance at the legislators’ town hall on the preceding Saturday and had to be physically removed.
I also mentioned that I had seen NIC President Nick Swayne outside after the town hall talking to one of the leaders of the group, and a few members of that group, that had come to disrupt it.
I specifically stated that I did not know what that conversation was about and was not judging Swayne. I only said that it was a very bad look when the president of one of our educational institutions gives the appearance of supporting such people.
My mic was cut by Corkill a moment before I was going to invite Swayne and the entire board to disavow and repudiate the anti-social, anti-rational, and anti-human behavior displayed so egregiously by Borrenpohl.
I also want to record, for public awareness, that the video of what I said was also edited—i.e., part of it was deleted.
The fact that this was done leads me to suspect that my final words, spoken in a loud voice off-mic, were attenuated so that the majority of viewers/listeners would not hear them. However, my words are still audible.
I invite readers to view my comment and listen carefully to the part where I said (after the mic was cut): “So. That is the way it works, folks. Conservatives are shut down, but Liberal instigators can do whatever they want.”
Finally, I should mention that Swayne approached me after the meeting, and stated that he was in no way involved in political groups and that he tried to be friendly to everybody. We discussed other matters as well, not relevant to the purpose of this letter. The conversation was quite friendly, and I stated my appreciation to him for being willing to step out and explain himself, and my regrets that, unfortunately, it had been precisely my intention to give him the opportunity to do so publicly, but that Corkill’s decision to cut my mic and suppress freedom of speech had made that impossible.
