No free speech at 'open' forum

To the editor:

"We chose the town hall meeting format because the town hall meeting, along with a free press, has been a cornerstone of our democracy from the start." This quote is from the Web site www.raymcgovernincape.org. It is too bad that this so-called town meeting only applied to those people with the same viewpoint as the Concerned Citizens of Southeast Missouri.

Upon entering the Osage Community Centre Saturday, I was greeted by a "security" guard and told my presence was not welcome. In the past, I have attended speeches by liberal and conservative speakers and have never been disruptive or asked to leave. I was told to go home and view the speech on public-access Channel 5. I left voluntarily without incident and went home to do a little research on the Concerned Citizens of Southeast Missouri.

A cursory search on the Internet finds the CCSM is affiliated with the Southeast Missouri Coalition for Peace and Justice. Information from its Web site reveals that it is a voting member of the national coalition United for Peace and Justice. UPJ has several affiliate groups, whose prominent member groups include Communist Party USA, Socialist Party USA, Code Pink and MoveOn.

It became blatantly obvious to me at that point as to why I was denied entrance. These far-left socialist organizations are not interested in hearing an opposing viewpoint. Free speech is only attainable when all sides of the issue can be openly addressed.

DRU C. REEVES, Cape Girardeau