Dear San Anselmo Town Council members,

My name is Victoria Makol. I live at [...] in Fairfax. I have lived in Marin County for about a year, during which time I have been working at Fairfax Lumber and Hardware. After a lot of moving, at age 25 I have decided to settle down here in Marin county, where I intend to stay for the rest of my life. I love it here for many reasons, but one is undoubtedly the political activism. I have recently met Ford as a result of having taken an interest in preserving his sign. I do believe in the importance of maintaining the visual character of a place, as well as in the regulation of signage.

However, I feel Ford's sign is of special import to the town and all those who drive by it and therefore deserves special consideration. I look forward to reading his sign whenever I go though the hub, and find myself mulling over his statements and frequently discussing them with friends. I think a sign that can do that is a real gift to a place, and the person who goes to the effort of creating it should be thanked over and again by the people of his town. Dissent is so important, no matter what the topic. The sign provides an impetus to think, and is a special thing to be preserved by the town of San Anselmo. I do not believe the central opposition to Ford's sign is over it's visual character, but rather what Ford chooses to say. If in fact that is true, then I think taking it down is censorship.

Thank you for your service to the community as town councilmembers. In your decision to serve the public, you already do a good deed. I hope for your thoughtful consideration in making this decision tonight.

Victoria Makol

Dear Council Members:

My name is Lisa Kampmeyer and I am a small business owner . I have lived in Marin for 51 years, virtually all my life. I grew up in Tiburon and have lived in San Rafael since 1978. My address is [...].

Ford Greene and I attended Redwood High School together. The fact that our friendship spans nearly 40 years is not the only reason that the fate of his sign at 711 Sir Francis Drake is significant to me. I would support the sign if it belonged to a total stranger. I would respect an individual's right to have a sign even if its messages were diametrically opposed to my own views. Free speech should not be silenced. A common bond that Ford Greene and I share is a love for both this area and this country. As natives, we are fortunate and proud to have seen Marin in the days before the huge influx, development,and homogenization took place. It saddens me that the climate of fear being perpetuated in this country has blanketed our very own communities once known for both open thought and open vistas.

I attended the San Anselmo Planning Commission meeting earlier this summer when Mr. Greene was granted his variance pending any appeals. There were just a handful of people objecting to the sign, two commissioners, and, I believe,only two men who came to the podium. Their biggest argument seemed to be that the sign poses a traffic hazard, and that they did not want to set a precedent for the town to be plastered with "copy cat" signage by others wishing to express themselves. Ford Greene's various messages have been posted on the side of his building for going on two years now. There have been no accidents, and, to my knowledge, no imitators. The proportions of his sign seem appropriate for the building's large scale. There are a number of commercial signs in the immediate Hub area that do not comply with San Anselmo's ordinance and no one has a problem with them. One can only conclude that the content of Ford Greene's postings is what is being singled out and is under attack.

Some of us wish to live in a reality-based world where facts matter. We prefer honesty over hypocrisy. We honor what rights we have and want to protect them. Ford Greene found a way to communicate to thousands daily when real information was sorely lacking in mainstream media. I would like to see his thought-provoking messages continue to appear at the Hub. Please do not let our Constitution erode in San Anselmo.

Sincerely,
Lisa Kampmeyer

I have lived in the town of San Anselmo off and on for over 15 years.

I have never met Ford Greene.

I love reading the sign in the morning on my way to work. It helps to reassure me that there are others out in the world that share my same concerns and points of view. I appreciate that it often comes with humor and also to the point.

I also feel proud that I live in a community that promotes and fosters freedom of speech. It helps to restore my faith in the foundation of this country.

If the sign were to be silenced, it would be one more nail in the goverments making sure that the voices of the people are not heard, if they don't agree.

Thanks,
Gail Usilton

Honorable Planning Commission:

My name is Ron Blair, and I am an attorney practicing Criminal Defense Law in San Rafael.

I have resided at [...], San Rafael since my wife and I purchased our home approximately eight years ago, although I have lived in Marin County for at least twenty-five years.

I do not know Ford Greene well, but do occasionally see him at the courthouse. I have no other relationship with him other than that.

I believe that Mr. Greene's"sign" represents the best impulse of those in the past who have saved Marin County from unrestrained development and kept it such a special place in which to live: placing values over money and the freedom to voice an opinion which may be contrary to the majority, but which has all the more value for that. I do not always agree with Mr. Greene, but I respect his honesty and courage in putting his views on display. In a time when our Constitutional freedoms are being eroded at an unprecedented rate, his sign holds out the promise that freedom of speech is still honored in Marin County, whether or not it is so honored in the rest of the country. If the Town silences Mr. Greene's sign, it will diminish Marin County and its reputation for tolerance of eccentricity and move us all closer to the homogenous consumer culture which Marin, on the whole,has always stood against.

I urge you in the strongest possible terms to resist the small-minded opposition to the sign, headed by John Newell and his so-called "Protect San Anselmo,"and vacate any revision to your sign ordinance which you may be contemplating as a means to specifically "outlaw"The Sign.

Sincerely,

Ron Blair

To Whom It May Concern:

I run a small non profit for adults with Developmental Disabilities and I live in San Anselmo. I must say that the Ford Sign, as I believe it is called has had a big impact on me. Since it is my understanding that it is being reviewed in some fashion I feel compelled this 4th of July to comment.

This sign is a huge two story reminder that I live in a place where ANYONE can say whatever is important to them without fear of persecution. Everyday as I pass the sign, I read it. I don’t always like or agree with what it says and there were times I didn’t understand the reference, but even when I disagree with what it says I always feel a deep love for our country. In fact this sign means more to me when I disagree with it because I’m thrilled that he uses our freedom of speech, Here we take for granted that anyone has the right to SPEAK OUT when they disagree with those in power. We have freedom of speech but I rarely see it exercised. It’s one of the principles that our country was founded on.

This sign is a reminder of all the things that makes our country great. It’s a reminder that people in other countries are MURDERED when they speak out. It reminds me that on this 4th of July, our founding fathers, some the greatest minds of the time, put their names on a piece of paper in the hopes that we might create a nation where something like this sign could be possible.

I have never been proud to live in San Anselmo before. I’ve lived here for 20 yrs and been quietly happy. But the town itself has never done anything that left me feeling a burning sense of pride – until now. I’m not sure what is going on with the sign as I am to busy with my head stuck in my own life to find out but this sign is very important to me. I believe it would be a great disservice to our town and our country to have this sign removed or censored. Please KEEP THE SIGN.

Erin Duggan Sanders

Dear Town council members,

I would like to voice my support of the Ford Greene sign. PLEASE DO NOT BAN THE SIGN.

Being raised in Boston, the birthplace of the American revolution and the original "free speechers", we were constantly enriched from the benefits of free speech.

Having moved to "liberal" California, specifically San Anselmo for 22 years, I am now shocked to learn of the proposed ordinance to outlaw this harmless sign.

I have no affiliation with Ford Greene and would consider myself somewhat conservative to the sign's postings. However, I feel the sign is well written, well timed and very family friendly.

I believe it insights and supports San Anselmo and the communities diversity. Now that 2 of my teenage children attend Drake High school, we together look forward to the sign's postings. The sign has become an excellent platform for our family to discuss current events and issues at large. Maintaining avenues for insightful dialogue with your teenage kids is important and can be difficult as you may know.

In summary:

• Our family supports the sign and opposes the ordinance banning it.
• The sign supports Community diversity and respect free speech.
• The sign is family friendly and oppresses no persons.

We feel if the community were to lose the sign, San Anselmo would become a less attractive place to live. This type of obscure ordinance is exemplary of a homogenous "Stepford" community. Without the sign, all San Anselmo needs is a huge Pottery Barn, GAP kids, a few more Starbucks and it's anywhere USA. If the residents of San Anselmo wanted that style of living, they would have moved to Walnut Creek, Etc. Etc. Etc.

Thank you for your consideration

Dempsey Family

Re: Stop the Movement to Silence Free Speech at the Hub

Dear Members of Town Council
(Stutsman, Breen, Thornton, Cooper, Wight, Chignell)

I have lived in Marin County since 1955 and have been acquainted with Ford Greene since 1968. Although I am now only in West Marin a few months out of the year, I must say that I enjoy driving along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from the country to the city and seeing signs of life from an old friend on The Sign. Although I have had cause to disagree with Mr. Greene on occasion and although I don't agree with every opinion voiced on his Sign, I still prefer to hear a voice of dissent than to hear no voice at all. Just because I may not agree with every opinion presented in the newspaper, I don't stop reading it.

But then I am writing at a remove from my main residence in Berlin, Germany, where walls have had an important role in the City's history, a history which might have taken a different course, had more people been less silent or better able to read the writing on the Wall.

If the Town of San Anselmo allows 150 square feet for commercial advertisement, then the 6 square feet alloted for political expression become all the more precious, representing a very narrow window for free speech or signs with a non-commercial content. I hope the Town Council will not give an inch to a movement that would put a stop to free speech...at the Hub or anywhere else in the Town.

Dr. Carrie L. Asman

Dear Town Council Members,

Last week I attended a screening at the S.F. Jewish Film Festival of a movie called The Front about the Hollywood Blacklist and the McCarthy Era. It struck me as extremely relevant to today's politics with the Patriot Act II and the attack on our civil liberties, especially our 1st amendment right of Free Speech. Those who do not know their history are destined to repeat it. I urge you to look deeply into the motivations of those who would silence a man from putting a sign on a building he owns just because they do not agree with his message.

After all this is AMERICA founded on the principals of Democracy and FREE SPEECH is at the very foundation of all this country has stood for. If debate and the free exchange of ideas is not allowed how do people expect Democracy to take place. If in the name of "Patriotism" we silence expressions we do not agree with how is that different from totalitarian or fascist regimes we say we are opposed to? The opposite is true. Democracy and Patriotism gain their strength from the open discussion of ideas and opinions and an informed public both of which are in danger today. I doubt very much if Ford Greene had placed his message with the Flag right side up or a sign that said "Support Our Troops" that Mr. Newell or any other citizens would have raised objections or said the sign was too big and distracting.

I live in San Anselmo and drive by the Hub and Mr. Greene's sign several times a day. I have never found it to be hazardous in any way except to a mind that does not want to question the status quo. On the contrary, talking on a cell phone while driving or a sexy young girl walking by wearing short shorts (which is quite prevalent here in Marin) is more distracting and therefore possibly a traffic danger than Mr. Greene's sign.

I have lived in Marin County for over 30 years, in Farifax and San Anselmo for over 12 years. I am also a former High School History Teacher and it is both shocking & disturbing to me that in a town as educated and privileged as this one that such a few people with a fundamentalist mindset can be imposing their will on the rest of us.

What are we so afraid of? We seem to be more afraid of ideas and of finding out the truth than of bombs or guns. Or is it that people might start thinking for themselves if exposed to other points of view than the official "party " line. On T.V., in newspapers, on radio we hear this Administrations point of view constantly. Are we so insecure that one sign on one building in the Town of San Anselmo, espousing a different point of view is so threatening? If any Point of View is so fragile that it cannot stand up to inquiry then I for say let it fall.

Remember it is the TRUTH that sets us Free not our concepts about it. People are dying both Americans and Iraqui's. They deserve nothing less than and our willingness to be heartfully engaged in open debate about which direction our country is going. Ford Greene's sign is just one small example of our willingness to be engaged in that debate.

Sincerely,
Lela Landman

Dear Town Council members,

My name is John Neal and I am a 25 year resident and property owner in San Anselmo and I am writing to you regarding "the sign" at the Hub. I am neither a friend nor associate of Ford Greene and have only met him once briefly.

My main concern is the hypocrisy of it's opponents who I'm sure would have no complaint if the sign stated comments such as "Support the Troops" or was otherwise supporting the President and the Republican policies. To try and call it a traffic hazard is disingenuous at best as it is clearly the content of the sign that offends it's distracters.

I am also dismayed to discover that the sign's leading opponent, John Newell, is not a San Anselmo resident and therefore, in my opinion, has no right to try and influence your decision. I am a voter in this wonderful town and wish the council's decisions to reflect the majority opinions of San Anselmo residents such as myself and not the right wing politics of non-voters in the community.

Therefore I will be watching your vote on this matter very closely and my vote in the next council elections will go to those members who most closely reflect my views on this matter which is to issue Mr. Greene a variance and to let the matter rest. With the budget shortfall the Town is currently experiencing I strongly advocate that your efforts should be addressing this more important matter.

With due respect,

John Neal

Dear San Anselmo Towncouncil Members:

My family and I have been residents of San Anselmo for 3 years. I live at [...]

Also, I've lived in Marin County for over 15 years and have seen Ford's signs at the San Anselmo hub going back many, many of those years.

I don't know Ford Greene personally, and I'm not sure I would recognize him on the street.

But I can state categorically that one of the positive features of San Anselmo -- indeed one of the reasons I was drawn to live here -- was because of the great, creative, honest, entertaining, forthright and very frequently "need-to-be-said" qualities of that sign.

Indeed, whether I always exactly agree with his sentiments or not, I am glad that San Anselmo is a town that is standing up for individuals' rights to say their mind. I don't want to live in a bland white bread town. And I certainly don't want to live in a San Anselmo where corporate interests come before the individual townspeople themselves.

I'm proud to live in this Marin county town which has such a forthright expressionist publicly flying his colors -- and very frequently saying truths that need to be said -- on the wall of his own place visible as we drive by.

Please don't silence the sign,

Shep Tamler
San Anselmo, CA

August 1, 2005

Subject: Freedom Sign

Att: Town City Council

We do not have any way to communicate our opinions to our neighbors and community. Talking back to the television has no effect. Written letters to the newspaper will not be published if they disagree with your opinions.

Big money owns our country and we are their herd of sheep which they shear our wool and leave us to grow more. The big gas companies set their own prices and they stop any attempt to find alternative fuels by the people they have put into our government offices.

Please let us have some way to take back our country. We have to stop somewhere so let it be in San Anselmo.

Respectfully submitted,
Herbert M. Owen
World War Veteran and
Retired Fire Chief

Fellow Americans,

My name is John Cunningham. I am a current resident of Woodacre, CA and have lived in Marin for over 30 years. I don't know Ford personally, but every day I drive past "The Sign", I feel that the America that I know and love still exists. I've never bothered much with labels, (Democrat/Republican) and never cared about being conservative or liberal. I just knew what I thought was American. As I witness the deconstruction of political morality and accountability, "The Sign" gives me hope that honest, caring, real Americans will not stand by idly, as the current administration makes a mockery of this once great nation. Whether you agree or not with "The Sign", it's Freedom of Speech. I am morally repulsed by George W. bumper stickers, however, I respect the bearers right to display it. Would the parties who wish to remove "The Sign", wish to do so if it was espousing their point of view?

Subject: Stop The Movement To Silence Free Speech At The Hub

Hello,

My name is Jennifer Margaret Desmond; I have lived in Mill Valley for the past Four years, encompassing my total time in Marin County. I look forward to reading Ford Greene's sign on a weekly basis; to see what message it displays. His quick wit and tongue in cheek humor generally mirror my own opinions and many of my Marin County friends.

I see Marin County to be one of the last bastions of independence and free speech in a nation that is quickly losing both of these things. The ordinance to "revise signage" is written specifically with Ford in mind as an attempt to take away free speech.

I am a friend of Ford's through nature. Together we have explored a few different landscapes but most importantly our collective backyard by way of cycling the rolling hills of Marin county. These past four months I have found it necessary to spend the majority of my time in Manhattan and I have clearly relearned and solidified my views that Marin County is one of the most sacred spots on earth. Not only because Free Speech is tolerated, accepted and encouraged but also because the power of one's voice has enabled the protection of the earth surrounding your homes. The power of the people's voice have created the Giacomini Open Space Preserve, The Marin Agricultural Land Trust, even the Golden Gate National Recreation area.

This may seem like a small sign on the side of a building on Sir Francis Drake but really it is symbolic of a much larger and greater issue. It is the power of the voice and our right's as citizens of this country to utilize this power. This power makes your home what it is.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Margaret Desmond

Subject: Opposition to freedom of speech rights

Greetings, City Council

I've been looking over the messages posted to a privately owned sign whereupon numerous anti-war / anti-fascism / ant-hate messages have been posted and I've been reading about your group's unusual opposition to the freedom of speech rights rights of the individual or people who maintain the sign.

After looking over the messages, I can't imagine how anyone could be opposed to them. From what I've read so far -- and admittedly I may have missed something -- everything posted on the sign has been undeniably true. Not only that, it's expressing the hope that people think for themselves, stop hating one another, and stop believing the lies that the Bush regime has been feeding to all of us -- Democrats, Republicans, independents; we're all Americans so I can't imagine what your group's legitimate opposition is to this sign, the messages posted on it, and the people who post them.

My initial reaction was to assume that the members of your Council are all Republicans, all support his wars, and as such are not in agreement with the undeniable truths on the sign. I see that there are outrageous complaints that the sign is ugly and that it some how degrades the community, but the photographs I see if the area, the building the sign is located on, and the sign itself... the photographs don't support that notion. All of this led me to the assumption that you're all Republicans who support Bush's crimes -- against the people of Iraq as well as his treason against the people of the United States.

I hope I'm mistaken since if I'm correct -- if all the available evidence so far is accurate -- none of you belong in the City Council and certainly none of you should be allowed to utilize your position of control over other people's factual free speech. You're all well within your rights to hold opposing viewpoints, and I would encourage your Council's members to speak out and state your opinions freely, in public, just as this sign and its owners are doing.

That's how it's done in a Constitutional Republic. That's how it's done in a Democracy where one's freedom of speech is treated just as much a civil right and a duty as anyone else's right and duty to speak up and speak out.

I hope that the City Council sets aside their Party ideologies and does what's right. If you oppose a citizen's rights today, your own rights will be denied tomorrow.

Fredric L. Rice
Chairman, The Dark Wind Project
http://www.thedarkwind.org/

From: Chase Harris [x@x.x]
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 7:22 PM
Subject: Stop The Movement To Silence Free Speech At The Hub

Whomever it may concern,

I am fourteen years old, and have been reading the sign for a couple of years now, while on the way to school in the morning. To suddenly out of all this time argue that this "innocent" sign is inappropriate is in fact inappropriate. The sign is a perfect example of free speech, and to consider this as harmful, this sign being harmful, is almost humorous. If you don't like the sign, don't read the sign, and your problems will be settled. His sign never includes any profanity, so I really don't understand why you are all taking it so seriously. Now for we who enjoy reading the sign, we students, and people attending work, we'll be the ones to read the sign, and let you be. These spontaneous insults thrown at the sign and my friend Ford are incredibly ridiculous. Exercise your right to ignore.

sincerely,

your student

voice of the kids

neighbor

chase

Dear Council Members,

My name is Cindy Jarrett, Communication and Relationships Consultant

My Address - [...] I have lived in Marin for 17 years and in our home in Fairfax for 15 years

I know Mr. Greene through his open and FREE voice on THE SIGN

I am a citizen who is watching our rights and freedoms slowly dwindle under the domination of this current regime or administration, as it were.

And now, to have any Northern Californian community hint...or whisper of censorship of free speech is unconstitutional at best, and a crime, lining up with the many crimes being committed under the psychological-pressure-machine of "belonging" to the mindless-ness consensus of "support our troops" means DON'T QUESTION AUTHORITY! They are counting on this!!

This mindlessness will NEVER bring back the dead from Viet Nam, those who committed suicide after that war, or the soul-loss remaining in so many, or our soldiers who are currently being maimed, taking their own lives, taking antidepressants, and beating their wives (or prisoners) from this current war, that no one publishes, even though these men and women are being... "supported."

This IS how Nazi Germany started, read the history books, and we are asleep if we think a modern version of nazism is not possible today.

KEEP THE SIGN!!! It is refreshing to see it, to know someone speaks out ...still. And, it is Ford Greene's right to speak out. Those who misconstrue that being against the terror from this government as not supporting men and women stuck in a pointless war are miss guided souls and I will pray for them.

Who am? I am a consultant for 16 years, a sister to a war veteran of Viet Nam, who nearly lost his life and had the government turn against him because of the manner in which he needed to save his life in the war.

A retired health professional who assisted in my early years "the troops" who returned to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, well before they tore it down. A former lover of two Viet Nam vets who knew the war was a politically driven monster, as they both watched buddies pointlessly die, for what??

I am a poet, a writer, a singer, a dreamer, a designing, a teacher of emotional maturing...a breather....

And I am a citizen of the world, not just this country. I do not think in separatist terms of "them and us" I have Iraqi friends, a daughter draft age, friends with sons in Iraq ....we all breath the same air...eventually, and have the same 4 blood types in all cultures, and love life and family and breathing that air....we hope stays clean with all the many changes to the clean air act, one wonders....so KEEP THE SIGN!!! Keep the door a crack to FREEDOM!!! Don't close us all down....

Sincerely,
Cindy Jarrett

Dear Council Members and Mr. Greene,

First, let me say a round of applause to Mayor Breen for your excellent diplomacy in conducting a difficult meeting. You did it with humor and authority, not always a practice with those in positions of influence.

In the heat of the moment I don't always know all the best things to say, but upon greater reflection things percolate to the surface.

What I would like to offer post-meeting is: we have laws, we have ordinances, and we have variances....and even appeals to those variances. One is not more important over the other. Each has its place in the running of a community. That is why they exist. Ordinances have the process of being considered on an issue by issue basis, thus variances and appeals can be called into play. Mr. Greene was granted his variance. It was appealed.

What I would offer is, it would seem you are trying to come to a resolve for everyone in the community to win. I would just ask that you grant Mr. Greene consideration on the "original variance allowed," because the truth is, there isn't going to be "sign-age mayhem" as was proposed in the statements of "fear" from the opposing community to strike the sign. It often is the by-line to change, this thought, that EVERYONE will be "doing it" ...and EVERY one doesn't.

People don't have the time, focus or inclination to give to the community such as Mr. Greene has given and risked.

And signs will continue to be petitioned for in a commerce-oriented community until we say otherwise. And each will be taken into consideration accordingly.

The Sign - smaller, yes....to a degree. More artistically pleasing, sure ( a frame, a solid background unbroken vs. panels, same color letters as a suggestion {although many of us knew the subliminal meaning of the red letters} )....but do not remove or eliminate, PLEASE!

Every community needs its town crier, Ford Greene is ours.....

A Thank You to Ford Greene as well, for your courage to speak out against an establishment/administration that never before in the history of time, has more books, and more articles, and more commentaries, and more documentaries and more movies exposing plainly the issues of threat to our freedom and our planet.

Many of us thought Fahrenheit 9-11 was going to wake people up, sadly I watched a nation fall asleep under a deeply planned campaigned of domination and control.

And it will only be a matter of time we will see the cumulative destruction this administration has brought upon our national and global community...

Sometimes one has to stand up and stand alone for a while to let the rest of the world catch up. The world ain't flat anymore....or round either, it is multidimensional, no! ( read the new physics )

All the best in your negotiations,

Cindy Jarrett, Fairfax resident, beauty lover, sign supporter, and frequent s l o w driver to the hub

August 1, 2005

To Whom This Might Concern:

My husband and I own our home and lived in San Anselmo for over ten years. Our children attend the Ross Valley Schools. Neither of us have ever met Mr. Ford Greene.

We both like the sign at the hub very much. We agree with the anti-war and anti George Bush politics. We don't always agree with the content of the sign but find it thought provoking and interesting, usually hoping that it gets people thinking about the stories behind the news.

We both strongly want the sign to stay and would feel like our freedom of expression would be hindered if Mr. Greene was forced to take it down. We don't believe that censorship has a place in our community.

Sincerely,

Sandra Soklin
Robin Crabill
Ordinary Citizens
San Anselmo CA

Dear Sir or Madame,

I'm writing in support of Ford Greene's sign at the hub.

Though I now live in Mill Valley, I grew up in San Anselmo and still visit my mom there frequently.

In this day and age of a trepidacious, seemingly gagged media, it is always a pleasure to drive past this sign to see the latest truth posted.

I would miss this sign very much; I urge you not to allow a few vociferous curmudgeons to spoil this bastion of free speech for the rest of us.

Sincerely,

Russell Lachelt
Mill Valley, CA

From: Miriam Brooks Weinstein [x@x.x]
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2005 6:27 PM
Subject: Stop The Movement To Silence Free Speech At The Hub

25 years in Marin - 20 in Fairfax and San Anselmo.

I like the sign. If the sign was Pro-Bush, the people who are objecting wouldn't be objecting, guaranteed. Since the papers don't tell it like it is, and the TV doesn't tell it like it is, it is refreshing that Ford Greene is willing to stick his neck out at a time when so few do.

And it is dangerous for drivers???? Give me a break. What could be dangerous as you crawl thru that intersection, often taking 2 or 3 green lights to get across? How disingenuous.

What has our country come to when a town and county which is 90% democratic, can't stand up against those who want no discourse, and no objections to national policy.

I have no relationship to Ford Greene. I'm a mother of four who has raised her children (a Fulbright Fellow among them) here in San Anselmo, Fairfax and San Rafael.

Please stand up for freedom of speech.

Miriam Weinstein
San Anselmo

From: Stephen Mork [x@x.x]
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2005 9:03 PM
Subject: Stop The Movement To Silence Free Speech At The Hub

Do I hear rightly? Is urbane, cosmopolitan, modern San Anselmo really trying to harass one of it's citizens into removing his very entertaining sign? Who could be that petty? Who could be that unamerican? I do hope this is some kind of joke. I find the sign unique and entertaining and a welcome comic relief from the juggernaut of modern life. Leave Mr. Greene alone and go find yourself something constructive to do like stopping all the lunatic bicyclists that make our sidewalks a hazardous place to walk.

I have no personal connection with Mr. Greene. I have lived in San Anselmo for 9 years.

Stephen R. Mork

From: Lauren Secrist [x@x.x]
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 8:37 AM
Subject: The people's Sign on the Ford Greene Building, San Anselmo

Hello:
My name is Lauren Secrist [...] I went to Dominican University to finish my degree, and now work in San Rafael, serving Children of this County and most of California.

I drive from Lagunitas to San Rafael every day right past the sign. I believe that any freedom of speech is cause for reflection and if you don't like the message, then it still invites you to check your biases , ideas, and standpoint on issues.

I believe censorship is a form of power wielding that is not only intrusive itself but is in fact unconstitutional when it comes to religion and politics especially.

Like the television, if you don't like what's on, change the channel, but make it your individual choice.

If you don't like to read the sign's message look the other way, don't impose your biases on others.

Please leave the sign, it harms no one and may just cause some thoughtful reflection.

Sincerely,
Lauren Secrist
Registered voter since 1976
Californian since birth (third generation)

Greetings Planners,

My name is Franis Engel; I've been a resident of Marin County for the last thirty years in Bolinas, CA.

I have absolutely no relationship to the guy who maintains the political sign at the Hub at all.

I think that it would be a shame to silence the sign, because it's spirited free speech that makes America what it is. I am in favor of continuing to allow this sign. I admire the guy who maintains it because anyone who wants to pay their way to express their personal views should be allowed and even encouraged to do so. Tolerance and freedom make diversity it's own blessing, especially since this guy seems to have devoted his life to being an activist preserving legal freedoms.

I'd feel this way even if this sign was a religious sign, such as the messages on the Miracle Mile of the Church that can be regularly read from the road; (which I believe is at least twice the area of six feet square to facilitate being seen by the fast-moving traffic.)

What about the banners that Fairfax stretches across the road to announce fairs and events? Would that no longer be allowed also if this six feet square limit were adopted? That would be a thoughtless, mean-spirited limitation that would distract from the quality and attendance from announcing community events.

Politics is a community event, even when expressed by just one person, because that person becomes a representational voice for those who agree with them.

I do not always agree with the things that sign says, however the fact that someone is paying for saying it in a way easy to be read I admire.

I used to work as a signpainter ten years ago (which I no longer do;) I know that in order to be read by traffic from a distance of across a street, letters need to be at least 6" high. This means a sign of 6 square feet is an inadequate and an unsafe distraction to traffic, because who can say anything in less than thirty letters in a two by three foot space?

The fact that the sign at the hub is large enough to be read while moving or standing still in traffic is thoughtful, from a readability point of view.

I oppose changing the sign ordinance to only allow one six square foot sign because it's a mean-spirited, authoritarian, narrow minded restriction, as well as an unsafe for traffic for drivers trying to read lettering on a single six foot area.

I oppose eliminating the political sign at the hub. Americans seem to be losing our freedoms by the day already. Why have Marin be known as a county that actively censors free speech? Marin has been known as open-minded, tolerant of diversity. Please don't turn my county into a huge gated condo with more specs on which opinions, colors and materials are allowed to be seen and which are not. The sign ordinance as it stands is yuppie enough as it is.

Please don't make me a member of a county that censors especially political or religious content by making it so inaccessible as to become insignificant.

Thanks,

Franis Engel
www.franis.org
POB 586, Bolinas, 94924

Dear Council Members,
I have lived in San Anselmo for the last 18 years. Every day I drive past the Hub. I always look forward to the refreshing progressive messages on the Sign. I feel privileged to live in a town were it is possible for an individual to express himself. Maybe not everyone always agrees with the message, but at least it gets people to think while they are sitting in traffic.

I do not know Ford Green personally, but he must be a very creative and courageous person. Please do not silence the Sign. Let San Anselmo be a free speech symbol for other cities.

Thank you,
Ingrid Ramsay

Dear San Anselmo Town Council Members,

I've lived in Marin County for thirty years. I'm a good citizen, go to work, pay taxes, participate in jury duty, try to keep an open mind, lead a lawful life. But I must say that I'm stunned that the San Anselmo Town Council would stoop to paying attention to right-wing reactionaries in considering town ordinances specifically (come on, now: you know it's specific) aimed at Mr. Ford Greene's sign.

I've never met Ford Greene. He may be a wonderful person, he may be most unpleasant. But that's irrelevant. His sign is free speech, he dares to contradict what corporate and governmental forces want us to believe, and some people don't like that. I like it: I read it on my way to work and feel as if there are some thinking people left in this country.

What's occurring to us in the United States is subtle, and serious, and grievous, and Greene sees it and calls it. I want him protected, and I'd want him protected even if he were spouting nutty Nazi slogans. That's what we're about in this country.

One day a history of our time will be written. Students will see that our country, whose strength derived from protecting people like Greene, let its rights and freedoms slip away in much the same way as they slipped away from Germans: no, not in Hitler's time, but in Cold War East Germany. After the Soviet invasion, the East Germans themselves, for the most part, administered. One freedom at a time lost, a right at a time, reporting a neighbor, stifling a sign, the rise of the Stasi, then all freedom gone.

What happens when such histories are written? Incidents are recalled--emblematic incidents--and names are named. The San Anselmo Town Council's decision about a simple sign would provide a stellar example of the gradual erosion of what formerly was called free speech: a little town in California passing an ordinance that, essentially, stifled public dissent against government and corporate practices.

Greene's name will be mentioned, certainly, in that history, and so will those of Council members, and how they voted. And how you vote, Council member, is part of your history, and, importantly, your family's history. Where will you stand? Will your grandchild or great grandchild one day read a book or come across a yellowed magazine article relating, sadly, that you, too, were part of the great wave of repression, part of the people who buckled under when the least pressure was exerted, part of the totality that took away their own ability to speak their minds? Or will they find an excerpt from a speech you made, a simple and stirring defense of one man's power, the power to think and think publicly on the side of a building he himself owns? Where will you stand in your own history, the history of your family, and the history, small decision by small decision, of our country?

These matters are important. Repression can begin locally, in acquiescensce, in groupthink, in cowardice.

I urge you to do the right thing, unpopular as it may be among your neighbors, among your constituents. As for those who don't like Mr. Greene's signs? They have the musculature, the autonomy, and the right to turn their eyes away.

Sincerely,

Gerald Fleming
Lagunitas

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to support Ford Greene's right of free speech via the sign that hangs from his building on Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

I find Mr. Greene's sign to be a welcome diversion from the gridlock that plagues the Hub. Mr. Greene's messages challenge and provoke and are often humorous. And while I may not always agree with some of his positions, I fervently support his right to express those opinions.

If Mr. Greene's sign were of a commercial nature, say advertising his law firm or some other product, then I believe that the Town Council would be well within its rights to demand removal of the sign. However, Mr. Greene's messages are always political and to revise the existing sign ordinance to specifically to silence someone's right of expression smacks of McCarthyism and does not reflect the values of the United States, its Constitution and frankly, the majority of the citizens of San Anselmo and those who travel Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

I have never seen the sign offend in any way shape or form, except to offend those who do not agree with Mr. Greene's political opinions. To revise the town ordinance because of a few right-wing curmudgeons is almost laughable, if it weren't such an affront on one man's right of free speech.

I urge the Council not to give in to those individuals who would weaken the values that make our country great. Do not revise existing Town ordinance in order to suppress Mr. Greene's right of free speech. There are far more pressing issues affecting our community that demand your attention and time like the above mentioned gridlock at the Hub which truly adversely affects our community, its environment and its standards.

Sincerely,
Torv Carlsen

Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 7:21 PM
Subject: Sign - freedom of speech

Dear San Anselmo Town Members,

My name is John Colwell. I spent most of my childhood and teen years in San Anselmo living on [...]. I graduated from St. Anselm School in 1969.

San Anselmo has always been an open minded town. Many of Ford Greene's signs not only reflect the true values I was taught growing up, but also accentuates free speech.

I have no personal relationship with Ford. I admire his courage to publicly state his opinions and feel it is his right.

I have lived in Marin county over 48 years and now reside in San Geronimo. Ford's signs have made it easier to sit in the San Anselmo traffic jams!

John Colwell

From: Liam Kirsher [x@x.x]
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 12:59 PM
Subject: The Sign

Hi --

Just thought I'd let you know that I appreciate the sign.

It's a straightforward exercise of Mr. Greene's 1st Amendment rights. It's hard not to interpret opposition to the sign as opposition to its content, which of course threatens an illegal infringement of those rights. Arguments regarding road safety strike me as particularly specious and silly.

I'm appalled that the San Anselmo City Council is even considering this restriction of freedom of expression, and especially in what appears to be a disingenuously indirect manner.

I live out in Woodacre, and drive past the sign at least once a day.

Best,
Liam Kirsher

Dear San Anselmo Town Council,

Please register my voice in favor of allowing Ford Greene's sign(s) to remain in public view. Your duty as a town council subordinate to the authority of the United States Constitution (somewhat tattered of late but still in effect when last I checked) demands this.

Sadly, we live in a time when we must rely on courageous people like Mr. Greene to get the truth out. Our corrupt government and unethical corporate leaders have rendered the so-called 'free press' next to useless. As such, we need more beacons like Greene's marquees to remind us of how far we've fallen from our once great place among the world's nations. Greene's ugly truths must continue to shock us awake from the sugar-coated fantasy we live in today. Let freedom of speech not be another victim to the war on terrorism. Treasonous? Ludicrous. Imperative? Without question. The signs and their necessarily unsavory messages MUST stand.

Respectfully,

Randolph W. Jonsson
San Anselmo, CA

Dear San Anselmo Town Council:

I am writing this e-mail/letter in support of the variance that was granted to Ford Greene to keep his sign on his building at the Hub. I live in San Anselmo at [...] with my husband, Damon Wolfe, and my two children, Izzy and Jack Parnell-Wolfe. We are active members of the San Anselmo community and have lived here for two years. I grew up in Tiburon (when there was a Blackie, as well as a train), my father was captain of the Fire Department, and my mother constantly served in a civic capacity (the Planning Commission, the city council, etc.) Finally, in my volunteer life, I serve as one of the commissioners representing District 2 on the Marin County Free Library Commission. I am also a former member of the State Bar of California.

I do not know Ford Greene and have never met him. However, his sign has provoked numerous interesting and challenging conversations between me and my 12-year-old daughter, and we would greatly miss it if he were not allowed to continue to post his musings. I cannot imagine anyone finding fault with the sign for any reason other than he or she disagrees with what Mr. Greene has to say and it seems suspicious to me that this whole brouhaha seemed to arise after he hung the American flag upside down.. Although I do not agree with everything Mr. Greene puts on his sign, I appreciate his contribution to the public discourse, his willingness to take a stand on matters of critical import and his defense of our collective constitutional right to free speech.

Sincerely,

Meredith Parnell
Associate Program Director
Congregation Rodef Sholom

To the Town Councilmembers of San Anselmo:

My name is Jennifer Bendery. I am a former and likely future resident of the Bay Area. I currently live in Austin, TX, but heard about the situation regarding Ford Greene and his sign and felt compelled to write to you.

Mr. Greene's sign represents what this country is founded on: having the ability to express oneself publicly about the political climate our this country. Even if I disagreed with Mr. Greene's opinion, I would respect his right to express it, particularly since he is doing so on his own property. I feel the same way about protecting signs posted on church lawns in virtually every American town, with passages from the Bible or statements about a God I may not believe in.

For you to try to block Mr. Greene's sign is not only a surprising disappointment for a region known for honoring people's individual rights, but it reflects the unfortunate short-sightedness of associating freedom of speech with anti-patriotism. This push to block Mr. Greene's sign--and to personally discredit him in the process--is something I might expect to read about in a rural East Texas town, but to hear about this in San Anselmo is alarming.

I urge you to keep constitutional rights in the foreground of your decision-making. I would suggest to Mr. John Newell, who I understand is leading a group called Protect San Anselmo, that he erect his own sign reading, "My Sign is Better than Yours" and call it a draw.

Thank you for your time. Please, do the right thing.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Bendery

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin

From: elizabeth.c.moore [x@x.x]
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:47 PM
Subject: Stop The Movement To Silence Free Speech At The Hubh At The Hub

I am writing you to express my support with the sign the is displayed byFord Greene on the side of his office building near the Hub.

First, I live at [...], my residence of [...] years.

Second, I have participated in Town activities in someway throughout this time (Dog Park subcommittee of Park and Recreation committee, San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce, various volunteer activities.

The sign is unobtrusive and not an eyesore. Nor does the sign contain obscene material. As a matter of personal freedom, as well as free speech, I believe that the sign should be permitted. Even more importantly, if we were to now force the removal of the sign it would signal the ability of a small group to censor information.

I believe this to be true, even if the material that was displayed was something that I admently opposed (e.g. Nazi type propaganda).

Lastly, I have found only one thing offensive to the messages -- the idea that the town would force their discontinuance.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth C. Moore

[Fairfax resident ]

resident of fairfax for 6 years, san rafael for 2

[...]

the sign ROCKS!
it is a real symbol of what america is all about
freedom to express your beliefs
and to rally a sensible discourse

if the sign goes away
i will be reminded that our freedoms
as americans are being stripped away
and that a fascist dictatorship is not far off

our small town of tolerance and diversity
will become bland and full of hatefulness
we must move towards a community of solutions
and not slander.

why are you so hurtful towards ford?
america is full of characters
do you really want to be the same as everyone else?
isn't that what hitler wanted?

think, talk, love

From: susan shannon [x@x.x]
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 1:06 PM
Subject: Stop the Movement to Silence Free Speech at the Hub

To the San Anselmo Town Council,
My name is Susan Shannon. I have been a San Anselmo resident for the past 3 years, living in the Hawthorne Hills area. Prior to that, I lived in the San Geronimo Valley since 1980, working primarily as a mail carrier in San Anselmo for 15 years before retiring in 1996. During my years as the mail lady in downtown San Anselmo, I had daily opportunities to meet many if not most of the residents and merchants in the area, and "feel the pulse" of San Anselmo politically, emotionally, economically, etc. Coming from a small island in the Northwest, I constantly felt so lucky to live and work in a small, sophisticated yet earthy town with deep dedication to diversity and open mindedness in all its shapes and forms. It was during those years I came to know and appreciate Ford Greene both in his law practice and as a mutual friend from several circles. I am aware of the controversy over Ford's sign. As director of a non-profit that works in Nepal, where to voice any disapointment with the government could lead to disappearance and/or death, I can honestly that The Sign has led me to finally, for the first time in my 48 years, been proud to live in this country.

Every time I go by the sign, I am reminded of the great luxuries we (supposedly) have in this country, most specifically, that of Freedom of Speech. For those residents who feel that upholding the constitution= blocking Ford's expression of his constitutional rights, I urge you to "look beyond the world in your teacup" and visit some news websites of countries that live with oppression. Is that what you want our government to turn into? The Sign is a Sign of the what makes this country, county, and town a great place. To keep it is a vote for political health, to kill it would be a sign of great malignancy.

Stop the Movement to Silence Free Speech at the Hub
Susan Shannon

From: Meg Brizzolara [x@x.x]
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 3:52 PM
Subject: Sign on SFDrake in San Anselmo

Dear Town Council Members:

I am appalled at the broughaha over the sign on this building and people's objection to it.

One person even said in a letter to the editor that Mr. Greene should be tried for "treason"! Jeez!

We DO live in a "free" country with free speech rights (and property rights) still, despite the efforts by some to turn us into cowered, fearful peole, afraid of being called "traitors" for expressing dissent.

I've lived in the county for 32 years and have not seen the likes of this petty bickering about a sign! It makes us into a laughing stock to people in other Bay Area counties who cannot believe how rabidly people in Marin adhere to an aesthetic they feel MUST be imposed on everyone else!

Aesthetics aside, it is clear that political dissent is being squelched, not only in Marin but nationwide.

My heart breaks for my country, since Thomas Jefferson himself said "Dissent is the ultimate form of patriotism".

Those who see this as "treason" need to brush up on some American history, and familiarize themselves with what living in a "free" country really means, and stop turning the definition of free speech and patriotism on it's head!

Isn't that the stated reason why we had to oust Sadaam Hussein?

No one has to agree with what Mr. Green has to say, but I for one, will defend to the teeth his right to say it!

And for God's sake, let's stop this "everyone has to protect my 'right' to see what I want to see on my commute" smokescreen!

It is soooooo un Marin like, a traditionally tolerant county proud of it's diversity!

In other words, let's get everyone off Mr. Greene's back!

If you don't like him, ignore him.

Meg Brizzolara

From: Kerry Katherine Enright [x@x.x]
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 4:47 PM
Subject: Freedom of Speech in Marin?

Hi

When we lived in San Anselmo last year, there was this fantastic sign on Sir Francis Drake that always had the most truthful messages. They were well written, political and important. Well, the town council of San Anselmo is considering whether or not to "let" the owner of that building continue to speak his mind. Isn't that hard to believe, given our Constitution?

This man, Ford Greene, is an attorney, and interesting in his own right -- however, what these right-wing crazies are trying to do, to discredit, to embarrass, and to harass this man -- not to mention taking away his freedom to speak his truth -- is just too much! What will be next?

Would you take a moment to read the following, and offer your support if you, like I, feel strongly that our freedom of speech cannot be squelched?

Thanks -- this is really very important for all of us.

Kerry Enright

Dear members of the San Anselmo Town Council,

My name is Katharine Kelso Novak, I am the property owner of [ xxx ], in San Anselmo. I have lived in San Anselmo for seven years and a fifth generation Marin county resident. I am a teacher and mother of two small children with no relation to Ford Greene. I believe that Ford should be able to display his sign. I find value in the sign because it models free thinking and sparks curiosity to investigate the issues. It seems as if this is an attack on Ford Greene's beliefs and personality. I am surprised and disappointed in San Anselmo trying to silence free speech.

Sincerely,
Katharine Kelso Novak

PAUL MORANTZ
ATTORNEY AT LAW
[...]
7-25-2005

Town Council
TOWN OF SAN ANSELMO
[...]
Dear Council Members:

I am writing concerning possible action on your part concerning the "sign" on the building owned by Ford Greene. While the message communicated may not be in your opinion a popular one the fact is that the United States Constitution requires that as part of your duties you defend the right for the minority to speak, not just the majority. I remind you that long ago a politician stated, in substance, "I may not believe in what you say, but I will defend with my life your right to say it."

It is ironic that free-speech is often squelched at the time it is needed most. In the sixties, police with batons attacked war protesters and arrested those who burned flags. Yet today, history looks favorably upon those protesters and unfavorably against the war they protested. .

Today we live in a new era, post 9-11. Myself, like Mr. Greene has worked in the area of cults and terrorism for 30 years. Long ago, Mr. Greene and I assisted Marin County warning against the likes of the People Temple and Synanon, then local terrorist groups, yet now some decide Mr. Greene may not speak in a manner designed to get many to think and question our nation?s actions and policies.

Like Mr. Greene, I am concerned over a President who tells the world "you are with us or against us," destroys careers of those who oppose his policies, provides false information to get our support for invasion of another country and who believes that he knows God's true intent. What time has been more in need of warnings and free discussion than an era filled with mass destruction as the likely result from the wrong move?

There is in this country a large minority, maybe even a majority, who feel that the invasion of Iraq was our 9-11 in reverse, an act that guaranteed a future strike within our borders. There are those who believe that when the media chose to follow the troops into battle and brought the war 24-hours live into our homes we had at last created George Orwell's 1984 Big Brother. Dissent became no longer tolerated, only blind patriotism.

Most people I know, including many senior members of the media, believe that in no time in our history has there been such a pressure curtailing the right to speak out in criticism. Those who so do are quickly branded a traitor in light of 9-11, and those who wave flags the true patriots. But given the freedoms and ideals our country is based upon, the traitor may well be the non-thinking conformists who only wants the majority to speak and the patriot may be the well-informed person with a different view who will for the love of his country stand and speak despite knowing it makes him or her unpopular.

Mr. Greene is doing what every informed American should do. Rather than giving into pressure from locals, you should recognize him for his bravery and standing up for American ideals. No one can say he is totally right or totally wrong, but it is only from the freedom to express all ideas that the right hopefully will emerge. That has always been the concept our country has been based upon. The day free speech ends, terrorists win.

Very Truly Yours,

Paul Morantz