Jack O'Dwyer, publisher of the Public Relations Industry's leading trade magazine O'Dwyers's Newsletter, has made a bold declaration this 4th of July.  He and his publications will no longer use "America" when referencing PR's premier trade association, the Public Relations Society of America.

O'Dwyer said: "PRS* is not worthy. The association has shown contempt for all known principles of democracy. Something catches in our throat every time we write "America" as part of its name."

[SIDEBAR EDITORIAL: Damn!!]

O'Dwyer said, "Some of the biggest and worst decisions in PRS*'s history were made without any knowledge of the Assembly or the rank-and-file members." He then gave these examples:

- The move of HQ downtown and the $6 million 13-year lease;
- The suspension of the printed directory;
- The $300K severance payment to former COO Catherine Bolton.

Most telling of all said O'Dwyer, was the obfuscation of Central Michigan's proposal for making the Assembly more open like the AMA and ABA constitutions. O'Dwyer said: "It was never even debated on PRS*'s website or in its Tactics or Strategist publications although the proposal was made six months before the Assembly. PRS*'s leadership told bald lies about it including that all 300 delegates would have to be insured and the Assembly already had this power anyway. How can the Assembly exercise power when it's kept in the dark?! This is what dictatorships do, i.e. keep people uninformed, weak and divided."

O'Dwyer put his passions all in perspective on this America's most solemn day: "When we read stories from Iraq about soldiers and explosive devices sprouting almost everywhere and an unlimited number of suicide bombers hoping to kill them... we get a true sense of how important democracy is. Our soldiers are paying the ultimate price to bring freedom to the Iraqi people. Then we see PRS* leaders trampling just about every known principle and value of democracy."

Something to think about.