To The Editor,
So much has been in the news concerning the deaths of innocent Iraqi’s by angry Marines lately. Yes, it is an atrocity, yes Abu Ghraib was an atrocity and so is Guantanimo Bay. What we are not talking about is why? When these things happened in Vietnam the country was appalled as well, but do we understand what is happening to our men and women sent to these countries, not knowing how to handle the constant stress, the depression, the anger and the lack of training and the fact that their lives are in danger every second of every day? I’ve talked to many veterans and their families over the past couple of years and tried in vain to get someone to listen to the needs of these returning wounded, mentally and physically. Our President stands at memorials and says the sacrifice is worth it. Is it? Ask why we invaded this country instead of sending the amount of troops we have in Iraq to Afghanistan to fight the real attackers of America; who by the way are now taking that country back in attack after attack on the troops still fighting there? Ask why so many promising lives and futures have been taken from us, disabled, suffering brain damage and depression beyond belief? Ask why so many have been rushed through a training process, dropped in the middle of a battle that they are not ready for and then ask why these atrocities occur? Ask why this invasion of Iraq has now gone on longer than WWII with no end in sight and ask what exactly is the “War on Terror” and is there anyway it can ever be won? What have we done to these young men and women, how many more will be lost? We send them and when they completely snap, we prosecute them and imprison them or if they don’t snap from the terror and stress of doing the things they are doing and seeing, we bring them home and leave them without funds to support their families or themselves and put them through another extremely stressful time fighting to even get benefits. It is a sad commentary of what is happening when we turn ordinary farm workers, family men and women, young executives, teachers and college students into killing machines and then forget who they are and who sent them there. Who is it that should be held accountable?
~ Sandra Vago
Dear Editor,
After watching a replay of the St. Charles City Council meeting of 5/19 and hearing a taxpayer say he wanted to know when his sewer was going to get hooked up after being annexed and paying City taxes for six years I was really upset.
When TR Hughes can be involved in a “secret society” that told people running for Council who did not see eye to eye with them to leave by the basement door. Remember!
When TR saw he wasn’t going to get his way with the Council concerning St. Andrews sewer hook up he found someone “stupid” enough to start an advertising supplement to ridicule some Council members he did not like and to force a fraud implemented recall election on Councilwoman Dottie Greer to try to get another vote for his project. He also went to State Rep Tom Dempsey and had Dempsey force through the legislature a bill in one day that would allow him to hook up his County sewers to the City system. Then up jumps Mr. Sellenschueter and says me too! – Me too! I got to get my hook `ups too and my development is not in your city and I didn’t build according to your building codes either.
Mr. Sellenschuetter says I’ll just use some of our good judges to rule against the City and get my development finished. Maybe somewhere down the line the taxpayers of the City will pay for the building codes and creek bank problems that are bound to happen but it will be after this place gets annexed into the City.
A couple of questions for each and every one of us to get answered as taxpayers.
When the state auditor finds there are some problems concerning our bidding procedures and contract awarding I would suggest she forward her findings to Mr. Jack Banas and he can do his job. If not Mr. Banas then Mr. Jay Nixon will be okay.
When I see what has taken place with the old County administration building and the way the bid was handled and the grant money handled to fix it up and the finished project and who the owner is and is now leasing space to the City fire department using our tax money to help finance private development on property that abuts our City Hall there is something radically wrong with this picture. (If not maybe a little bit illegal.) Same thing with the old police station. Remember!
Remember our top cop! Remember his lawsuit. Remember Mayor Patti re-opening the contact for the police. Remember! The threatening phone calls. Remember! The 73 officers who filed suit in court. Remember the executive orders put forth by Patti to try to put the FCN out of business. Remember Express Scripts. Remember the plywood in the window on Patti and Lionel’s building that was left there for a year. Remember Patti’s lawsuit against Mr. Zeisler. Remember Patti’s hearing on the Express Script deal and how Muench, Weller, Kneemiller, Reese and Hoepfner stopped the legal process by voting against the subpoenas that would have given us the truth. Remember Mr. Kast, Mr. Elmendorf, Father Tillman, Ken Kielty, TR, Jamboretz starting a legal defense fund for Patti to cover up the truth. Oops Ernie gets credit for “in kind service” for the use of his business, Pio’s to raise money for Patti’s legal work. Remember $25,000. Remember the FCN reporting and documenting the procedure the Mayor and Jamboretz apparently used through some of his (Jamboretz’s) employees and fictitious companies to apparently launder our money to be used for the recall of Dottie and Mark. Remember Henry and his participation in Patti’s re-election campaign and how the letterhead from the Church was used to promote her election. Remember!
Remember Henry said in his political ad for Patti – “Patti gets things done.”
She sure does get things done and I don’t know if all she has gotten done or been a part of getting it done is all legal. There are people in our local, County and State government that should be looking into some of these situations and or allegations as I see them.
Bob Bredensteiner
