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Singer apologizes for performance
By JOYCE RICHARDSON | Indianapolis
I’m writing for your help and requesting in your editorial a public apology from me to everyone who was in attendance at the La Crosse Center for the Martin Luther King Jr. festivities, specifically the University of Wisconsin-
La Crosse multicultural services, who asked me to do the black national anthem; my musicians, Bill Tourville and James Hackney, who dropped what they were doing to assist me because I asked; and the featured guest, Awele Makeba.
Due to a near-death situation, I received a phone call at 6:30 p.m. from my mom in Indianapolis, that my brother was robbed, shot and left for dead. He is now in intensive care. I didn’t mention my situation to anyone and attempted to do what I was asked to do.
A special thank you to the audience who sang for me. I’m sorry my grief to those unknowing caused embarrassment or shame.
Remove all Indian names?
By GREG C. KOEHLER | Black River Falls, Wis.
A couple of weeks or so ago, I read in the Tribune that removing American Indian names from our schools has been brought up again. It makes me mad that a few bleeding hearts can get the state in such an uproar. I would think they would be proud that we honor them as warriors and fierce fighters.
I am not an American Indian, but I believe that at one time Indians were the toughest, proudest, most honest people ever. So if it goes through that the schools change their names, let’s change all the states, counties, townships, roads, rivers, and lakes that bear Indian names, and see the response to this.
Great cooperation for communities
By ROD SCHELLPFEFFER | Onalaska, Wis.
Congratulations to the La Crosse Common Council and the Campbell Town Board for recognizing a need, and proceeding to find a solution. Campbell businesses have long needed a pressurized water system for fire protection, and now they may get it. It’s a win/win situation for both communities.
In the past, having served on Campbell’s board for more than 20 years, I saw both communities spend hundreds of thousands fighting in the courts — such a waste. It is great to see the two communities working together now for the betterment of the whole area.
I also see where Campbell may be considering a full-time business manager for the town. Great! The town needs a full-time person to oversee its operations.
Campbell had an excellent business manager several years ago. That person was able to recover more than $200,000 from FEMA after the last big flood. Without her doing the reams of paperwork, the town would likely have gotten little, if anything, for all the expenses caused by that flood.
I believe a business manager could also file for, and get the town, many grant dollars that are available.
Hopefully this cooperation between communities will continue. I see where talks have begun regarding the possible consolidation of some of the police departments in the area. That would seem to be another great way to gain better service at a reduced cost.
How do people get put into plans?
By DOROTHY LEO | Stoddard, Wis.
How can anything like this be allowed to happen? In the Saturday, Jan. 7, Tribune, there were two articles on how numerous seniors were put on a Medicare drug benefit plan without their knowledge. This act is very serious. Whoever is responsible for this should immediately be sought out and punished.
Able Danger and NSA spying
By PETER VAN LAARHOVEN | Holmen, Wis.
On June 27, 2005, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., gave a speech about a super-secret military intelligence unit called Able Danger. According to Weldon, this elite unit was organized at the request of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and carried out by members of U.S. Special Forces.
Weldon said this unit “actually identified the Brooklyn cell of al-Qaida in January and February of 2000, over one year before 9/11 happened.”
He also said, “We identified Mohamed Atta as one of the members of that Brooklyn cell, along with three other terrorists who were the leadership of the 9/11 attack.”
In a Sept. 21, 2005, interview with Michael Savage, Weldon claimed that Steve Cambone, a top deputy of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was briefed on the Able Danger program nearly half a year before 9/11.
So let’s fast-forward to the NSA wire-tapping of U.S. citizens. President Bush claims he needs every tool available to protect Americans from terrorism. Vice President Dick Cheney laments that if there had been secret wire-tapping before the terrible events of 9/11, we “might have been able to pick up on two of the hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon.” Oh, really? What about Weldon’s testimony? What about the Aug. 6, 2001, Presidential Daily Brief that warned that followers of Osama bin Laden were planning to hijack airplanes and strike U.S. targets?
Repeatedly, this administration has proven itself incapable of surmounting its own dogma and actually taking action on good intelligence.
People depended on wood stoves
By MARY MARSHALL | Tomah, Wis.
On Jan. 23, on the Opinion page, T.J. Wynne of Onalaska, Wis., had a letter titled “Wood stoves a health hazard.”
I beg to disagree. Back in 1930 and 1940, people cut wood to heat their homes and to cook with. I was there and did that. I’m 89 years old and I’m sure there are others who would say the same. In fact, it might be good for your health. Don’t demoralize people who choose to do that.
History can repeat itself. The way things are going, it could be that gas, electricity and oil could be out of reach for the common class of people.
I’m concerned about my family, who have worked hard and lived by the law and rules.
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