Nonsense
Posted
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Editor, Times-Union:
While visiting family in Warsaw Sunday, I happened to
browse my beloved Times-Union and within minutes found
two items in the April 7 edition that almost made me
vomit.
The first item was the story about the commissioners'
forum hosted by Kosciusko Silent No More (I'm thoroughly
impressed with this grassroots effort). Half way through
the story, though, the topic changed gears and recapped
State Rep. Bill Ruppel's discussion with the group.
What bothered me was the question from somebody
who asked Ruppel what he thought was the real cause of
Sept. 11, 2001 (you know, since he sits on a state committee
charged with overseeing homeland security issues).
Ruppel, apparently playing coy and enjoying the attention,
said he's never been able to get details from the federal
government and could not answer the question fully.
Anyone who think Ruppel's duties as a member of this
committee somehow involves probing the causes of 9/11
need to have their head examined. That committee is certainly
more concerned with how the state would react in
the event of a future terror attack than looking into details
of an event that happened thousands of miles outside of
Ruppel's legislative district. I seriously doubt that he or
any committee members have spent even a nano second
looking into conspiracy theories behind 9/11.
For Ruppel not to explain that fact shows he's more
interested in pandering to the extreme right. And if he is
spending time on crazy theories while sitting on this committee,
he's providing a disservice to his constituents.
Please Mr. Ruppel, set the record straight. Do you
believe your own government was somehow behind this
atrocity? Who do you think really did it? What evidence do
you have to suggest it was anything other than what was
concluded by the 9/11 commission?
The other item, a letter by Buck Young, was even more
shocking.
Young called Adolf Hitler a German patriot and babbled
on and on for several paragraphs demeaning the history of
the Jewish leaders and minimizing their pain and suffering
as a result of the Holocaust. I fully understand he has
a right to his opinion and that the editor is somewhat
obligated to print the letter as long as it meets standard
requirements.
Personally, I found it disturbing. I hope others voice
their opinion and let this guy know he's in a very, very
small minority.
I hope anyone who was passing through Warsaw and
happened to read these two items did not leave town
thinking that such nonsense (both issues) is part of the
overriding mindset of my favorite little town in America.
Dan Spalding
South Bend, formerly of Warsaw, via e-mail
