November 2013

Too little — too late!  On March 2, 2013, the day that Ryan Maxwell died at the jaws of a pit-bull, I was visiting my mother’s trailer with my 8 year-old grandson.  The trailer park was just two blocks away from where the tragedy occurred.  There was plenty of snow on the ground, and I kept peeking out the window to watch as my grandson constructed a snow fort.  Maybe two hours after we left, my youngest brother called me, sobbing, telling me what he’d heard — the news about Ryan (whose grandfather he was close friends with).   I did not know Ryan, but took my brother to the funeral.  I was deeply affected by his death, and mourned for weeks; and also thought how that could have been my precious grandson.   A couple of months later my brother called to tell me that two pit-bulls had run through the trailer park, and through and beyond Kiwanis Park (where luckily no children were playing).  He had called a policeman, who told him that since it was beyond the city limits, the city ordinances did not apply.  The officer said he’d speak to the dog owners and advise them to keep the dogs in their yard.  All the trailer parks are just outside the city limits, so what protection is there for people who reside in or near them?  I have a dog and three cats.  I understand how people grow to love their animals, and consider them part of their family,  but I don’t understand how all the dogs in any city are as important as one human being, one bright, shining, irreplaceable child?  So what difference does it make what the ordinances or penalties are, if we lose even one more life to a deadly animal attack?

I don’t know why spending nearly half that amount to beautify the east end of Galesburg is more important than keeping four firefighters and two police officers on duty.  There are supposedly funds available that can be drawn from different accounts to meet the budgetary demands and still keep our community as safe as possible (according to Jeffery Maher).   Galesburg’s leaders want to draw more residents to our burg, but how are understaffed fire and police departments a draw for our city?  The Register-Mail recently ran an article stating that Galesburg’s lack of enough retail clothing stores “is consistently noted in studies conducted by the city”, according to Economic Development Director, Cesar Suarez.  The article stated that “the city approved a $28,320 loan to the Sandburg Mall to help with brokerage fees” to open a new clothing franchise.  How is another apparel shop more important than six critical first responder security jobs?  We’ll help build another pub to justify several more jobs here.  Galesburg seems to have a fair amount of crime (and murders) for a city its size.  I think more care should be taken to preserve the services crucial to our community.

President Obama needs to come out and address some of what is entailed under the Patriot Act  (law enacted under President W. Bush in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks), which is still in effect.  And where was all the outrage then? Except from Michael Moore.  “Our government is not going to spell out, neither should they, what all our spying is involved in.”  Let’s not be so naïve!  Government leaders are using surveillance activities on each other to the best of their technological abilities, and always have; and they all know it!  “Much of the planning for the 9/11 attacks took place in Hamburg, under German officials’ noses.”   National Security Agency Director, General  Keith Alexander, vigorously defended to the House (Select) Intelligence Committee 10/29 that the NSA’s  intelligence gathering activities, “have saved many lives, not only here but in Europe and around the world”.  “Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal reported that European spy agencies collected phone records in war zones and areas outside their borders that were then shared with the NSA as part of wider efforts to protect allied soldiers and civilians.” ******* “There are considerable diplomatic sensitivities of outing partner services, which the NSA relies on for a considerable amount of intelligence.   A public exposure of European complicity may spark domestic outrage in Europe and threaten cooperation with the United States in the future.”  NSA directors reiterated:  “NSA is not spying on Americans — without a court warrant”.   (Phone numbers are being tracked, especially to over-seas phone numbers).   Edward Snowden leaking intelligence to other countries “puts at risk America’s national security interests”.  And his father is bombastic enough to call his son “a  hero”?  He is NOT a hero!   He is a traitor!   Terrorists still abound, (despite many drone attacks)!  Espionage is essential to our nation’s protection.  We’re not apologizing!