The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Letters to the Editor
PUBLISHED: March 13, 2008
To the Editor: I wish to address Rod Anderson's remarks attempting to discredit the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation.
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In the Internet age anyone with a few dollars can put up a website and claim whatever they please.† In that environment, to find real truth, it is best to exercise the instincts of an investigative reporter - seek out objective sources without hidden agendas, recognize common deceptive tactics and exercise common sense with a hunger for truth that is greater than your ego.†
For over 30 years individuals and organizations have sought to discredit the painful revelations of the Winter Soldier Investigation.† I strongly encourage readers to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions.†
For me it defies common sense to suggest that 109 veterans from units across the country conspired to perpetrate a huge lie and went on to weather the intense scrutiny of the press, the Pentagon, and the Nixon administration.† For what purpose would these veterans have lied?†
Beginning today The Iraq Veterans Against the War is conducting "Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan," in Washington DC.
Information on the event is available at http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/howtowatch.
Warren Kress
Lima Township†
To the Editor: The free time one has in the day is often short and†precious.† In a little over two months, all registered voters in the Dexter Community School District will have the opportunity to participate in an election for the extension of an existing bond millage.† For the convenience of all voters, I have included some internet links that provide additional information.
Every two weeks, the Dexter School Board meets.† The Friday before the Monday meeting, a board packet is posted on the DCS Web site which details agenda items, presentations, etc.† Just spending a few minutes at your home computer, work computer or PDA allows one to be informed of what the agenda will be and then† to make room in your schedule to attend if deemed appropriate.†
Regardless of attending or not, the posted board packets give one the opportunity to be informed on various district issues.† Board packets are currently archived for the past 1 1º2 years of meetings.
D) Epic/MRA Survey presentation to the Board on the survey within the DCS community about an extension of the bond millage. The presentation can be downloaded as you do something else, and then played to hear the audio portion only and allow you to continue to multitask.
To the Editor: While your article about pre-planning funerals had some good information, one of the most important points was missing.† Here in Chelsea we are†fortunate to have two family-run funeral chapels in Cole Funeral Chapel and Mitchell Funeral Home which†offer us personal care†in a time of grief.
In the past decade thousands of such small businesses have been taken over by large conglomerate companies in the funeral industry which†may care more about their bottom line than about the people they are serving. The national companies often keep the local name, but their methods of business and management change completely.† This has led to inflated prices and a poor image of those who manage these businesses for their national chains.† None of us likes to think about death in the midst of life, but our pre-planning with the Cole Family allowed us to experience before-hand the depth of caring and sense of service which Allen and Wendy bring to this ministry of theirs.† We are indeed blessed to have this resource available to us here rather than being forced to choose between generic national chains at a vulnerable time.
Richard andWendy Wallace
Chelsea
†
To the Editor:† I ama former resident of Chelsea, and a Chelsea High School graduate (class of '90). I have been watching from afar and with great interest the freedom of the press issue that has been unfolding at the high school since last spring.†
I am very saddened to hear that this†will be the last year of the Bleu Print, due to lack of student†interest. I can't say I blame them, since they have been censored by†the current administration and prohibited from printing stories due to†the negative publicity which may have been brought upon by certain sports teams at Chelsea High.†
I have to say, the more things change the more†they stay the same. When I was growing up in Chelsea, as an†artistically inclined teenager, I understood that I was not as†important to the school as the athletes. As I grew up, I thought†perhaps my vision was clouded by teenaged angst, and so I let it go.
Unfortunately, recent events have proved my teenaged self right.
We live in an era where our corporations think it's ok to set up phony†press conferences, full of reporters for hire. An era where our†president thinks it's OK to wire-tap his own countrymen under the guise†of safety. Countless events that happen in our nation and the world are†ignored in favor of celebrity melt-downs. Our newspapers are participating in one of the oldest cons in the book - creating a†distractions so that we won't notice that our rights are being taken†away one by one.
Freedom of the press is something that I take very seriously. I don't†think anyone has the right to take that away, no matter what office†that person holds.† If students who are given a break by local law enforcement because of their status as athletes is something that†embarrasses the officials of Chelsea High School (as well it should)†
perhaps they should get to the root of the problem, rather than trying†to bury the story.
I am a teacher now myself and I think as educators and adults we have a†responsibility to our youth. We have a responsibility to lead by†example and to teach them that their voice is valuable and important.†
They have not only the right, but the obligation to speak up about the†truths that surround them. While it may seem easier, or more convenient†to tell the students to stand down because the adults said so, ultimately it is a disservice to our nation. What message is really†being sent here? Does the administration realize that they are saying†
that it's not OK to speak up against perceived injustice? That the†truth is fine,† as long as it doesn't embarrass an organization that†makes money for the school district?
To the students of Chelsea High, I say this - don't give up without a†fight.† CHS is a public institution, and you are entitled to your†rights as a citizen of this country. When I was a student, I co-founded†† and wrote for two different underground newspapers. We were loved,†hated, ignored and once an issue was sent to the police by a school†
administrator with the hopes that they would press charges. But we kept†on because we sensed, despite what we were told, that what we were†doing was important somehow. We wanted to express what OUR experience†
of high school was like and give voice to our perceptions, our reality,†our truth. Write your truth.
If we cannot write honestly about the things that are going on around†us, how can we ever hope to improve or change them?
If we are not teaching our young people about their responsibilities in†a democratic society, then we are failing them, plain and simple. And†there is no excuse for that.
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