Results of Police Chief Residence Poll

Sixty (60%) percent of the people who responded to the poll said that they would feel safer if the police chief lived in the same county and city as he or she was the chief of.

FBI begins probe of Holder?...in future?

In 3 1/2 years after our current President looses his office Attorney General Eric Holder might find himself in a similar situation after someone in the next administration finds somethings he or someone in the then current administration perceives some action in the Obama administration as unethical or illegal. Mr. Holder should be careful....you know the old saying "what goes around comes around". Be careful what you do Mr. Attorney General it may come back to haunt you in a few years.

Another reason for this move now is to take the heat off of the President whose ratings are falling at a precipitous rate in the democratic and republican parties and also with the American people across this great land.

If you write it....SIGN IT!

It really is the sign of a coward for someone who feels deeply and supposedly speaks the truth and reports facts to then sign it with an alias or a couple of initials. If its worth writing then have the guts and sign your name...I do or I don't write it.

Gus Philpott for McHenry County Sheriff

Gus Philpott for McHenry County Sheriff...not a bad idea. He has had much, much more experience as a police officer that President Obama had in governing or government....think about it. CHANGE....WE CAN DO IT.

$122,658/yr for non-resident police chief?

I've known Police Chief Bill Brogan for many years; ever since we used to meet and talk on occasion at Saint Patrick's Church in McHenry. He was an is a lifelong resident of the City of McHenry and McHenry County and has spent 27 of his 31 years in law enforcement at that department. He worked his way up through the ranks and got to where he is the hard way: he earned it by living and working every day and night in the county. He stated according to the Northwest Herald in Sunday, July 26th edition that " I feel blessed to be able to be the chief in the town I grew up in," said Brogan whose salary is $109,422 and is within minutes of being available if needed by his community.

As a resident of McHenry Brogan "knows the culture of McHenry and what people expect of their police force". "He knows the nooks and crannies and niches." On top of all of this he has always been a nice guy and someone who always put the welfare of the city and his fellow police officers before his own.

In contrast we have the City of Woodstock who decided to hire a new police chief from outside the department from outside the county and from outside the city. Chief Robert Lowen Jr's salary is, according to the Northwest Herald, $122,658. According to the information I have he has still not moved into McHenry County, as previous chiefs had to, much less the City of Woodstock of which he is the chief of police. I wonder if he knows the culture of McHenry County? I wonder is he knows all the nooks and crannies and niches of his city like police chief Brogan does? Does not living where you are the Chief of Police tell you anything about the man?.....I don't know...do you?

The hypocrisy of it...

On Monday, June 22, 2009, the McHenry County Board of Health was asked to consider to adopt and if adopted to forward to the appropriate subcommittee of the County Board the implementation of a Compliance Committee. This committee an offshoot of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was federal legislation enacted to protect shareholders and the general public from accounting errors and fraudulent practices. It is administed by the Security and Exchange Commission and it sets deadlines for compliance and publishes rules. After reviewing the GREAT JOB?....they did in protecting us from the worse recession/depression? since the great depression I decided to vote NO. My NO vote had no effect except to make me feel better and to express my disgust with the job they have done to get us into this current situation. Since it was a mandated federal program, that was not funded, it had to go through irrespective of the vote. You the tax payer are again paying for another federal program. Now the SEC wants any entity accepting federal money to do their work for them; I guess since they screwed it up to the tune of trillions of dollars the first time. If you really think that this new federal legislation is going to allow the feds to know where all trillions went then I have a message for you; the tooth fairy left a dollar under my pillow last night.

McHenry County Advocate: Correct Answer to Poll

McHenry County Advocate: Correct Answer to Poll

Correct Answer to Poll

Thomas Jefferson

“A LITTLE REBELLION NOW AND THEN”

“A LITTLE REBELLION NOW AND THEN”


Paris, Feb. 22, 1787

On this date one of our Founding Fathers wrote a letter to Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, the future second President of the United States of America. They, the Adams family and the writer of this letter were friends while both families were stationed in Paris at the time of the Revolutionary War and for a period afterward.

The author of this letter wrote, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. This rebellion was of a group of farmers who were protestesting certain actions of the government which were certainly not favorable to them.

Can you tell me who this Founding Father was that liked a little rebellion now and then? Was it:
1. George Washington
2. Alexander Hamilton
3. James Madison
4. Thomas Jefferson
5. Ben Franklin

I will give you the correct answer after the pole has expired.

Millions Died...Don't Forget Their Sacrifice

From the Revolutionary War to the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan millions have given there lives for these three simple concepts

1. Life
2. Liberty
3. The pursuit of happiness

Sometime today take a few minutes and remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives for their country and for the three simple God given rights all human beings have by nature of their being. Amen.

MCC...FOIA REFUSAL...TIP OF ICEBURG

When I departed from the Navy back in 1975 and came out to the "boonies" here in McHenry County I noticed an interesting phenomena after a short time being involved in hospital politics and executive committees and hospital boards. A lot of work was being done on the hospitals and the jobs awarded to companies after "no bid" contracts were accepted by the hospital boards. Over the years I found out via the grapevine that a lot of the recipients of the contracts were close friends or relatives of members on the boards of the various hospitals. I suspect this is the way business was done then and it may or probably still continues today. I wonder if some individuals still on boards of hospitals,they seem to recirculate for years and years, and elected officials know the difference between opaque and transparent. When public monies are involved it should all be transparent or the possibility of corruption just continues to continue.

H1N1 Flu and You

For important info regarding the H1N1 flu go to :

www.cdc.gov

Open letter to Mr. Tim Clifton, City Manager Woodstock IL

Dear Mr. Clifton:

In today's Northwest Herald, Friday, May 1, 2009, you were quoted as saying "The city's interest always is to protect residents and taxpayers and to be a good steward of tax dollars. ...we also want to be fair and equitable to city employees."

So far I have not experienced that aspect of the "city's interest" towards its employees. I hope that some time in the very near future I will experience your quoted words in real forward moving modalities of action to resolve this situation of which you are aware.

I am not saying this to be rude or blamful but I would recommend that before totally backing your departments heads you adopt the late President Ronald Reagan's philosophy, "trust but verify". As they say there is always another side to a story and in the news business always a "back story" that can change the whole complexion of what you may have been told along with what people may have told you are iron clad facts and incontrovertible.

Sincerely,
Richard W. Gorski, M.D.

Put your name where your opinion is!

The NWHerald "welcomes original letters on public issues." You must however include your full name, home address, and day and evening telephone numbers; a prudent policy. But why don't they follow their own policy? In the Opinion section under "our view" I see an opinion but I see no names under the opinion. I find it hard to believe that the Editorial Board which includes six individuals all wrote and subscribe to the same opinion. Is it the big man himself who holds sway and can hire and fire or are they all simply like minded. If we are held to the policy of name, address, and day and evening telephone numbers why are they not held to the same standard. Could it be that the opinion is not unanimous and only the commentary of a powerful minority? If you don't sign your name to something you have written I personally don't believe its worth the paper its written on.

What next...your DNA?

Its not going to happen yet here in McHenry County but beginning on June 1, 2009 in order to sell your own house you will have to submit a thumb print of your right thumb (they will take it).(Illinois Public Act 095-0988) I guess a drivers license or Ill. ID Card or a US Passport will not suffice. What will be required in Cook County next...a DNA sample and retinal scan? What are they going to do with this thumb print and where will it really wind up being kept on file when they can't even keep confidential computerized info confidential. If you have never had your finger prints taken what are they going to use as a baseline normal. A way of tracing you down because they have your identity in their computer files database. The days of "big brother" and "show me your papers" are already here. Soon we will have to get a visa to travel from state to state....don't laugh...you may be next in line...have your right thumb ready and don't forget to smile or you may be subject to further examination and interrogation.

When are the citizens of this country going to draw a line in the sand and tell its elected officials ....no further ...no more intrusion in our private lives and affairs.

The irony of it!

In regard to Northwest Heralds "Bills lead to Easter in lockup".

The irony of Mathew Bunda going to jail because he missed two court appearances and could not come up with the bond after he could not pay his divorce attorney $18,000 is beyond belief. Several of President Obama's Cabinet owed thousands of dollars to the IRS and admitted it. How were they treated....got a new job...to be a member of the Presidents Cabinet and advise the President on how to run the United States of America when they can't even take care of their own "STUFF" in their own house. I guess that's what President Obama meant by "CHANGE"...hmmm?

I've learned my lesson!

Dear Ms. Jillian Duchnowski:

Boy have I learned my lesson; never talk to the press with the expectation that the truth will be revealed by them. In most cases you can probably expect that you will get a STORY created to titillate the readers and stir controversy and increase sales and circulation and not even an attempt at getting at the underlying factors that are at the heart of the matter. What a lot of reporters (not journalists) want is to get their STORY on the front page of a newspaper in big black print with their name written below.

I also resent the implied insinuation that I doled out pain meds like some street corner dealer supplying his customers with their needs. If I could count the times I gave patients free samples or medications (freely at my cost) that they needed but could not afford it might be more than the hairs on your head. I am truly saddened and disheartened at the way you approached this, seemingly setting up your agenda to go where you wanted to go and report and dismissing the things that did not fit your agenda or version of the truth. I wish you well on your journey to become a journalist.

Do the right thing....get fired!

Ron Schwartz, a Chicago-based attorney specializing in employment law stated." I think people want to believe their employer will do the right thing. A lot of times, an internal complaint is made and if the employer isn't sympathetic, the employee is fired. This just doesn't happen in Chicago, it happens right here in McHenry County in both private businesses and governmental agencies large and small. That is why we have "whistle blower laws" that not only are supposed to protect the whistle blower but a witness who might appear in court to support the whistle blower's charge or charges.

What happens in many cases is that before the case ever comes to court the witness of the alleged misdeed is gotten rid of, fired, discredited in some fashion so that if and when he/she does get to court they are discredited by the defendants attorney as not being credible. I know of at least two alleged instances when this perhaps legal but I believe unethical legal tactic has and is being used to protect the "boss" and the "boss's" boss. Now don't you feel better about the intrinsic goodness of our human nature and your fellow man or woman....hmmmm...bull.

Lowest Morale in Police Department I can remember

I have lived in McHenry County almost 35 years and ran a business in Woodstock for almost 25 years. I have been involved in trying to protect the public health of this county for almost 10 years. This means, to me, that I have been "around the block a few times" in this county. I have over the years talked to a lot of people about a lot of things and have been exposed to things people are concerned and are talking about.

Lately one hot topic that people in and outside of the Woodstock Police Department have been privately vocal about is that allegedly this period of time under the current leadership at the police department has evoked one of the lowest periods of morale in the rank and file of the patrol officers. They allegedly are affraid to say anything to anyone lest they are placed in the "crosshairs" of a superior and deamed a "non-team player". So they allegedly remain quiet and not active in reporting things that maybe should be reported; that way they keep their jobs and pensions and don't incurr the wrath of their leadership.

When you pass by the relatively new police station and view the apparent peace and tranquility of its exterior remember that appearances are not always what they seem to be and that what goes on inside may not correlate to the peace and serenity of the outside shell that the building presents to the general public.

What would you do?

Hypothetically what would you do with a city department head who allegedly (Chapter 21, Subchapter I >1985); covertly (1) prevented an officer from pursuing his/her duties in investigating a possible injustice? With a city department head who allegedly covertly (2) obstructed justice and allegedly intimidated a potential witness in a filed civil rights case with the State against said department head? A department whose head allegedly (3) oppresses, threatens, or intimidates any person in any State in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same. (US CODE Title 18,241, Conspiracy against rights) They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. At least that's a beginning. Remember this is just hypothetical.