Letters to the Editor Oct. 11, 2023 Edition
To the Editor:
I just saw that Congressman Derrick Van Orden spoke at the commencement ceremony for graduates of the Police Academy at Chippewa Valley Technical college. I found it very disturbing that the academy would invite a political figure with no law enforcement experience to speak to newly graduated young officers beginning their career. My concerns were validated when I read the description of his speech.
He spent his time complaining about his Congressional colleagues who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from the speakership, and comparing a political argument to “defund the police” to the September 11th attacks.
Congressman Van Orden has sent these officers out to serve their communities with a twisted message about their role. Police are not fighting a war, they are serving a community. There is no comparison between any political argument and the attacks on America in 2001.
Good police officers serve their communities with honor and dignity regardless of their political beliefs. If some members of the community feel like they are not provided equal protection by the police, they need to be listened to and not compared to terrorists.
The racial undertone of Mr. Van Orden’s comments about people who call for reduced funding for police cannot be missed. The Chippewa Valley Technical College Criminal Justice program needs to clarify their stance on his comments.
Eric Larsen,
Eau Claire
To the Editor:
How can you criticize President Biden when he hasn’t done anything wrong?
I think you must be thinking about former President Donald Duck Trump and his 91 felonies. Mr. Stoner, you, Cantlon, Auer and Joyce are all on the same page and all need to be reprogrammed.
Mr. Stoner, we are under assault from the Democrats. That’s why we won the last election. You fellows better think about it before you lose again.
Another thing I’d like to say is that ever since Trump said fight like Hell, it has created a lot of violence that we have in this country.
This is my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
Have you ever heard that song? Now you know how to vote, Mr. Stoner.
Andy Engen,
Whitehall
