From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH: Questioning Quotes

Link to Larry Richards letter of Aug. 29, 2024: https://thecourier.com/news/537870/letters-to-the-editor/

In his letter published Aug. 29th, Larry Richards said “Biden kicked off [the Democratic National Convention] with the spurious claim that Trump's comment about there being good people on both sides of the clash at Charlottesville, Virginia included the white supremacists which is not true.”

Here’s the transcript from Trump’s 2017 press conference that confused both Democrats and Republicans: Reporter: “The neo-Nazis started this. They showed up in Charlottesville to protest —" Trump: “Excuse me, excuse me. You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” Trump went on to talk about people protesting the taking down of the Robert E. Lee statue. He later condemned the neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

In his 2024 DNC speech, President Biden said, “What I saw in Charlottesville in August of 2017: Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan so emboldened by a President then in the White House that they saw as an ally. When asked what he thought had happened Donald Trump said, ‘There are very fine people on both sides.’”

Seems to be a pretty accurate quote that doesn’t include white supremacists. Mr. Richards referred to “other speakers repeated other debunked statements,” concluding that “Truth is the victim.”

Mr. Richards went on to victimize the truth himself when he wrote: “while the convention was promoting hope and change, Planned Parenthood was onsite performing abortions.” Untrue! PBS.org reports that an X account of the Trump campaign had posted that Democrats were giving free abortions at their convention. The truth is that during the first two days of the Convention, Planned Parenthood had a mobile clinic parked outside the United Center, the site of the DNC. The DNC was not affiliated with the pop-up clinic which provided free vasectomies and medication abortions — not actual abortions.

I appreciate Mr. Richards’ belief about abortion, but how does the spreading of lies benefit his point of view?

From Cathy Weygandt, Findlay OH: Democrat ticket brings positivity

I accept the challenge from Julie Daman (Aug. 7) to write a positive letter.

I have been so energized ever since President Biden honorably stepped out of the race, putting our country first. Thank you, President Biden, for expanding healthcare for our Veterans, for helping our cities with the American Rescue Plan after COVID, for lowering insulin prices, for providing student debt relief, for the Chips & Science Act, for ensuring the Affordable Care Act is protected, for appointing Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, for signing the Marriage Equality Act and so much more!

And now we have joyful, intelligent and ethical Vice President Kamala Harris, who has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as a running mate who also has so many positive qualities! He is a pro-labor rural family man, a veteran, a teacher and a proponent of reproductive health (he has children from IVF). He is an experienced legislator and governor. He has balanced criminal justice reform, signing a bipartisan public safety bill into law. He has cut taxes for the middle class and will continue to work for the people.

With Harris’s record of always fighting for the people as well, we now have a ticket that will help all Americans to have a better standard of living. The freedoms that are promised in our Constitution will be advanced for everyone. There will be elections after this one as well.

Yes, I am feeling very positive in the direction our country can choose this November. Register to vote as it’s the best freedom to keep our country great. Check your registration and even check your filed signature at the Board of Election if you already have voted in the past: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/

We can move forward in a positive, dignified and legitimate election. It is in our hands.

Vote People First!

Link to entire Putnam County Sentinel interview: https://www.putnamsentinel.com/online_features/congressman-bob-latta-visits-pc-sentinel-office-to-discuss-energy-broadband-and-the-border/article_0f2ad826-5c43-5a66-bbd7-8ffdf7f9932a.html

Comment by Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

I appreciated your article about Congressman Latta’s visit to Putnam County, but I must fact-check two of Mr. Latta’s statements.

1.) “The congressman noted that it was a shame that the Keystone XL, the previously proposed extension of the Keystone pipeline system, had been canceled by President Biden.”

The history of the Keystone pipeline was a long and torturous one through the Obama and Trump administrations before finally being terminated by President Biden on his first day in office. The pipeline was opposed by Native Americans whose tribal lands were part of the pipeline route. There were numerous environmental concerns including the danger of contaminating the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest freshwater reserves, which provides drinking water for two million Americans and supports $20 billion in U.S. agriculture. There were several leaks and spills from completed sections of the pipeline in 2016, 2017, 2019 and in 2022, 588,000 gallons of crude leaked into a Kansas creek—the largest spill in the U.S. in nearly a decade. It hardly seems a shame that President Biden revoked the Keystone permit.

2.) “Congressman Latta stated that we’ve had almost 11 million people that have crossed [the southern border] in the last four years, and not counted among that number are what is called “gotaways,” which are complete unknowns, possibly a criminal element, that had gotten away from border security.”

I emphasized “possibly a criminal element” because many Republicans under the leadership of their Presidential nominee with the help of their media mouthpiece, Fox News have been spreading the unsubstantiated myth of so-called “migrant crime.” I refer interested readers to the Washington Post article “The Truth About Illegal Immigration and Crime” of 2/29/24. Here are some salient excerpts: “There is strong evidence that all immigrants — in the United States legally or otherwise — are more law-abiding than native-born American citizens. Most immigrants are motivated to do well in their new country, especially if they bring skills that can enhance local economies, and so there is little incentive to break the law. [Two criminologists] surveyed more than two decades of research on immigration and crime for their 2023 book Immigration and Crime: Taking Stock. …Generally they found ‘that long-standing concerns about immigration as a major source of crime are unfounded.’ In fact, communities with more immigration tend to have less crime, especially violent crimes like homicide.”

It's sad that the Congressman would indict “unknown” persons as “possibly a criminal element” without evidence.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH: Choice Quotes

In his June 18 letter supporting former President Trump, Wayne Baldridge made several unsubstantiated assertions about Trump’s achievements and the supposed failings of President Joe Biden. I write not to challenge these statements, but rather to respond to Mr. Baldridge’s final line about needing a “strong leader.”

Here are a few members of Trump’s administration talking about their former boss:

• Mark Esper, former Secretary of Defense: “Trump is unfit for office. His actions are all about him and not about the country.”

• Kyle Murphy, former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst: “I found a president uninterested in challenges to national security … willing to betray the ideals of U.S. democracy to cozy up to dictators.”

• John Kelly, former White House chief of staff: “A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because 'it doesn’t look good for me.' A person that has no idea what America stands for and has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution and the rule of law. God help us.”

Still think convicted felon Donald Trump is a “strong leader?"

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

I hope you and your House colleagues will rise above the partisan politics being played by Governor DeWine and Senate President Huffman in their support of SB 215 which ties President Biden's appearance on Ohio's November ballot to the issue of campaign financing.

Instead, your support should go to your Rules & Reference Committee bill SB 92, the so-called "clean" bill that simply assures that President Biden will be on the ballot--no strings attached.

How can this be a question of compromise as some in the GOP claim? A price should not have to be paid in order for the presumptive Democratic nominee and incumbent candidate for President appear on the ballot. Campaign financing should be dealt with in separate legislation.

Representative Cross, when you gather with Speaker Stephens and fellow members of the House for the special session after Memorial Day, put an end to Ohio's national embarrassment and vote to allow President Biden's name to appear on the November ballot with no strings attached.

From Cathy Weygandt, Findlay OH: Vote People First

The adopted Republican-led Senate Resolution 296 that asks the EPA to rescind its proposals to regulate greenhouse emissions on power plants was no surprise. Bill sponsors State Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, and State Sen. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, are concerned that the rules would make power plants more expensive and would cause a hardship on Americans. This is from the same party that accepted $60,000,000 in bribes to pass HB 6 to bail out First Energy’s nuclear power plants. This raised your electric rates.

Just recently, we read that our own mayor was opposed to a new federal mandate regulating forever chemicals (PFOS) in our water supply due to an “inequitable burden” on our communities. This was printed on the same day we read about the city schools' million-dollar investment into the “Safe Defend Active Shooter System.” This system was to aid in the event of an active shooter in the schools. This $1,000,000 investment doesn’t include the $18,000 annual maintenance fee!

The Republican stance concerning our health and safety is not a priority as compared to protecting corporate profits. Emission pollution causes our volatile climate changes, leading to ever-increasing frequent storms that have created havoc on lives and increased our insurance premiums nationwide. Reports of forever chemicals that can cause infertility, cancers, low birth weight and many other increased health risks are very alarming.

Investing millions for shooter alert systems in our schools is not an issue at all for Republicans, but any sort of gun safety legislation is never a priority. Even Republican Gov. DeWine cried out for gun regulation in 2019 after Dayton’s mass shootings. His “do something” pleas were turned down for more “thoughts and prayers,” even though 64% of Americans support stricter common sense gun laws. Mass shootings continue as we refuse to address the simplest measure of gun regulations. Perhaps these may be our “inequitable burdens” we should be most focusing on?

When it comes to our decisions on Election Day, remember priorities and values. What is important to you? Elections have consequences. Vote people first.

From Lee Weygandt, Findlay OH: On the failed border bill

For the past eight years the leading scare topic from the Republican party has been the flow of illegal immigrants from the southern border. Billions of dollars have been spent by presidents from both parties to beef up the fence and build the wall but the lure of living in America is strong and immigrants continue to seek a place to improve their lives. America needs both security and an opportunity for productive people to immigrate here in a safe and legal path.

For the past four months, a bipartisan group of senators worked tirelessly to put together a sensible, comprehensive border security bill that would make great improvements to our national security. It checked the "must-have" boxes for both political parties and by all accounts, this compromise bill seemed to be headed for quick passage. This was until partisan party politics got in the way. One candidate for higher office complained that it would be horrible to have Congress actually pass a bill that solves a problem. Republicans in Congress quickly fell in line, flipped their support off and suddenly opposed the border security bill. Republicans want chaos on the border to use as a campaign issue and they will tirelessly tell us how unsafe we are as a result.

Shame on these politicians that their allegiance to their party and not to our country or the people they represent. Americans are not served well by party-line politics. I'm not sure that in the 17 years he's been in office Congressman Bob Latta has ever cast a vote that was not in line with his party. Senator JD Vance also played his part in sabotaging the border security bill.

Make no mistake, the Republican party is opposed to progress. If the border continues to be an issue, know that they had a chance to fix it and they chose to put their party before the security of our country.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH re: impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas

I certainly agree that the situation at our country’s southern border is serious…but I wonder how your vote to impeach Secretary Mayorkas is serving Ohio’s 5th District and the American people. Meanwhile Congress can’t reach a bipartisan agreement to deal with the problem, nor continue funding the federal government to prevent a shutdown next month, nor provide aid to Ukraine in its defense against Putin’s murderous invasion, etc. I also wonder why you would vote to impeach Secretary Mayorkas for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” but not Donald Trump when the House voted on January 13, 2021 to impeach him for Incitement of Insurrection—surely the very embodiment of a high crime. Do you simply vote the party/Trump line? I read your reasoning as to why you chose not to vote for impeachment, but I was not convinced. My family and I are very disappointed…in you, the do-nothing House of Representatives, and the Mayorkas impeachment that will solve nothing. We will remember on November 5, 2024.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

Senator McColley, my family and I were sorry to see that you and your GOP colleagues--with the exception of Nathan Manning of District 13 (Kudos to him!)--voted to override Governor DeWine's veto of the hateful anti-trans House Bill 68. Did none of you listen to the testimony of gender-dysphoric children, their parents, and medical professionals? How is it that you know better that you believe you can take away the rights of parents to care for their children? Are you in agreement with Sen. Roegner who claims--ignorantly, I think--that "there is no such thing as a gender spectrum?" Or HB 68 sponsor, Baptist Pastor Gary Click who preached that "if a child struggles with their identity remind them that God made them the way they are, God gave them their body, God gave their design for a purpose...these things are mental issues and spiritual issues not biological." I respect other individual's religious beliefs, but I draw the line when those beliefs are turned into laws that affect all of us, regardless of our personal beliefs. I've said enough so that you know my family and I believe you have failed to represent us as residents of the 1st District. Shame on you and the GOP for overriding Governor DeWine's HB 68 veto. Hopefully, the courts will rule 68 unconstitutional.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

Senator McColley, as a resident of District 1, I write to urge you to support Governor DeWine's veto of the trans-phobic House Bill 68. The Governor gave compassionate reasons for his veto and offered the legislature alternatives, but the House instead immediately chose to override the Governor. How dare Gary Click and the GOP members of the House think that government knows better than the families of gender-dysphoric children and the medical professionals who care for them. Please carefully consider the testimonies of those families and medical experts; don't take away parents' rights. On January 24 when the State Senate votes on overriding Governor DeWine's veto of HB 68, vote "No" to override. Thank you.

From Lee Weygandt, Findlay OH re: your vote to override DeWine's veto of HB68:

Our Governor spent a great deal of time studying the issue. He spoke with doctors, therapists, counselors, and families impacted. This is hateful, ignorant legislation. Your vote very likely will kill a number of kids. I cannot be more disappointed in this vote.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

I and my family are disappointed in you, Representative Cross and your GOP colleagues in the House for voting to override Governor DeWine's veto of HB 68--Gary Click's heartless, trans-phobic bill that will take away parental rights from families with gender dysphoric children. Governor DeWine listened to families, trans individuals, doctors, and other medical experts when he decided to veto HB 68. Apparently, neither you nor the rest of the House GOP bothered to listen...or if you did, you decided that politicians and government know better than the affected families and their medical teams. Shame on you all.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

This is my second communication to you about House Bill 68.
I am sorry to see that Speaker Stephens plans to override Governor DeWine's veto of HB 68 with a session set for this Wednesday, Jan 10. HB 68 ignores medical experts and the families with children who have gender dysphoria. I thought the Governor's reasoning behind his veto was quite reasonable and provided alternatives for the legislature to consider, but instead the House leadership rushed to call for an override. I urge you Representative Cross to support the Governor's veto and do not vote to override it. Thank you.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

I appreciated Governor DeWine's Dec. 29th press conference when he announced that he was vetoing House Bill 68. The Governor thoughtfully presented how he arrived at his decision. And despite his veto, Governor DeWine invited members of the General Assembly to meet next week to address "a number of issues that they have raised." So I urge you Representative Cross to await the outcome of those meetings. But if your fellow Republicans choose instead to try to override the veto, I ask you to support the Governor's veto and vote "No." Thank you.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

Congressman Latta, I was disappointed to see that you voted for the House Resolution to approve the probe attempting to find evidence that President Biden has committed an impeachable offense. What a waste of time and resources on a fishing expedition demanded by the radical fringe members of your party when there are so many other issues that Congress should be addressing for the benefit of the people of this country and our foreign allies--including funding the government and providing aid to Ukraine in its defense against the invasion by Putin.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

I was disturbed to learn of your joint letter with Senator Tuberville to the Washington Post opposing U. S. aid to Ukraine supporting its defense against the Russian invasion. There have been many comparisons of Putin's attempted occupation of Ukraine to Hitler's annexations of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, etc. in the 1930s. No one tried to stop Hitler until it was too late. Will Putin stop with conquering Ukraine if we abandon them now? I support continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine. I believe history will judge our country harshly if we turn our back on Ukraine. By the way, I think it ironic that you expressed concerns about continued Ukraine aid hurting America's military when the co-author of your letter Senator Tuberville spent most of 2023 causing harm to our armed forces.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

Dear Mr. Speaker,

I have become aware of a draft proposal put forth by Rep. Jennifer Gross called the Issue 1 Implementation Act. From what I understand, this Act seems to be unconstitutional and potentially counter to the will of the voters who passed Issue 1 on November 7. I hope you will do what you can in your power as Speaker to prevent this proposal from advancing in the House.

From Roger Kranz, Findlay OH:

Dear Representative Gross,

I respect your passionate position on abortion, but I am concerned about your draft proposal "Issue 1 Implementation Act." It seems to be unconstitutional in stripping power from the judiciary to decide issues of law. And I have to wonder if it's designed to counter the will of the voters who passed Issue 1 on November 7--including your home county of Butler by a narrow margin. Again, I respect your position, but I don't think your proposal is an appropriate response. I hope you will not pursue it further.