Tecumseh Herald Editorials

To the Editor,

According to the Daily Telegram and the Tecumseh Herald, on Saturday, Feb. 27, Tecumseh police officer Darrin Briggs stopped a Jeep that was being driven by an off-duty county sheriff deputy (Kelly McCrate).

Despite a personal breath test that resulted in a blood alcohol content of .19, which is more than twice the legal limit, officer Darrin Briggs drove Mr. McCrate home and told him not to drive anymore that evening. Once home deputy McCrate apparently convinced his 18- year-old daughter to drive him back up to retrieve his Jeep and on the way back home he rolled his Jeep over and caused his daughter to lose control of her vehicle and end up in the ditch.

Deputy McCrate has been placed on unpaid leave and an out-of-county law enforcement agency has been asked to review the incident for the city of Tecumseh.

Review the incident? What is there to review?  A Tecumseh police officer has broken the trust of the department and the citizens of this city; he placed all of us in danger by allowing a drunk driver back on the road. If deputy McCrate were to have hit someone on that fateful drive home, the city of Tecumseh would have been held accountable.

As far as I’m concerned both deputy Kelly McCrate and officer Darrin Briggs ended their careers in law enforcement on Saturday night. I hope the city of Tecumseh and Lenawee County feel the same and will act quickly to fire both officers.

Daniel Bindus
Tecumseh

To the Editor,

I find it very interesting and hard to believe that “McCrate was somber throughout his interactions with Tecumseh officers,” as stated at the end of the article dated March 2, 2010, and named “TPD probes deputy’s OWI arrest” on the front page of the Daily Telegram.

How does that happen? The officer blew .19, which is more than twice the legal limit just 90 minutes earlier. If anything, it seems like he would be more intoxicated than completely sober during their investigation. I find it to be amazing, verging on a miracle, that he would be completely sober during their investigation.

Both officers are lucky that no one was hurt or killed. If that were me, I would have never had a chance to retrieve my vehicle. I would have been arrested on the spot and taken straight to jail. You can’t drive your vehicle from jail unless it is in a dream.

If the facts in the article are true, I hope both officers get what they got coming to them for being hypocrites, displaying double standards, not following procedures, and endangering public safety. I would like to see them stripped of their badges, fired without benefits, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

It really makes you wonder how often this type of behavior takes place? I’m sure this type of thing or worse happens more often than most people would like to believe by those given the privilege to protect and serve. This type of behavior and cover-up is sickening and makes it hard to trust law enforcement as a whole!

I hope the truth comes out and those involved in any wrongdoing get what’s coming to them for abusing and misusing their positions of authority. That way it sends a clear message to those thinking about or currently misusing the trust given them by society.

To the Editor,

Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Technology and Business Campus. What a class act! Kevin Welch and Paula Holtz along with their staffs did an outstanding job of showcasing Tecumseh’s newest asset.

The presence of representatives from government offices as well as representatives from several neighboring communities reminded us of the magnitude of this project. All of Lenawee County, as well as the entire state of Michigan, will benefit from the future that will be shaped and created here in Tecumseh. Much hard work has been done by many people leading up to the point that they are today in creating the Technology Campus.

We cannot slow down and lose the momentum that has been created — we all must support this project and someday look back and say, ‘We did it together.’

It was with a great deal of sadness that the Eaton family let go of their treasured farm that was in the family for over a hundred and fifty years. They are consoled, however, knowing that the seeds (ideas) will continue to be planted on the farm that will grow and flourish and yield a bumper crop of benefits for all.

The families of the
Eaton Family Farm
Meryl A. Eaton

Congressman Mark Schauer has followed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lead by voting for her budget with trillion dollar deficits, national ‘cap and trade’ energy tax, and trillion dollar health care bill.  Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to push through Congress a trillion dollar health care bill that the majority of Americans oppose by using a controversial legislative maneuver opposed by a majority of the American people.

 As reported by CNN: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went further than any top Democrat has before in confirming an open secret in Washington: Democrats are making tentative plans to use a controversial parliamentary shortcut to send the president a health care bill, with or without GOP votes. The House speaker called the legislative tool known as reconciliation ‘a simple majority’ and said, ‘that's what we're asking the Senate to act upon.’”

 Will Mark Schauer stand with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in pushing their trillion dollar government takeover of health care, or will he stand with the families of south central Michigan who want Congress to scrap the Democrats’ health care bill and start over?

 In the U.S. House, I worked to end lawsuit abuse, allow people to purchase health insurance across state lines, and let small businesses join together to purchase affordable health insurance for their employees.  We can implement these common sense reforms to make health care more affordable and accessible, but old-fashioned liberals like Nancy Pelosi and Mark Schauer place their big government ideology over the interests of Michigan families.

Tim Walberg
Tipton

To the Editor,

Since Clinton joined the Tri-County Conference athletic league, I’ve had to write about encounters with the Redskins much more than in the past. I always cringe when I use the word “Redskins,” but it makes for a better sports story rather than writing Clinton over and over.

I cringe because to me it’s not much different than calling a team the Little Yellow Men or the Colored Boys.

I’m pleased to report that I found a solution to the dilemma for this winter season. Whenever I write Redskins, I think of the potato.

So it’s all right with me if the Redskins remain the Redskins, as long as that big painting of a Native American man comes down from the gymnasium wall and instead there’s an image of a steaming bowl of redskin potatoes.
That’s a mascot I’ll devour anytime.

David Green
State Line Observer
Morenci

To the Editor,

The Tecumseh High School Boys Lacrosse program had a successful can and bottle drive due to the great support of our wonderful community.  Many of the JV and varsity lacrosse players worked in teams to canvas the streets of Tecum-seh.  All the money earned was split equally between the boys who participated in the drive and will be used toward their individual 2010 lacrosse season fees.
Thank you to the Scheffler family for allowing us to use their heated barn and to all parents who helped by driving players throughout the community and sorting and returning all the cans and bottles.  Thank you to Marco’s pizza for donating pizza & pop for lunch!

Watch for us in the near future, as we plan to do another can and bottle drive.  Thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you at some of our games!

Thank you and Go Indians!

Amy Brancheau
Tecumseh