Union letters to the editor

To the editor:

In reference to the two young adults that killed the Fairfield teacher: First, I would like to explain about the two court systems.

A juvenile court pertains to petty crime misdemeanors, of small importance, inconsiderable. The adult court is in this case certified felony.

The two young adults have been charged with a heinous, hateful, atrocious crime, which is mandatory to be tried as certified adults. Any other way would be an outrage, a gross violation of justice.

I have faith in the prosecutor Chauncey Moulding in picking a fair and impartial jury.

Fairfield is still a great place to live. We are only as good as we put back into our community.

Rod H. Smith, Fairfield, and former chief of police and deputy sheriff

To the editor:

The future of this nation will not be decided in a war in some foreign nation; it is being fought in some classrooms throughout this community, this state, this nation.

What is going on in this nation’s public education classrooms when the National School Board Association asks the 46th occupant of the White House to invoke federal hate crimes legislation and to request the FBI to investigate as a domestic terrorist any parent, grandparent, or guardian that might question public school policies at a school board meeting, which might cause a school board member to resign or to not seek re-election?

If any school board member elected by the citizens of any given public school district in Iowa cannot recall, comprehend or uphold their oath of office, then they need to resign and be replaced by someone who can uphold their oath to support the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the state of Iowa faithfully and impartially to the best of their ability discharge the duties of the office as now or hereafter required by law.

Iowa Critical Race Theory Law HF 802 enacted on July 1, 2021 is being ignored and violated by many school board members throughout Iowa and they need to be held accountable for the illegal indoctrination of Marxist, socialist propaganda that is happening in some classrooms.

The parents, grandparents and guardians of any given public school district in Iowa elect a school board to represent the needs and interests of their children. They do not elect them to rubber stamp the needs, interests and agendas of unelected superintendents and curriculum directors, federal bureaucracy, the Unconstitutional Federal Department of Education, the AEA, the NEA, the ACLU and the National School Board Association of which the Iowa Association of School Boards needs to quit paying dues to.

This letter is not written to berate teachers; it’s about out of control manipulative leadership that causes teachers, students, parents grandparents and guardians much anguish.

One of the root problems in public education are the so-called teacher unions and their radical agenda coupled with their political allies. In 2020, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association contributed 94 percent of approximately $35 million of your teacher dues to fund Democrat candidates for various offices throughout this nation. The AFT and the NEA dislike Republican candidates unless they are Republicans in name only. The NEA actually prints literature to show how to subvert parental rights.

When expression is controlled and propaganda indoctrination begins, you would think that when Marxist, socialistic views dominate certain classrooms that parents, grandparents, guardians, students and teachers would have the right to ask, “If what you are offering is so good for us, why then are you trying to sneak it by us through online in-classroom learning only that doesn’t leave any paper trail?”

Parents, grandparents, guardians are to be the first line of defense for their children to protect them from out of control public education leadership that thinks that they know what is best for your child mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually, financially, racially and spiritually. This is what is fueling the fires of school choice, home schooling, alternative education, vouchers and all the money following the child.

James Lee Elliott

Fairfield

Fairfield City Council questioned

To the editor:

I write, expressing my concern that the rules of procedure at a recent Fairfield City Council session were not followed. This included 1.5 hours of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training material being included, and given priority.

As I understand it, this agenda topic was not the council’s decision, but the mayor’s. Also, this item did not go through the personnel committee, which is normally required. Nor was the trainer even voted for by the council.

Council rules are written, and set, to protect and ensure our “we the people” government. And mayors and council members take a required oath of office to support this.

So I ask, “Who benefitted, and how, from this maneuvering? And who silently stood by, and allowed it?”

If any council members haven’t read our council rules and procedures, then read and apply them. Or remove yourselves from office so we can elect genuine, representative, replacements. Not mayoral appointees.

I thank you, council members, for the good service you do provide us, and for your attention and consideration to this letter.

And I thank the Union, and other newspapers in America, who avail this column to maintain our free speech, in your freedom of the press. God bless America!

Kevin Keating

Fairfield

To the editor:

Fairfield Community School District will join public education systems throughout the state to salute their local school board members and celebrate public education during Iowa’s annual School Board Recognition Month in May.

The commemorative month is designed to recognize the contributions made by more than 2,000 local school board, community college, and AEA board members, including the members of the Fairfield Community School Board of Education, who are charged with governing public education under state law.

Iowa school board members are chosen by their communities through election to manage local schools. They oversee an annual budget of $29 million, approximately 1600 students, 320 employees, and six buildings.

These volunteer leaders also are responsible for formulating school system policy, approving curricula, maintaining school facilities, and adhering to state and federal education laws. Legal concerns and the complexities of school finance, including budgeting and taxation, require them to spend many hours in board training programs and personal study to enhance their understanding of these issues.

We don’t always recognize the dedication and hard work of these public servants elected to represent us and the interest of our children. Invite them out for coffee. Ask how you might help support your local community schools. Drop off cookies at May’s board meeting. Write your school board members a thank you note. Let them know you appreciate what they do for our kids in the Fairfield Community School District.

Please join us by saying “thanks” to our school board members during May's School Board Member Recognition Month.

The men and women serving Fairfield Community School District and their years of service are:

Christi Welsh- President 5 years of service

Tim Bower- Vice President3 years of service

Kelly Scott- Board Member5 years of service

Margo VonStrohuber - Board Member 3 years of service

John McKerley- Board Member3 years of service

Tai Ward- Board Member1 year of service

Mark Porter- Board Member1 year of service

Sincerely,

Dr. Laurie Noll

Fairfield Community School District

Freedom to Vote Act is bad

The Freedom to Vote Act is a direct attack on our election integrity. It forces states and localities to be controlled by Joe Biden's biased administration and people like Schumer or Nancy Pelosi. The bill's nearly 600 pages will force states to comply with a radical Democrat agenda intent on permanent power and control. It will: mandate drop boxes in every jurisdiction as established by a partisan attorney general, and how do we know who is filling out the ballot and who is picking it up?

It will demand all people be automatically registered to vote, and how will we know whether that person is legal to vote or not? It will prohibit states from requiring a social security number-which makes double voting hard to detect. It will demand online voter registration, in which no one would be able to detect who is voting.

It would require same day registration at all polling locations, which requires election officials to have to spend massive amounts of time trying to find out who this person is and if they are voting legally. Why not register to vote ahead of time? It would distribute absentee ballots with no application requesting them. It would replace voter ID with a "sworn written statement", allowing anyone to cast a ballot in another person's name.

I used to be an election official and am proud to say that the other officials and I, worked very hard to ensure voter integrity, in other words, to make sure the person voting, was who they said they were and that they were voting legally. It is total insanity to do otherwise. We have to have ID to prove who we are, to do most anything in life, but not for our elections? That's why I call this Act, "the freedom to cheat" act.

Suzanne Smith

Columbus Junction