City council’s actions legal but not moral
The role of government is to make sure that citizens are kept safe and whole in their person and property. The Morgantown City Council screwed up by taking Mr. Nagowski’s land. They want to absolve themselves by forcing him to sell.
Imagine if you built on city land without permission. The city would make you tear the structure down at your cost and fine you until it was gone.
In this case, the city council met behind closed doors, and when they then came out, they unanimously voted to employ eminent domain.
Eminent domain should only be used with careful consideration and when the property is of critical need! It should only be invoked before the property is destroyed. It should never be used as a method of justifying city council’s felonious behavior.
Mr. Nagowski has repeatedly said he wants his property back. The city council should vote to support its citizens and remove the offending structure from his land.
Blaming Mr. Nagowski for not agreeing with “improvements” is worse than the defense lawyer blaming a rape victim for their clothes. The city council shoulders complete blame for this debacle.
The actions of the city council might be legal, but each member needs to check their moral compass, because the actions they have taken thus far are immoral.
Remember that slavery, segregated schools, banning interracial and gay marriage and forcibly removing immigrant children from their parents were/are all perfectly legal in their time.
If you say taking private property is not an issue of global importance like the issues above, then your morality is in question. Opposing gay marriage, supporting slavery or supporting taking a person’s possessions because the city made a mistake are all immoral.
The moral thing to do is give him back his property.
Adam Rosefsky
Morgantown
Florida SOS didn’t decide Bush v. Gore
I am certain that the comments made by Dady Dadyburjor (DP-08-16-20) were sincere. It is unfortunate that the last comment made stating that the Florida Secretary of State gave the election to Bush is factually incorrect. This brings doubt to other conclusions in the letter. The party line is that the U.S. Supreme Court was responsible for the outcome of the Bush/Gore election. Not the Florida Secretary of State. The winning margin for Bush being less than .5% triggered automatic machine recounts. These recounts ended in Bush’s favor again. The Democrats then started hand recounts, which had no legal standing.
The U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned a Florida Supreme Court decision allowing the hand recounts. It is important to understand that Democrats ran the election in Palm Beach County where the issue arose. They choose the type of ballot and the methods of voting and counting ballots.
Patrick Nabors
Morgantown
Thomas column misleads on Obama-era actions
Cal Thomas’ column “GOP convention can offer U.S. optimism” (DP-08-26-20) tried to blame the delayed U.S. response to the COVID pandemic on President Obama and VP Biden, because they allegedly did not replenish supplies of personal protective equipment used for pandemics during their administration.
In fact, Obama began fighting pandemics in his third month in office (March 2009). His administration’s massive response to the H1N1 flu involved every federal agency, helping the CDC develop testing by April 2009 and a vaccine by October. In 2014, Obama allocated $5.4 billion to address the Ebola virus, sending thousands of U.S. personnel to West Africa, and created 15 treatment centers. In February 2016, the Obama administration and the CDC prepared a response to Zika and requested $1.86 billion in funding from Congress, but the Republicans delayed approval of these measures and tried to use them to cut Obamacare and family planning. The administration had to move funding from other agencies to deal with this crisis.
In 2015, the Obama administration established the Global Health Security and Biodefense Unit under the National Security Council, which in 2016, Obama’s last year, prepared a 69-page “playbook” that had recommendations to help the next administration confront crises.
The Obama administration could not fully replenish the supplies because it was in the midst of fighting Ebola and Zika. The Trump administration made no effort to replenish them during three years in office, during which it was not fighting any pandemic. Instead in 2018 the Trump administration disbanded the Global Health Security and Biodefense Unit, fired more than half of its staff for alleged “bloat” and merged the rest into another NSC agency. The Trump administration also ignored the advice in the 2016 playbook, which was based on dealing with two previous major pandemics, and consequently lost two months in spring 2020 during which they could have prepared a much more effective response.
Obama dealt with multiple pandemics much more effectively and successfully than Trump has dealt with COVID. Thomas’ column understates Obama’s accomplishments and unjustly blames him for Trump’s incompetent work.
Mark B. Tauger
Morgantown
In support and defense of Danielle Walker
Recently, certain bad-faith actors have had their eye on Delegate Danielle Walker.
First, Fairmont City Councilman Barry Bledsoe called her “satanic” — a ludicrous attack directed toward someone who openly and proudly says that she is a child of God. As one supporter noted, Delegate Walker walks a more Christ-like path on her worst day than many people do on Easter Sunday.
After that, Walker’s opponents began sharing a picture on social media of her vehicle parked in an ADA parking space — even though she has a disabled parking placard and a legal right to use those spaces.
Finally, they started circulating a misleadingly edited video of her speaking at a peaceful protest. The full video, which she later posted herself, provides the full context.
Are these attacks coming from a place of ableism, racism, misogyny or some combination of the above? I believe so. Perhaps more importantly, they will be ineffective.
The voters of Monongalia County adore Danielle Walker. It’s no coincidence that she received the most votes in our recent primary.
Delegate Walker brings passion, dedication and tireless energy to her work in our state legislature. She speaks for those who feel voiceless. She gives power to those who feel helpless. As someone who has overcome so much hardship in her life, she brings strength and inspiration to those who have also endured.
Delegate Danielle Walker is going back to Charleston in 2021, because One Love will always be stronger than hate.
Shane Assadzandi
Monongalia County Democratic Executive Committee
Morgantown
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
In our local media we currently have accounts of the uncivil comments regarding vice presidential candidate U.S. Senator Kamala Harris and W.Va. Delegate Danielle Walker that Fairmont City Council member Barry Bledsoe recently posted on Facebook.
Likewise, we have accounts of public reactions, perhaps overreactions, to Mr. Bledsoe’s comments. Are Delegate Walker, fellow delegates and others simply “piling on” poor Mr Bledsoe? Should the Fairmont City Council censure Mr. Bledsoe? Will they? Oh, and whatever happened to Mr. Bledsoe’s freedom of speech?
No worries: Mr. Bledsoe’s inalienable right to freedom of speech is intact; in our country, no one can take it away. However, Mr. Bledsoe is a public official, and his comments seem to have been read as if they were made in his official capacity. He needs to clarify when he is speaking as a private citizen.
The 1st Amendment guarantees that no one can prevent any of us from expressing our ideas. But sometimes our ideas may not be worth expressing. What ideas does Mr. Bledsoe express? Maybe “I don’t like Sen. Harris” and “I don’t like Delegate Walker”? Or perhaps “I hate Sen. Harris and Delegate Walker”? Oh, and somehow hidden in there, the idea that Mr. Bledsoe is pro-life (with which he justifies his name-calling). Do Mr. Bledsoe’s disparaging comments require censure by the Fairmont City Council ?
Stay tuned, and remember, civility is always appropriate.
Chris McClelland
Morgantown
Rose Garden renewal looks like political stunt
In July, Melania Trump announced she was “renewing” the historic Rose Garden (the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden). It’s also where First Ladies have traditionally planted rose bushes. The Garden is on TV during summertime for notable events and official announcements. Trump also used it for the first time for a political speech at the Republican convention in front of notables sitting close to one another — inappropriate during COVID when most Americans are wearing masks.
Melania announced the Garden redesign just a month before. The new garden was met by esthetic and historic criticism, some of which was incorrect, such as “chopping down cherry trees,” which are actually crabapple trees that will be replanted on the White House grounds.
One ex-republican dignitary described it as “looking like a landing strip.” Looking at this sterile “landing strip.” I asked myself: Why redesign the Garden at the end of her husband’s first (perhaps only) term? Then it struck me: She and her husband are preparing for guests.
The official redesign description also says, “restore the garden to its original 60-foot foot-print.” Did that mean an increase of guest seating capacity? Look at the redesigned space (see twitter); two cement walkways outline the South Lawn like aisles of a theater with central-grass seating. That theater materialized on TV during the convention.
How slick. It’s a redesign not ordered by Trump for the convention, but it’s built as a “much-needed” project by the First Lady. And, no tax dollars were spent for the renewal. So, unlike the convention, no laws were broken. This destruction of history for personal desire may be reprehensible but it is all strictly legal.
Co-opting the White House for private and partisan use reeks of the ongoing unethical behavior by current Republican leaders, and it once again demonstrates the disdain Trump and his family have for American law, tradition and historical precedent. Didn’t Melania’s jacket say: “I Really Don’t Care”? But, it also asked America another critical question: “Do You (care)?”
Bob Shumaker
Morgantown
In support of Danielle Walker for House
Danielle Walker is one special lady. Many people in the county have received her help. She helps feeds the hungry, finds people places to live and stands up for all people’s rights regardless of race, creed, color, religion or sexual preference. She is a peace-loving person. I think it is a shame and disgrace that some people are so small-minded that they feel the need to do name calling. They really don’t know the real Danielle or what she stands for or how many, many people she has helped.
She is doing an excellent job in the House of Delegates. She is working for our seniors and has been at our senior center many times to talk to us prior to COVID to see what our needs are and what she can do to help not only seniors, but all citizens of Monongalia County and any other person in the state who asks for her assistance. She is a delegate for all people.
My personal opinion is that she definitely is owed an apology for the harsh words that were said about her. She doesn’t deserve this and all her friends stand behind her. Please don’t forget God created all of us equally. Now is the time for everyone to be kind and help each other and not be using slurs against anyone. There are way too many terrible things going on in the world now and way too many people dying. Try prayer instead of making terrible remarks about a kind, caring and hardworking lady who cares about everyone.
I support you, Danielle, and thanks for all the hard work you are doing in the House of Delegates and for all of your accomplishments.
Carol Ann Miller
Morgantown
Students can’t be responsible? Close WVU
The governor is keeping the bars closed in Morgantown and putting the bar owners at risk of losing everything they own. If the governor is really concerned about the spread of the virus due to the large crowds of students and the university being open, then shut down the university.
People are getting tired of not being able to do what they want. What people just need to do is follow the rules: Social distance and wear your mask. I really have trouble wearing a mask because of breathing problems, but I do so out of respect for other people.
Let’s get together so we can get all businesses open and running. again. People only have to wear a mask when they are in a store or office building. When they are outside, just stay socially distanced.
Ralph Correll
Morgantown
