Ted Nugent: A poor example
An apology for remark
Molly Beck’s excellent Oct. 14 article on how people attending legislative hearings are not being told they have been put at risk of COVID-19 accurately quotes me as saying, in reference to state lawmakers:
“Who the f*** do these people think they work for?” I did not use asterisks when I said it. (“Not all get notices of exposure to virus,” Oct, 16).
Although no one has asked me to, I would like to apologize for this remark. Words said in anger are seldom the most eloquent, and I should have done a better job concealing my moral revulsion at what I was being asked about.
The failure of state officials to notify lawmakers and members of the public who may have been exposed to a potentially deadly virus is a clear violation of the public trust, especially because it involves lawmakers who appeared maskless at hearings and later realized they were sick.
And it’s an affront to the state’s open meetings law, by making it dangerous to even show up.
Still, I am sorry for my choice of words. I blame HBO.
Let’s focus on the facts: Attendees at public legislative meetings have been casually endangered. And that’s unconscionable.
Bill Lueders
president Wisconsin Freedom of Information
Council
I was disheartened to read that Republican lawmakers welcomed Ted Nugent, the spokesperson for Hunter Nation, to endorse their ill-conceived hunting/gun bills (“Ted Nugent visits to endorse hunting bills,” Oct. 14).
This is the group that sued the Department of Natural Resources to force a wolf hunt in February, the breeding season for alpha predators that keep the forests in balance.
What has happened to the respect and appreciation that we once held for the thoughtful research and decisions made by the DNR involving shared resources? Regulations are and should be based on science and reasoning.
Nugent often reveals his ignorance of science, but most glaringly with his history on COVID-19. As reported, he labeled COVID-19 a “leftist scam” and nothing to fear prior to becoming seriously ill from the virus. What happened to his followers who heeded his advice?
Finally, what does a bill allowing anyone to carry a concealed, unlicensed firearm have to do with hunting? I wish Nugent would ponder the rise in deaths by firearms reported in our country.
David Vandever
Franklin
Editorial was way off base
Just read the editorial on the voting inquiry (“Wasting your tax dollars on Trump’s lie,” Oct. 17).
As usual, the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Editorial Board is way off base. The investigation isn’t looking to overturn the election — that is past and we must all deal with that. What it is looking into are the same things the Democrats were screaming about eight years ago when Donald Trump won. Were the votes legal? Was there outside influence? Did certain political factions have their hands in things that they shouldn’t have?
Things like Vote in the Park in Madison — was that a legal function? Should that have been held and the ballots kept? Should the money from the Facebook guy have been used by local governments to help get out the vote? Why are the clerks of a few larger cities fighting the subpoenas that were given them by the investigation?
These are things that need to be answered. Eight years ago it was all about Russian influence and voting machine hacks that were never proven, but we all listened and let the investigations follow through. Now it’s your turn to do the same.
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