Hate In Our Community

Hate In Our Community


Last week, two 18 year old high school students sneaked into a yard to tepee what they thought was a friend’s house at 3 in the morning. One of them was shot three times in the back by the owner of the house, Jerry Sweat, who then went back to bed without calling the police. The teen was badly injured. Two bullets hit him in the back, one in the hand. He will require multiple surgeries on his hand and has been home in bed ill and in pain. Jerry Sweat was arrested for the shooting.
What has been the response in our community to this incident?
Our county newspaper, the Northwest Herald, was quick to write an uninformed article about the incident, which had many glaring errors. One of these was that they were unable to get in touch with the family in question, which wasn’t true. They never tried. Another of those was that the two teens attempted to break into the car, also untrue. Neither the teens nor Sweat gave this information to the police originally, though Sweat might have tried to change his story later after he acquired a lawyer. The paper also stated that the Marengo Police might seek charges later against the two teens, but the incident occurred outside of Marengo and was handled by the Sheriff’s department. It was not in the Marengo Police jurisdiction. Based on this article, filled with glaring errors, the columnist Brian Sepulski wrote an essay further condemning the actions of these young men and glorifying what Jerry Sweat did.
Needless to say, this article was glaring and shocking to the family of the injured young man. It came at a bad time, when they already had a lot of stressful occurrences. Combined with the glaring lies in the article, it added to their pain and stress.
This was bad enough in itself. But it gets worse. The Northwest Herald has an online discussion area that is visited by the whole of McHenry County. The above article was put in this discussion area, and people from Marengo and beyond started posting their comments and opinions.
What was going on at this time? Well, the young man in question had one of several surgeries on his hand, to remove the bullet. He will require more surgery to fix torn nerves, broken bones, and muscles. Currently he is unable to move the fingers on the hand that the bullet went into. After the surgery he became very ill and this was reported by friends of the family on the Northwest Herald discussion board. Not to arouse sympathy, but so that the people who have been making commentary would know what is going on. The response has been truly amazing. Here are some of the hate filled comments from that site:

"barbara" wrote on December 16, 2006 9:54 AM:
"I would rather pay 30% of my childs medical bills than for his funeral……he was
wrong to frighten Mr. Sweat at 4 a.m. I hope he has learned his lesson, but I
doubt it. With all these adults condoning his behavior and painting him as a
blameless victim, they are basically socializing him to become a reckless and
irresponsible adult.”

"braveheart" wrote on December 16, 2006 8:59
AM: "You can paint Patrick as a poor, defenseless victim as much as
you'd like. While we all specualate as to whether or not he broke into Sweat's
car, or was merely up to mischief, there is one fact to this case that is
completely UNDENIABLE.Patrick Gaughan was shot by Jerry Sweat while in the
middle of committing a criminal act. Try to refute that. CGBear hit the nail on
the head. He had no business being in Sweat's yard at 4AM, whether breaking into
the car or simply vandalizing the property. Understand that Patrick's careless
behavior and lack of respect for the property and belongings of others are in
direct correlation with his now being seriously injured. Can you get that trough
YOUR thick head?"

"CGBear" wrote on December 15, 2006 8:21 PM:
"Why does everybody from Marengo make it about poor Patrick??! I don't care who
it is! If you are on my property at 4 am I will call the cops, I will let the
dog out to say hello, and I will come out and say hello."

I have not printed these comments in full, and there are many more. When some of Patrick’s friends from high school went on the discussion board and bravely stood up for his defense, not only were they accused of being ME, but here is what many people replied to them:

"braveheart" wrote on December 15, 2006 6:09
PM: "Leave her alone, Mom, you're confusing her by presenting actual
facts……. She' a clueless, semi-literate little snitch. I'm sure her parents are
very proud of her. Maybe her tune will change once charges are also filed
against Patrick........and they will be filed against him."

Needless to say, we have taken action against this. We have not only gone on the discussion board in question and attempted to respond, but have contacted the Northwest Herald. They have decided that their discussion board is much more important to them (for publicity purposes, I imagine), then the fact that the family in question has lies, slander, and hate directed against them. One of the people posting on that discussion board has in fact contacted us after signing up on our Marengo Message Board and being banned for slander (she accused me of being a pedophile because I wanted to help the Gaughan boys). Her name is Barbara Behnke, the Barbara who posted the comments above, and here is what she wrote to us:

“How on earth is stating my opinion slanderous? You have just reaffirmed my
opinion that this message board seems to be run by a bunch of lunatics. I hope
you all enroll in some classes at the local community college and educate
yourselves about what exactly slander is and also take a class in ethics.”
and
“Please do the world a favor and take some classes at the local
community college and educate yourself on what exactly slander is and what
ethical behavior is……..”

What I found fascinating is that other than the two brave kids from the high school, who have posted despite being ridiculed and demeaned, is that people have allowed their hate of the family in question to fill page after page of the discussion area. As you see, they have no sympathy, empathy, or caring in their hearts. Someone is sick this Christmas, a family’s peace of mind has been destroyed by a reckless gunman, but who do these people care about more? Why the gunman, of course. Poor Jerry Sweat! Someone was in his yard in the dark, he got frightened and had a frightening experience, he was “forced” to shoot someone because of his fright, now he has all these legal fees and, God forbid, might even wind up going to jail. There should not be any people out there who want to defend the boy who is now sick and in pain, they need to be put in their place because of their misplaced sympathy. Why, I have heard that there will even be a fundraiser in town to help pay Jerry Sweat’s legal fees! And this is a person who shoots a person, sees he hit them, doesn’t call the police or the ambulance, but goes right back to bed and falls asleep.
What else is really scary about the way the discussion in the NW Herald is being handled?
Well, I imagine that the newspaper can one day be held responsible for promoting the death of teenagers. Yes, the death of teenagers. There is post after post detailing that people should have the right to shoot anyone on their property and ask questions later. That teenagers who are out late at night deserve to get shot. That the teen in question is a “dog” and should be “shot like a dog”, which was thankfully removed from the site after several days. It is not only sickening, it’s scary. Here, people are advocating that homeowners shoot whoever is on their property in the middle of the night, for the whole county to read. One day a police officer, a mother whose car broke down at night, or a neighbor coming to a house for an emergency may well get shot. Many posts are also spreading hate of the family in question, which might lead to violence against them. No one at the Northwest Herald at this time took any responsibility for these issues or taken any actions to correct the misinformation in the original article.
As a last word, here is what a famous novelist, Peter Senese, thinks about this McHenry County matter. Here is an article from his personal website:

December 15th, 2006: "Friendship" One of my closest friends, Brian of the
Chicagoland area continues to deal with some of the strangest behavior by a
growing group of radical right-winged idiots. As I shared a few days ago,
Patrick Gaughan, Brian's son and my pal, was shot three times while walking on a
neighboring property of his friend he was intending to play a youthful trick on
(tee-peeing his house, something I did often enough in my youth). Patrick is a
teenage boy who possesses qualaties others should hope to obtain: he is
respectful, honest, considerate to others, and good natured. So less than two
weeks ago, Patrick gets shot by a rifle, has his body riddled with bullets, and
a group of idiots out of McHenry County, Illinois have stated on a handful of
websites that the shooter had the right to fire his rifle at anyone on his
property! Where in the world are we going as a society if this thinking
pervails! I mean, last night I was watching a group of Christmas Carollers
strolling a jazzy little neighborhood, and I said to myself, 'what if the home
owner doesn't want these festive singers on his property?' The use of firearms
in most any circumstance is simply wrong.

More can be found here:
The Official Site of Peter Senese - On My Mind

Jerry P Sweat Shoots Marengo Teen

Jerry P Sweat, No Hero, Just Psycho



Mr. Sweat from Marengo Illinois, I noticed, had been enjoying a lot of support. People think that it is all right for Mr. Sweat to shoot to kill two young men, both 18 years of age, who were passing through his property on the way to tepee a friend’s house. Mr. Sweat originally told the police who arrested him that the reason he shot one of the men was because he thought he was one of the people he had a dispute with, since he had many enemies.
So, what did he do? He emptied a whole clip of his .22, saw he hit “the enemy” in question, then he went back to bed without so much as calling the police. This is the story he gave the police when he was first arrested. Later on, he thought of a better story, and decided that the kids whom he shot were going to break into his unlocked car. However, nothing was stolen out of the car and the two kids dropped rolls of toilet paper on the way out of his yard while fleeing. So, it seems unlikely to me that someone would go drive to steal things from someone’s car while carrying rolls of toilet paper with them. Would be rather inconvenient, wouldn’t you think?
Mr. Sweat is a coward. He shot a person who was fleeing in the back. He is cold blooded. After he was done, he went right back to bed, not even caring for the welfare of the person he shot.
Now, what has happened afterward?
People have come out of the woodworks to make accusations of the victim. He was in the wrong place and the wrong time, so that is why he got shot. He deserved it. ALL of his family are evil, they don’t deserve people’s respect. I have noticed that people do not care about the damage they cause, spreading false information, making false assumptions, or just talking garbage. Why?
Because it is not them. By attacking someone else, someone whom they can hold as example, they then can then feel good about themselves. They can assure themselves that their own kids would never cross someone’s yard in the middle of the night, or argue with someone at the carnival, so it would never happen to them. It can’t. It only happens to the Gaughans. Therefore, it must be their fault.
To me, this kind of thinking is evil. It can cause immeasurable harm, and in fact is doing just that, to the Gaughan kids, to their family. Rather than making yourselves look good by accusing someone else, sometimes it might be better to mind your own business.

Café 20 Restaurant

I know new restaurants sometimes have a hard time when they first open. It takes a while for the new owners to get things right. So, keeping this in mind, I will outline my own personal experience at Café 20.

Before going any further, I want to mention that the food itself at Café 20 was for the most part pretty good. I ordered a vegetable sandwich. It was served with a side of pesto on sourdough bread and was truly delicious. My partner had a hamburger, and his opinion of it was that it was as good as the ones in State Street Pub. The fries were waffle fries, which were crispy and also very good. With my vegetable sandwich, I had a side order of potato salad, which was one of the options. Well..that was so-so. I’ll give it some credit, it was homemade and used red skinned potatoes, but lacked any flavor whatsoever. I had to drown it with salt and pepper, and even then it wasn’t that enticing. However, giving credit where credit was due, the rest of the items that we ordered tasted good.

Now, the menu itself at Café 20 was pretty impressive. There was anything and everything that one could wish for on it. Meatloaf, and pesto pasta, pasta with peppers/sausages, and a variety of steaks, as well as a whole list of pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and soups. So, you might ask yourself, why did we manage such a measly set of selections from such an extensive menu? Well, its simple. Café 20 is very, unusually expensive. Oh, maybe it would be alright if it was located in downtown Palatine or Arlington Heights. Or if it was geared more toward the Doral Ridge crowd. But, plain and simple, for an ordinary Marengo resident it is very unreasonable. The items on the menu can be found in other area restaurants at much lesser prices. In fact, on the sandwich menu there were few sandwiches under $10. The sandwiches and other entrees did not include soup. In fact, after looking at the menu with some dismay, the only thing I could settle on was either a BLT for $7 or a Vegetable Sandwich for $7. Everything else was much more than I could afford to spend for lunch. This might make a difference or it might not, depending on how much one is willing to spend on lunch or dinner. But, I might add, that the hamburger my partner had was almost identical to the one in State Street Pub, and for much more money then he would have spent at the Pub. The vegetarian sandwich I had could be found for $4 or $5 or so at Flatlanders. The prices just don’t compare, especially as soup is not included with the meal.

Again, that’s not to knock it down. The food was good! If one is willing to pay the prices and is just interested in the food, then this would not be an issue.

Now, the last item that could use a bit of work is the service. We came to this restaurant with two kids, one of whom is very young and a bit wild. He needed a high chair to sit in, otherwise he would do weird tricks like get up on the table, yell in a loud voice, and hit the window with a tiny fist. We asked the waitress for a high chair, but were handed an ancient chair right out of the 1950’s, which not only was unsafe and would tip over, but which also did not fit my son. We pushed the chair aside and let him sit next to the window, where he proceeded to do all that was described above. The waitress neither offered an alternative, like a booster seat, nor asked why we pushed the high chair aside. One would think that in an age when people routinely take kids out to eat, especially in a homey looking place that identifies itself as a “café” and offers items such as meatloaf, that there would have been an actual, real high chair! Other than that, the service needs to have some quirks worked out. It took a very long time for the food to be served. The waitress had to wait on a roomful of people. There was only one waitress, so this was an impossible task to accomplish, made even more difficult because she sat at the bar looking bored and sipping a soda most of the time we were there. When drinks for the kids were ordered, she brought them a glass with a straw, same as for the adults. Again, consideration wasn’t given toward younger children, who might have a hard time sipping from an open glass without spilling and making a disaster. Again, it would have been a different, perhaps better, dining experience without the kids. But I must say that the place isn’t very child-friendly. I did notice the "Help Wanted" posted on the sign outside, but none the less, you cannot run a restaurant that had almost every table occupied during the lunch rush with only one server.

Other than that, I think Café 20 had good food and could make a go of it, if some of the above quirks are worked out. I know it is under new ownership, so I hope for the best!

JUDGE CONDON NEEDS MORE EDUCATION - WOODSTOCK ILLINOIS

(click on the pic)

I’d like to ask you, Judge Condon, why you think Kroncke and Schroeder are good officers? Just because you and only you made the decision that we all knew you were going to make, to allow the coerced, fake confession as evidence? Of course, YOU are on the prosecution’s side, judge, you all know each other, go to the same parties, so it is not surprising that you would not want to ruin their case. Its political, that’s why. It would be bad politics to go against the prosecution.

Where is your sense of shame? Did you not see the whole tape? You did not see Kevin Gaughan jump back at one point or the way he was sitting, clearly frightened? You did not see Kroncke jump, run around the room, slam papers, point his finger, throw Kevin into a cell, punch a guy out? You saw Kroncke brush Kevin’s shoulder?? Please! Watch the tape again, judge. Or did you even bother to watch it, since you obviously decided to make this decision ahead of time?

Look at all the cases that you and Bianchi and Owens presided over that were turned over on appeal. Look at the shameful ways you behave, not caring about justice or right and wrong. You would put any person in jail, no matter if he’s innocent and guilty, just to win a case! You should all be disbarred. Don’t worry, by the time this is all over with, I am sure the FBI will get involved in your wrongdoings. This will not go on.

And shame on you reporters of the Northwest Herald. What a crappy article! Just the other day was an article and a website where one can view the tape for oneself. Are you saying you saw this tape and still believe the lies that Condon and Bianchi stated to you people? What is this? You don’t do any of your own investigating, but just print whatever the people you interview tell you, true or false? Just the day before there was an article where the events on the very same tape were discussed in a contradictory manner.

All lies. From the prosecutors to the judge to our community paper. You people have no shame!

WOODSTOCK ILLINOIS
OCTOBER 15, 2006

Illinois State Police William Kroncke’s Lies Exposed

Illinois State Police William Kroncke’s Lies Exposed

William Kroncke, who is a Illinois State Police investigator, has been in the process of lying so often, that it is safe to say he must either be a habitual liar, or a ruthless individual concerned less with the law then with doing favors for friends and abusing various people.

Take a look at some of what William Kroncke has done:
- He was caught on tape punching a prisoner in handcuffs and slapping Kevin Gaughan, who came in to file a complaint.
- He has lied and covered up facts of an investigation he supposedly conducted into the shooting of a suspect by a Marengo police officer.
- He has lied on the stand constantly and repeatedly. Under oath.
- He has even stolen evidence that was supposed to be handed over to the defense in a case!

Considering all these facts, it shouldn’t surprise us that William Kroncke would lie about his military service record as well. Since getting transferred to Chicago, Kroncke has told people, including possible suspects, that he was an Army Ranger, who had fought in various wars and held many medals. However, Kroncke appears to be just like Jack Genot. When his military record is examined, it shows that Kroncke did not serve in the Army at all or been anywhere near a battlefield. Instead, he was a financial officer without any clearances in the National Guard! In other words, while Kroncke was able to commend respect from his superiors in the Chicago area because of his military and war service, the fact is that he never even served! I imagine that if his superiors, many of whom are themselves real military heroes and real Rangers, knew that Kroncke lied about being a Ranger and was just a piddly financial officer, a clerk, then he would get a lot less respect. Maybe they wouldn’t stand up to protect this liar and poor excuse of a human being when he habitually lies, hits people, and does wrong. Maybe they will look the other way when all these lies finally catch up with him. I would think at the very least, this must be very embarrassing for Kroncke himself, as there is no excuse for this kind of lie.
Jack Genot has made a public apology and a fellow alderman asked him in Council to resign. Though he did not do so. Maybe we should all demand that the Illinois State Police finally get rid of William Kroncke. It is not safe or wise to give a habitual liar and violent individual, who also covers up for his lies, a badge and especially, a gun. I would write the Illinois State Police Headquarters in Chicago and demand Kroncke’s resignation. We will all be safer in the future. Especially those of us in Marengo.

Illinois State Police
Woodstock Illinois
Marengo Illinois

October 4, 2006

Barbarians of the Justice System

Nichole Owens, Lou Bianchi - McHenry County Illinois

We Americans believe that we have the most just system of law in the world. People are “assumed innocent” until proven guilty and have a right to a trial by a jury of their peers. Prosecutors are supposed to prosecute those against whom there is evidence and who they themselves believe to be guilty. This is the ideal upon what our justice system in this country is based. In fact, more than an ideal, we, the citizens of this country, believe that if we are falsely accused of a crime, then this will be caught and remedied. Supposedly, innocent people do not wind up in jail in the United States.
This has, unfortunately, not been the case in McHenry County. There’s justice for the rest of the country and there’s “McHenry County justice”. Meaning what?

- People are falsely arrested and then indicted by a grand jury because of false evidence given against them.
- The prosecutor, Nichole Owens, is ambitious and willing to see innocent people go to jail for crimes they did not commit in an effort to forward her own agenda.
- There are few judges and they make decisions that are pro- prosecution, and are later turned over by an appeals court.
- State investigators lie on the stand in order to protect themselves and their friends.
- People are beat up and arrested if they complain about the system.

Why is this happening? Because of two people who are here to put criminals behind bars and protect the rest of us in McHenry county are more concerned about getting ahead then about truth and justice. Nichole Owens has screwed up case after case in Boone County. The people who she prosecuted and who were found guilty, and the decisions made in her cases, were later overturned in Appellate court. She was booted out of there and is now in our McHenry County. She likewise has started prosecuting the innocent while those who belong in jail go free. In the Gaughan case, there was evidence from the beginning that Brian and Kevin Gaughan were not guilty of any of the charges brought against them by her office. It was and still is obvious to anyone looking at that case that Officer Crawford of Marengo beat up one of the Gaughans, who was injured. Crawford was the one against whom charges should have been brought against. Instead, Owens wants to prosecute people she knows are not guilty, as dropping the charges now would mean admitting some very obvious mistakes. There are 23 witnesses for the Gaughans and a videotape showing how Kevin Gaughan was hit and interrogated in order to get him to drop his complaint. The witnesses against the Gaughans? Crawford and Given, both forced to resign from Marengo PD. In fact, not only Crawford, but Given should have been prosecuted as well. She has stolen confidential information and given it to the NW Herald, yet has been allowed to get away with her crimes. Owens also insists on prosecuting the police officers involved in an altercation with Ron Hallet. The only reason charges are being brought up against these officers in the first place, was so State Investigator Kroncke could show that he wasn’t biased toward the police in the Gaughan case. So, four innocent people are prosecuted for crimes they did not commit, the videotapes which are essential, same as in the Gaughan case, have “mysteriously disappeared”. I am certain that if there are guilty charges in these cases, they, like the Boone County cases, will be overturned later by the Appellate Court.

The sad thing is that nothing is being done about Owens and Bianchi. They are allowed to go on their rampage, putting innocent people in jail and costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend themselves. State’s Attorney Lisa Madigan, nor anyone else, wants to get involved or cares about what is going on in this county. The only hope that I can see coming is to have people like you and me get together to try to fight some of the injustices. Because next time it might be you whose being falsely accused and tried. Next time you who read this might have a state officer like William Kroncke lie about you on the stand. Until people decide to take action, nothing will be accomplished. We are lucky that people like the Gaughans have decided to fight these injustices. In the end, I hope to see Owens and Bianchi make enough mistakes, so that they are forced to pay for their actions.

Wodstock Illinois Sept. 29, 2006

Who Should Really Be Put Behind Bars?

The Northwest Herald printed that the arrest rate is up, but that crime is down. Hmmm… I wonder if this is because of all the people who have been falsely arrested and tried by the State’s Attorney’s Office.Supposedly, Marengo was one of the communities that has seen a decrease of crime since last year….

Marengo, huh? I wonder if this is because now that Crawford and his girlfriend Given were forced to resign, there are a lot less false arrests and fake crimes being committed. What about the murder of the 83 year old women? Was that solved? We’ll never find out, as the possible suspect was shot. Maybe the serious crimes, like drug dealing and murder did not go down, just that there were a lot less false arrests this year?

Lou Bianchi says that there is a lot of work to do and arrests to make. Why? I wonder..

The increase in workloads is because Nichole Owens is trying very hard to make a name for herself here in this county, and people are getting falsely arrested. The innocent are sent to prison, even if they are police officers, while bad police officers go unpunished and are able to get a job in other counties. True crime is being ignored..

I wonder how many of these arrests led to convictions and how many of the convictions are going to be overturned in the appeal process?

Bianchi also states that there will be a lot more work for the State’s attorney’s office.

I am sure there would be a lot less work without the false arrests. Look at Nichole Owens record in Boone county. People were falsely arrested and charged, and if convictions were obtained, they were overturned in appellate court. The same process is now occurring here in McHenry County. It is only a matter of time before Nichole Owens will find herself out of a job because of prosecutorial misconduct.

And what are supposedly our biggest problems in McHenry County? Sexual abuse and alcohol misuse!! What? Did I hear that right?

Is that what we need to worry about while there are meth use and other problems, with many people in the county living in poverty?

McHenry County judges have huge caseloads, according to Bianchi.

Maybe we need some new judges, as the ones who are handling the current cases seem to agree with the prosecutors, issue bad judgments, and then have those judgments turned over in an appeal.

What is the situation here in McHenry County?

Because of Nichole Owens, case after case is being prosecuted, whether the suspect is innocent or guilty. Owens doesn’t care about little things like innocence or guilt. She wants to make a name for herself. She will keep prosecuting people, engaging in misconduct, and sending innocent people to jail by using investigators who lie on the stand and other forms of ruthless actions, unless something is done.

Pedestrian Rally Against Trucks....What About Bad Cops?

Concerned citizens and Marengo Pedestrians will be holding a Rally in the Downtown Business section of Marengo on Friday July 28 at 10 AM in support of pedestrian rights. There will be marches, speeches and refreshments.
This is the email I received earlier this week. Now, what seems to be wrong with a rally? Sounds like fun, right? Speeches, marches, even something to eat. A whole event. Sounds like something that the citizens of Marengo might want to attend and take part in.
Well, there's a problem.
What are rallies, demonstrations, speeches, and marches generally conducted for? Well, they are all a form of activism whose purpose is to bring about changes and to get the current government's attention that people are not pleased with what is going on. This certainly seems to be the intention of this demonstration. The downtown store owners want the situation of truck traffic on Rt.23 looked into, they want better pedestrian laws, and more signs. In return, the downtown owners will benefit by increased traffic and profits.
Does anyone except me see anything wrong with this picture?
Look at the traditional reasons rallies and demonstrations are usually held. Civil Rights Demonstrations, for instance. Compare Martin Luther King Jr's speech to a speech about….pedestrian rights!! Does this not demean the whole idea of protests and demonstrations? Here Martin Luther King Jr. risked his life and liberty to demonstrate and give speeches, as have those who participated with him. And then we have Marengo store owners risking nothing at all to have a demonstration in order to get more profits for themselves. And to also increase business on the day of the demonstration itself too, of course. There were other rallies throughout history, of course. Vietnam War protests, Iraq War protests, and Immigration Marches and rallies. Again, compare the seriousness of the issues involved to that of pedestrian rights. These people were out there protesting for a reason with great risk for themselves. They wanted to bring about important changes for themselves and others. Their acts were selfless, whereas the acts of these protestors in Marengo clearly are meant to benefit themselves. And will not piss anyone off too much, as I'm sure everyone in and outside town either agrees with them or is neutral.
Finally, my biggest issue with this rally is that some of the owners of these downtown businesses were asked to contribute money to help the Gaughans in their legal battle and to start a fundraiser. They have not agreed to it and were shocked at the audacity of the suggestion. They also are not willing to go out there and protest the Marengo Police falsely imprisoning and beating people in the police station. Clearly, that is not an important issue to them. But, when it comes to profits and something that will benefit them, they are out there ready to rally, march, and give speeches!
What would a speech about pedestrian rights be about anyway? Will it get people inspired? I doubt it. In fact, let's face it, Rt. 23 is a truck route. Some of the trucks and tractor trailers pay over $10,000 just to buy their plates for their trucks. Do they not have the right to use the route? What about their rights? The whole issue is ridiculous.

Leaving no stone unturned

Marengo, IL.
Marengo Police

This week, both CBS and the Northwest Herald were given very interesting information. A tape of a State Police officer punching, yelling, slapping, and intimidating people in the Marengo Police Department was handed to them, as well as an interview with Brian Gaughan Sr., and Kevin Gaughan concerning the events on the tape. But because of threats of lawsuits from State Police lawyers, CBS producers decided to show a watered down version of what they originally planned. They neither mentioned the State Police officer’s name, William Kroncke, nor described in detail what happened on the tape that they ran. The Northwest Herald was even more cowardly, refusing to run an article already written and planned for Friday morning due to fears of lawsuits by the State Police and pressure by the State’s Attorney’s Office. The article that did come out on Saturday morning was not much more than a watered down version of the original. It even had a quote on top implying that the State Police did not believe the video was what it seemed.
Now, our Marengo Gazette is a small, online enterprise connected with our Marengo Message Board. We do not give in to pressure from town governments, State’s Attorney’s offices, or threats of lawsuits. Therefore, I will put parts of the tape online for all of you to look over and to see for yourselves what really happened.

Now, first of all, the two State Police officers on the tape are William Kroncke and Virgil Schroeder. From what I understand, Kroncke is a millionaire whose father-in-law has a lot of political clout. This is how he is able to commit crimes that you see on this tape and get away with it. I did not see Schroeder do anything particularly exciting on the tape other than to sit at his desk and stare off into space. However, he made no move to stop his partner or to prevent Kevin Gaughan from being mistreated for 5 and a half hour.

The tape contains footage which makes it pretty clear what has transpired during the 5 hour interrogation. You can watch parts of it and see for yourselves.
First of all, there is the scene where Kroncke slaps Kevin Gaughan. It is interesting to watch, as there is very little to excuse these actions. Kevin Gaughan was there to make a complaint of police brutality against Scott Crawford. He wasn’t there because he committing any sort of crime or did anything wrong. This is important to note, because the State Police asked him to come down to the Marengo Police Station in order so they could take the complaint and investigate Crawford, not to be interrogated. This is not what happened. William Kroncke attempted to force him to sign a false confession, claiming that Kevin committed the car burglaries in Doral Ridge. He was yelled at, harassed, and slapped in the face, told that his father would lose his job and would go to jail and that his whole family would suffer if he did not sign the document in front of him, dropping the complaint against Crawford. Needless to say, this was not an investigation of Crawford, this was an attempt to cover up his crimes. I need not say, I’m sure, that if the State Police really wanted to conduct an investigation into the complaint, they would have met with Kevin Gaughan in an independent setting and not in the Marengo Police Station, where the Officer in question still was employed. Obviously they were not interested in seriously investigating the incidents with Crawford in the first place, otherwise why meet there? It seems clear that the only reason Kroncke and Schroeder were brought in was because the Marengo Police Department wanted a way to cover up Crawford’s crimes. After all, Sgt. Joe Perez, who is head of the investigation, was a long time resident of Marengo and friends with those in the department, so it seems that this must not have been too hard to arrange.


(Click a video to play)

The scene where Kroncke hits Kevin is very hard to misconstrue. Watch it for yourselves. I believe Kroncke’s lawyer said that Kroncke was brushing the lint off of Kevin’s shoulder! Well, as you can see, he actually does hit him. And just in case there is any doubt about that, Kevin puts a hand to his face afterward. It is also interesting to watch what Kroncke’s partner Schroeder does: he gets up and walks nowhere, just making a complete circle. It’s obvious that he suddenly stood up like this because he simply could not believe what his partner just did. If you watch the clip as a whole several times, it will become very obvious what took place. Kroncke’s lawyer’s excuses sound just like what they are - excuses to cover up his crimes.
The most interesting part of the tape, of course, is the part where Kroncke punched out the prisoner that the Marengo Police brought in, Orest Hideo. What you can see is Hideo being brought out of the police car, into the police department, where he clearly starts saying something to Kevin before the Marengo Police put him against the wall. What he told Kevin was not to talk to the police without a lawyer. Kroncke then got off his chair and punched the handcuffed prisoner out. After Hideo is on the floor, Officer Mahlke kicks him into his cell. There is no mistaking this action either. You can see it yourselves right on the tape, regardless of what anyone might say. Just so all of you know, Officer Mahlke is also the Chief of Wonder Lake. I would think the citizens of Wonder Lake might be interested to know that their new Chief approves of prisoners in custody being punched, and that he kicks them when they’re down.


(Click a video to play)

Also, note the time on the bottom of the screen right after Orest Hideo is punched out. He is unconscious in his cell for 43 minutes. His hands are cuffed behind his back and no one calls for medical attention. Afterward, you can see the Marengo Police cleaning up his blood off the floor.


(Click a video to play)

Later on the tape, there is yet an another interesting occurrence. There is an awful lot of blood. At one point, one of the Marengo Police Officers comes back and notices that it had not all been cleaned up. Officer Mahlke gets more paper towels and cleans up the rest of it. In fact, he grabs a whole bunch of towels from a paper towel dispenser, wipes the blood off with his feet, and throws the bloodied towels in the garbage. There is no way that you can watch this and not see what has taken place. And it is just as obvious who punches the prisoner out – William Kroncke. He gets up off his chair, walks up to the Marengo police officers, who are holding Hideo against the wall, raises his arm, punches, and then Hideo falls to the floor and there is blood. I cannot see what else could have possibly happened on the tape. It seems very obvious and hard to misconstrue. Of course, the Marengo Police are just as responsible for not protecting the prisoner who is in their custody. From what Kevin Gaughan has described, they laughed about the whole incident among themselves. You can also see Officer Mahlke kicking the unconscious prisoner into a cell after he is knocked out. Apparently, this is something that must have gone on quite often at the Marengo Police Department and no one thought anything of it. Certainly, no one was angry at Kroncke for knocking the prisoner. No one thought to check on Hideo while he was in the cell, handcuffed and unconscious, or to provide him with medical attention.

What happens in some of the other scenes on the tape? Well, I watched the tape as a whole and unfortunately it is impossible to put it all online. However, I think watching the whole thing gives one a whole different perspective on what went on. Also on what kind of person William Kroncke is. For one, it becomes obvious how ridiculous the excuses the State Police lawyers make for Kroncke really are. It’s next to impossible to watch the whole tape and not see it as anything less than intimidation and further police brutality. William Kroncke is clearly a very scary and intimidating presence. But its even more than that – this is a person who seems almost as if he is insane and should not be given a gun and a badge! He should not be allowed to perform a job as an officer or an investigator after treating a witness who is supposed to have given him information about a police brutality incident in this way. Clearly, he isn’t investigating anyone, he’s breaking the law in order to help out the Marengo Police by forcing Kevin Gaughan to drop his complaint. For five and a half hour this person screams, makes gestures with his arms, threatens to do to Kevin what he has done to the prisoner in handcuffs, sticks Kevin into a jail cell, threatens Kevin’s family and friends. He picks up a chair that still has a coat on it, for goodness sakes, and swings it around over his head. What kind of normal person would do something like this? And he never lets up with the screaming, yelling, hand swinging, and holding out the paper for Kevin to sign for the whole 5 and a half hours. You can see Schroeder just sitting there staring off into space. He makes no gesture to stop the tirade, and is therefore also responsible for what happened. The most telling part was when Kevin asks to go the bathroom. You would think that after almost 5 hours Kroncke would rest and relax during this little break in order to get ready for more screaming and yelling? Nope. He goes up to the cell where Orest Hideo has now regained consciousness and starts harassing and baiting him until Hideo yells something back. Then Kroncke calls the Marengo police officers into the room, who threaten to pepper spray Hideo. It is apparent from Kroncke’s gestures that he tells them that Hideo had started yelling himself. However, when you watch the tape, you can see that Kroncke started baiting him first, when Hideo was just sitting quietly on the cot. But that’s even beside the point. Kroncke could not sit still for a few minutes while the person he was harassing for many hours went into the bathroom! What kind of person is this? Are we supposed to take this person’s word for what happened in any investigation at all, whether it’s the shooting conducted by a Marengo Police Officer or Crawford hurting people? He can’t even keep his temper after 5 hours of screaming! Needless to say, he also seems to have few morals, as he has no problem at all knocking out a prisoner completely unrelated to the case he was investigating just to intimidate Kevin Gaughan so that he would think something like this could happen to him. He has no trouble harassing the prisoner in question for no apparent reason whatsoever and then telling the police officers on duty that the prisoner was the one who caused the problem. Clearly, besides appearing to be mentally ill, William Kroncke lies and makes things up just to get his way in whatever matter is at hand. This much is obvious from his behavior on this tape.


(Click a video to play)

Kroncke isn’t the only person committing crimes in this video. At the very end, Officer Riley and County Officer Umbenhower sit down with Kevin Gaughan and try to get him to admit to them that he was the one who committed the burglaries in Doral Ridge. Of course, both of these Officers knew that this wasn’t true, as they already had a suspect in custody who really did commit the burglaries. He is in the upper quadrant of the film, sitting in a jail cell. So, there was no reason for them to harass Kevin and try to get him to admit to crimes he did not commit. It should also be noted that this incident took place after Kevin Gaughan had been interrogated for over five and a half hours. I don’t know if Officer Riley was hoping that Kevin by this time would be worn out by all the screaming and yelling and would therefore confess, or what they hoped would happen. But it is clearly wrong for a police officer to accuse someone of something that they did not do, when the Officers in question know for sure that this person did not do it.


(Click a video to play)


(Click a video to play)

One final interesting look at an another incident that transpired: While Kevin was locked up in the jail cell, Orest Hideo was taken out of his cell. Watch the cardboard that is put up to block Kevin’s view of what is about to take place. Why do you think they needed to do that? I can only imagine. But a Marengo Officer notices it and looks at it in great confusion, after which the cardboard is taken back down again. Apparently Kroncke and the others think better of it. Why is this of any significance? Well, in November of last year, Orest Hideo was arrested by the Marengo Police, brought to the police department, and then wound up in the hospital for days. I wonder if beatings are a regular occurrence in the Marengo Police Department? The cardboard seems to indicate so. This is something that one would expect to find in a third world country, not in the United States. We should all be ashamed and outraged that our police department lets these things go on and that the people in this town go and defend the police department regardless of these doings.

We Need Your Help!

I would like all who read this gazette to please write to Lisa Madigan to look into the police situation in Marengo and at the way the Gaughan case is being handled. I think we've seen that the State's Attorney's Office and the State Police are all on one side and will not treat this situation fairly. We really need your help. I'd like everyone who reads this to please write to Lisa Madigan and ask for help with this situation and to at least look into it. You've seen the videotape? Is it right for the State Police, the State's Attorney, and Crawford/Given/Riley to get away with their actions and for the Gaughans to have false charges brought against them that they then have had to fight with much opposition for years?
Here is the address:


Lisa Madigan
IL Attorney Generals Office
100 W. Randolf St
Chicago, IL 60601
312-814-3000

May 2006

Officer Down, Officer Down………… I Mean Gone


This is yet another sad moment for the City of Marengo, another officer turning in their badge. First it was Scott Crawford, "There is three sides to every story", the four legged beast Quanto, and now Kelly Given who was Quanto's partner and Crawford's girlfriend.
In all honesty, based on the media coverage and statements made by the Chief of Police Les Kottke, all fingers point to Kelly Given. I believe that Given resigned due to the fact that she leaked confidential reports to Josh Stockinger who was employed with the NWHerald about one of the teens suing her. Just like Crawford, Given is trying some evasive maneuvers to escape persecution.
The City of Marengo has been crapping their pants since the allegations of police abuse have started. If there is "Three sides to every story", why are the two key players for the cities defense no longer employed? Where would the credibility be?

I will try to explain my "Three side to every story" Theory. The conclusion to this theory is based on all facts publicly known.

Jack's Theory:

Story 1: Marengo police officers are being accused of using excessive force, creatively making up false statements, and secretly releasing top secret documents.

Story 2: Crawford "I am innocent." "The truth will come out in the end."
Quanto "Ruff…..Ruff." The translation….."Welcome to Walmart."
Given said she had nothing to do with it.

Story 3: Crawford, Quanto, and Given (in that order) no longer are in employed by the Marengo PD. Nor does Stockinger work for the NWHerald, coincidence?

Conclusion: Story 1 and Story 3 are very true. Story 2 is false. Therefore, if Story 3 is a true statement then Story 1 is telling the truth.



Whose in the Neighborhood?



We all live in Marengo thinking we are in a safe neighborhood. Yes, there have been problems with the police in the past. But most of us, I imagine, feel pretty safe. I know many people who let their kids out in the yard to play. Many more don't lock their doors when they are home during the day, or even at night. After all, Marengo is a small town, far removed from the big city. But how safe are we really?
Here is who lives in your neighborhood:
1. John Adamson: Lives on 408 Sunset. Convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a young victim from 13 to 16 years of age.
2. Kenneth Anthony: Lives on 622 Jackson. Is a sexual predator and convicted of child pornography.
3. James Kacena: Lives at 18704 Rt.176. Convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a young victim.
4. Gary Morrison. Location currently unknown. Convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault and violated the sexual criminal registration act.
5. Daniel Rohe. Lives at 719 Beggs, apartment 4. Convicted of his SECOND act of criminal sexual assault of a young victim.
6. James Uden. Lives at 330 W. Railroad. Convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a young victim and is also considered a sexual predator.
So, our town is not as safe as we thought it might be. These people might not present a danger to anyone, or they might be very dangerous. From what I understand, in his whole lifetime a sexual offended is known to abuse an average of 70 victims. So, if any of you live near these offenders, it is best to exercise caution.
Of course, not all the sexual offenders are what they seem. The last on the list, James Uden, was 18 years old and caught having a sexual relationship with his 16 year old girlfriend. The police found out and Uden wound up serving time in prison. So, I guess, they might not all be as dangerous as they seem and looks can be decieving. However, it still does not hurt to use caution with our neighbors, even in Marengo.




McHenry County Justice


It has been on my mind on how our justice system here in McHenry County has unfairly imprisoned and charged people with crimes. I can't help but wonder if this is a case particular to McHenry County or if it happens everywhere. Unfortunately, I have found an example that we can refer to, and that is what happened in New Orleans. The way people accused of crimes in New Orleans have been treated is truly horrifying. An organization from New Orleans called Safe Streets, Strong Communities did a study on how many days people were kept in jail without trial.They found the average number was 385 days. One person had been locked up for 1,289 days. None of these people have been convicted of any crime. Many of these arrests were for simple misdemeanors. Now, I cannot help but wonder how this could have been allowed to take place. Can you imagine if you got arrested (falsely or not)for, let's say, disorderly conduct. Let's suppose you were arguing with your husband or wife and someone called the police. Do you think it is right for you to be locked up for the next year awaiting a trial? But, wait, you might say, what does this have to do with McHenry County? Well, look at the Gaughan case. The Gaughans were originally arrested over a year and a half ago. Almost two years. Yet the State's Attorney keeps issuing continuance after continuance in order to postpone the trial, which they know would then wind up costing the Gaughans yet more money. Luckily, they are not sitting in jail as this is taking place. But there is no excuse for the constant delays, and if a person does not have the money to pay bail, then they would have to wait all this time in jail for a trial on charges that are not serious enough to even warrant that much jail time. What makes this even worse is that the only two witnesses against the Gaughans are both former disgraced cops who resigned in lieu of being fired. Both committed crimes which neither was charged with because of the State's Attorney not wanting to bring charges against them. Instead they continued with the charges against the Gaughans. The firing of these two cops has cost Marengo tax payers over $100,000 so far. A few months ago the city administrator, Scott Hartman, said Marengo was in the red because they had spent over $100,000 involving a police lawsuit. Well, what the city spent that 100G on was the investigation, and the removal of Crawford and Given. None of that money was spent on the civil rights lawsuit. That is being paid entirely by the City's insurance company, which has not even started using that money for anything yet. On top of that, the $100,000 that the City spent does not even count the $30,000 that Crawford got to resign nor any of the money Given might have received.. So, we are all paying the price for the police department's and the State's Attorney's incompetence, not just those directly involved.
I think this is something that we should all think about, as it might be ourselves or our children who might one day be at the mercy of the justice system here in McHenry County, as well as the rest of us, who will surely be stuck footing the bill.



McHenry County Peace Group


Last year, I was very surprised to discover that we have a Peace Group in McHenry County. The McHenry County Peace Group is a collection of citizens from this county who try to right injustices by holding lectures and protesting. At the time I met with the Peace Group, they were protesting the war in Iraq by holding signs on Rt. 14 and Main St. in Crystal Lake every Thursday. They also had a Christmas Vigil, which I participated in. Members of the Peace Group would take turns holding signs on the said intersection from 4pm until 6am. All night there would be someone out there. It was truly a powerful experience to try to fight injustices in this way. It was a really cold night, under 10 degrees, and I stood out there for 40 full minutes in the cold. By the end of my time I couldn't feel my hands or feet and was shaking uncontrollably. Cars would pass by and, while some would wave and honk, most would shout insults or hold out a finger. If anyone is familiar with that intersection, you would know it is not exactly a safe place to be standing at night in the dark, with angry people passing by at 40 miles an hour. But I was proud to have taken a stand against the Iraq war and done my share by being out there with rest of the members. From that point on, I wanted to be more involved in our County's Peace Group.
Here, I run into a little problem. You see, the way I understand the concept of being involved and trying to fight injustices and the way they see it seems to be rather different. For me, fighting things that are wrong always starts in one's backyard. I noticed that our McHenry County Peace Group has a lot of members of all sorts of backgrounds. There are doctors, lawyers, and teachers. These people want to fight things that are wrong and make a difference. Yet, all the Peace Group's efforts are aimed at national issues and things overseas. It's necessary to worry about conditions in Argentina and Mexico, but not about lack of McHenry County's health care and domestic violence programs for women(other than Turning Point, which is notoriously ineffective in providing a safe place to stay in the county). All these people, the way I see it, can be put to good use helping us here, at home, in McHenry County. When I put this issue to the Peace Group, however, I have received no response.
My biggest issue in McHenry County, however, is their justice system. Many people in Marengo have been arrested and falsely charged, even imprisoned, for crimes they did not commit. What the State's Attorney is doing with the Gaughan case is truly horrible, and I have brought these issues up with the Peace Group. Their latest protest was this Monday, the day the immigrants walked out of their jobs and schools, and it supports the immigrants. Now, I can't help but think that in McHenry County there are far more pressing concerns right now. But, regardless, the way I looked at it, if the Peace Group was willing to do their own little Immigrant Protest in downtown Crystal Lake, why not do something local that has far greater meaning and a chance to try to right an injustice? I suggested that we do a protest in front of the McHenry County Courthouse against the State's Attorney. Again, I have not gotten even so much as an answer on this from the Peace Group.
I hate to say it. Even though I really like the Peace Group, am glad to have them in our county, and greatly respect what they do, I am beginning to lose some respect for them. It seems that they only handle national or international issues, because those issues are safe to handle. No one is going to mind if they stay out there on Rt.14 protesting President Bush. He doesn't live in this county. However, the State's Attorney is an another story. Its apparently not okay to protest things that might involve some risk on their part, that might make people angry and help bring about some actual change, along with possible personal consequences. I'd be willing to do it any day. Why aren't they?



Murder in a Small Town


This week, a terrible tragedy occurred. An eighty three year old woman was murdered in her home. The Marengo Police have released little information. For instance, not only do we not know who actually killed this woman, but what the motive might have been. Yes, her car and a few possessions were stolen, but why? Was any money gone? Who did this?
Now, I have to say. When I first heard of this tragedy, I was hoping that the Marengo Police would have a chance to redeem themselves and handle this situation in a competent manner. I even thought so after it was announced that they shot an unarmed man. Now, I disagree. It seems that they have completely botched this investigation and are currently in the process of covering that fact up.
What went wrong?
Well, for one, the person who they shot had no weapon on him. Is it right to shoot someone just because he flees the scene? I don't think so. You don't know why they are fleeing. In this case, the person was an illegal immigrant and might have had a good reason to be scared and run. He might have had no idea just why the police were chasing him. But to me, it was still understandable how this could happen. A young, inexperienced officer could easily panic and shoot. Police officers cannot just shoot at a limb or a foot, as this might injure bystanders. They need to shoot to kill. So, while certainly not morally right, I really doubt that in this case the officer in question had any time to consider morals. He was a young rookie, who was scared and so he discharged his weapon. Why the other officers at the scene did not prevent this from happening, is anybody's guess.
But, see, it gets worse.
The Marengo Police decided to cover this shooting up. The name of the officer has not been released and neither were any details of the crime. State Police were called in to investigate. Which State Police? Why, Kronke, Schroeder, and Perez! The same people who investigated the Gaughans and the three police officers from Richmond, and whose integrity has been called into question in both investigations. Besides that, Joe(not Jose) Perez has been a long time Marengo resident, good friends with the Marengo Police Department. These people are not going to be impartial in their investigation. They are clearly there to cover up for the shooting, the same as they did in the Gaughan case.
Then…
There is the case of the car. It seems obvious that the suspect who was shot was driving the stolen car with the 83 year old woman's things in it, therefore he must have stolen it and killed the woman. However, this person has stayed in the area, did not flee, and even drove right past the police the very day he was shot. Why would somebody DO that? Does this sound like the work of a person who just murdered somebody? Even a man on drugs would have better sense than that, I would think! And this man has no criminal history, and has not done anything remotely like this before. My guess? He never knew that it was either a stolen car, whom he had gotten from somebody else, and he also didn't know about the murder either. Therefore, the Marengo Police shot an innocent man.
This is a scary thought for me. I see not too many people share my view, though. But, personally, I think that we as a community should not allow this kind of thing to happen. We should not allow crimes that the police commit to be covered up without us knowing so much as the officer's name. We should not allow the City to hold back information which we are entitled to. We should not allow lies to be told to the media without standing up and saying something.


McHenry County College


The main college within McHenry County that I have always heard about is McHenry County College. It is an interesting institution, mainly because it is the one place people go to school to after high school in our county. If they go to school within the county, that is. Oh, there are other schools, but McHenry County College is certainly the one that just about everyone has heard about.
Well, for me personally, this was a first time experience at a community college, as before I have always attended large Universities. What I have to say, however, after taking three classes last semester in the Early Childhood Education field, is that I am rather disappointed with the whole ECE program. I am not sure whether or not this reflects on the other programs the college offers, as I had not taken any other classes there. But from what I saw in the classes I took, I found the program lacking in many important ways.
My biggest problem with the ECE program is that it prepared the people taking classes for jobs only in child care. There were teachers in various fields taking many of the classes as requirements, there were people studying to become teachers and getting ready to transfer to a 4 year college for a degree, yet all of my classes basically only focused on how to use the information that was being taught in a daycare setting and nothing else. In fact, in one of my classes, when the instructor presented a chapter on conducting parent teacher conferences, something that I was more than a little anxious to learn much more about, the subject that was used for an example was the issue of toilet training. Now, this is not a problem, except that, in my opinion, the ECE field is very diverse. Those who work in daycares form the very bottom on the career ladder, those are the jobs that pay barely above minimum wage. Shouldn't the school have been trying to prepare the students for entering the teaching profession or government programs that use early intervention educators, rather than giving them an education that would only be useful for being a babysitter?
The other issue I had with the classes is that they did not encourage critical thinking. The instructors gave us projects to do that encouraged us to research things in whatever publication we wanted to, not distinguishing serious, scholarly articles from articles in the NW Herald. Whatever each student found, even from the newspaper, was considered to be unvarnished truth, simply because someone other than the student wrote it. In one of my classes, we even watched a video about a guy who ate nothing but McDonalds for weeks at a time, and how this ruined his health in a space of less than a month. I'm not saying that a diet like that wouldn't do that, but the question of some of the accuracy of the video was never brought up, except by me. I was given the answer that "they made the video. I'm sure they checked all that out, or it wouldn't be out there." Students were not taught to critically consider the information that they were presented with or researched, which not only doesn't develop those skills, but leaves them unprepared to go on to a four year college or University, where one is required to think critically and come up with one's own ideas. Instead, spelling and punctuation was considered of far more importance then the content of the papers the students wrote.
Last, my main issue with the ECE classes was the way they were conducted. In each, except one of my classes, the instructors chose videos and speakers, presenting very little of their own information themselves. When they did lecture, they put up overheads and read off of them. I felt that they had very little useful knowledge to impart to the students, other than what was in the videos and on the overhead sheets. I must admit, that I myself learned absolutely nothing new that I did not know before. I cannot think of but a handful of things that would be useful to me in my career. Now, I cannot help but wonder how many people go to McHenry County College, in order to prepare themselves for a career, or to transfer to a 4 year school, only to be left ill prepared by this experience. I have heard many good things about the programs the college offers, especially their mechanics and fire science program, which is considered to be one of the best, so I only hope that what I have to say here only concerns the Early Childhood Education program and not the rest of the school.



Herbivore or Carnivore?





In our society, most people eat meat. This makes sense, as human beings are basically carnivors. However, here in the United States, we live in a strange place, where there are many people who decide to do all sorts of strange, unnatural things, such as get earrings in their stomachs, spend a dollar on a bottle of water that can be gotten from the sink for free, and sometimes even go to stores to buy children clothes that cost more than those for an adult. So, keeping this in mind, it is not strange at all that various people would forgo eating meat and call themselves "vegetarian". To me, of course, it seems rather unusual to forgo items that are obviously natural to eat and necessary for our nutrition. After all, can you imagine a Tyrannosaurus Rex forgoing tearing apart smaller dinosaurs in order to munch on grass instead?
I can't either. That is why I have decided to explore the subject of vegetarianism more. Is it really healthier than a meat diet, as people claim? Is it better for the environment? Is it more humane? To try to answer these questions, I have browsed through a Trader Joes today. Now, a Trader Joes carries a lot of items that are unusual and different. It also caters to vegetarian tastes, carrying such items as tofu, veggie meatballs, and even a tofu turkey for Thanksgiving. So, this seemed like a good place to see the variety of foods that are out there which vegetarians might purchase and eat. After thoroughly examining the various items on display, though, I became convinced one of the answers is decidedly a "no". A vegetarian diet is not any better for the environment. Why? Because it seems to involve foods that are not produced and grown locally in the United States, but are rather shipped in, such as unusual hummus's and tapenades, tofus, rolled grape leaves, and other foods of that nature. On most of the packages that I examined, the food was almost always imported rather than grown locally.
I also looked at the fat content of those foods. Surprisingly, except for tofu, it was actually pretty high. I also must add to this that I know of a person or two who eat only a vegetarian diet. The times I've been out with them, they seem to eat things that are far from healthy, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, pizzas, olives, and tortilla chips. Just because one has cut out meat, does not mean one's diet has gotten any healthier in the process.
Finally, the issue of humanitarian reasons comes up. I personally think that most mammals are designed to eat other animals. A fish will often have an even smaller fish in its belly. If it can eat the small fish, why can't we go ahead and it HIM? After all, he ate someone else! An eye for an eye, the way I see it. Also, one of the vegetarians whom I know has had giant ants in his house. He remedied the problem by setting huge traps and killing the ants! Yet he would not eat meat for humanitarian reasons. He feels disgust when he even looks at meat. Yet, he had no trouble killing the ants. I had brought up this inconsistency to him, and insisted that if he can kill an ant, he can surely eat a shrimp. Why not try it? I mean, a shrimp is a brainless little creature, less a living being than the ant, I would think. He replied that he did not eat the ants and that if the shrimps were crawling around his house, eating stuff, and breeding, he would set traps for them too! I don't know. To me, it seems the humanitarian argument for vegetarianism doesn't hold either. My guess is that we were born to eat meat, and that such aberrations in diet are a result of a culture that has gotten very comfortable. After all, if we lived in Pioneer times, and tried to be vegetarian, I would think we would all starve. People in those times were just glad when there was food on the table.



Gardening Corner
By: Museumlover

Some of you who read my gardening article were hopefully moved to want to buy plants and dig in the dirt. If you don't have a yard or space to plant, do not dispair. Container gardening is fast, easy, fun and colorful. If you have a balcony, a patio, even a rooftop, you can get on with growing.Any spot in the sun will work for a container garden. I have grown great tomatoes in a container. Using good potting soil, plant food and keeping plants watered will result in fine tomotoes! Right now I have basil in a clay pot and rosemary in another. I usually put basil, cilantro, oregano, thyme and tarragon all together in one huge plastic planter. The rosemary doesn't like to be as wet as the other herbs, so it goes all alone in its own well drained pot. It doesn't get watered as often. Mint, chives and most other herbs can also be grown in containers. Some will successfully winter over in the house, but I haven't had a lot of luck with that.Ok...you have found a space and you don't want to grow herbs and vegetables, you want flowers. Almost any container can be used for flowers. I once saw an old fireman's boot full of blooms. The key is to be sure that the pot has drain holes in the bottom or several inches of gravel so the dirt will stay in but the water will drain. Most containers will include three kinds of planting, a tall one, a mounding one to fill the middle and one that trails or bends down over the edges.I personally buy all of my plants in Marengo at Hubbs because they have wonderful stuff and really beautiful planters already done up. Just go to your favorite greenhouse, study the containers you like and then make your own. You will need to figure out what the weather will be like where you plan to put your containers If in the sun there are probably hundreds of plants from which to choose. Shade lovers require a little more looking. If you are real ambitious, you can go out and move your containers around, following the sun, but that is way too much work for me!Be adventuresome. Put purple heliotrope, red salvia and yellow gerber daisies together. I like to sort of overplant so the containers are really nice and full. Use you own likes and imagination to come up with plants and containers that please you. Just don't plant a sun lover in the shade because you will be disappointed with the results.There are many shade lovers that will look wonderful. For example, I have an arbor that is completely in the shade. This year I planted a tall feathery fern in the center of each pot and then put double tuberous begonias, bright red, around the fern. These planters are really beautiful and are in total shade. The begonias will bloom all summer, they cost about $3.29 each and the ferns I jerked out of another shady place I have.You can never go wrong with geranimums. They always look wonderful and will bloom all summer with little care. Just dead head and water....that's it. I really love hibiscus and have about ten of them. They are a little pricey, but they will overwinter find. I take them to the patio in June and bring them in just before the frost. Look around your house for unusually containers. I plant petunias in an old coal scuttle. A silver galvanized bucket from the dollar store, holes punched in the bottom, holds marigolds. Pansies and petunias look great in just about anything.Next time I'll tell you about moon gardens, if anyone is interested. Leave some feed back about the gardening and planting things that would interest you and I will try to help.

April 2006

Connecting the Dots


Here is an interesting little side story to the police matters in Marengo. We have all, I am sure, read the stories of the Richmond and Spring Grove officers accused of beating up Ron Hallet. His picture was even on the front page of the Northwest Herald, garnering him huge amounts of sympathy. However, what I am about to claim is even more shocking.
I firmly believe that the reasons the Spring Grove officers were arrested and charged with the beating was because of Brian and Kevin Gaughan?s case. The investigator William Kronke wanted to show that he did not make mistakes in the Gaughan case and that he was not purposely taking sides with the police for personal interest, despite evidence, by going and arresting police officers whom he did not know.
It is interesting to note that the prosecutor, Nichole Owens, and the judge are exactly the same as in the Gaughan case. Also, the officers Quilici, Pilati, Volstad, and Thelan, had a share of troubles with their case, that shows how ruthless the state investigator, Kronke is. How far he is willing to go to bring charges against people, even bending the law to make this happen. And how the McHenry County judicial system works in his favor. We all read in the paper how he sat in on the grand jury for these officers, how he intimidated the grand jurors by rolling his eyes and making gestures. From what I understand, he talked to one of the witnesses who testified before this grand jury and threatened her on the stand, by sitting there and intimidating her. Nichole Owens, the prosecutor, also contacted a grand jury member beforehand, and should not have been allowed to prosecute the case, yet the judge let her. He also ruled that it was alright for Kronke to be there, despite that they couldn?t find the document saying that he had permission. Just as in the Gaughan case, certain cameras supposedly had blank tapes, so things could not be handed over. My guess? There was no such document, and the judge, investigator, and prosecutor got away with bending the law to suit their own reasoning.
What really happened?
Of course, all this leads to the question of what really happened with the three cops and Hallet? Apparently, Hallets injuries appear to be real, so he did get beaten up. But why? What occurred? I myself am not as familiar with this as with the Gaughan case. In the latter, I know for a fact that Kevin and Brian Gaughan are innocent of all charges. In the case, of the four cops, I am not quite as sure that all four of them are equally innocent. One of them appears to have a bad track record….
Brian Quilici has been arrested and almost fired for a DUI before, but all charges against him were dropped. He used his position as a police officer to interfere with his roommate?s personal relationships with a girlfriend. He had a complaint filed against him because he yelled at someone who discovered a motorcycle lying in a ditch. He was involved in domestic abuse with his girlfriend by throwing water in her face and pushing her against a wall. Worst of all, Quilici got into a fight in Porter?s Oyster Bar in Crystal Lake with an another man, whom he accused of dating his ex-girlfriend. If he got into one bar fight and seems like an interfering, violent person who doesn?t follow the law in all other respects, why wouldn?t he beat up a man outside yet an another bar?
Well, I think he would! I see no reason why this man wouldn?t pick a fight or make one that is in the making that much worse! I just don?t think the other police officers, including the female cops Thelan, would be involved in it as well.
From what I understand happened, it is mysterious to me why or how the original argument that took the cops into the parking lot with Hallet started in the first place. But there they were in the parking lot. Yes, I am fairly sure they were arguing. The female cop, Thelan, walked past Hallet and he grabbed her and put a knife to her throat, then started dragging her into his car. The other officers fought back to protect her and from there on, its anyone?s guess how he obtained his injuries. Innocent of all wrongdoing, he is not, though. Very unlike the Gaughan brothers, who did nothing wrong but say two words to Crawford, who then got the older of the two into handcuffs before proceeding to beat him up.
But, things do not end there. Like with the Gaughan brothers, the state investigator Kronke proceeded to interrogate them in much the same way. He threatened them, yelled at them, and called them names. He charged Volstad for impersonating a police officer simply because he told Kronke that he was on sick leave. Kronke used weird interrogation tactics by asking him if he was a police officer. Of course he is, right? Who wouldn?t say so?! There you go, now Kronke had an another charge against him - impersonating a police officer! Much the same way irrelevant charges were added on for the Gaughan brothers. He also, much as in the Gaughan interrogation, lied to the people he was interrogating. He insisted that he had a tape of he parking lot to the bar and knew what really happened. The officers insisted that if he really did indeed have the tape, then he would know what happened and that they were not at fault. Of course, Kronke had no such tape, since there was no video camera facing out to the parking lot!
With all this in mind, we must keep in mind how corrupt our McHenry County system of government is and how corrupt some, not all, but some, state police officers are. Kronke is definitely one of them. I would venture to same that so is Perez, who lives in Marengo, and was also one of the investigators who was interrogating the Spring Grove cops. He is very familiar with the Marengo Police department. I am sure that the reason for the arrest of these officers and the piling up of extra charges against them rests with how they treated the Gaughan brothers and how they have completely screwed that case up. I hope the truth will soon come out and Kronke and his buddies will pay a price.




The Truth is in the Middle


Has anyone in Marengo heard of Scott and Brenda Kniffen from Bakersfield, California? I think it is a very interesting case and worth hearing about. I have heard a lot of people say about the people who are bringing a lawsuit against the police in Marengo, that "the truth is somewhere in the middle". In other words, what happened is also somehow the fault of the kids who were falsely charged by the Marengo Police. If one is arrested for a crime, that means one is somehow at fault, even in some small way, right? Is THAT what "the truth is somewhere in the middle" means? See what you think of it after reading about this case….
Scott and Brenda Kniffen had two boys, ages 4 and 6. They also knew an another family in Bakersfield, who had little girls who came to play with them. The second family, though, was undergoing a custody battle where the grandmother was trying to take the little girls away from the parents for personal reasons. She somehow got the little girls to accuse their parents of sexually abusing them, torturing them by hanging them up in closets, etc. There was no physical or other evidence of the abuse, but sure enough, the little girl?s father was arrested. The little girl went on to say that her father was part of a satanic sex ring and named Scott and Brenda Kniffen, saying that they also abused her when she was over to play at their house with her parents, and that they abused their sons at the same time, all part of this satanic sex ring.
The prosecutor in this case acted promptly. Police broke into the Kniffen house and took the little boys away from Brenda and Scott. They searched the whole house, but , of course, found no evidence of the supposed satanic abuse. They then went and arrested Brenda and Scott, who were eventually charged with over 160 counts of abuse. The little boys just wanted to go home. They were only 4 and 6 years old. The prosecutor himself interrogated them. They were kept in separate rooms and interrogated for hours. All the interrogations were taped and available to the jury, by the way, but the defense attorney was unable to present them as evidence due to the judge. The defense attorney also could not present medical testimony as evidence, or other witnesses, such as the couple?s pediatrician and teachers, who knew the boys well. Again, the judge ruled it as irrelevant. What was on the tapes? Something that would make one?s hair stand up. The boys were interrogated for hours. They kept saying that they wanted to go home, but the prosecutor insisted that they needed to answer his questions the right way and agree with him that their parents abused them and torture them. They were told they could go home after drawing pictures of how their parents abused them. And every time they refused, they would be left alone in the room for hours. Finally, they started giving the prosecutor the answers he wanted, though in yes and no form, just to get out of there. Before they were forced to testify against their parents, they boys were interrogated again and again, to make sure they said the right things. They were also made to think that if they went on the stand and said those things, they would see their parents again. Which of course wasn?t true. Brenda and Scott Kniffen were sentenced to 200 years in prison. They served 14 of those years and the boys were in foster homes all that time. Once the boys were almost adults, they insisted that their parents did not abuse them and that they were forced to testify against them for the above reasons. The case was turned over on appeal and the family was reunited.
Now, I have to ask you: Is the truth here in the middle? Neither is it in the Gaughan case.




It Could Happen Here


Illinois has been having many problems in regards to school districts and education. All school districts in Illinois have lost a lot of funding this year. Many are struggling to survive. Marengo is not immune to these problems, so lets see what Harvard did. What do you think?
In order to save money because of lack of funding, Harvard school district decided to fire or not renew contracts for all their cafeteria workers, janitors, and custodians. The idea is to hire all new ones next year at a minimum wage. This was done very quietly, so people would not be aware that it is happening. The School Board did it with very little discussion or awareness. In fact, the meeting on April 17 with the school board where this issue is going to be made public and discussion about it will take place, was not announced too many places and even at this time, few people know about it.
What will the effect of this be in Harvard? Well, for one, all these people the next year will be strangers to the students. I need not elaborate on what that can lead to. Also, would there be enough funding to do background checks on all of them? Background checks on that many new workers are expensive. So are TB tests and medical exams. Or will this step be also quietly skipped over in the hope that no one notices? How well of a job will minimum wage workers do compared to people with years of experience? And what about the question of what is right? Is it right to get rid of people who have been at their job for years and years just in order to save money?




Young Women in Dresses


This subject comes up time and again. What is proper dress for teenagers? Meaning, of course, teenage girls, as no one worries in our society about what the boys are wearing. On the one hand, I am tempted to say that by telling young women that their bodies need to be covered up sends them the message that there is something to be ashamed of. No one tells the men that. On the other hand, I think a lot of society is to blame.
What happens when one walks into a women?s clothing store? What do the jeans look like nowdays, for instance? They have low waists that show off half of a person?s butt! The tops are short and meant to show off a stomach. Shoes are equally strange. They have high bottoms or wide sides. They clearly would not work well for walking around in, but are purely ornamental. Then, look through a magazine that?s for teens or young women. Madmoiselle, Glamour, or Cosmopolitan come to mind. What is in them? Besides model after model that is unnaturally skinny, and in fact looks like she belongs in a refugee camp rather than on the cover of a magazine, there are articles about sex, makeup, hair, clothes, nails, beauty spas, clothing stores, love, and men. There is occasionally a sob story about a woman who got caught up in a prostitution ring or someone who is raped. Or even someone who ran out of money and her boyfriend dumped her. But the majority of articles have nonsense as their subject matter. There is nothing there for young women to think about, nothing for them to get angry about or take actions against. For the most part, the magazines send a message to women that the important things in life have to do with hair, beauty, your body, sex, and men. No wonder then, that many young women choose to dress in such a provocative manner! I, for one, would have no problem at all with it if it was a matter of taste, or freedom, or just a desire to keep cool in the summer. But it seems to me that modern culture still treats young women as objects to be used and useful for men in some way. And until there is a change in this or an understanding among young women that it is wrong and a desire to no longer follow it, true equality and freedom will be awfully hard to reach.




In Secrecy...... Again



As things have progressed in Marengo, I have found it really interesting the pattern that the town takes in getting rid of some of the bad officers. It appears that there will now be a hearing on May 9th on what to do with Officer Given. I can't help but wonder how much of this hearing will be public and how much will be discussed in closed session. Of course, I do admit, this is a personnel issue and some of it might not be appropriate for people to hear. That is the excuse that those in City government will use, however. I beg to differ. This Officer has done harm to a member of our community by stealing confidential information and handing it over to the papers. Not that the NW Herald had any real common sense when they published this information. It was obviously inappropriate for them to accept it and publish it, as they also did harm to the person whose police record it was and which should have been kept private. It seems that in some places not only do the police and town governments have better morals than in Marengo, but also the newspapers are more ethical and conscious of the harm that they might do when publishing certain information. However, in Marengo this does not seem to be the case and few people have any moral scruples. They are all out for themselves. It seems to me that the hearing concerns us all. This is something that an officer of the law, who is there to protect us, has done to actively hurt a member of our community. Shouldn't we insist that it be made public, so that we can decide what the officer in question has done wrong? I'm not even mentioning the fact that the MPD had to get rid of the police dog and how much taxpayer money was wasted in getting, training, and then disposing of the dog. The reasoning for that in itself should be something that people demand be made public. I'm just implying that we who live in this town should demand more accountability from those who run our town.




Beware Of School Fundraisers!


Each year, it comes home in a backpack. A fundraising form. Meaning that in order to raise funds for the school a student and his or her parents have to sell candy, cookies, or pizzas to relatives and strangers. Now, needless to say, we have all heard of kids who went to someone's house and got attacked by a dog or kidnapped and molested. So, that's not always the safest alternatives. This means that the parent can either stand outside a store while their child tries to sell the offending item or he can go door to door with them. I personally think that the whole idea of selling in order to gain funds for the school teaches our children the wrong skills.I have one of the fundraising forms with me today, and this is what they recommend that parents do:
- That they contact everyone they know - ffriends, relatives, etc. What does this mean? That the child will be contacting those that they know and instead of greeting and talking to them, will try to get something out of them - for them to buy the item on sale. It teaches the child that social relationships are there for them to use in some way. Yes, even if a parent is doing this, I imagine that the child could pick this up from them.
- To approach local businesses in their coommunity. In other words, children are supposed to go door to door and beg people for things like beggars, annoying busy people at their jobs in the process.
- Involving your church in this. Okay? Andd the church doesn't need any money? Again, children will be taught to use an organization that needs help from them for their own gain.
- Announce your fundraisers at your newspaaper or local radio station!! I hate to say it, but not only is this impossible for the said newspaper or radio station to do(why would they want to announce every kid selling candy?), but it's a total waste of a community resource.
- Finally, to create flyers and post them in cafeterias, libraries, and community boards. Needless to say, this just litters such advertising sources up. And will produce few results.





Mary Kay and the Statement About Our Society


A long time ago I met a new type of person. The reason I found her so interesting, is because never in my life have I met someone with such a strong purpose in life. This woman's whole reason for living was to sell Mary Kay products! No, no, I'm not just kidding or making this up. This was actually her purpose in life. She had at least $250 worth of cosmetics in her home at a time and constantly and consistently held make-over parties at other women's homes. The only reason she made friends or met people is for the sole purpose of selling them cosmetics. Should the person not be interested in being her customer, she no longer showed any interest in her. When she went on vacation with her husband, she brought her cosmetics with in order to try to sell to her in-laws and their friends. She advertised and sold cosmetics at work, where, again, she did not form relationships unless it was with a potential buyer. All in all she was a very friendly, cheerful, and happy young women. If you talked to her, the first thing she would be interested was in whether or not you had changed her mind or if perhaps you had some friends of yours who could be her potential customers.
Now, I am sure no one who reads this board has met anyone quite like this! It is certainly pretty unusual to see such a sense of purpose and commitment in a person! However, one has to think. ARE there others who think the same in many different ways? Those who are so obsessed about their jobs, or making money, that they have no time for friends or families? Those who judge friendships by how much they can get out of the relationships? Those who take, take, take from those who they are close to, but give very little in return? I think this is something worth thinking about. The reason this Mary Kay lady, who, by the way, is a completely real person who I have actually met, exists is because our society encourages this type of behavior and, in fact, even rewards it. One is supposed to purposely go after what they want, society in modern times centers on the individual not on relationships. I think it is likely that we'll see more and more of these kinds of people pop up. It's a scary thought.





Herbs In Marengo
By Museumlover

Spring has come to Marengo. Now that the snow has melted, our ugligness is showing. By that I mean the trash and plastic bags that are blowing around, stuck on bushes and laying in ditches. It would be very nice if everyone tried to beautify their own little part of the world.
If each of us picked up junk or trash along the edges of our property, no matter who threw it out or left it there, the community would look better. I'm thinking most of you on this list already do that, so, maybe flowers would be the answer.
Some early flowers that can be put out right now are pansies. They are so pretty and can take a lot of weather abuse without curling up and dying like their more delicate friends. Plant a pot of something and put it on display.
Today I started little seed pots of basil, lavender, tarragon and rosemary. It is the beginning of my herb garden. These little seeds will sprout in about ten days. After about three weeks, they will be ready to get transplanted to a pot outside or a small garden plot. Herbs are wonderful to use in cooking, or just to smell and see in the garden. Mine will join the sage, thyme and oregano that is already popping through outside.
I must have a gazillion chive plants growing wild. They are really invasive, but if you have some spots that could use color, dhives will work wonderfully. Eventually they will have a ball shaped lavender flower.
The chives I grow get mixed in with sour cream on baked potatoes, in salads, soups, and anything which needs a bit of green and a delicate "onion like" flavor.
The tarragon will be wonderful with vinegar for salads. Tarragon and rosemary are also excellent with chicken. Just lay the sprigs right on the meat before you bake or grill. Throw rosemary on the grilling coals for a wonderful scent. Basil goes with everything. Couldn't imagine making anything Italian without basil!!!
I would be happy to write a gardening column here in the Gazette on a more regular basis if anyone is interested. If you want more, please let Mirage or another administrator know.