Letters to the Editor

January 21, 2010

To the Editor:
Stalking: Know It, Name It, Stop It
During January 2010, communities across the country will observe National Stalking Awareness Month, a time to focus on a crime the affects 1.4 million victims a year. This year theme, ’ÄúStalking: Know It, Name It, Stop It.’Äù challenges the nation to combat this dangerous crime by learning more about it.
Stalking is a crime in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. One in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetime, for an average duration of two years. Victims may experience psychological trauma, financial hardship and even death. Eighty-one percent of the victims stalked by an intimate partner were also physically assaulted by that partner, and 76% of female homicide victims were stalked prior to their death.
At first, many victims view stalking as ’Äùcreepy’Äù but not dangerous, underestimating the seriousness and impact of the crime. They may think ignoring or confronting the stalker will stop them. But stalkers almost never stop and confronting a stalker may escalate the violence.
Even when victims see the danger and report the crime, stalking may be hard for authorities to recognize, investigate, and prosecute. Unlike other crimes, stalking is not a single, easily identifiable crime. It is a series of acts, a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause that person fear. Stalking takes many forms-such as assaults, threats, vandalism, burglary or animal abuse. It can include unwanted cards, gifts or visits. Stalkers may use computers, Global Position System devices or hidden cameras to track their victim’Äôs daily activities. Stalkers do not fit any standard psychological profile and many follow their victims from one jurisdiction to another, making it difficult for authorities to apprehend them.
If more people can recognize stalking we have a better chance of holding the offenders accountable and are better able to offer support to the victims and combat the crime. Hands of Hope Resource Center can offer support, advocacy for legal procedures including court hearings, assistance with Harassment Restraining Orders and community education.
If you or anyone you know is a victim of a crime or you would like more information, please contact Hands of Hope Resource Center at 320-732-2319 or 1-888-732-2319.
Annette Schilling
Hands of Hope Resource Center
PO Box 171
Long Prairie, MN 56347

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November 12, 2009

To the editor:
A few weeks ago it was reported that George Soros has visited Mr. Obama at the White House 4 times. Why do I care? Why should you care?
Well, George Soros is a very powerful man with a lot of money who uses his wealth as a tool to change the world around him. His operation center is the Open Society Institute in New York and funds subsidiaries in over 50 countries.
He is a man who made 1 BILLION dollars in 1 day on 9-16-92 by betting against the Bank of England and the English pound. In July 1997 he contributed to the Southeast Asia financial crisis by shorting their unit of money. By last November he was betting against the US dollar.
In 2004 Soros pledged $75 million to defeat George Bush and personally donated nearly a third of that amount to anti-Bush groups. He gave $5 million to Moveon.org. If you would scroll down on his political contributions you would see that he has donated vast amounts to the DFL candidates including a substantial amount to Al Franken and also to the Franken recount effort.
Soros is actively working in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and the United States. With this type of money being invested into changing the world around him; don’Äôt you think it is important that we learn what type of world he is determined to bring about?
He wants the decimalization of drug use. I personally think that a population that is hooked on drugs is far easier to control. If you wanted to rule the world, having a large part of the population too high to resist is a plus. He has given money to Massachusetts, California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada and Maine to loosen laws against drugs.
He believes in assisted suicide and in fact helped to support and fund the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. In 1994 he gave a speech in which he reported that he offered to help his mother (who was a member of the Hemlock Society) commit suicide.
He would like to see American foreign policy under the control of the United Nations. He would like to see our military strength diminished.
He promotes taxpayer-funded abortion on demand. He has given huge amounts of monies to some Eastern block countries to increase their maternal health programs, but if one looks closely at the programs they are abortion services programs.
In August it was reported in the Wall Street Journal that the Obama administration agreed to lend $2 billion to Brazil’Äôs state owned oil company (Petrabras). This was to finance oil exploration in that country. Some people in Brazil claimed that the United States could eventually provide up to $10 billion for the drilling project. Why give this money to Brazil when we could spend it in the United States, employing American citizens to explore for oil? Guess who is a major investor in the Brazilian oil company?
Soros not only is a major investor, but has also traded in his common stocks for preferred stocks, which offers a larger dividend. Clearly he plans to make major dollars in this venture funded with taxpayer dollars and by dollars borrowed from foreign countries. American capital again is flowing out of the United States and into the purse of Soros.
Do you see why I am concerned about Soros being a guest at the White House?
Pat Ervasti
Bertha