Thursday, July 1, 2010 • HERITAGE NEWSPAPERS/WESTERN REGION
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Brian Rooney deserves Republican nomination Does it remind you of the famous “Abbott and Costello” baseball routine, “Who’s on First?” Trying to identify the true political positions of the candidates running for the 7th District congressional seat seems just as confusing and amusing. In 2008, the Obama/Schauer team of community organizersturned-career politicians ran as traditional liberals, but have since revealed themselves as progressives pushing a left-wing agenda. On the Republican side, there are two principal contenders, Tim Walberg and Brian Rooney. Both candidates have proven conservative credentials. Walberg has 18 uneventful years of votes as a state representative and a one-term congressman, but Rooney has the real-life experience as a combat veteran in the Marine Corps and an attorney defending the Constitution at the conservative Thomas More Law Center to show where he stands. Who should we choose? The answer is the one conservative who can win. Why did Tim Walberg lose last time? Partially because of the rift he created by deposing our incumbent Republican con-
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came down and landed on him.” For the next 11 minutes, Payeur said roughly half of the firefighters on scene concentrated on pulling Yurkunas out safely while the others had to fight the fire surrounding them. Standing at 6-foot-6 and a proportional weight, “Big Joe,” as he’s known around the fire station, was able to muscle one leg free from the bookcase. The other had to be cut free with a chainsaw with only an inch or so margin of error. Within minutes, he was freed and was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for precautionary reasons. “It was by far the biggest roller coaster of emotions that I’ve ever had on the job,” Payeur said. “Going from having my heart sink into my stomach when he yelled “mayday!” to the euphoria of getting him out safety without anybody else getting hurt.” Another firefighter injured working on a different aspect of the scene was also taken to the hospital for precautionary examination. Both were released later that night, officials said. Though the blaze apparently started in the basement, Payeur said the rescue team was lucky fire crews concentrated there when they first arrived. Unexpectedly, the mounds of debris that followed Yurkunas down to the foundation also formed a barrier from the heat and possible flare-ups while they worked, he said. Damage to the house was severe, but dollar-amount estimates were not available. Residents reportedly heard the lightning strike shortly after 10 p.m. and soon began to smell smoke inside the house. They fled once they checked the basement, which was filling with thick smoke. The fire spread quickly to the second floor and eventually the attic of the large home on McKendry Drive, which is located near Platt and Willis roads. Without any fire hydrants in the neighborhood, tanker trucks from Milan and Augusta Township were called in for support. Firefighters from Manchester, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor also assisted at the scene. Typically, the Saline Area Fire Department would have responded to the fire first, but their crews were at another fire off of Duible Road in Lodi Township. Residents of the home called 9-1-1 after either high winds or lightning caused nearby power lines to fall, which sparked a fire on trailer outside the home, Saline Fire
gressman, Joe Schwarz. Many Republican voters still resent this treachery and refuse to ever vote for Walberg. President Abraham Lincoln famously said, “A house divided against itself can not stand.” Brian Rooney has no baggage –– no negatives. This optimistic, self-confident young candidate seeks support from the entire party, as well as independents and Reagan Democrats. Let’s all unite around an inspiring candidate that promises new leadership. Nominate the conservative in the Aug. 3 primary who will win in November –– Brian Rooney. Gordon Rosberg Jr. Pennfield Township
Walberg has a proven track record in D.C. In response to Gordon Rosberg’s letter to the editor (published online June 20) regarding the 7th District Republican Primary between Tim Walberg and Brian Rooney, some corrections need to be made. Rosberg states “both Mr. Rooney and Mr. Walberg have proven conservative credentials.” Let’s be clear, the only proven conservative in the Chief Craig Hoeft said. The wires also draped over the home, causing it to fill with smoke. The residents escaped uninjured before firefighters arrived. “They heard a loud crack, looked out the window and saw the trailer burning, so they got out and were waiting for us in their car,” Hoeft said. “The house was energized, so it was difficult to much of anything but make sure things didn’t get out of con-
race is Walberg, who has a voting record in Lansing and Washington, D.C., to back up his conservative values. Walberg has lived in this district for many years and knows and cares about his constituents. What do we know about Rooney? Not much. However, we do know he moved from Wayne County to this district the day he registered his candidacy (Can you say carpetbagger?). We know he has aligned himself with The Main Street Partnership, a liberal Republican group that has supported stemcell research and backed many liberal candidates. We also know he has aligned himself with the Ann Arbor “elite,” most of whom can’t even vote in this district. I think we also need some clarification about his family ties to the Democrats in Pennsylvania. The main thing we don’t know is how he would vote in Washington. Finally, let’s clarify why Walberg lost in the last election. The reasons were the Obama factor, Sen. John McCain pulling out of Michigan, and the millions of dollars the Democratic Party and Move-On.org put behind Mark Schauer to take this seat. As a matter of fact, even with all this against him, Walberg
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pulled considerably more votes that McCain in this district. It had nothing to do with Joe Schwartz. Schwartz lost to Walberg because everyone saw his liberal voting record and realized he wasn’t a conservative (or even a Republican). Mr. Rosberg, can you say ““RINO” (Republican In Name Only)! If, as you say, many would not vote for Walberg because of his win over Schwartz, then I think that says something about them and you, not Walberg. To allow our district and party to suffer because of such pettiness is very sad. Shame on you. We need someone to represent this district who knows us, cares about us and has a long proven record to back this up. Also, with what’s going on in our country right now, we need someone who knows Washington and can hit the ground running when he gets there –– that’s Tim Walberg. Besides, do we really need another lawyer in Washington? Margaret Canham Lodi Township
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trol before DTE got there.” Smoke filled the home, but Hoeft said no fire was found and that the residents should be able to return shortly after significant cleaning. No one was injured. The storms left several thousand Washtenaw County residents without power for days and were blamed for the death of a 47-year-old Stockbridge woman whose vehicle crashed into a tree along North Territorial Road in Dexter Township.
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