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Highlands Today

Government Injustice

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William Sueppel

Published: May 8, 2008

I just finished watching "60 Minutes" and wonder just what is going on in this country? Men wrongly accused and losing their lives in prison over state attorneys that are hell bent on justifying their jobs and future.

No matter the consequences, many state attorneys pursue cases that in many instances do not even have merit. I guess it gives their friends (other attorneys) business. Another example is Jean Claude Meus. A simple accident and he is in prison for three years, and even the victim's family believed that the penalty was too harsh and he did not deserve to be incarcerated.

The other night I watched "Craziest Robberies" and observed criminals rob convenience stores with guns, and their punishment was in some cases only three years, equivalent to what Jean Claude served for an accident. It appears that our judicial system is nothing but another big government business that is here to extort money from victims in defense fees and again to justify their future.

I have seen first hand how cops not only treat people with no dignity but lie in their reports to make a case. I have heard of numerous cases where officers abuse the accused physically, yet nothing happens to the rogue cops that abuse the citizen, nor the prosecuting attorney that fails to do his job in accordance with the law.

I have a brother that is a lieutenant in Fort Myers Sheriff's Office and I believe it when he told me he has never lied in a report because I know there are some very good officers in all police forces. It is the bad cops that ruin the perception of all the good ones.

Just last week I was speaking to a friend at my wife's beauty shop when a 12-year-old girl interrupted the conversation and stated, "I do not like cops." Wow, I thought, what a bold statement from a young, beautiful girl that appears intelligent and has no police record. I wondered what motivated her to make such a bold statement at such a young age. I have concluded it is all about perception.

Our government is filled with liars that are unable to step up to the plate and even tell the truth. Whatever happened to the checks and balances in our government? Why is it we raise our children to tell the truth when our leadership is often times the biggest liars?

You can read articles and blogs on Highlands Today that bring light to many inequities in our little system, whether it is the state attorney or the sheriff's department, or racketeering, or unfair bidding processes by the school system or whomever. I talk to many people on a daily basis of the crisis this country is experiencing and the government failing to do its job or manipulating the free enterprise system to accommodate their big business. The people I speak to regarding these monumental issues are not drug runners or ex-cons; they are retired police officers, business executives, small business owners, veterans and old timers that are only shaking their heads in disbelief at where this country is today.

I truly am sickened at our state of the country and believe that our leadership must be held accountable. For all of you that question my sincerity or allegiance, I would die for my country and my beliefs.

We need leadership, not liars or bubbas. We need leaders that are concerned about the public perception and spend our tax money responsibly rather than spending it as if there is an endless supply. The government must deviate from its current course of disaster.

William Sueppel
Lake Placid

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