Fire chief dishonored Memorial Day ceremony
I’m outraged at Frank Trout, Westmont fire chief, who dishonored the Westmont Memorial Day observance by making personal, inappropriate political statements. I was waiting for someone who helped organize the event to pull the plug on his microphone, but no one did.

I’d like to find out from the Westmont trustees and/or other staff why they didn’t try to step in while Trout had what I can only describe as a personal meltdown in front of the Memorial Day community. Trout politicized an event that up until he opened his mouth was pleasant.

There must be consequences for taking a public program and turning it into a person platform. I’ll leave that up to the trustees or his direct supervisor, who I believe was absent, but there must be consequences when you alienate your audience with outlandish statements. Trout was truly dishonorable.

Carol DiCola, Downers Grove

Trout should be given ‘Man of the Year Award’
In a verse from the song “Everything is Beautiful,” one verse says, “There is none so blind as he who will not see.”

Wake up, people. Frank Trout did not say anything that wasn’t true. It’s too bad that some people are offended by the truth.

Also, thanks to our mayor for standing up for a very hard-working public servant. I guess that’s typical for a politician.

I would like to nominate Frank Trout for the Man of the Year Award.

Jerry Murphy, Westmont

We all benefit from quality public education system
In the concluding paragraph of Donald Schwartz’s letter May 27, “School vouchers control government spending,” he states “something needs to be done to change how public schools are funded to shift the tax burden to those that are getting the benefit for their kids.”

That is exactly what is being done. It is time that we recognized that each and every one of us is benefiting from a strong educational system. In this age of information technology, scientific discovery and medical technology, we are all receiving the benefits of education on all levels on a daily basis.

I am 71 years old. And in my lifetime I have seen extraordinary growth in knowledge, and every job has become more complex. We are not teaching our children only to read, write and count their money. We are teaching them how to investigate a problem, to be creative in solving the problem and how to share that solution for the general public’s benefit.

The education we provide to young people produces skilled mechanics, construction workers, service workers that use computers for diagnostics, and large and small machines that lower our costs and produce superior products, and when called paramedics that work as a team and start treating our needs in our home. And when it’s time to take a vacation, we walk on a plane knowing the crew is well educated and trained to take us safely to our destination.

Donald would like to have the children of Downers Grove live here and stay here. That would be nice, but there is a whole world outside of Downers with opportunities and adventures.
Yes, a lower tax bill would be nice. But do not take away all of the benefits that I (we) receive for supporting District 58, District 99, the College of DuPage and our statewide collegiate system.

Jim Speta, Downers Grove

Column misrepresents biblical statements
While Bible-believing Christians oppose normalizing homosexual behavior, Jerry Moore wonders, “What about everything else (the Bible) condemns” such as eating shellfish, trimming beards or divorce.

Answer: The New Testament makes clear that dietary and other restrictions are no longer applicable while homosexual behavior — and, yes, divorce — are sinful. While Christians should condemn what the Bible condemns, Moore rightly judges the church too soft on divorce.

But what prompts Christian outrage is that while there is no cultural push to celebrate divorce, there is to support homosexual behavior. Martin Luther King Jr. notes that “The church is neither the master of the state, nor is it the servant of the state. Rather, it is the conscience of the state.” A culture with a conscience too scared to speak up spells disaster.

But should Christians judge? Moore ends his article quoting Matthew 7:1 out of context, as if Christians should never make judgments. But “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” condemns self-righteously judging others while blind to our own sin.

If the village cites my vehicles for outdated stickers, I have no right to say, “Hey, you’re judging me; you shouldn’t judge.” It’s simply pointing out that I’m in the wrong, and the village should be sure it’s conduct is above reproach.

Dan Tompkins, Westmont