Letter to the Editor
Rogers - too little, too late, and a little bit convenient
By Richard Earl, Lake Wales
According to the front page story in News Chief on 25 March 2011, Mr. Rogers claims to denounce racism. While Mr. Rogers quotes Thomas Jefferson’s writings by saying ‘…all men are created equal…’ and ‘and endowed with certain inalienable rights’, the organization he belonged to, for over 25 years, did everything within its power to take those very rights away from those who didn’t share his views.
I encourage all to read an article from a 1 ½ years ago in the St Petersburg Times titled, ‘Lake Wales commissioner has history in klan’, by Susan Taylor Martin, Times Senior Correspondent In Print: Sunday, September 6, 2009. Compare Mr. Rogers’s authenticity in this St Petersburg Times article to his most recent articles. Susan Taylor Marin’s article can be found at the following URL http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/article1033790.ece
On the Record
Per the St Petersburg Times article, Mr. Rogers, along with support from Mayor Jack Van Sickle, fired long time City Manager, Tony Otte, because Mr. Otte’s efforts supported and helped minorities, and, as City Manager, allocated asphalt to repair a local school (i.e doing his job). However, since Otte didn’t get ‘permission’, was fired, or so the story goes.
Regarding Image
The St Petersburg Times article went on to say that Mr. Rogers’s claims that he worked to create a better ‘image’ for the Klan but an ‘image’ is something designed to present a ‘public’ perception, and does not necessarily accurately reflects what is done in private. Take Tiger Woods for example. Tiger Woods had an outstanding ‘image’ for years that fooled many people, including his family.
Mr. Rogers claims he retired and put his association with the Klan behind him but the truth is that when the Klan was sued for killing Michael Donald, a black teenager beaten to death by klan members and hanged from a tree; a $7 Million dollars verdict against the United Klans of America bankrupted and put them out of business; thus Mr. Rogers was forced to find a new profession.1
Mr. Rogers claims to have never done anyone any harm, which may be true, but as the Grand Dagon of Florida for the United Klans of America, the most violent in its history, combined with his 25 years association with the KKK whose primary purpose was to terrorize the public in effort to achieve their objectives, surely he knew the tactics and methods used. Mr. Rogers claims that such terrorist’s acts were done only by a few – yeah, right. Such methods were the primary method used to achieve the Klans objectives.2
While Mr. Rogers may now state he denounces racism, he sure hasn’t denounced the methods used by the KKK and UKA during its reign of terror.
In short, Mr. Rogers has never denounced the violent practices employed and endorsed, by the KKK and the United Klans of America.
Do you want this kind of person, and people who support this kind of character, to lead the City of Lake Wales?
Vote for Betty Wojcik for commissioner and Mike Carter for mayor.
Vote "yes" to Amendments 1 through 8 and vote "no" on Amendments 9 through 14.
Every vote counts!
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