http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3057257#3058120from
http://www.illinoisfamily.org/davesblog/sectionlist.asp...9/14/2006
Corruption has consequences; Ryan receives light penalty while the Willis family pays the balance
It seems to me that George Ryan has gotten away with murder -- ok, maybe manslaughter. The corruption in the office of the Illinois Secretary of State helped create the situation that lead to the death of six innocent children. Ryan was in charge of that office. The following letter was written by Scott Willis, father of the six who perished, to the judge who only sentenced Ryan to 6.5 years for his crimes:
Gov. George Ryan is a father and a husband. He seems to have a close, loving family. My wife Janet and I are aware of his years of public service for the State of Illinois. Because of this, it makes the issues of this case so difficult.
First, six young children from Illinois are killed in a fiery explosion in Wisconsin caused by a mud-flap assembly off an Illinois truck driven by an Illinois Commercial Drivers Licensed driver. These deaths would strongly necessitate an investigation by the Illinois Department of the Secretary of State, overseer of public safety on the roads. Besides discovering why the accident happened and who might have caused it, the investigation could have provided insight how to prevent similar future tragedies. When attempts to investigate were made, they were ignored, then suppressed.
Eventually evidence was uncovered pointing toward buying fundraising tickets for Secretary of State Ryan in exchange for CDL licenses. The driver had received his license illegally and was unqualified to drive a truck on the road. Warnings from other truck drivers about the piece of metal dangling went unheeded. The driver could not understand English. Thus, six children were innocent victims resulting from a political scheme to raise campaign money. Now a decision had to be made. Either allow the truth to come out giving understanding and justice for the children's deaths, or cover it up to protect the scheme and the one who benefited from the money.
What was required was a person of integrity and compassion to champion justice for the six children. The secretary of state, George Ryan, should have been the one to take that responsibility. Because it was his campaign that benefited, it would have been the mark of a compassionate and honest man to admit the truth. But under his watch, the investigation was suppressed to protect him, even to the closing down of the inspector general's office so no one could look further.
Our family's unanswered questions compelled us to look to other options to bring to light the facts surrounding the accident and its follow-up. Joseph Power pursued the investigation and uncovered the facts, and, it should be noted, took great abuse publicly from Mr. Ryan for doing so.
Secondly, Gov. Ryan must have understood as a father what the loss of six young, innocent children meant to Janet and me, yet no personal contact or written contact concerning the accident was ever made. Instead the investigation was terminated and suppressed, and our efforts to investigate were criticized.
Because he was the secretary of state and because of the massive publicity following the accident, he cannot claim ignorance. Thus he bears the ultimate responsibility in the suppression of the investigation.
How could this happen? How could a man, a father, a public servant allow this? What was done was a crime, according to the rule of this court. But the question remains as to the motivation. correctly answered this: "It was politics." Thus, decisions concerning life and death were not decided on principle but on politics.
Janet and I are ordinary people. Not powerful, not forceful. Our children brought great joy to us. Benjamin, Joseph, Samuel, Hank, Elizabeth and Peter were like anybody else's kids: playful, happy, mopey, energetic. The boys loved reading and sports. Elizabeth was her mom's shadow and her doll's mom. We love them. We miss them. We do not despair. We live with a God-promised hope in Jesus Christ.
Almost 12 years have passed since Nov. 8, 1994. The heartache remains but has softened. Janet and I have prayed to not have a bitter or revengeful spirit. These feelings have only occasionally flared up but have not consumed or dominated our thoughts and are not the motive for this letter.
Our thoughts are not on punishment. That is for the court to decide. The real tragedy is that no reconciliation has yet been attained between George Ryan and Janet and me. My wife and I have a strong desire to forgive Gov. Ryan but it must be on an honest basis: sorrow and admission. Even a 6-year-old boy knows when he's done wrong he needs to be truly sorry, and admit it. Then forgiveness and mercy can be graciously offered. That would be our joy.
Respectfully submitted,
Scott Willis.
As been said so often, corruption has consequences; in this case they were severe. It can happen again. We are not going to go away. This is a battle about right and wrong, good and evil. It's a battle worth fighting. Evil tries to win by wearing us down. We deeply appreciate the tenacity of all those who have worked on the side of truth. They have done so with respect and honor. We are grateful to this court for its patience in hearing this case.
Scott and Janet Willis
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