Doctrine ignored for Father Vosen

Dear Bishop Morlino:

The "Catechism of the Catholic Church" summarizes doctrines about faith and morals designed to guide us and our actions. It appears a few doctrines were ignored or forgotten about in the Church’s dealings with Father Vosen. Otherwise, I believe the last five plus years of his life would have been much more pleasant and fruitful as a practicing priest.

I draw your attention specifically to paragraphs of the Catechism which say the following:

"2479 — Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one’s neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity."

"2477 — Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty: of rash judgment who even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor; of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them."

It seems to many of us (Catholics and Protestants) that Father Vosen did not receive the courtesy of having these doctrines applied to him and his reputation when the allegations against him were weighed.

I respectfully request your assistance in righting this wrong against Father Vosen who is a highly respected individual who does not deserve the abusive treatment he has received.

Walter D. Smith, Baraboo

Boys & Girls Club worries grandmother

I am questioning the care, concern and safety issues that are currently in place at the Boys & Girls Club.

On June 26 my granddaughter age 8 (who has a disability called Landau Kleffner Syndrome which mimics autism in many ways and is unable to talk hardly at all) along with her brother age 9 were apparently allowed to leave the Boys & Girls Club around noon without the consent or knowledge of the parents. My grandson walked uptown and got a haircut and at some point shortly after my grandson left they let my granddaughter leave also.

For 2½ hours this 8-year-old child walked all over Baraboo and West Baraboo. Crossing busy streets (alone) in 90-degree heat. She was sighted at three different locations in busy downtown Baraboo and West Baraboo — Culvers area.

Parkside Motors saw her sitting on one end of their scooters and saw the emblem she had on from the Boys & Girls Club and called them. In turn the Boys & Girls Club called my daughter at her job at 2:30 p.m. to tell her that her daughter was at Parkside Motors.

My daughter took them to the Boys & Girls Club before she went to work as she has done for three years entrusting Boys & Girls Club to take good care of her children.

They pay $120 a week for what? To let children leave the facility, without concern for their safety and well being or consent from the parents. Can 4- or 5-year-olds leave also, with or without disabilities? I can’t believe the Boys & Girls Club just let them walk away without calling the parents beforehand. Safety issues need to be implemented now.

My granddaughter must have had an angel watching over her because, by the grace of God, she’s safe and sound. I shudder when I think we could have been going to the morgue to identify her little body, or pleading on TV for her safe return. We have many pedophiles living all over the city of Baraboo and a small 8-year-old who can’t talk and is all alone is an easy target. Boys & Girls Club, shame on you for your incompetence. Especially since you know her disability.

I called the Boys & Girls Club and questioned the child/adult ratio and was told they felt it was sufficient.

I don’t know if it is but I am sure of one thing … it’s not being run properly or this wouldn’t have happened. I want changes made immediately in the safety policies.

I want parents to check their children in and out daily and/or a note from the parents stating if someone else is allowed to check them out.

A little inconvenience for the parent could save their child’s life. A child should not be able to leave without the parents knowledge or consent.

On June 24 my daughter went to the Baraboo Pool to pick up her children. The Boys & Girls Club keeps their group of kids on one end of the pool and the parents check them out. Upon arriving at the pool, nobody knew where he was. Finally after frantically searching for about 20 minutes he was located at the other end of the pool playing with another child in the water.

It appears once again they were negligent in their care.

They have an open-door policy and apparently kids can check themselves out at will at the Boys & Girls Club.

Someone who was employed at the B&G Club manually checked my granddaughter out at 3:22 p.m. on June 26 after they had been gone for hours on their own.

Let’s get these policies changed now before a child ends up dead.

Carolyn Marquardt,  Baraboo

Shame on Air Show freeloaders

The BNR had a good article on the Baraboo Dells Air Show, nice job Brian

(Bridgeford).

Our business, "The Green and Gold Experience", provided entertainment in the "kids zone" with our huge inflatable games so we were there each day and we enjoyed the event as well.

I write because I am disappointed in all of the people who chose not to pay admission to the air show, but instead park in the surrounding lots and watch for free. Some people even sat outside their huge, expensive motor homes and enjoyed what they did not pay for. Do these people not realize that they are "freeloading" on the paying customer and vendors who paid a fee to be at the event? If there is not enough paying customers, then we can’t bring the air show to our community (and this very well could happen).

This seems to be a rampant disease in our larger society. Too many people want something for free without the thought that someone must pay for their largesse. Some people think that the government will provide for them, or for their pet "cause" without regard for who will wind up with the tax bill. Some young people think that they are entitled to be irresponsible and lazy, just because they are young and their parents and society owe them a living.

When I was growing up in the Detroit area, it was the "popular thing" to get a job with a big company and see how much you make by doing as little as possible. The hero was the one who could do the least work and make the most money (the unions were co-conspirators in this). Now look at the mess that Detroit is in.

We are better than that, let’s be aware of the cost of so called "free" things and do what we can to be givers and not takers.

Mike Muscanero, Baraboo