Great place for a wind farm

Jerry Green, in his letter "Disenfranchised" published in this paper 6/26 talks about rights, from whence they come, and how some have been denied. Well, some of my rights have been denied. Many may think I'm referring to my rights as landowner, but I am not. I am referring to my right of being innocent until proven guilty. Much of the information Jerry Green touts as factual is inaccurate hearsay plucked from the grapevine. He, and others in this community, have allowed me to be judged guilty in the ECEAC gossip court. Now they have carried that over to the public arena. I can't do much about what is said about me in private, but when these accusations are made public, with or without my name on them, then I need to stand up for myself.

There was/is no conspiracy (or communication of any kind) between the Ellis County Commission (past and present), myself, and any wind farm developers. Many people in the area (Leo Dorzweiler, original zoning board member, included) knew about the possibilities of wind development as early as 2003 when easements for the Hays Wind project were filed as public record. Several local and area news media have covered the different stages of development.

Public information meetings have been held, starting with one at FHSU Aug. 29, 2005.

A grand jury investigation has been threatened. These can be quite costly and time-consuming. (Could it be yet another stalling tactic?) In an effort to save taxpayer dollars, I would gladly relinquish my computer, so that it can be searched (by an impartial party) for the e-mails that my new neighbors have said constitute proof of conspiracy. I can tell you now that you won't find anything, but go ahead and take a look, I have nothing to hide.

The only thing I'm guilty of is wanting to prove something I realized shortly after moving out here. This would be a great place for a wind farm. This is a very windy spot. Ask any of the residents here. Better yet, ask the ones who decided they couldn't buck the wind and left.

Here's real proof, the tested average wind speed is over 19 miles per hour. Now think about it. Every calm day must be balanced with a day of nearly 40 mph wind! That's enough to make you sick, or drive you crazy, or you can embrace the divine power of that wind. With that power, we can all start to act energy and environmentally responsible.

There is another plus to this. Ellis County was and is a top producer when it comes to energy. The "pterodactyls of the plains" scattered throughout this proposed site and beyond are a testament to that. As our oil supplies diminish, and producers are forced to more extreme measures to mine what is left, the county can maintain status as a top energy producer. We can all enjoy the local campaign season with primary in August, and general election in November. Are we actually going to have the oil men candidates say they don't want wind development in the county because they don't like the way turbines look, or that they are too damaging to the environment, or might cause health problems, or the possibility of unsightly remains. Every oil well out there, and the countless attempts, create a tube penetrating the earth to depths over three times the height of a wind turbine. Just because it is out of sight doesn't make it benign.

Jo Kraus

1049 Yocemento Ave.