By Steven O'Hern, Reader Advisory Panel 2008
While Warrant Officer Randell Hettinger is serving his country, his countrymen are helping themselves to his property. When Hettinger returns from Iraq, his farmhouse will be downwind from 4,800 hogs in an indoor hog farm a quarter-mile away.
As reported in today's Kansas City Star, placing the hogs so close to Hettinger's house is only possible because Hettinger's service in Iraq takes him away from his house. Under the existing rules in Knox County in northeastern Missouri, a buffer of one-half mile is required around such hog farms. But the builders of the hog farm are claiming the house Hettinger lived in up until his deployment is now "legally vacant."
Even more outrageous, is the lack of protection a serving soldier is getting from his elected officials. As the KC Star reports,Hettinger “is in a war zone or dangerous area,” Commissioner Mike McGinnis said. “I wouldn’t want to be over there. This is what is making it such a difficult decision.”
According to a March 28 letter from the Knox County Commission, the evidence was running against Hettinger.
What is so difficult? A soldier is protecting his countrymen, allowing them to carry on their daily life, whether that is raising hogs or being a county commissioner. If Hettinger wasn't serving in Iraq, he would be living in his house and the county rules would bar the hog farm. Serving your country in Iraq has enough peril. Hettinger should not have to worry about the possibility of the Knox County commissioners allowing the hog farm.
This is another example of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan being fought by a small minority in America, while many of their neighbors pay no attention to the war or those who serve.
Doing Something
There's got to be something that can be done about this. Everyone says that we all support the troops, even if we oppose the war, so the least we can do is look out for this guy. First off, it seems from the article like the rule can be waived in case of a vacancy, but does not need to be. Everyone in Knox County should write to the commissioner and their representative, telling them in no uncertain terms that if they vote to allow this farm, you'll vote them out of office come November (or whenever they're next up for reelection). If that doesn't work, maybe someone can "rent" the house from Warrant Officer Hettinger while he is in Iraq. It seems (and I'm not sure about the law on this) like if they just stayed there every so often, it could be considered "occupied."