What locals had to say about Thomson
Testimony at Illinois’ Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s public hearing at Sterling High School on Tuesday lasted nearly 7 hours and drew passionate words from supporters and detractors alike. Here’s what a few had to say:
“I wish they would just send [terror suspects] back to where they came from – try them and hang them there.”
Barry Pettorini,
48, of Sterling
Opposes bringing terrorists to Carroll County and says that President Barack Obama has chosen Thomson because he’s a former Chicago-area state senator.
“We have enough people to fill up the jail.” For terror suspects, “this prison is going to be like the Hilton hotel.”
Letty Gomez, 55, Sterling
Opposes the detainee plan because she says a better use of the prison would be to house domestic prisoners.
“Fulton is a comfortable little town with one of the lowest tax rates around. … It’s our young families that prompted our support [of the sale]. They need some help, and they need it now.”
Fulton Mayor Larry Russell
“We don’t have to go all the way to Guantanamo Bay to find prisoners to fill Thomson prison. ... I ask Illinois: ‘Please, keep the terrorists out.’”
Jane Digiovanni, Illinois TEA Party member
The estimated 3,000 jobs that will be created by selling Thomson to the Bureau of Prisons “is one job for every life lost on 9/11. To bring these thugs into our country ... it’s unthinkable.”
Beverly Perlson, a spokeswoman for the troop advocacy group Band of Mothers
“Escape is not the issue we’re most concerned about. ... The prison would become a focal point for Jihadist terrorists and a target for Jihadists. ... This isn’t about jobs. We all know it’s not about jobs.”
Denise Cattoni, organizer
of Illinois TEA parties
“This hearing is a sham. ... We fought a war ... we continue to fight a war to keep these people off U.S. shores ... so why would we bring them here?”
William Kelly,
Republican candidate
for state comptroller
