But, before you read it, keep in mind that Mr Vaught may need an English lesson. Read what he says about the words "witness" and "seen" then read one of the definitions for "witness" from Webster's on line.
From Webster's:
to have personal or direct cognizance of : see for oneself
Now, here's Vaught's letter to the editor. Now, even after seeing that, he still wasn't concerned about safety? Oh well:
To the editor,
Shawnee resident Ray Erlichman recently asked me at a city council meeting “have you ever ‘SEEN’ a gas explosion.” My answer was simply “yes.”
A few days later Mr. Erlichman sent me an e-mail with the following line: “…I asked you if you had ever ‘WITNESSED’ a gas ‘PIPELINE’ explosion.” He then went on to ask me when and where that was in an attempt to imply that I was lying, and is now trying really hard to make an issue of it.
Adding a word and switching a word totally changes the question. There is a vast difference between the word ‘witness’ and ‘seen.’
I think Mr. Erlichman needs to review the recording. I would be more than happy to send it to him.
And by the way, I have witnessed a gas explosion, the Gates City Glass Company explosion, July 2, 1990, at 126 W. 5th St. in Kansas City, Mo. I was in my loft across a parking lot less than 300 feet away. I have not witnessed a gas pipeline explosion though, but I have seen one or two.
Jeff Vaught
Member, Shawnee City Council – Ward III
Link is
http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2010/dec/22/letter-witness-or-see-wording-question-affects-res/
