The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation this week investigated alleged threats by an advocate for veterans against an Iowa lawmaker.
The alleged threats were made in reference to an ongoing battle in Iowa to pass several bills favorable to veterans, specifically House File 170 that would change the way benefits for child support payments are calculated.
Rep. Ray Zirkelbach, D-Monticello and chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has said the bill and several others will not pass this year.
Those statements prompted numerous criticisms, including e-mails from a spokesman of a veterans organization in New York:
"I’m going to make it my mission to make (Zirkelbach’s) life a living hell," Jere Beery, a spokesman for Operation Firing for Effect in New York, wrote in an e-mail.
"When I think about the disabled men and women returning home to this ambush, I could scream! I want to know where I can find this (expletive) ZIRKELBACH. The time for calm and reasoning is past. Now, we will do things my way."
Beery, in a later e-mail, wrote that he knew where Zirkelbach lived, worked and went to church.
In addition to the e-mails from Beery, Zirkelbach has received telephone threats from what was initially believed to have been a second person in Iowa, said House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque. State investigators later determined that the calls came from Beery.
Murphy said leaders took the threats seriously and were concerned for Zirkelbach’s safety, which is why the DCI was contacted.
DCI investigated the case Tuesday night and Wednesday and determined Beery to be of no physical threat to Zirkelbach, division director John Quinn said.
Beery told The Des Moines Register that he’s a Christian and wouldn’t physically harm Zirkelbach, despite the tone of his e-mails.
Beery, who is a disabled Vietnam veteran, said it’s absurd an investigation was launched over his e-mails.
Zirkelbach is a member of the Iowa National Guard and was injured in Iraq. He said Wednesday before the conclusion of the investigation that he was concerned for his family’s safety but wouldn’t comment further.
Quinn said threats against lawmakers that include DCI involvement occur occasionally, particularly during the legislative session.
Other lawmakers have also alleged harassment in the past, including Rep. Dolores Mertz, D-Ottosen, who recently said foes of large hog lots left a message on her answering machine and threatened to kill her about 12 years ago. The hog opponents ran her off the road a year ago, Mertz said.
Some of Beery’s peers expressed frustration that he resorted to obscene conduct and requested they be taken off of an e-mail list that he used to communicate about the issue.
"I’m flabbergasted, I’ll tell you that," said Leo Dougherty, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran from Florida who asked to be removed from the list.
"That is not the way you educate an elected official when you want them to do something that’s helpful."
Correction published March 14, 2009:
The original version of this article incorrectly characterized one sentence from an e-mail written by Beery. Beery wrote that he wanted to know where Zirkelbach lived and worked.
Additional Facts
House File 170
– The bill would exclude some veteran disability compensation payments in the calculation of how much child support or alimony payments a divorced veteran should pay.
– Advocates behind the bill say the extra payments – often around $42 a month per child – are allocated to injured veterans for their dependents. After divorce, the payments often go automatically to the parent with custody of the child. Advocates argue those payments shouldn’t be considered as income in determining how much additional monthly child support a veteran should pay.
Correction published March 14, 2009:
The original version of this article incorrectly characterized one sentence from an e-mail written by Beery. Beery wrote that he wanted to know where Zirkelbach lived and worked.
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