This letter was faxed to the various Empire District Electric
Company offices on the morning of January 23, 2001 by
about 6:30 am (CST).  [Corrected version available on line by 8:00 am]
________________________________________________________

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

Marie O'Hara
Bolivar, MO 65613

Glen Blake
Empire District Electric Company
Ozark, Missouri

Dear Glen Blake,

This is to inform you that the letter which I promised you
(in my January 19, 2001 letter) which will delineate the details
of the proposed meeting between my representatives and those
of Empire District Electric Company and others should arrive
at your Ozark office as early as tomorrow, Wednesday,
January 24, 2001, but no later than Friday, January 26, 2001.

A number of individuals and groups -- as many as a dozen --
had to be consulted in order to accomplish these preparations.
 
This process, in and of itself, has been laborious and requires
coordination over several states and time zones.  

I have been particularly concerned, in the last several weeks,
about the political ramifications of the probable nomination
of former Missouri Attorney General and Governor, John
Ashcroft, for the Attorney General of the United States.

Mr. Ashcroft was the governor of Missouri at the time of my
first and second acute poisoning at Southwest Baptist University
(SBU) in September of 1988 and January of 1989.  

It was he and his administration which, in spite of several
formal complaints to a number of agencies, refused to thoroughly
investigate or prosecute the illegal, indoor application of banned
pesticides and the use of unlicensed and untrained applicators
on the campus of SBU.

As I understand it, I was not alone in my complaints regarding
the misuse of pesticides.

Other SBU students and staff, both before and after my 1988
and 1989 exposures and injuries, were similarly exposed and
likewise made complaints.  

These investigations were also squelched and these complaints,
too, were ignored by the Ashcroft administration, whose
contributors included many SBU Trustees and associates.

In the same vein, in 1992, a female student was blinded by
a drifting misapplication of pesticides on the outdoor campus
of Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU) -- the university
which, in 1967, hired then 25-year-old Mr. Ashcroft to teach
legal courses so that he could obtain a rare military exemption
(usually reserved for those occupations of economic necessity)
for his teaching services and, thus, avoid the Vietnam draft. 

The complaints of the blinded Southwest Missouri State University
student were also quashed.

In 1992, then-Governor Ashcroft declared a state of "economic
emergency" in order to facilitate the building of the Ozark
Mountain Highroad, which amply benefited a number of
Mr. Ashcroft's major contributors, including Peter Herschend,
an owner of the Silver Dollar City amusement park.  (See:
"Did Ashcorft Take the Low Road on the Highroad?"
The Nation.com).

That same year at least three woman workers at Silver Dollar
City were exposed to the organophosphate, parathion, through
a mishandling and spill of this extremely toxic pesticide.  

Although authorities at Silver Dollar City (including the then-
CEO Cary Summers, a Trustee at Southwest Baptist University),
initially claimed that the pesticide was, in fact, a less hazardous
substance, undeniable levels of parathions were detected when
the workers' blood was tested.

No action was taken by the Ashcroft administration to protect
these workers either; their complaints were ignored.

I have been warned that, due to the political inconvenience
evoked by the potential re-visitation of these and other
circumstances, Mr. Ashcroft and his supporters may move
to silence and "clean up" these matters by less than gentle
and forthright means.

This is especially true in light of the probable revelation of
the possible criminal involvement of former SBU Trustee
and CEO, Congressman and majority-whip, Roy Blunt,
who acted as Governor Ashcroft's Secretary-of-State and
unsuccessfully ran to succeed Mr. Ashcroft as Governor
in 1992.

Mr. Blunt and Mr. Ashcroft have been political allies and
friends for nearly thirty years.  I understand that I ... or,
perhaps more correctly ... this situation is a stumbling block
to their quest for political power.

I am intensely aware of my plausible peril and; therefore,
have sought legal advise and support from other quarters.

Mr. Ashcroft and his political allies within the Christian
Coalition have not shown -- to say this mildly -- overwhelming
concern for my safety or welfare ... nor the safety or welfare
of many others. 

As Empire District Electric Company has been and (as far as I
am aware) remains a substantial contributor to Southwest Baptist
University (and, perhaps, other organizations associated with the
Christian Coalition) and still employs (again, as far as I know)
the law firm of (Kerry) Douglas, (Gary) Lynch, (Verna) Haun,
and (Jerry "Jay") Kirksey, P.C. (which is intricately enmeshed
in these concerns), I must exercise an appropriate degree of caution
and prudence in arranging for these discussions.

I hope that you will understand my need for these precautions.  
I thank you for your accommodation and patience.

Sincerest Regards,

Marie O'Hara

cc Glen Blake,
Empire District Electric Company,
Ozark, Missouri
Fax: (417)-582-1317

cc Customer Service Representative, June
Empire District Electric,
Ozark, Missouri
Fax: (417)-581-7560

cc Customer Service Representative,
Empire District Electric Company,
Joplin, Missouri
Fax: (417)-625-5144