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Saturday, May 25th, 2013
Volume ∞ Issue ∞
Kingsland School Board recognizes retirees
 
Climate change?
 
Preston reviews city projects
 
Softball Supremacy
 
Chatfield School Board discusses technology integration
 
 
 
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Truth, consequences, and responsibility

By News Team

Fri, Jun 15th, 2007
Posted in Commentary



So, Paris Hilton doesn't like being in jail. Who would? She obviously broke the law and was incarcerated. Then, by some strange means she is released. Then, due to a public outcry of preferential treatment, she is sent back to the slammer, sparking a debate as to whether she was being mistreated because of her celebrity status. Some say she was "picked on" by the judge, given a sentence that did not match the crime. Others say she got what she deserved. One supposes that the "truth" resides in the middle somewhere. While this debate went forward, the fact that she DID break the law was lost. As the old jailhouse saying goes, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime".

This leads us to the sentencing of "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, to more than two years in prison. As we know, Mr. Libby was found guilty of lying to a grand jury during questioning about the circumstances around the "outing" of a former CIA operative. It's not that he was guilty of the "outing", it's that he lied under oath when questioned about the circumstances of the outing.

Now some, such as the President, say this is a tragedy. Some say that Mr. Libby should not go to prison because he wasn't responsible for the outing. Some say leniency should be given because of his past government service. Some even suggest, as did at least two Republican candidates for President, that they would pardon Mr. Libby.

But, like the Paris Hilton case, sight has been lost regarding the crime. Mr. Libby was found guilty of lying under oath by a jury of his peers. Not by an "activist" judge. Not by a Democratic controlled panel. But, by ordinary citizens who, to the best of their ability, heard evidence from the prosecution and the defense and then rendered a judgment. In other words, the system worked. Why would anyone believe that lying under oath should be allowed and thus pardoned?

This then, brings us to the ongoing saga of United State Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales is in trouble because he fired several U. S. Attorneys supposedly because they were not doing the job he and the present Administration wanted them to. While there may have been political reasons for the firings, there is no doubt that U. S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the Administration. And, if they wish to replace them they can.

Some in Congress are trying to make hay over the fact that there were political reasons for the fi .....
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JEM Movie Theatre

It's not and never will be free

By News Team

Fri, Jun 1st, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

There are in excess of 47 million uninsured and 12 million under-insured under age 65 in the U. S. One in three non-elderly will go without insurance in the next two years. Half of all bankruptcy is due to medical bills. Most people in bankruptcy ha ..... 
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This was one field trip well worth attending

By News Team

Fri, May 25th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

On Tuesday, May 22, 270 fourth graders from seven schools in Houston and Fillmore counties converged on the Mabel Steam Engine Grounds in Mabel for a Farm Safety Day Camp. The seven schools participating in the event included Caledonia, Chatfield, H ..... 
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The class of 1968

By News Team

Fri, May 25th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

When I graduated from high school in early June 1968, Lyndon Baines Johnson was president. The awkward Texan had completed John F. Kennedy's unfinished term and was elected president over Barry Goldwater in 1964, with the highest margin of victory i ..... 
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Finally, someone is in charge of the Iraq War

By News Team

Fri, May 18th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

Czar or Tsar - an Emperor or in more modern usage a Monarch or King. The word originates from the deified Roman dictator Caesar and came to represent the Roman Emperor. (Wikipedia)

We have been waging the Iraq War or Debacle for over 4 years ..... 
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Springtime renewal

By News Team

Fri, May 11th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

Spring is a time when we throw open the windows, clean out the closets, and get our hands back into yard work. It's all about taking advantage of fresh air, reevaluating your needs, and nurturing the green space in your life. Most people look forwar ..... 
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Buying the War

By News Team

Fri, May 4th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

Bill Moyers calls himself a "citizen journalist."

He is also an ordained Baptist minister, one-time aid to President Lyndon Johnson and, of course, a journalist with PBS.

Moyers is first and foremost a seeker of truth. That he work ..... 
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The power of words

By News Team

Fri, Apr 27th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

Could there be some good to come from the Don Imus foot-in-the-mouth scandal?

In the aftermath of Mr. Imus's unfortunate utterances some are now questioning the public use of terms most would find offensive. These offensive words and phrases ..... 
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Handicapping the Republican presidential candidates

By News Team

Fri, Apr 27th, 2007
Posted in Commentary
Comments

John McCain's stay the course speech about the War in Iraq on April 11 certainly sealed any hopes of his becoming the next president of the United States. For the past several months he has been soldiering on for George Bush and the Republican Party ..... 
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