“I ask how and why this decision was reached,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said in the Senate recently. He was calling for an investigation into President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria. “Was there no chance for diplomacy? Are we so weak and so inept diplomatically that Turkey forced the hand of the United States of America?” Good questions, but here’s a wager: … [Read more...]
Making lasting connections
After several busy months of taking advantage of warm weather, the leaves start to drop from the trees in preparation for winter and I am reminded of the importance of slowing down and connecting with others. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we are spending this season connecting with many of our partners in our 20-county region at several major events. We … [Read more...]
Impeachment: The last resort
To the Editor, OK, Jeff, you’re absolutely right. As soon as Trump stole the election, the more thoughtful Democrats started thinking about impeachment. We were horrified that such an insincere, frivolous, unprincipled person could possibly be put in charge of our country for four years. It is not that the House of Representatives is panicked. Trump has just finally … [Read more...]
Approaches to the child care shortage
In 2016 Minnesotans were alerted to a serious lack of child care by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. Since then, there have been many efforts to work toward solutions. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we have been supporting the communities in our 20-county region through various programs and trainings. In SMIF’s region alone, we have a … [Read more...]
Humor: one of the tools in dealing with adversity
I spent the summer sitting on our deck watching the grass grow. Now that it’s fall I sit in my easy chair and look out my window at the giant trees in my neighbors’ yards turning a brilliant gold, their leaves released by the wind drifting and spinning finding their way to the ground. There is a song from The Connecticut Yankee – “I’m busy doing nothing, isn’t it just a … [Read more...]
America, now the untrustworthy
To the Editor, There is a group of people (the Kurds) who have been fighting mightily for years as our allies against ISIS, a barbaric religiously extreme group of people in Syria and Iraq. The ISIS group cuts off American heads and is our terrorist enemy, remember? On October 6, President Erdogan of Turkey asked President Trump to withdraw several dozen of our soldiers … [Read more...]
October 14 headlines
To the Editor, This morning’s headlines in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “U.S. pulls out of Syria, ISIS prisoners go free!” “Mayhem in Syria after American withdrawal,” “Feeling abandoned by the U.S., Kurds join Syrian forces,” “Trust broken, green berets feel ‘ashamed’ for leaving the Kurds.” I wonder how the right wing-nut contributors to the Fillmore County Journal … [Read more...]
Who judges Heaven or Hell?
To the Editor, I attended a Representative Hagedorn Town Hall meeting in Winona in early September. I’ve been haunted ever since by his response to a citizen who was asking if he was aware of the relationship between gun ownership and suicide. Mr. Hagedorn’s response was that he believed that “people who commit suicide go to hell.” Why I’m haunted by that response is that as … [Read more...]
Impeachment: The last resort of panicked leftists?
Impeachment of President Trump has long been the goal of the Radical Left as a means to overturn the 2016 election. With no viable presidential candidate and scant prospects of an economic downturn that could help them, Impeachment has now transitioned to “Last Ditch Hail Mary Pass.” Lest Conservatives become overconfident, I don’t feel certain the 2020 elections will favor … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… We will ask ourselves why
It seems that as I get older, I attend more funerals. I guess the longer we live, the more people we get to know. When someone lives to 80 years or older, I am hopeful they had a good life. But, when we lose a young person, I ask myself why. #GABBYSTRONG This past Wednesday, October 9, 2019, our family attended the celebration of life for Gabriella ‘Gabby’ Lou … [Read more...]