By Leah Himlie Imagine that there are two couples. One of the couples is pregnant without wanting to be. The other couple would die to have a child but is not able to. Instead of aborting, the pregnant couple is pressured into carrying the pregnancy to term and putting the child up for adoption. The other couple goes through all the legal steps needed to adopt a child. Their … [Read more...]
Bringing our resources to a Sprout! event near you
At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we sometimes joke that we are our region’s “best kept secret.” But it is true that despite the fact that we are regularly out in our 20-county region visiting with partners and facilitating trainings, we find that there are still many people who do not know about SMIF. Unfortunately, that could mean an entrepreneur who doesn’t … [Read more...]
April Fool
To the Editor, My congratulations on one of the best April Fool jokes I have ever been taken in by, I’m still laughing! Nels and Otis will be talked about in the community for a while! Thanks for the laugh! Kent Dornink Preston, Minn. … [Read more...]
End Minnesota’s abortion-until-birth policy
To the Editor, Extreme pro-abortion legislation in New York and other states has shocked much of the country. But did you know that, even here in Minneosta, the law currently allows abortion at any time during pregnancy and for any reason? There is no legal limit in effect. This is an extreme policy wildly out-of-step with the view of most Americans and most … [Read more...]
Here we go again
To the Editor, Making it tougher for smokers, no smoking here, this building is smoke-free, raise the age to 21, no smoking in the park, and the list goes on and on. Yet the problem caused by tobacco users doesn’t hold a candle to the problem caused by liquor. I have never heard of anyone getting killed or even injured by anyone just because of tobacco use, but users of … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… April Fools’ Day edition
On Monday, April 1, 2019, the Fillmore County Journal celebrated April Fools’ Day with a few little surprises for readers. Our front page lead story was about Nels Isaacson and his Jesse James Gang gold discovery at Mystery Cave. Reporter Rich Wicks deserves all the credit on this one. He’s an outstanding storyteller; both fiction and non-fiction. So, in case you were … [Read more...]
Science doesn’t care what you believe
Climate change is not a science problem. There is consensus among the scientists that climate change is real, caused by human activity and what needs to be done. Taking action is not awaiting scientific consensus. It is awaiting political consensus and economic understanding. Those denying reality are the problem and will be judged harshly by history. Unlike nuclear war … [Read more...]
What is in a word?
I was born in 1933. In my early years growing up there was no television, computer or iPhone. For me the defining moment, a mighty leap in my development, came when I was six and took out a library card! I became enamored with words and the pictures they conjured up in my mind. I would seek out a cozy corner in our home and curl up for hours reading. My mother saw this as … [Read more...]
Democracy will ameliorate capitalism and socialism
To the Editor, Carbon, coal and oil Must be left in the soil. This is the jingle Of the student climate crisis signal. The nuclear bomb does not belong In any civilized realm; This is the prioritized wisdom Of the present student kingdom. The whole wide-world is blessed By the youth conscience so possessed. Those in retirement have the … [Read more...]
Political and policy skills are merging
Here’s a surprise: the skills that can be used to win in politics are increasingly the skills needed to produce good policy. I know. You look at the policy stalemates in Washington and wonder how this could be. The people who arrived there by winning elections haven’t shown much in the way of policy-making prowess. But let me explain. Politicians running for office have a … [Read more...]