~by State Senator Jesse Green We love holidays and celebrations. They are important because we are a forgetful people, and we need these events to help us remember timeless truths or milestones that have helped our lives. Our America 250 celebration is no different. This milestone has provided us with an opportunity to grow in our understanding of how our…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
View from my window – America’s birthday
June 29,2026 The semi quincentennial (pronounced sem-ee-kwin-sen-TEN-ee-ul). or the 250th birthday of the United States, will be celebrated this week on July 4. Historical documents show the “vote” took place on July 2, 1776, was formally adopted on July 4th, but most of the delegates signed primarily on Aug. 2. I recall the bicentennial 50 years ago and taking our…
Read MoreOf patriots and Fatherland
I happened to come across some comments from politicians and political pundits claiming that the “No Kings” and anti-ICE supporters are Patriots. One of the primary signs of the progressive movement is defiance toward the correct definition of words. The movement has led to a reassignment of definitions, like Patriot. Even a suspect left-leaning AI overview will give you a…
Read More“Remarkably Bright Creatures”
by Colleen O’Brien I watched a movie three times in two weeks. And read the book. I haven’t been quite so crazy about a story in a long time — since I read Gone With the Wind five times between the ages of 12 and 20 (when I finally got it that Rhett and Scarlett were not suited.) “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” the movie…
Read MoreAn opening in the clouds
~by Colleen O’Brien As I watched opening day of the Obama Presidential Center in South Side Chicago last week, I at long last grew hopeful about life in these United States. In historic Jackson Park, additional young plantings will grow into shady woods in front of the odd-looking but intriguing eight-story edifice that holds the presidential museum. From what I’ve…
Read MoreCamaraderie and help during sad times
~by Colleen O’Brien I began this story about history’s ability to make much better reading than the daily news. Similar things like the daily nonsense of politicians, government, commentators like me happened in the “old days,” and I romanticize them. Reading the “news” from the faraway past tense gives me the illusion of fiction if not fantasy, and pleasant reading…
Read MoreView from my window – Greene County weekend
June 14, 2026 Greene County is such an amazing place! The Bell Tower Festival and associated weekend activities are such a positive reflection on why we live, work, and play here. Let me give my perspective on the recap. The opening ceremonies were different, but even better with the changed logistics, with the stage at the southwest corner of the…
Read MoreBy the river
~by Colleen O’Brien I sit by the Racoon River in a park called Henderson outside the prairie town of Jefferson, Iowa. The river is high and a trifle wild because of several rain showers over the past week and one ferocious windstorm that cut straight through town from southeast to northwest. Whole trees downed and half-trees, too, plus a thousand…
Read MoreA few quotes to ponder
~by Colleen O’Brien Eighty-year-old Vicki Robin, author of a book that sold more than a million copies worldwide — Your Money or Your Life — about financial management by individuals, based on happiness instead of money: “If you live for having it all, what you have is never enough.” Who does that sound like? Celebrated as one of the world’s wealthiest and…
Read MoreView from my window – Water testing in Greene County
May 31, 2026 As a member of the Friends of the Parks, Greene County Iowa I was recently a tag along/recorder for veteran water tester and Greene County outdoor activist Bob Rye. I was a part of the five teams on Tuesday, May 19, that tested water in 35 different creeks, sloughs, and rivers in Greene County. For the past…
Read MoreGreen on data centers
~by Senator Jesse Green Public and government concern over data centers has spiked recently for understandable reasons. While these facilities have existed for decades, the boom in new technology requires a massive wave of construction. This rapid growth has sparked intense debate about how we should manage them. After hearing concerning comments and misinformation at a recent county supervisor forum,…
Read MoreOn serving god and mammon
~ a column by Colleen O’Brien A special issue, May 2026, of National Geographic, that inspiring, admirable,138-year-old magazine, recently published an entire edition on “The Most Influential Figures of Ancient History.” Most of them are men, of course, because most of history apparently happened only to men. Too much power and wealth seem to foster hubris, notable in the dozens of…
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