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Category: Opinion

Thoughts on a gloomy morning

~a column by Colleen O’Brien It has not been the poor or the lower- or middle-class who have refused to keep roads and streets and bridges in good repair; it hasn’t been these folks who have raised the price of…for example…insulin, a drug in use since 1921 – an entire century – that costs $30 a month in Canada and…

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Covid-19 vaccines and the Constitution – N. Hanaman

I listened to Greene County attorney Thomas Laehn’s detailed comments at the Nov. 8 supervisors’ meeting as he objected to the vaccine mandate regarding Covid-19 issued by President Joe Biden for locations of over one hundred employees and the enforcement through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He objected on the grounds that it violated his interpretation of the…

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Letter to the editor – B. Banister

County attorney should resign To the editor, I fully agree with county attorney Thomas Laehn, he should resign immediately since it appears he is unwilling to fulfill his duties. This will allow him to sue the federal government on his own. It is fine for him to be “personally outraged” by the federal mandate but, for him to go on…

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The Mother Tree Project

~a column by Colleen O’Brien In 2015, Canadian scholar, naturalist, writer Suzanne Simard founded the Mother Tree Project to protect and retain the Mother Trees of nine forests across British Columbia. A Mother Tree is what Simard calls the giant trees of the center of the forest. She has worked for the Canadian Forest Service, gone to college for more…

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Again, choices…

~a column by Colleen O’Brien Several things in these, our declining years of a democracy, are showing who we really are. We think of ourselves and civilization as we know it as the brilliant species who for about 6,000 years improved the world through ideas, smartness, progress. But if there are any humans left to read their history, it will…

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C. Custer, Bell Tower Foundation support casino vote

To the editor, I told the Iowa Gaming Commission in 2013 that it was not easy being Green (Greene) as we had been a “drive-through”, not a “drive-in” for tourists, new residents, new businesses nor industries.  A casino would provide enjoyment for gaming, cultural entertainment, new employment opportunities, potential new residents and draw tourists to see other attractions in the…

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Dream on

~a column by Colleen O’Brien A fellow I recently met asked me to describe myself. I told him I was a worried Pollyanna. He said, “Isn’t that impossible?” Being pollyannaish means that one is “pleasantly, even unrealistically optimistic.” Which means I can’t be worried. But I’ve always been able to walk down the middle of the road, so I am…

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Lying liars and those who vote for them

`a column by Colleen O’Brien “…the chain of responsibility,” a phrase used in an opinion column* in the October 15 New York Times turned out to be a surprising point of view that needs to be publicized. The guest columnist Mr. Eyal Press wrote about Americans who vote for people who wind up doing dreadful things once elected, which I…

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Churdan library board supports casino vote

To the editor, In 2013, when the vote to approve gaming for Greene County was held, little did the citizens of Churdan, all of Greene County, and contiguous counties realize the importance and vast opportunities that the proceeds created by the casino provided. One only has to look around the county and neighboring counties to see the variety of projects…

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