To the editor, It’s time for a change! I am writing in support of Chris Henning for the county board of supervisors. Her opponent has been there for many years and it is time for a change. Chris is a community organizer (Jefferson Matters) and a volunteer (Habitat for Humanity), a farmer herself, and a conservationist as well. I also support evening up the…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
A female Charles Atlas
~a column by Colleen O’Brien A friend wrote to me her sadness at the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, calling her a female “Charles Atlas, feminism on her tiny shoulders.” What a forcefully expressive definition of a remarkable woman’s life. I’m saddened at RBG’s dying; sad for her, for her family, her friends, her colleagues on the Court, the…
Read MoreA brave magazine
~a column by Colleen O’Brien “Scientific American,” the longest published magazine in America (August 28, 1845), for the first time in its 175 years has endorsed a presidential nominee. Editors have endorsed Joseph R. Biden because they are so afraid of Donald J. Trump. The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its…
Read MoreGrassley on the Supreme Court vacancy
In 2016, with an open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court and a window into the type of justice he’d nominate, the American people elected Donald Trump president of the United States. The vacancy was among the key issues on voters’ minds at the polls. In 2018, having witnessed President Trump appoint two justices to the Court, as well as the ugly tactics…
Read MoreMystery neighbor . . . from snoopy neighbor’s point of view
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I see this person every day either walking past my house early – 7 am or so – or driving by in a black Corvette, a black truck or a high-rise golf cart. He has a boat that I’ve never seen in the water. On my daily walk, I spot him in his driveway doing…
Read MoreB. Banister asks Trump supporters for explanation
To the editor, I have to admit: Donald Trump is not stupid. He fully realizes that his followers don’t care that he is a proven liar. He knows that it doesn’t matter to them if he has been accused of rape and sexual assault dozens of times. When he cozies up to Vladimir Putin or claims the Russians haven’t meddled…
Read MoreLoving this country: Another view
~a column by guest Janice Fullman, Boston MA “It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back.” This was spoken by Doc Rivers, longtime NBA coach, a black man, after Jacob Blake, a young black man, was shot seven times in the back by a cop on August 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I…
Read MoreTruth, fairness, and the JPD
~by Tori Riley Staffing issues of the Jefferson police department have brought the department to a situation where providing 24-7 coverage is extremely difficult. The department’s roster is full at eight. There are currently only five, and one of them is at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA). County attorney Thomas Laehn has referred to a potential “collapse” of the…
Read MoreLarry Blake – ‘Popular kids’ taken out of context
To the editor, I do not ever in my time in school remember adults, let alone educators, determining who was “popular “. It is a peer imposed student hierarchy within each school. Usually other students aspiring to be like or liked by those they deem popular. Part of the “in” crowd. To take out of context Mr. Christensen’s comment about…
Read MoreHates Democrats, loathes the Press
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I write this column because I believe that at this point in history silence about lies begets violence. So, I’m going to talk about Mr. What-a-Guy, again. The Republicans say the Democrats lie, and the Democrats say the Republicans lie. I follow Fox News and MSNBC to see who’s lying most. Guess who told 19,127…
Read MoreIn support of J.D. Scholten
To the editor, In an article written by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, it stated that the 2017 tax law left low and moderate Americans financially behind. “The law will cost approximately $1.5 trillion over the next decade and deliver windfall gains to wealthy households and profitable corporations.” J.D. Scholten hopes to go to Washington to increase wages,…
Read MoreBruce Banister re: ‘popular’ kids
To the editor, Superintendent Tim Christensen recently said in an article in “The Jefferson Herald”, and I quote: “If the popular kids wear a mask, then others are going to be apt to wear one.” Gee Tim, would you please give us a list of the popular kids and particularly the “others”. I think parents deserve to know how and…
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