~ column by Cauliflower Ear, aka Colleen O’Brien Trump is getting on my nerves, and I’ve been through two hurricanes recently, so I’m in no mood to put up with bad behavior, especially his. I’m ready to put him down like he puts everyone else down – well, not exactly. I won’t be lying, I’ll be using his own words,…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
Getting tired of political ads? Try this….
We’re approaching the finish line in the campaign season and the news and political ads are getting tiresome. Here’s a challenge to make them interesting again. Following is a list of 15 logical fallacies. As you consume “news” over the next month, see if you can find examples of all of them. Some will be easy to spot; others, not…
Read MoreView from my window: Oaths and pledges
We have all been reading and hearing about protecting and defending the United States Constitution in the current political ads. I recently had an evening mealtime discussion with my husband about the oath he took when he was sworn into the Army and comparing that oath to the one administered to the President. My exploration led to a rabbit hole…
Read MoreAn update on our dear Colleen
Dear readers, Colleen O’Brien is a conjurer of images. This weekend she shared with us the damage Hurricane Helene did to her idyllic home in Punta Gorda, FL. Now, less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton has Punta Gorda square in his sights. Colleen shared with me in a Sunday email that her home is “a goner.” She and her…
Read MoreA little house on a little river meets Helene
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I live in a house on a river in Florida. No. I used to live in a house on a river in Florida. My little place sits on the banks of Alligator Creek. The 1,000-square foot house has been there since 1972, suffering little or no damage over the years of hurricanes that hit maybe…
Read MoreView from my window: Indigenous Peoples Day, Oct. 14
Iowans will not receive mail and banks will be closed on Oct. 14, as it is a federal holiday, but Iowa is one of 10 states that recognize it not as Columbus Day, but rather, Indigenous Peoples Day. Remember….“Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in fourteen hundred and ninety-two.” In 1992, 500 years post-Columbus coming to America, Indigenous Peoples Day was…
Read MoreAmerica in love and loathing
~a column by Colleen O’Brien The man has said, “You know that. And everybody knows that.” He’s not talking about his own lack of honesty but about every subject he brings up. This is an oft-heard collection of words from a former President who averaged using it 154 times a day for the four years of his administration. He continued…
Read MoreGuns, school shootings, and the 2024 campaign
Shootings now compete with the ringing of the school bell as another year begins. Iowa needs to do more than have more shooting drills. As the school year began with the ringing of the bell, Iowa policymakers should be called upon to do something during this campaign season. We can address the gun violence crisis and safeguard our communities and…
Read MoreAre we done yet? Or done for?
~a column by Colleen O’Brien How is it that an ex-president of the U.S. who promoted a chaotic, unstable administration and a non-existent record of anything done for the people except a tax cut for the wealthy during his reign, who is also a 34-count felon, a womanizing rapist, a congenital liar, a slimy name-caller, an insurrectionist against his own…
Read MoreLetter to the editor: John Brunow, school safety
To the editor, Eighteen months ago I wrote a letter urging people to take action to protect our children from being murdered at school. I endorsed adding trained law enforcement officers with plans to provide greater safety. My suggestion was that the leaders in our county form a plan, budget the money, and reduce the opportunity for a local tragedy.…
Read MoreQ&A: Farm Safety Week
with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley Q: What’s the history behind Farm Safety Week? A: Since World War II, National Farm Safety Week is observed in September to boost public awareness before the harvest season gets fully underway. It’s one of the most dangerous times of year in farming. President Franklin Roosevelt called America’s farmers and ranchers “the source from which the…
Read MoreFearless integrity
~a column by Colleen O’Brien Are the undocumented immigrants living in my town eating my neighbor’s dogs and cats? Once-President of the United States Donald Trump said pet eating was happening in Springfield, Ohio, a place where 15,000 legal immigrant Haitians now live. He heard a man telling the story on TV, as he related several times during the presidential…
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