Category: Opinion

~a column by Colleen O’Brien We are taught that if we don’t learn our history, we’re doomed to repeat it. To the dismay of lots of us, it’s happening; and quicker than we thought possible. After what I was taught as a schoolgirl in the ‘50s and ‘60s of the fascist Axis countries that brought the world to its knees…

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To the editor, Greene County is behind bringing people to the County. I am all for that. Greene County gave concessions to Wild Rose to bring their business to Jefferson. I am all for that. How many ambulance calls, police calls, and OWIs come from that part of town. I understand, but they serve alcohol. It promotes tourism.

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Several presidential candidates and surrogates to speak Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will be speaking at the Boone County Democrats “Picnic For The People” this Saturday, June 29,  at McHose Park shelter house, 1215 Francis Mason Drive, in Boone.

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien A couple of years ago, I wrote a “What if” about Jefferson being attacked by an enemy, and what I would do if I lived through the attack and into the occupancy by a hostile army. Would I go along because of fear of torture, imprisonment, death? Or the threat of any of these to…

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“Somebody’s got to do something!” That’s what I said to a friend who told me “Oh, Jack, don’t do it” after I told her what I was about to do, carry a war protest sign in the Bell Tower parade. I was feeling it, though, feeling it especially hard when I saw the news that the US was moving a…

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien June nineteenth is a ceremonial holiday (meaning you don’t get off work) in several states in the U.S.; it has never been declared a national holiday. Juneteenth, sometimes called Freedom Day, sometimes called Emancipation Day, is an American holiday celebrated by African Americans because they were freed from enslavement. It grew out of the announcement…

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To the editor, I am writing in support of Darren Jackson, who is running for Jefferson city council. I met Darren in 2018 after announcing my candidacy for the Iowa House. I was attending the Inaugural BOOST Bash when Darren introduced himself to me. He was polite and professional but also curious about why I had put my name on…

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien Joyce Kilmer wrote the poem “Trees” in 1913. It’s a lyrical poem, often quoted (mostly only the first two lines: “I think that I shall never see/A poem as lovely as a tree”) and considered a good memorizing challenge for grade schoolers. I believe in its premise however rhymey and sing-songey it sounds.

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien When the current President of the U.S. was elected in November of 2016, sales of the 1949 novel Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell skyrocketed by 20 percent according to the Washington Post. It was in the top ten on Amazon’s book list, according to Amazon.

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien If women are legislated out of any personal choice when it comes to what to do with their fertilized eggs, isn’t the equivalent next step to legislate men out of spilling their seed? If contraception becomes illegal, will that include condoms? And if so, who gets punished? The user? The used? The seller?

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien The free press part of the first amendment to the Constitution is there so that the government won’t be able to control the news and that the press itself will ferret out the wrongs done by government (and business) for the rest of us. This presupposes a press that is not itself full of evil…

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~a column by Colleen O’Brien “’May you live in interesting times,’” said Sir Austen Chamberlain (brother of Neville) in 1938, quoting what he explained was a Chinese curse, handy for use on people you don’t like. We do live in interesting times. And it is a curse. Give me boring times any day. More time to read a book, go…

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