Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 576 - 600 of 1658
Immigration is not for the faint of heart. With high school diploma in hand, a young African from Ghana named Robert Kosi Tette came to the United States in 1998, leaving behind family, friends, and “a simple life of blissful innocence.” Ten years later, he described his decade in America, in an article that appeared in the March 1, 2008 issue of Newsweek, that he entitled “An Immigrant’s Silent Struggle.” In it, he said, “It was as though I had run ten consecutive marathons, one for each ye...
Humility is no one’s favorite word. Its opposite, ‘arrogance’ is detested! Humility may be defined as “acknowledging that achievement results from the investment others make into my life.” Young adults often report, “The older I get, the smarter Dad and Mom get to be.”. Humility is, also, associated with “submission”. Dislike of this word may come when Organizer precepts of leadership are misapplied. Very organized leaders may become bossy, persnickety and territorial when visualizing the o...
I’m not optimistic about America’s future. It pains me to say that. But with $30 trillion in debt, gains made by China, a belligerent Russia, an incompetent government, complicit media and a rising generation of Americans more concerned about gender issues than any of the aforementioned challenges, you can see why I’m concerned. Add to that increasingly open voices on both the political right and political left calling for the other side to be silenced, and it’s hard to see how we avoid bloodsh...
A coincidence: a remarkable occurrence of events at the same time. A coincidence? The start up and spread of covid 19 and the 2020 presidential election. A coincidence? The necessity of mail-in votes and the last minute effect it had on the election. A coincidence? The 1st year of Biden’s presidency and the worst inflation in America in many years. A coincidence? The 1st year of Biden’s presidency and the worst influx of illegal immigrants, drug cartels and crime in America A coincidence? The 1s...
The Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, outline basic rights of citizens and most importantly limits of the government. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (First Amendment)” It is clearly written what the government, Congress spe...
Here in the Good Life, we must not take our public safety for granted. We’ve seen other states fail to support law enforcement and underinvest in their corrections. News stories with video footage of rampant theft and outbreaks of violence have become the unfortunate norm in cities like San Francisco and Washington, DC. Residents of these areas feel unsafe, and they’re fleeing to find a better place for their families. More than half of the San Francisco Bay area population plans to leave per...
Last Thursday the Legislature’s Revenue Committee held a public hearing at the Capitol on LR264CA, which is my resolution for a constitutional amendment for the consumption tax. The resolution would put an initiative for the consumption tax on the ballot for the November 8 election. The time has come for the citizens of Nebraska to be given the opportunity to decide how they should be taxed. I would like to begin by saying thank you to all those who drove to Lincoln to testify in person at t...
A favorite Lincoln biographer of mine is Carl Sandburg. In 1926, he published a two-volume work, Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years, and then in 1939, he published a four-volume work, Abraham Lincoln, The War Years. This latter work won Sandburg the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1940. Although fellow historians have pointed out that Sandburg did a poor job citing his sources, his readers find his biography “exhaustively researched, and magnificently illuminating.” One reviewer called the six...
After some diligent investigation over a rather short period of time (I’m trying to emulate a federal in depth investigation) I have researched and assembled a somewhat limited dictionary of liberal verbiage, also known as jabberwocky. The first recorded use of jabberwocky was by Lewis Carrol in 1872. Since then the proliferation of the technique of jabberwocking has been expanded and refined. In modern times the usage of jabberwocky has been taken to new heights1 of wocking2 by liberal p...
The public hearing for my priority bill has been set at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln for Thursday, February 3, 2022 beginning at 1:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the hearing and to testify in person. LR 264 CA is my priority bill. LR 264 CA is a resolution for a constitutional amendment for the consumption tax. Before the consumption tax can ever become law in Nebraska, the voters must vote to amend the Nebraska State Constitution. LR 264 CA contains the ballot language that...
When the concept of chicken and waffles came out, my first thought was somewhere in time a family, probably a mom struggling to assemble a family dinner, combined what was left from the night before with what remained in the pantry. The same could probably be said when steak and eggs were introduced in the morning I can almost hear the “Well, we’ve never done this before but what the heck,” or “This is what we have so this is what’s for dinner (or supper depending on the region).” It became c...
In August 2020, our nation marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, which gave women the right to vote. This was the final victory in a decades-long struggle by these visionary reformers. The women’s suffrage movement succeeded partly because it appealed to a promise our Founding Fathers made at the birth of our nation, but which remained unfulfilled until the 19th Amendment’s ratification: that all men – and women – are created equal. Today, a different group of...
I’ve been blessed. I’ve been sure to let God know that. Though far from rich by the world’s standards, I’ve got a beautiful wife, a nice house, a vehicle that runs, food, clothing, clean water, and a lifestyle that’s comfortable. I’ve got friends, something of a “following” in the area, access to medical care and the benefit of living in a rural area not plagued with the problems afflicting the big cities. If you can relate to any of this, you’re blessed too. Many times over the years I’ve go...
The days of Andy Griffith and Mayberry RFD are gone. They are not a memory, except with previous generations. Even the scripts once seen as a distant dream are viewed humorously. Don Knotts has gone on to the next life. Andy Griffith and the gang have moved on. What’s left now decades later is a mentality even the writers of the show probably couldn’t have imagined. I was in a discussion recently when I was reminded we, this part of the country, is in a squeeze play. The West and East Coast pop...
There was a humorous record released in 1974 by the comedy team of Buchanan and Goodman, titled “Energy Crisis ‘74” Below is a word-for-word transcription of the lyrics… “We’re here at the White House for a special report on the energy crisis. Mr. President, have you any statements? “Leave me alone. Just leave me alone.” Mr. President, what really caused the energy crisis?” “Smokin’ in the boy’s room.” During the crisis, how much gas will motorists be allowed? “Just enough for the city.” Who d...
The most heinous crimes often target vulnerable members of our society. To protect our innocent, Nebraska is hard at work to expose human trafficking and root it out of the Good Life. Human trafficking is a despicable crime. It inflicts severe trauma on its victims and shows a sickening disregard for human dignity. It’s important that we recognize that human trafficking exists in Nebraska. It may not be visible in your neighborhood, but it happens across the state and is a scourge in our s...
Did you know that if you are a white person that you are currently being discriminated against and punished for what other white people did in the past? The current powers that be and the world health organizations are putting white people on the bottom of the list for federal benefits and medical care simply on the basis of their color; regardless of their health conditions and American citizenship. Non-whites and illegal immigrants are getting benefits and medical assistance before and often...
One year ago this week, I attended the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris. While I was deeply disappointed in the election process and its outcome, President Biden campaigned as a centrist who wanted to unite our country, defeat COVID, and improve America’s standing in the world. When he took office, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Instead, President Biden and his administration immediately began implementing a left-wing agenda out of touch with s...
Ever since being elected to the State Legislature back in 2016, I have received more emails in support of an Article V convention of the states than on any other single issue by a long shot. The emails I receive in support of a convention of the states out-number those in opposition to it by a margin of about twenty to one. So, there is no question that voters in the Panhandle of Nebraska support LR 14, the resolution which calls for a convention of the states. Once LR 14 passes in the...
In the southwest Pacific Ocean, the Hunga Tonga volcano erupted on Saturday. This ordinarily wouldn’t be a big news story because the same volcano erupted in 2009, 2014 and has been rumbling since December of last year. But Saturday’s eruption was far more powerful than those previously observed, and it triggered both a tsunami and a noise that were experienced thousands of miles away. I like volcanoes. They give humans a healthy dose of humility. The power of a single major eruption, and the wa...
I’m not sure if it is age, or seeing some of the lessons in classrooms past. It impresses me that some of my high school and college history classes went against modern perception, telling accounts factually without offering a slant or personal viewpoint in lecture. In recent time, I’ve seen some of the lessons from classrooms past refute or corroborate current issues. A few decades ago, a book was written that has been included in various sociology classes since. The book came out about the...
Here’s a short story to illustrate a dangerous trend being foisted on America. Hesitatingly he walked into the Java Shoppe. His downcast eyes refused to make contact with the patrons. Trying not to draw attention to himself he stopped inside the door and moved into the shadows. Minutes passed before the strange young man moved out of the shadows and slowly walked in to take a seat at the counter. Normally I would not have paid much attention to him. He did not appear to be any more or less t...
Nebraska’s economy has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic better than any other state in the Union. According to Politico’s State Pandemic Response Scorecard, Nebraska’s economy ranks first in the nation. Nebraska continues to enjoy record low unemployment, and last fall the Department of Revenue reported that our state’s incoming tax revenues beat the projection of the Forecasting Board by 7.7%. Despite our economy doing so well, the State of Nebraska has been given more than a billion dollars...
Roots, the television miniseries, aired over eight nights, from Sunday, January 23, through Sunday, January 30, in 1977, forty-five years ago. It proved wildly successful, despite ABC executives’ fears about showing white men kidnapping, buying, selling, and whipping black men, and women. It made television history though. Some 30 million people watched it every night, although I missed the episodes, something I now regret, because I was busy studying in college. Based loosely upon Alex Haley’s...
Change is a constant in life, and I have news of a big change in mine. But first, some backstory is in order. In 1990, my lovely new bride and I fled Minnesota to start a life together in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In seeking a new church to attend, we found Christian Life Center, a nondenominational fellowship in Belle Fourche pastored by Rev. Paul Howard. It became our church home and we made many new and wonderful friends there. Two years ago, I received word that Pastor Paul’s h...
