Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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These days a certain segment in our political arena is hell bent on centralizing more and more power into the federal government. They are using end runs hoping the common citizen does not see it. Misrepresentation of their agenda is also used to prevent the real purpose of their legislation being discovered. The radical left is relying on a few things in order to blind side the mass of Americans: a left leaning news media that routinely skews the news in one direction, an internet controlled...
I’ve held off as long I could before writing this article, and I will not apologize. For the second time in my life I feel ashamed of my nation’s government, both Democrat and Republican, and I will not apologize. The craven act of cowardice by our federal government in surrendering Afghanistan to the Taliban terrorist organization is, without a doubt, the blackest and most shameful act of our country’s central government. We were not defeated on the field of battle. We were not over born at th...
Some folks have asked me why I write what I do. What is the bedrock upon which I have formulated my beliefs, attitudes and behavior? First here is my definition of ethics: they are the rules and standards I use in governing my attitudes and conduct in all situations and places. Being a Christian, the bedrock foundation of these rules and standards are Biblically based as much as a faulty human such as myself can understand and follow. My personal code of ethics has developed over a long period...
The scene begins with me walking down the hall of Monroe High School, Fairbanks, Alaska. The time: my freshman year at school day’s end, around the end of the first quarter. As I leave the classroom someone grabs my armful of schoolbooks, knocks me down and flees down the hallway towards the exit. After getting to my feet I got a good look at the culprit – he was someone with whom I had problems with his bullying me in the past. That day things would change permanently. Prior to that day I had s...
Warning: Much of the following is capable of generating anger, frustration, nervousness, hot and cold sweats, and other adverse reactions to those of the left-leaning liberal political persuasion. To everyone else you may die laughing. Read on at your discretion. As stated in the previous Murphy’s Laws of Government & Politics #1, the quoted laws are from a lifetime collection of Murphy’s Laws I’ve acquired from numerous sources over several decades. Below are a few more of the laws from my co...
Warning: Much of the following is capable of generating anger, frustration, nervousness, hot and cold sweats, and other adverse reactions to those of the left-leaning liberal political persuasion. To everyone else you may die laughing. Read on at your own discretion. Much to my wife’s vexation I tend to be a collector of oddities. Among them I’ve amassed a rather large collection of Murphy’s Laws and other witticisms. Browsing through them recently I found several that are really appro...
In colonial America you were an Englishman, or you were not. The common claim was that an Englishman was an Englishman no matter where he stood in the world. The colonists increasingly took this to mean that they were equal in status and rights to any other English subject. British people of the upper classes viewed that idea with some distaste and were often offended when approached with familiarity by a colonial American. Most Americans thought that British attitudes about class and title...
In my high school days I was honored to receive invitations to speak at the many local and area civic organizations' meetings. This is part 2 of a speech I delivered to the Fairbanks Rotary Club just prior to Independence Day, 1965. Many of the things I said then still apply today, and all of it is important to recall at all times. This was a pretty gutsy thing for a teen to be saying to a roomful of adults. The real purpose, the real reason for Independence Day is to honor the 56 men who...
In my high school days, as a result of our debate team’s outstanding record, and other things, I was honored to receive invitations to speak at the Kiwanis Club, the Alaska Medical Association, the State Republican Convention, among many. I also appeared once on the local Fairbanks television station, and did a couple of shows on the local radio station. Immediately following this introduction is a speech I delivered to the Fairbanks Rotary Club just prior to Independence Day, 1965. Many of the...
“An informed patriotism is what we want… So, we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important: Why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant… If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are.” Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address to the Nation, Oval Office, Jan. 11, 1989 Patriotism is frequently scorned and scoffed at as being out-of-date, the refuge of the ignorant and violent, and the cause of war. Nothing could b...
I have a confession to make. I dodged the draft during the Viet Nam war era. It was easy to do. All I had to do was call up the Navy recruiter in Anchorage, AK and say, “I want to enlist in the Navy.” A short time later I was safe from the Army, and in Navy boot camp at San Diego, CA. Five years later I received a medical discharge and joined the ranks of those who are proud to have served our great Nation, the United States of America. The Navy taught me a great many things that I have fou...
“56% of Americans in 2021 have a “great deal of trust and confidence” on the military, down from 70% in 2018. 33% of Americans in 2021 have “a great deal of trust and confidence” in public health officials. 21% of Americans in 2021 have “a great deal of trust and confidence” in public educations. 10% of Americans in 2021 have “a great deal of trust and confidence” in Congress.” (Source: Ronald Reagan Institute, reported in the June 2021 issue of The American Legion magazine.) When I r...
I never thought I would see the day when America would follow in the steps of Nazi Germany when they burned “banned books” by the thousands. We haven’t quite reached that level of fanaticism – yet. But it sure looks like our current national leadership is trending in that direction. I hope and pray the following never becomes a reality. The scene: We stand in front of a blazing pyramid of books outside of an empty library building. A man stands in front, with tears in his eyes as he recites...
For those who do not recognize the reference in the title, it is taken from a song by Napoleon XIV, the pseudonym of Jerry Samuels, who had a one-hit wonder in 1966 with his novelty song, “They’re Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!” His nom de plume, for his series of mental illness songs was a play on the names of Napoleon I and King Louis XIV. Samuels used these songs to make some humorous, yet astute observations about life in the 1960s and beyond. The second stanza of the song should be a fam...
For those of you who did not read my first installment on this topic, T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. translates as: There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Science fiction author Robert Heinlein used this device quite effectively in a novel titled “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.” I do not know the author’s political party affiliation, but I believe that he would find today’s American government, from top to bottom, to be radically out of whack. Why? As I wrote previously, for more than 50 years there has...
I can visualize readers shaking their heads and asking, “What in the world is T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L.? It would be great if I could take credit for this attention-compelling device, but it comes from a science fiction story written by Robert Heinlein titled “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.” It pops ups frequently throughout the story and serves to emphasize a very vital message the author presents in this work of fiction. So you won’t have to buy the book to decode the message, here it is in plain l...
How things have changed, and not necessarily for the better. Since retirement I’m trying to stay out of my wife Dorothy’s hair and not get on her nerves. (But that’s another story!) Like many in my age group I’ve accumulated boxes and boxes of stuff, aka priceless mementoes of days gone by. When I have nothing else to do, I drag out a box or two and rummage through them to see if I can force myself to get rid of an item or two… results to day: a few pieces of packing material pitched. The bigge...
A few weeks ago I reached that “Golden Age” that virtually all working class people strive for. Yes! That time of life when we can do just about anything we want without worrying about scheduling conflicts at our place of employment. Yep! I retired a few weeks ago at the young age of 71.41 years old. The wife and I figured that our financial and health needs can be met without too much stress. Dorothy gave me the go ahead to retire after I convinced her that I would behave at home and not get...
