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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In December of 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suggested a plan to reinstate the seceded states back into the Union, his "Ten Percent Plan." He would permit each Confederate state to form a new state government after ten percent of the voters in a state took loyalty oaths to the Union and recognized the former slaves' freedom. Following Lincoln's assassination on April 9, 1865, his successor, former Vice-President Andrew Johnson, decided to run with Lincoln's Ten P...
"Jesus said, a third time, 'Peter, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved and said, 'Lord, You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.'" John 21:17 Uncle Guy and I raised six children together, of whom I was one. He had lost his left arm in a car accident before I knew him, but he refused to be handicapped. He could bridle and saddle a horse, then open and close a fence post gate with one hand. (For those who may not know, this gate was usually, barbed wire, three to five strands,...
The poet Robert Frost once said that a liberal is someone too broad-minded to take his own side in a fight. What would he say about those on the right who seem to be confused about the same question? Over the last few days, Donald Trump told a rally about how he'd supposedly warned the leader of a NATO nation that he'd encourage the Russians "to do whatever the hell they want" against countries that weren't spending enough on defense, while the former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson...
Last Thursday Gov. Jim Pillen delivered his State of the State address to the Unicameral Legislature. The primary focus of the speech was devoted to tax relief, especially property tax relief. So, I listened closely to hear his plans for tax relief. Although he vows to reduce property taxes by 40 percent, he never offered any kind of substantive plan for doing so. Gov. Pillen's plan continues several of the same stale practices which have never worked in the past, such as creating more property...
Joe Biden went to Valley Forge to give a big speech telling us how much he cares about defending democracy against the threat represented by Donald Trump. How much does President Biden care? Enough to give a speech defending democracy, one of what's sure to be many if Trump is his opponent. Biden's alarm about the precariousness of the American system, though, will never translate into actions he wouldn't otherwise want to take. To wit, if Joe Biden were, as a matter of the principle, devoted...
"He who heeds instruction gets understanding. Honoring the Lord is the rebuke of wisdom, and before honor is humility. The ear that hears rebukes (instruction) of life will abide among the wise." Proverbs 15:33. 31 Prophetic Utterance: "I founded Israel because I loved the people, says the Lord. I uphold the United States of America because the people loved Me." This truth has almost vanished from Christian ethics and the U.S. Constitution in the last 6 decades. Many are launched into...
My last full* year of school in Fairbanks, Alaska was at Monroe High School. Although it was called a "high school" the majority of the classes were designed to prepare the graduates for college. The classes we attended averaged anywhere from 1 year to 4 years ahead of what was taught in the public school system. From the middle of my Sophomore year through my Senior year at Monroe High School I participated in the Debate Club. Before that I was a member of the school choir. Partway though the...
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To Whom It May Concern, The mischaracterization of Nebraska’s Opportunity Scholarship Act (LB753) is a willful attempt to mislead voters. In a true sense it does take tax dollars away from public schools but this is only a half-truth. The remaining unspoken truth is that for many years public schools have saved money from parents sending their children to nonpublic schools. The fact that this is a parent’s choice is irrelevant to the positive economic impact for Public schools that save immense costs while parents still pay the same taxes sup...
When I first arrived in the Nebraska Legislature in 2017, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha stood in front of me on the legislative floor. He turned around and gave me some good advice. He told me to learn the rules. I began to read the rules. Upon doing so, I quickly learned how confusing the Rule Book of the Nebraska Legislature was. So, immediately upon adjournment last year, I turned my attention to re-writing the Rule Book. The project of re-writing the Rule Book of the Legislature focused...
Anyone following how weak and passive the U.S. has been in the face of provocations from our adversaries in the Middle East might conclude that the secretary of defense has gone missing. And, at least for a few days last week, he literally was. In an age when it's nearly impossible to go off the grid, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin managed it. He failed to notify the White House and other key players that he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. This, needless to say, is not an...
"Stop the fear! Only Believe!" Jesus roared into a crowd gathered on the shores of Lake Galilee. Mark 5:36. Two people obeyed. Torment is a product of what one sees, hears and believes in the heart. Faith works exactly the same way, Fear tormented Jairus as his 12-year-old daughter lie very ill. However, he had seen and heard that Jesus healed and made people whole. A woman with a 12-year issue of blood had heard and seen this, also. What they believed in their hearts was going to make all the...
David Blight teaches Civil War and Reconstruction history at Yale University. In 2018, Blight published a biography on the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, entitled, "Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom." Blight tells a remarkable story. His biography deserved and did win the Pulitzer Prize in 2019. Blight describes Douglass as a spell-binding lecturer through most of the nineteenth century, who left audiences both weeping and laughing, their emotions whipsawed by his incredible story of how...
The 2024 Legislative session has begun. Because the Unicameral Legislature operates in a two-year cycle, this will be the second session of the 108th Legislature. The session began on January 3 and will end on April 18. Since this is only a 60-day session, there will be less time for State Senators to get the business of the State done this year. Today I will share my priorities and goals for making this year’s legislative session a productive one. I am the chair of the Legislature’s Rules Com...
The public-health officials are getting around to admitting the fallibility of public-health officials. The former head of the National Institutes of Health during the pandemic and current science advisor to President Joe Biden, Francis Collins, has noted that he and his colleagues demonstrated an "unfortunate" narrow-mindedness. This is a welcome, if belated, confession. Not too long ago, anyone who said that epidemiologists might be overly focused on disease prevention to the exclusion of...
"Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Learn from Me, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden light," Matthew 11:28 Fear with torment contaminates and erodes a faith which believes God's word is true. Fear of God, however, is to "honor, respect, and revere' our Creator. This 'fear' brings knowledge, wisdom and understanding: an unfailing faith. The Bible contains God's inspired word, written by many authors who tell the same story....
Just to flip the coin a bit... here is a bit of the other side of military service. Most of us have read or heard war stories, and at one time or another watched movies by the dozen that hammered home the bleak and bloody side of warfare. There are few TV shows and movies that show another side of life in the military. Lest you get the idea that time in the military is dull and dreary, or just a series of unpleasant experiences, allow me to recount a few of the more humorous events that took...
Dear Sun-Telegraph, RE: “Delta Dawn When the Light Comes On: Week One” by Ivy Joy Johnson, Jan. 4, 2024 I have no disagreements with the lovely article referenced above, but it missed an opportunity to provide guidance on how to, "be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine ..." (Eph. 4:14). The guardian source of preventing apostasy is identified in verses Eph. 4:11-13, which is a church led by Jesus Christ through apostles and prophets (see verse 11). Acts chapter 1 and other Biblical references dem...
The Biden administration continues to enforce failing policies concerning oil and gas which are now beginning to affect the State of Nebraska. The Biden administration's war against global warming and its war against the use of oil and gas are both misguided and wrong. So, today I would like to explain why this is the case and how it is affecting our state. President Biden likes to brag how oil production in the U.S. is the same today as it was under Trump. Well, that is not exactly true. At...
You might have heard that Donald Trump is going to be a dictator if he wins the presidency next year. Among other things, he's threatening to target his political opponents. Let's stipulate that Trump is a provocateur who freaks out his opponents even when he's on relatively good behavior. And his conduct after the 2020 election was genuinely alarming and deeply wrong. He shouldn't talk about going after his political enemies, let alone actually do it if he takes power again. But the vapors...
"That we no longer be children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him Who is the head of the whole Body, Christ (Messiah) Jesus." Ephesians 4:14-16 Christians are reborn, from fear of torment, by Holy Spirit power to love as God loves, by self-mastery, which is Jesus Messiah, saying what Father says and doing what Father does! Jesus is our Pattern for victory, Example to imitate and Sample for tasting and seeing that the Lord is good...
On May 11, 2017, the newly-elected U.S. President, Donald Trump, issued an executive order to form a Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. He appointed Vice-President Mike Pence as chair, and Kansas State's Secretary of State Kris Kobach as vice-chair. For some time, Kobach had "promoted the myth of voter fraud and supported laws that restricted people from voting." Two other members were "notorious advocates for voter suppression." At least one member was a Democrat, Maine's S...
Do you agree with them or perhaps you take umbrage with their point of view? At the Sun-Telegraph, we welcome all points of view, and strongly encourage our readers to express them. Letters should be brief (under 400 words) and contain no libelous statements or vulgarity. All letters must be signed and include complete contact information; this information is for our use only and we will only publish your name and city/state. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Please send your letters to Barbara Perez at [email protected]. You...
One of the major pieces of legislation that Nebraska State Senators passed this year was LB77, a bill which prevents cities, towns and villages from putting gun restrictions on citizens who care to arm themselves without a conceal-carry permit. As soon as the law went into effect on September 1, both mayors of the cities of Lincoln and Omaha enacted their own executive orders reinstating their city's gun free zones in public buildings, city parks, sidewalks, hiking trails, and parking lots....
Do you remember the big national debate on whether the United States would adopt a policy to make the foreign share of the population the highest it’s ever been? Neither do I. For the simple reason, of course, that there wasn’t one. That doesn’t mean that the policy wasn’t adopted, through inertia and the Biden administration’s imposition of a de facto open border for a large swath of asylum-seekers. An analysis of Census data by Steve Camarota and his colleagues at the Center for Immigration St...
