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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The old conventional wisdom was that the U.S. couldn't be too pro-Israel for fear of inflaming "the Arab street." The new conventional wisdom will have to be that we can't be too pro-Israel for fear of inflaming "the Western street." The Arab street, a hoary cliche of commentary on the Middle East for decades, was a reference to public opinion in the Arab countries, with the strong implication that if we offended it, the result would be massive anti-Western demonstrations and perhaps violence. W...
"Moreover, Brethren, we make known to you the Grace of God in our Lord, Jesus (Messiah) Christ, though rich, became poor that you, through His poverty, might be made rich." 2 Corinthians 8: 1, 9 Apostle Paul goes on to relate the joy and comfort that comes with a certain grace: the grace of giving. Grace is a gift and giving is a grace. We often say that grace represents unmerited favor and that is true. However, God's grace is to treat us as if sin never existed in our lives, so He is free to s...
Probably the most frequently asked question is "Why?" As children we bombarded our parents with such questions as... "Why do I have to do this?" "Why do I have to do that?" among others, and probably the most frequently asked was: "Why me?" Today many are bewildered at the current state of the world in general, and the state of America in particular. Why are things so confused and chaotic? Why does it seem that things are getting worse? The simple answer is: human nature. From early in our...
It may seem to you like America has lost its way. The pilgrims must have had similar thoughts (but in a much more literal way) when they had to lower the sails on the Mayflower and go adrift at sea for a while. Despite all of their hardships, though, the pilgrims eventually reached Cape Cod and returned thanks to God for bringing them to a whole new world. Hardship and tribulation can easily cause us to adopt a negative attitude towards life. So, during times of hardship I am often reminded of...
The celebrated author Ta-Nehisi Coates is not reliable regarding things he's spent considerable time thinking about here in the U.S., so it's presumably a mistake to put much stock in his newly formed opinions about matters he barely knows anything about. He proved as much in an interview about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the other day on Democracy Now! At the outset, Coates announced his opposition to "complexity" and "complication," and left little doubt about his sincerity in that...
Thanks to my dad I became a student of history. It seems like a lot of today's parents are so busy making a living, they don't have time to share their personal and family history with their kids. Yes, I know it's rather difficult these days for us average (non-millionaire) parents. Dorothy and I experienced that even to the point of total bankruptcy and losing everything, yet we still raised 5 kids and adopted a 6th. Nonetheless, thanks to my dad I learned to share my personal history with my...
Throughout the year of 1864, President Abraham Lincoln believed that he would lose the election in November. He admitted in August, "I am going to be beaten, and unless some great change takes place, badly beaten." The odds were stacked against him. Plenty of voters in the Union had reason to despise, even hate, Lincoln. The war that had begun in April 1861, at Fort Sumter, had turned into a ghastly event, full of fury, fever, horror, and madness. The human wreckage was colossal, on a scale...
Rising home values continue to create problems for people living in our state. While Nebraska's statewide valuation rate increase of 12.9 percent for the last 12 months is significantly less than the national average of 20.7 percent, the current situation is still not good for people living in Nebraska. So, today I would like to highlight some of the problems affecting those looking to purchase a home in Nebraska. Homeowners have been defaulting on their mortgage loans at an alarming rate in Neb...
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has a history, and a present, of promoting wild conspiracy theories. His independent bid for the presidency is quixotic at best. And yet a new Quinnipiac poll has him getting an impressive 22% in a three-way contest with Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and with a narrow lead among independents. This should be less encouraging to RFK than a warning sign to the major parties that they are courting disaster by nominating two candidates so unappealing that a solid bloc of voters,...
"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward. But, when you do a charitable deed, do not let the left (brain) know what the right (brain) is doing." Matthew 6:1-3 That is, make up your mind to do right. Reflect the just, right character of God placed in the creative side of your brain. The left brain is society based and self-seeking. The left brain is often referred to as 'soulish'. The Apostle Paul called it 'fleshly desire'....
I became a student of history way back... well, never mind how far back. One of the things I learned was that humans seem to be very, very slow learners when it comes to assimilating the lessons of history (also known as "life"). Century after century the same pitiful mistakes are made by governments and societies around the world. This tendency has been summed up by historical philosophers throughout the centuries. Kurt Vonnegut phrased it like this: "We're doomed to repeat the past no matter...
When a writer or speaker cites, prints, speaks, and uses information about Israel, Jews, and Israelis from well-known and proven anti-Western, anti-American, anti-Jew, and anti-Israel sources, then that writer or speaker presents inaccurate, biased, untrue, and outrightly offensive views. My preface leads me to comment about a recently published article titled “Tunnels and War Coincide” in the Sun-Telegraph. The ever-present 300 miles of tunnels in Gaza were constructed by the Hamas leaders, and I quote from an interview with Russia Tod...
Went to the Sidney Post Office Saturday morning, Nov. 4, and I got a letter! Usually the only mail I get is junk mail and bills. I am so thrilled to get this letter that I'm reporting it in its entirety in the following paragraphs. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And I quote with expletives somewhat deleted, but spelling unchanged: "10-30-2023, I hope this F--k the right man. To Mike Sunderland in response to your article in the Sun Telegraph August 22, 2022! How are you feeling now Mr....
The word "veteran" is a fancy way of saying, "Once a soldier, always a soldier." Such is the case with a select group of veterans today whose previous deployment and military service overseas put them in contact with important connections in Israel, Palestine and Egypt. Even as we honor our veterans this year on November 11, there are some who continue to serve our country by putting their lives on the line. So, today I would like to highlight these veterans and tell you about the work they are...
"Beloved, I pray that you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John 2 A soul filled with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is a prospering soul. No doubt about it. God wants us to prosper! Humanity is created with a spirit, a soul and a body. Spirit and soul are different. "For the Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the to the division of soul and spirit; of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the...
People burrow into the subsoil, build tunnels, plus storage rooms, and stockpile food and water, for one reason, and that is to stay alive. Atop the ground, in the open air, in the sunshine, they feel oppressed, insecure, and poised to die or suffer an injury. On July 4, 1863, thirty-one thousand Confederate soldiers, trapped inside Vicksburg, on the Mississippi River, surrendered to the Union's commanding officer, Ulysses S. Grant, on the forty-eighth day of Grant's siege of that town. During...
I have a deep appreciation for our men in blue. Those who wear the uniform put their lives on the line every day in order to uphold law and order, peace and tranquility, and safety and security for all of the citizens of our great state. However, a lot has happened recently regarding our law enforcement officers, so today I would like to highlight three ways we can support our law enforcement officers. The first way we can support our law enforcement officers is to thank them for their service....
Luck is the residue of design, they say. Might it also be the residue of frightening and confusing foreign adversaries? Donald Trump's relatively crisis-free presidency in foreign affairs has created a sense, perhaps an accurate one, that he cowed enemies into not challenging the U.S. As Sen. Tom Cotton has pointed out, Kabul didn't collapse on Trump's watch, Russia didn't invade Ukraine and Hamas didn't launch a historic terror attack on Israel. Now this may have just been good fortune. Four...
"Mordecai answered Esther, 'Do not think that you will escape [death] in the king's palace any more than [your people], for if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for [your nation] from another place, but you and your house will perish. Yet, who knows whether you have come to [be queen] for such a time as this?'" Esther 4:13, 14 Look at these Scriptures in the light of the election season which has, already, begun. Who are you? Who are 'your people'?...
There is a troubling trend in various schools around the nation that has become an open sore in the past few years. More and more schools are minimizing the teaching of history and American government in order to focus on things that will make our youth “more prepared to join the nation’s work force.” At least that is the excuse. Granted, that preparation is important, but it should not be to the exclusion of other areas of a general education. A vital part of our nation’s education system...
Eleanor L. Einspahr, age 84, formerly of Sidney, NE passed away in Scottsbluff, NE on Monday, October 30, 2023. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, November 3, 2023 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Sidney, NE with Pastor Leon “Bud” Gillespie officiating. Burial will follow at the Greenwood Cemetery in Sidney, NE. Services will be livestreamed on the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel Facebook page and recorded for later viewing on our website. A full obituary will be published when available. Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Cha...
I have long tried to warn the public about the politicization of COVID-19, especially in regards to preventative measures. Now a new study by the Correlation Research in the Public Interest links COVID-19 vaccinations to some 17 million deaths worldwide. The new study examined 17 equatorial and Southern Hemisphere countries including Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Malaysia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, The Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Suriname,...
No matter how much we’d like to believe in the inevitably of human progress and the spread of enlightened norms, we’ve learned the past couple of years that we still need artillery shells -- lots of artillery shells. The Hamas terror attack, together with the ongoing Ukraine war and the looming Chinese threat to Taiwan, is putting a spotlight on the pitiful state of our capacity to manufacture the weapons necessary to the defense of our allies and ourselves. According to a CNN report, an Isr...
Jesus called the Pharisees on their religious practices, "Woe to you, for you tithe [every tenth leaf] of mint, anise and cumin, but have neglected the weightier things of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness. This you should have done without leaving the other (tithing) undone." Matthew 23:23 Sin misses a mark. Archers stand off several yards and aim at a 'bull's eye'. One who gathers arrows shouts to the archer where the arrow lands. If it did not hit the center of the target, he calls...
What is the good that comes from knowing even a little about the ancient Greeks' religion? I prefer to learn of actual people who once lived in a historical setting, a time and a place. Greek mythology, instead, is a collection of make-believe fantasy stories I would like to know more of, but I find it hard to gain much traction from them, practical use. I wonder. Mark Twain disparaged the whole notion. "Classics," he said, "are the books that everybody wants to claim to have read, but nobody...
