Viewpoints

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that Nature and Nature’s creatures are much more active in warm weather than in cold, especially in this area which is on the migration route for many of them.

Those of us who have lived here for many years are familiar with sights and sounds of local residents and most of the temporary visitors.

But there are exceptions.

One recent night, before midnight, during one of my frequent nighttime sleep interruptions, I heard a creature making a very loud and totally unrecognizable sound. I have no idea what it was. I tried to look out the window but could see nothing, nor even very accurately divine the exact location.

I had recently watched a segment on TV about “howler” monkeys, and there was a little bit of that in the howl. But unless it was a zoo escapee, there are no monkeys in northeast Iowa.

Please meditate on 1 Kings 19:4-8, Ephesians 4:30-5:2, John 6:41-51.

In these scriptures, we hear about bread-food. We hear at least in the Gospel, about people who are grumbling, actually the word used today is murmuring, as in, “The people started to murmur in protest because He claimed, “I am the bread that came down from Heaven.”

Jesus confronts the murmuring head-on. He says, “Stop your murmuring.”

Jesus is a lot like us, isn’t he? He doesn’t like grumbling, murmuring or whining any more  than we do. All three of these words are onomatopoetic (good to remember this word for crossword puzzles). The word sounds like the meaning of the word. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Mur-mur-mur-mur-mur. Whiiinne, whiinne, whiinne.

All very unpleasant sounds, aren’t they?

Is that any way to behave toward God? Making unpleasant sounds? You don’t do that, do you?

To the Editor:

Mr. Hill claims in his Letter to the Editor dated August 1 that his original letter contained pure fact from the book “How Democracies Die.” Wrong. He claims that the authors of the book are respected scholars and diligent researchers who carefully documented all the points in their book. They may be.

I repeat, Democracy did not die in Peru. Surely it did in Venezuela at the hand of an outsider in the form of a military coup followed by a sham election to install communism. I doubt that either of the authors or any of their researchers ever spent a minute in Peru or Venezuela. They twisted facts to meet their own objective.

To the Editor:

Thank you, Mr. President.

On behalf of corn, wheat and soybean farmers across America, I thank you for this 12 billion dollar, one-time bailout.

Your tariffs on soybeans and pork have caused financial loss to soybeans, wheat and corn amounting to 13 billion dollars in June, 2018 alone.* That is one billion dollars more than the “bailout”. And that is only June.

According to University of Illinois and Ohio State University research, China’s 25% tariff on soybeans could cost Illinois midsize farms 87% of their income, and a $500,000.00 loss in net worth, per operation.* That’s per farm family.

Kalena Bruce, a fifth generation Missouri rancher, states that hogs are down 20% and lean hog futures by 14%.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that as this is being written, forecasters were saying northeast Iowa could have a high temperature in the low 70s later this week, the last full week of July.

We were due for some relief from the heat, and can probably expect a return to heat and humidity sometime in August.

The thought of atmospheric conditions was perhaps partly prompted by the news of those widespread fires in Yosemite National Park.

I have not heard how that fire started, but it brought back memories.

The Ark Encounter and the Door

As I am returning home from a trip to visit Noah’s Ark and the Creation Museum in northwestern Kentucky, I’m pondering the fact that I’ll probably never be quite the same. It’s like going to Israel and seeing and experiencing the land where Jesus walked and the places you read about in the Bible. It makes the Bible, even though you believe in it, come to life in a new way.

To the Editor:

I am responding to Mr. Engle’s letter (July 18) criticizing my earlier letter (July 5). I am afraid Mr. Engle has fallen down the rabbit hole into the post truth world of Donald Trump where shutting your eyes tight, putting your fingers into your ears, and yelling as loud as you can “It is not true” will make any unpleasant elements of reality disappear. Sadly, the real world does not operate that way.

The authors of the book How Democracies Die are respected scholars and diligent researchers who carefully documented all the points they make in their book. In my brief letter I did not have space to cite all the supporting evidence for their arguments, which is substantial.  All the statements I made in my letter are correct.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that the reception, or really rejection, that President Trump experiences in appearances in foreign countries pretty much matches what his casual appearances here in cities in the United States evoke.

Apparently it is just as easy in large foreign cities as in America to call to arms protesters of various stripes to turn out to heckle the president.

Governments, and the people who elect people to run governments, from international to national to state and local, have a lot in common.

As someone who was news editor for Waukon newspapers for 36 years, 1962 to 1998, I can think of several instances locally when boards hired administrators or other professionals to do pretty much what President Trump was elected to do, that is, shake things up, and hang the personal consequences.

To the Editor:

This is in response to several previous letters.

Yes, Donald Trump won the general election electoral vote; no, he didn’t win the popular vote. Whether Donald Trump or someone on his campaign “colluded” with a foreign government is the reason for the Mueller investigation.

As of July 13, 2018 there are 25 known indictments by a Grand Jury involving Russian meddling in our election and that should make every American upset, no matter what your party is. Our election process is the very foundation of our country and we need to find out if that process has been compromised.

Until Trump’s trip to NATO and England, I thought he was just in over his head. But, after the NATO conference, he proved he is in over his head and has an ego problem that has set back the trust our allies have that the United States can be relied on in the time of crisis; especially under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that government at all levels suffers from a lack of respect these days.

The comments I am about to make might come under the heading of “fake news” because I have not followed the story closely, since I had no personal interest.

When I saw the large tent set up along 11th Ave. S.W. with its huge ape-like inflated guardian, advertising the sale of fireworks, I wondered what effect sales might have on peace and quiet in the neighborhood. With the Fourth of July weekend past, I think I can say it had little effect, and in fact might have reflected the acts of government.

It is my understanding that the state government passed a law which makes it legal to buy and sell fireworks in Iowa, but also allows cities and counties to ban their use. And lots of cities did. Which begs the question, why buy them if you can’t legally use them?