Viewpoints

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

.. that I had occasion to visit the recently opened Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center at Columbus just downstream from Lansing. To say I was impressed would be putting it mildly.

I liked the idea of doing something with that piece of county owned land ever since the county was forced to clear the area of human habitation. The reasons why that was necessary were debated way back when I still covered the meetings of the Board of Supervisors, and I won’t go into that here.

When architect’s drawings of the proposed building’s exterior appeared, they seemed to very much fit the locale. When brochures tried to give an idea of what the inside would look like, I could not imagine much of it.

For our most recent church newsletter, I wrote on the subject of ‘supporting the ministry of the church through the giving of money, time, and talents.’ It’s a common topic, talking about stewardship. And it’s a broader topic than church giving. It should affect our entire lives.

As I thought about what to write for this space, I came across an article reminding me of a way we are called by God, right now, to give of ourselves. There is presently a massive humanitarian crisis in Africa. A staggering 20 million people are threatened with starvation. Children, men, women - our sisters and brothers are facing this threat.

To the Editor:

The new playground equipment, the new benches, the bicycle rack, and the handicap picnic table are all ordered for the new Lansing Lions playground to be constructed in the Sports Complex park. The Lansing Lions sincerely appreciate all who have supported this project financially and with “in-kind” services.

Although we are about $10,000 short of our goal, the installation of equipment will take place September 22-23. The Lansing Lions Club is a small group, so we are seeking support from the area community for the installation. We are in need of 25 to 30 volunteers each day.  We need people who can help with construction, people who can help with making snacks and beverages available, and people who can be of assistance with first aid and safety both days.

To the Editor:

Tailgates. Pep rallies. Friday night lights. The new school year is here! And that’s exciting news for student-athletes and high school sports fans alike.

Research shows that being a student-athlete is about a lot more than fun and games.  Student-athletes learn important life lessons, too. In fact, high school athletes not only have higher grade point averages and fewer school absences than non-athletes, they also develop the kind of work habits and self-discipline skills that help them become more responsible and productive community members.

Attending high school sporting events teaches important life lessons, too.  High school sports teach that we can live in different communities, come from different backgrounds, faiths and cultures, cheer for different teams, and still have a common bond. The joy of watching students participate.

To the Editor:

Over nearly a quarter century of riding RAGBRAI® my friends and I have encountered a lot of great Iowans. Waukon is home to one of them.

Over the years, several of our gang have become dependent on electricity and pills (prescription only) to make it across Iowa.

When our RV driver was suddenly called home for an emergency, we had an RV stranded in Cresco. So, after riding into Waukon I started riding back to Cresco to get the stranded RV. About a mile west of town I saw a guy sitting in his pick-up watchingthe bikes go by.

So, remembering the Iowa nice thing, I pulledup to his truck, told him my situationand minutes later we were off to Cresco having a nice chat about farming, Iowa, people, and his military service.

After a very enjoyable trip, I was shocked that he would take no payment for that trip. I thanked him profusely as he drove off, but that still doesn’t seem like enough!

To the Editor:

I thought about writing this letter - I wasn’t going to. But I’m tired of coming to my home after working all night to find one red reflector, or maybe two, or even the wood sign which is way up the bank on my rock and cement wall in front of my property, laying down, broken off or completely mashed.

It’s really disgusting that a neighbor doesn’t have any respect for somebody else’s property. That rock and cement bank cost this owner a lot of money. No one has destroyed any part of it - until a new neighbor moved into the neighborhood. The people who completed the rock and cement wall worked very hard on it and did a very good job.

The police came once and told the neighbor to stay off it. Then, not once but twice, he ran across the red reflectors where I usually park my vehicle. The first time he went through there, he hit both red reflectors and I didn’t say anything; I just put new reflectors in and let it be.

To the Editor:

A recent response to my letter to the editor was a jumble of confusion. The writer said, “I am not a religious person,” yet seems to know what religion is when defined for him by what he believes.

God and religion are not synonymous. God is God. You may believe whatever you want to, but it does not change the fact God in the Holy Bible states, “You shall have no other gods before me” in Exodus 20:3. The words shall and may are not synonymous.

The Declaration of Independence was a petition to God in a number of the characteristic attributes as He reveals Himself in the Holy Bible. How, what and why you believe becomes religion in many different forms. Because it was not religion they called on, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides the liberty for you to believe whatever you want.

Sue Fry Vonderohe
New Albin

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I noted here a few weeks back that newspaper headlines are most often written by somebody other than the person who wrote the story, and so can frequently be misleading.
Case in point.

The headline said student-athletes at Iowa voiced concerns in a survey, and the lede said the concerns were about bullying and hazing. It wasn’t until the eighth paragraph, on the jump page, after a sub-head, that we learned that fewer than eight percent (7.73) of those surveyed had concerns. The proper headline should have been that over 92% of those surveyed had no concerns. In fact, there was a hint of that earlier in the story when it was reported that “UI athletes on average are pretty happy with their athletic experiences.”

A little later on, it was noted that six percent reported verbal abuse and only one percent sexual abuse, hardly alarming statistics.

The Gospel Message of Jesus Christ Offers an Alternative

This past week we marked the 72nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over the past several weeks, tensions with North Korea are rising. As our nation’s leaders warn North Korea about the North Korean missile program, their leaders have responded by threatening to have a plan for launching missiles “close to Guam”. We as a planet stand again at the brink of the use of nuclear weapons.

And it may not be the leaders of North Korea or our nation who cause the spark which leads to the launching of missiles. One analyst speculated that some “rogue element” such as a military maneuver of an ally gone wrong could escalate into a conflict involving weapons of mass destruction.

We can’t afford to be at the brink. We need to back up several steps from the brink, employing diplomacy and other peaceful means towards a new kind of coexisting.

To the Editor:

Seven years ago the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative launched the “start somewhere” walk as an opportunity to engage Iowans to join us in making Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. Since 2011, hundreds of thousands of Iowans have walked on the first Wednesday of October and we’ve seen a growing increase in making Iowa communities more walkable. Communities are adopting complete street policies, hiring staff dedicated to incorporating walking, biking and transit in transportation plans and launching walking school buses so kids can walk or bike safely to school.

This year the Healthiest State is reminding Iowans to care for their own health by walking every day by kicking off the Walk more-Connect more campaign in partnership with Walk more-Connect more-NE Iowa.

On October 4 we are challenging Iowans to “get your walk on” so it’s appropriate that we would kick off the challenge with the Corn Days Family Fun Walk/Run in Waukon!