Opinion

“We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying,...but they are still lying.” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, prominent Soviet dissident

I wrote a letter to the Independent Star News: “Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security…also known as the puppy shooter, is having difficulty recruiting ICE thugs. She is offering a $50,000 signing bonus for those willing to join her.

Some MAGAs who have drunk deeply of the Kool aide do not see the ICE agents as “thugs.”

Since the Reagan administration, the Republicans have been carrying out their Tricke Down Economics policy, giving big tax breaks to the richest Americans, which in turn was supposed to trickle down to the rest of us. The reputable economist have all said this was a failed policy.

I have been thinking a lot about immigrants and the years I lived, worked, and traveled in other countries, including Malaysia. That was the time of the Vietnam War when our country’s actions were not too popular. Yet I was treated with unfailing kindness. It never occurred to me that I should fear for my personal safety.

Is anyone trustworthy? Is anyone ever completely faithful to his word?

The Bible says, “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

The new school year has begun, and through assistance from the community, Helping Hands provided supplies and backpacks for 233 children from 120 families within the district to help start the year.

The American pioneer mentality sometimes leads to a real defiance of authority, the old, "You can't tell me what to do!" idea. I wonder if this attitude is found more in people who grew up in very authoritarian households where they were subject to strict or inconsistent rules of conduct.

Last week, I was out and about in Reedsburg and overheard some teens talking about blowing stuff up and making unlimited explosives.

Now, I heard enough of the conversation to know they were talking about a video game, but you have to wonder what others might have wondered. It’s not just a generation gap there, it’s a hobby gap.

As part of our last hurrah for summer, I went with my family to the National Mississippi River Museum &  Aquarium in Dubuque over Labor Day weekend. The weather was absolutely perfect to spend the day going in and out and about in the beautiful Driftless area.

As homelessness grows across Wisconsin, social service agencies are feeling a crunch. The federal government is slashing funding for tackling the problem, and state lawmakers aren’t helping much either.