Opinion

The older a  person gets, the more you say goodbye. I know that's probably obvious. But sometimes you don't realize that you're officially getting old until you start counting up how many there have been. Sometimes the goodbyes are to loved ones you cared for immensely, and sometimes it's an acquaintance.  This week our little community lost a special lady that impacted more people than she probably realized.

Supposedly wind took out some of our Scarecrows, at least that's what one of them told me. But another of them said that the food was great, but the party was even better. Saturday these Scarecrows were standing proudly outside the businesses, especially on A Ave. but I have my suspicions that after the businesses closed down for the weekend, the Scarecrows came to life and had a little too much fun.

Response to Darrin Lindsey -Sure . . . let's get our "facts" in order. First, I never said that a militia was defined in the Constitution. Its meaning was simply understood. Britain had a tradition of militias dating back to the 1100s. They knew, in a very real way, that the individual, the family, the community were responsible for their own defense.

Yesterday, October 12th, 2021 Benton County became the 23rd of 99 Iowa counties to become a "2nd Amendment Sanctuary County". Just what does that mean exactly? The paragraph in the resolution that most clearly states the position of the Benton County Supervisors is this one . . ."WHEREAS, the right of the people to keep and bear arms for the defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people of Benton County, Iowa;"It is an acknowledgement that the right to keep and bear arms is "inalienable" and beyond the reach of the government.

There's one thing I love, and it's babysitting a special little two year old. Well, most of the time. Actually, 99.9% of the time. It's that remaining teeny tiny of a percentage that brings me out of dead sleep with a scream, or the case last night being smashed in the nose. But those are even eclipsed by the times that I'm awoken with giggles in her sleep.

A couple of weeks ago, I went downtown to the store. I came out and my car was dead. "Oh great, I left the lights on," I thought and immediately started down the list of my kids trying to figure out which one might be able to rescue me. Of the 6, I came up with 0. Plan B. Call the mechanic."Hey, can you come downtown and jumpstart my car?" Out of the goodness of his heart, he came downtown when it was close to 90 degrees and rescued me.

Dear Editor,I believe I'm among the luckiest, no, most fortunate, a person you'll know. My wife is safely and thoughtfully cared for in the Virginia Gay Rehab facility managed expertly by Jessica Henkle. Meanwhile, I live with my daughter in a friendly condo community called Cedarview which is across the Parking lot of the hospital complex.The golf cart allows me the freedom to drive to see my wife, attend coffee with the "wise guys" at the shelter house for coffee.

I really don't think that there is anything that I can say now, which hasn't been expressed about the events that took place on September 11, 2001. If you were alive then you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when the second plane hit the World Trade Center. You might remember the first, but that second was a clear message to everyone in the United States that we were under attack.

Dear Editor,The following is from an expert immunologist who has also been speaking with one of the leading cardiologists in the United States about the harm of this vaccine.https://www.facebook.com/theinformedfather/videos/550685116148255/I strongly recommend people watch this because doctors & nurses are breaking their oath. Please have your physicians watch this video, & have them explain why they are doing what they are doing.

Dear Fellow Citizens of the Vinton-Shellsburg District, This letter represents my thoughts alone and does not necessarily represent the opinion of other board members or an official position of the School Board.School is back in session and we now have begun our third school year dealing with COVID. Despite the challenges and the unknown, last year quite frankly went about as well as possible given the circumstances.