And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that as a child, I was introduced to the fairy tale character’s admonition that if I could not say something nice about somebody, I should say nothing at all.

Sen. John McCain, Navy war hero, died of brain cancer. The senator received his commission as a naval officer a year later than I received mine. His was from the Naval Academy, so he was a “ring knocker” and had both father and grandfather who were admirals in the Navy. My commission was after officers’ candidate school, and my father was too old for the WWII draft, so never served.

McCain’s Navy background assured he would be a career officer. My stint ended when my six-year reserve commitment ended.

I had a black onyx Iowa U. ring that, in the dim light of an officers’ club bar, was mistaken a couple times for the academy ring.

So much for comparisons.

Lots of folks have said good things about the senator, so I don’t think I could add anything.

But neither am I going to say anything bad.

I am, however, offering a feeling I had about McCain for several years before he was diagnosed.

I got the feeling he did not think his party or his nation fully rewarded him for his prisoner of war experience and efforts at bipartisanship. His party picked George W. Bush as its candidate in the 2000 primary, and in 2008 he was soundly defeated by President Obama.

He seemed a little resentful and more cantankerous after that last loss.

Maybe I am alone in thinking so.

The killing of Mollie Tibbetts near Brooklyn, Iowa, by an illegal alien once again has me thinking about the young women who jog around the corner near my house all by themselves. I used to console myself with the idea that small Iowa towns are probably pretty safe. But Brooklyn is smaller than Waukon.

Please, girls and women, get a buddy to go with you.

And if that isn’t possible, carry some protection, like a spray.

I don’t want to get into the discussion about how illegal aliens commit fewer crimes of violence than life-long Americans as a percentage of population. I have no reason to doubt the statistics.

But the difference is, we have to put up with our own citizens, and we should not have to put up with citizens of another country who are here illegally.

A well-controlled guest worker system would seem to go a long way toward solving that problem, since some “vetting” and lots of close supervising could take place.