Viewpoints

To the Editor:
“Black Lives Matter” just means that the lives of African Americans matter. That’s all. It doesn’t mean that other lives don’t matter. Or that other people matter less. It also doesn’t mean that black people are more morally superior than other people. Black Lives Matter provides the reminder that black lives matter, too. It can be dangerous to be black. An African American is killed every 28 hours by police. About 27% of African Americans live below the poverty line. Black families are seven times more likely to be homeless than white families. African Americans are four times more likely to be murdered than the national average. The statistics go on and on. But the stats also have names: Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, LaTanya Haggerty, etc. These lives matter.

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

To the Editor:
The scandal with Planned Parenthood has been going on for some time. The videos are sickening, and so is the entire organization. Five hundred million, or a 1/2 billion, tax dollars given to Planned Parentood each year - a real pet of the liberals. It’s very much like the Veterans Administration, run by a bunch of crooks who cook the books to get a bigger bonus. We should never have had the VA, they should have given our vets a voucher to go to our local hospital where the waiting time is small and emergencies are taken care of promptly by a local doctor you know.

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

by Rev. Duane Smith

The next Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, August 27 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office conference room.

Reminders
June 15 - August 3: Nominations can be received for the COC elections.
June 15 - September 30: ARC/PLC sign-up for 2014/2015 program.
July 1 - September 30: 2016 MPP (Dairy) Program sign-up period.

An open letter to the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors:
Last week I read in The Standard about the Board of Supervisors’ decision to make the intersection of Old Stage Road and Old Highway 9 a four-way stop. Initially it seemed a peculiar decision and on further reflection I am puzzled as to why the decision was made.

To the Editor:
Like many New Yorkers, my worst fear looks like this: Find yourself driving on a rural road at night, far from any town, with little or no cell service and no houses around, when all of a sudden you collide with a deer.
This is exactly what happened to me on Sunday night while driving from Marquette to Waukon on Highway 76, but before I could panic, a car pulled over and a man and a woman got out to help me.
They calmed me down, moved the deer to the side of the road and taped up my bumper so that I could keep driving until I got to a place where I could spend the night. They even gave me their extra roll of duct tape just in case the bumper came loose again.
Unfortunately, in my panic, I didn’t get their names. I hope this message reaches them so that they know how grateful I am for their help.

Antonia Farzan
New York, NY

To the Editor:
Last week over 5,000 volunteer hours were put in to make Camptastic at Camp Tahigwa happen. The mantra “Camp must go on” was in each of these volunteers’ hearts.
In 2010, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (GSEIWI) Council announced that traditional residential camp would no longer be held at Camp Tahigwa in Dorchester. A fine group of women and men decided that was not an option, thus Camptastic at Camp Tahigwa was born, offering girls of all ages a true overnight camp experience, complete with the famous climbing tower, jell-o fights, and sleeping under the stars.