Viewpoints

To the Editor:

I would like to let Waukon and the surrounding communities know that Robey Memorial Library has two copies of the Mueller Report available for checkout. Give us a call at (563) 568-4424 and we’ll put a copy on hold for you today!

Cate St. Clair
Director
Robey Memorial Library

To the Editor:

The Waukon City Council recently accepted a bid on sidewalk installation along Second Street SW and Eleventh Avenue SW. The Mayor vetoed this bid proposal and the council later overrode his veto.

This proposal includes a four- to five-foot sidewalk from the fire station to the south entrance to the City Park. The proposal they accepted will cause them to remove 25 trees planted by volunteers eight to 10 years ago. The City had instructed the volunteers where these trees should be located and they followed the City’s instruction.

To the Editor:

Bridges are landmarks; they are iconic structures that we associate with particular places. Some of them are just bridges, cement structures that carry traffic, but some of them are more significant: the London Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and our very own Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing.

This bridge is named by several tourist sites as the most beautiful bridge in Iowa, but unfortunately, most  bridges have a limited life span and the Black Hawk Bridge is reaching its final days. It will be replaced and is included on the Iowa DOT five-year plan, so construction should begin before the end of 2024.

The Iowa DOT takes comments on its webpage for its upcoming projects. They have had several public meetings over the past few years, seeking input from area residents. There is no doubt that the bridge is necessary, as statistics have shown, so what can replace an icon, a landmark?

To the Editor:

After watching the Democrat Party Presidential debates and listening to follow-up statements by many of those candidates, I am convinced that the Democrat Party is well on its way to fulfilling a prophecy.

In 1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2000 years prior: “A Democracy is always temporary in nature, it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A Democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury, with the result that every Democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy.”

To the Editor:

At her recent town hall in Decorah, Senator Joni Ernst spoke about working with anyone right or left in Congress. One issue where Ernst could work together with Democrats is election security. Recently, Senator Amy Klobuchar put forth bi-partisan legislation, the Secure Elections Act, to protect our democracy from attacks and foreign influence. Ernst’s name is not listed as a co-sponsor. Instead, at the town hall, she blamed former President Obama for election interference.

To the Editor:

When it comes to the Mueller report, Mr. Engle will find out the true facts when Mr. Mueller will appear on live TV before all of the country in July. What I said about Iowa, the Trump party senators from Iowa are covering up crimes every day for this White House as they have no courage or morals. My, my, what ever happened to the Party of Lincoln, replaced by the Party of Trump?

Apparently Mr. Engle did not read the report either, as most Trump party members did not, or would just deny and blame Obama. There is at least 10 situations of obstruction of justice in the Mueller report, “but Mueller couldn’t indict a sitting president,” according to Attorney General Barr and the Department of Justice.

For your meditation: 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-8; Luke 9:51-62

There is a difference between being narrow minded and being single minded. A narrow minded person wears blinders. Such a person sees only a part of reality, and seeing only a part he or she misses the whole thing. Such a person is probably bigoted and prejudiced, a real redneck.

But a single minded person sees all of reality and can distinguish between what is important and what’s mere window dressing. He or she sets their sights keenly on what is important and does not let the unimportant trivia distract he or she from the goal. Such a person is solid and reliable, a decisive person and a person of action. His or her prayer, Psalm 16, “I set the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I will not be disturbed.”

This is what Jesus is advising us to be. He says, “Whoever puts his hand to the plow but keeps looking back is unfit for the reign of God.”

To the Editor:

The mission of the Friends of Yellow River State Forest is: To enhance Yellow River State Forest for public use while protecting the integrity of the flora, fauna, soil and water. We, as the Board of Directors of this organization dedicated to Yellow River State Forest, would like to go on the record saying we do not support any ATV and UTV use on County roads within the State Forest.

Time and time again, visitors to Yellow River State Forest (YRSF) say the reason they come here - often from long distances - is for the peace, quiet, tranquility and serenity this place offers. The horse campgrounds at YRSF are very busy places on weekends in the summer, and loud machines and horses often don’t mix well. Allowing the noise of UTVs and ATVs to permeate every corner of the State Forest will not result in economic growth - in fact, it will result in fewer visitors and the dollars they bring here.

To the Editor:

In his letter to the editor June 19, Pat Ward plays the same hand being played by the Democrat Party, especially Congressman Gerald Nadler, and the main stream media. They all claim that there are so many cases of cover-ups by the Trump administration that they are too numerous to enumerate. Yet none of them can name one!

I wonder if Mr. Ward has read any portion of the Mueller report. I would remind him that this report was compiled after over 20 months of investigation by a team that really wanted to be able to charge the president with anything. And they found nothing! There was no collusion and Robert Mueller did not have courage enough to say whether or not there was any attempt to circumvent justice by the Trump administration and so Attorney General Barr stated the investigation failed to prove wrongdoing by the president.

“Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto Him Jesus” (refers to Isaiah 53:7-8; Philip explains to the Ethiopian that the prophet Isaiah is speaking and prophesying of Jesus).

“And as they (Philip and the Ethiopian) went on their way, they came to some water, and the Ethiopian eunuch said, ‘See, here is water; what hinders me from being baptized?’ And Philip said,’ If you believe with all your heart, you may!’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” Acts 8: 35-38

This Bible story is about an important dignitary who served Candace, queen of Ethiopia. This man was traveling back in his chariot from worshiping in Jerusalem to Ethiopia. While traveling, he was reading the book of Isaiah aloud. God miraculously sent Philip alongside him to explain to him what he was reading.