Viewpoints

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... about night noises.

The forecast was for high winds overnight the night before trash collection day, and I knew if winds blew that strongly, my smaller “garbage” container with its light load would not stand. But I figured the larger “recyclables” container, with four sacks of newspapers and magazines accumulated over two weeks, was heavy enough to make it, so I put it out.

Just one thing wrong. The wind blew the yellow lid off. Same thing happened to another resident not far away. My prostate acts like the bladder with the lady in the TV commercial, leading me to the bathroom anywhere from three to six times a night, which interrupts sleep. But I am used to that. What I am not used to is the syncopated drum beat banging of two trash container lids following the baton of the wind all night long!

A night before that, I woke to an unexpected December sound, thunder.

To the Editor:

Waukon and its surrounding community is a special place; I know, as it was my hometown for the first 18 years of my life. And for the past 46 years that I have lived elsewhere, in my heart it has always been my hometown.

Very recently I had an opportunity to experience my hometown in a new way, one I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but then again it was the perfect place to have it happen. My mom, Abigail Osterholm, died Saturday, November 18 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Her six kids, their spouses and significant others, many grandkids and even some great-grandkids spent the final six days of her life in her hospital room, surrounding her with love, compassion and even lots of humorous stories.

To the Editor:

Treat yourself. If you are only able to see one movie this year, make it “Wonder”. If you are able to see a number of movies, include “Wonder”. Be sure to take the kids and/or grandkids!!! Happy holidays.

Harold Pronga
Waukon

To the Editor:

Washington D.C. is so rotten you can almost smell the stench here in Iowa. Our tax money spent on a slush fund to settle sexual harassment claims. It looks as if that fund that has paid out tens of millions of dollars in settlements over the last 20 years comes from the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which was sponsored by our very own Chuck Grassley.

How about the Johnson law forbidding clergy from giving their view on certain laws or they would lose their tax exemption? How about all the perks and retirement benefits they have voted for themselves? How about all the congressmen that didn’t support term limits and a balanced budget? How about when they removed or forbid the Bible, 10 Commandments or any Christian symbol? That’s when the devil walked into our schools and our country has been on a downhill slide ever since.

To the Editor:

I attended the December 7 school board meeting held at the Waterville school library  and must share a few comments and observations.  The meeting was well attended. It was much more information based than previous and presented facts needed in this critical decision. And I personally want to commend Mrs. Nordheim for her candor and professional approach to the evening.

I left with more concerns. We were advised there are no short-term or long-range plans to guide the school board in determining the future of the school district and, specifically, the Waterville building. We learned the water is fine. We learned there are no capital repairs that must be completed in the near future. What we did not learn is what is so pressing.

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the 2017 Waukon football team, and we thank you for the beautiful trophy and for the many Friday nights you entertained your fans. You made all of us very proud of how you played the game. You were always playing together.

You set the bar pretty high for next year’s team. We are sure they can meet the challenges and we will all be there to cheer you on. Again, thanks for a good season.

Your fans from Elon,
Arlyn “Butch” and Lois Fossum
Waterville
 

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that the news media have a tendency to draw out a story ad infinitum.

Recent charges by women of sexual improprieties against a couple of prominent men have resulted in formation of an organization called, I think, “Me Too!” It’s for women who have similar charges against men, and the result has been a steady growth in the number of accusers and accused.

The fact that those things have happened comes, I am sure, as no surprise to anyone familiar with the world of the important in relationship to the less important.

To the Editor:

I am against the closing of the Waterville Elementary School. The reasons for closing Waterville Elementary have been eloquently expressed in print by the Allamakee Community School Board.

However, some of the facts and figures presented by the school board do not seem to add up. For instance, even if the Waterville students do take 30-40 field trips per year, some of the trips are paid for by entities other than the school district. Therefore, I question the amount the board quoted in print.

When discussions were held regarding moving the Waterville sixth graders to Waukon, a school board member is on record as stating the move was not going to result in the closure of Waterville Elementary. Really?

To the Editor:

Mental Illnesses have long had a place among the most controversial topics in society, from causations to treatments to public policy and perceptions. Half of all adults have experienced a mental illness at some point during their lives, and the most common form of mental illness—”depression”—is even the leading cause of disability in the United States. From popular culture to face-eating cannibalism to mass shootings, mental illness permeates mass media like no other time in history.

From 5000 B.C., the time of the first known treatment of mental illness, people have been searching for reasons to explain why mental illness exists. In early societies, it was speculated that demonic possession was the explanation for mental illnesses, and many cultures still believe that mental illness reflects a wrong doing on the part of the family or individual.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that “they” say REM sleep is important for health, and REM sleep is determined by whether or not the sleeper dreams. Well, my sleep is often interrupted, but I do dream a lot, and sometimes the dream is more like a nightmare.

Witness Saturday night after Iowa’s disappointing football loss to Purdue. Not only did Iowa lose, Purdue beat them like a drum ... maybe even that big drum the Purdue band features.

Things looked hopeful for Iowa after they defeated THE Ohio State a couple weeks earlier.

Iowa State won again.

And I read a story that noted that Iowa State’s new president heads the state’s largest public university.

So in my nightmare, the school at Ames was being referred to as THE Iowa State University, and the school in Iowa City was simply labeled Iowa University, just as Ohio University is treated in that state.

Purdue was not considered to be a very good team.