Letters to the Editor for Mar. 5
The Courier Press welcomes opinion letters up to 500 words from readers. Writers are limited to one letter, per topic, per month. Concise letters and those that offer a new perspective or add depth to the discussion of an issue are more likely to be printed. We reserve the right to reject letters at our discretion or edit for grammar, punctuation, length and clarity. Personal attacks, form letters or letter-writing campaigns are not accepted, and self-promoting letters from candidates for public office will not be published. If we receive numerous letters on one topic from various authors, we may select only one to be printed. Any congratulatory letters must be matters of public interest and will be tightly edited.
Please include the author’s full name, address and daytime phone number in case clarification is needed. Emailed letters are encouraged and mailed submissions must be signed. Letters to the editor are not a reflection of the Courier Press’ or its staff’s stance on matters of opinion.
Dear Editor,
Why can't our educators freely and openly discuss all the evidence of the origin of life? The origin of life came from either something (energy and matter) or Someone (a Creator). Neither one of these processes can be replicated or observed. If either one is espoused, it must be done through a belief in the evidence for either one. Our education system, in an ill-fated attempt to separate church and state, has only allowed our educators to teach or discuss evidence supporting one theory on the origin of life. Excluding evidence for the sake of a cause is pseudo-science that ignorantly adopts a state-approved religion of thought on the origin of life. Our educators in general and our science teachers specifically should be empowered to examine ALL the evidence for the origin of life. Imagine an exercise where you are required to prove or disprove the existence of an author, but the evidence of the book itself must be excluded. That would be insanity. Why can't our teachers and students freely discuss the complexity of the human body, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the orderly laws of nature that support the possibility that we were created?
Our children are struggling more today than ever before. The rise of self-harm, suicide, violence, bullying, over-reliance on medication, and substance abuse is pervasive throughout our society. All this has continued to worsen in our country over the past decades despite an ever-increasing cost for education. Our educators are bravely facing tougher and tougher odds as they try to instill hope in the next generation. Why can't their hands be untied and their tongues loosened? Why can't our students hear the message for which they are crying out? There IS strong evidence of a Creator. Which means there is strong evidence that they have a purpose and a meaning for their life. Why can't they be taught that the difficulties they face in this life are not unnoticed by nature, but perhaps part of a grand design that gives their life meaning. This hope is essential for our young people as they approach adulthood and will often be faced with chaotic and trying situations. Why can't our educators offer our children this hope in their futures and increase their appetite for learning? Our children could then go home to their families and places of worship and discover who this Creator is and what it means for their lives. The alternative is that we can just continue on dogmatically, only presenting government-approved evidence without any freedom of thought or expression. If the government mandates what evidence for the origin of life or what conclusions can be drawn from that evidence, they have not achieved separation of church and state.
Joel Gerlach
Prairie du Chien
***
Dear Editor,
I did a double take when I heard the recent Brad Schimel for Supreme Court television ad. He claims to have expertly handled the backlog of rape kits during his time as WI Attorney General. He is trying to rewrite history.
The fact is that he tested only nine out of 6,000 rape kits during his first two years in office and lied about it in an effort to mislead the public. After the public became aware of his incompetence, Brad Schimel blamed the survivors of sexual assault for the high number of untested rape kits by saying that “victim choices” were a major cause of the backlog.
Other facts: He “waited for a bargain price” to hire private labs to test the kits instead of asking the Legislature for more resources to clear the backlog. While bargain hunting for justice, Schimel spent $10,000 of taxpayer funds on commemorative coins printed with his personal motto “Kick Ass Every Day” and spent his time trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act protections for those with pre-existing conditions. His actions delayed justice for victims while potential perpetrators roamed free on Wisconsin streets.
These are a few of the reasons that Wisconsin rejected Brad Schimel after just a single term as Attorney General and why he failed in his bid for re-election, and why his bid for election to our state’s supreme court should also be rejected. His attempts to rewrite history, his extreme politics, and his bungling mismanagement are too great to ignore. Keep these facts in mind when voting on April 1.
Sincerely,
Beth Jensen
Gays Mills
***
Dear Editor,
The Importance of the Word “Mother”—A Title That Should Never Be ErasedAs a mother of three beautiful daughters and one angel in heaven, I am deeply outraged and disgusted by the idea of eliminating the term mother. It is not just a word—it is a profound and sacred title, one that has existed since the beginning of time. The very thought of erasing it is not only offensive but demeaning to women and the role we hold in society.Governor Tony Evers’ attempt to change or diminish the term mother is nothing short of an insult to every woman who has carried, nurtured, and loved a child. Motherhood is a privilege, a blessing, and a fundamental part of our identity. The idea that we should abandon such a meaningful term is absurd.We have a national holiday—Mother’s Day—dedicated to honoring and celebrating mothers. Millions of women long to become mothers, and countless others have lost children yet still cherish the title of mother. To erase this term is a personal attack on the very essence of womanhood and the role so many of us hold dear.I will never regret being a mother, never take it for granted, and will always cherish the honor of this title. We must stand against any attempt to diminish the significance of motherhood and ensure that future generations recognize and respect its value.
Jennifer Harding
Prairie du Chien
***
Editor,
Thank you to the Crawford County Land Conservation Committee, the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, and Land Conservation director Dave Troester for requiring written verification of land spreading acres available for permitted agricultural operations in the county.
This is a victory for local residents, non-CAFO farmers and ranchers, and the integrity of Driftless area clean water -- the most precious resource on Earth. The hog Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation that stimulated this decision, after so many problems arose with verifying available acres, is situated on a steep ridge 1,320 feet from the Kickapoo River.
Small and midsize farmers and ranchers practicing animal husbandry and rotational grazing allow animals to spread their feces without reliance on waste lagoons that leach into ground water and overflow into surface water. But CAFO hogs and chickens are kept densely packed in confinement buildings, and receive daily doses of antibiotics, causing antibiotic resistance and passing pathogens on to people, such as the bird flu epidemic in chickens which has raised egg prices so drastically.
CAFOs are disproportionately located in under-resourced rural communities which suffer the incredible stench of hog waste. CAFOs do environmental harm via huge quantities of methane and nitrous oxide -- greenhouse gases that exacerbate global warming, and hurt biodiversity in the Kickapoo River watershed of the Driftless bioregion.
Thank you for protecting humans, animals and future generations.
Dr. Kathleen Tigerman
Steuben
***
To the Editor,
It appears that the Courier Press has become the liberal, communist, socialist media outlet in our area. I do hope you choose not to censor me.
Many wars have been fought, and many people have died fighting communist, socialist dictators. Nikita Khrushchev, the former leader of Russia during the Cold War, said to the United States, “We don’t have to defeat you on the battlefield, we will defeat you from within.” This is what is happening today from The Left. This has been in the works for a long time but has become more obvious in the present.
They wait for the older generations to die off and hope the younger generations can be persuaded with humanitarian, compassionate, manipulating words and phrases. Look at the history of socialist, communist nations, or how capitalist nations were brought down. Hitler started his own socialist party; Mussolini was socialist and started Fascism. Joseph Stalin took over one million farms, and 12 million peasants disappeared. Millions starved to death after the collectivization of the farms.
Don’t be deceived; the left’s brand of Democracy is socialism. They try to make you think that the Republicans are the rich. I read in Money Magazine that there are more rich Democrats than Republicans. We are in danger of losing our freedom through liberal fascism, not conservative capitalism. Klaus Schwab said of their One World Goal: “You will own nothing and be happy.”
Sounds like a one-world socialist dictator to me.
Donald Trump is the leader we need to fight against the growth of socialism and communism in our nation.
Ray Kramer
Eastman
