Guns don’t kill people? Since when? Was that a long candy cane the killer was holding when he slaughtered those people in El Paso? Was the Dayton butcher wielding a love wand? It’s the knee-jerk line promulgated for years by the National Rifle Association: Guns don’t kill people. After the recent massacres, Donald Trump dispensed a variation of that “volition”
Hands-free laws should apply to sports fans too
Baseball fans streamed into the stadium, eager to watch the first home game of the season on a 72-degree afternoon. Many of them clutched their personal electronic devices, about the size of a deck of cards, the better to enjoy the game. This spring day wasn’t in 2019, but 61 years ago, in 1958. And the venue wasn’t Target Field
Moon landing shows what’s possible
We need another moon landing. No, I’m serious. Fifty years ago, the United States achieved something that was once thought impossible. Three men traveled through outer space, landed on the moon and returned home safely. It was an outstanding moment in human history. Despite the multiple crises and antipathy raging throughout the world, people came together to watch it in
A census undercount hurts us all
Proposing a citizenship question on the 2020 Census is nothing but yet again another bright shiny object that distracts us from the real issue – the purpose of the census and the importance of an accurate account. An inaccurate count threatens our voice in government at all levels and could rob us of government funding for programs we all depend
Alex Jones hurled vicious lies about Sandy Hook
Imagine your child is killed by a school shooter and then hearing that the child you are so deeply mourning did not exist. Imagine the harassment and death threats against you from cruel creeps via phone calls, letters and social media, claiming not only did your child not exist but you were an actor at a staged event in the
Are we ready for today’s big idea?
Lots of big events happened at our house on the south side of St. Cloud in the summer of 1969. We bought our first color TV, my first year of high school loomed and I learned to drive (behind the wheel of a huge 1968 Chevrolet that barely fit on the old 10th Street Bridge). And oh yes, American astronauts
Be proud-and aware this Fourth of July season
There’s nothing more American than a fun Fourth of July day. There are trips up north, cookouts with the family and spectacular fireworks. It’s a day to celebrate everything that makes the United States such a great place to live. We have so many freedoms and rights that so many people the world over want to come here. While the
Beware the nation’s worst drivers
Time to drive. We’re heading into the best time of year for motoring to the lake, picnics, parades and sporting events. But beware. When you get behind the wheel, know you are entering the danger zone. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Memorial Day through Labor Day marks the 100 deadliest days on Minnesota roads. In 2018, that