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Letters to the Editor

Some thought on mass shootings

Another mass shooting and some more hand wringing and few thoughts and prayers. But no solution. Why is that? Because this is not a problem of just guns. My guns do not go out shooting anyone and neither does anyone else’s guns. Guns are just a tool and must have a “user” to operate. In the case of mass shootings, what seems to recur too often is a history of mental illness on the part of the “user.” We could do something about that, but it would be expensive. Therapists cost money, hospitals dedicated to mental health cost money and long ago we as a society decided we would ...

A plea for more organ donors

Few of us are doing enough. Enough to save and extend the lives of those in our community. Not enough of us are organ donors. My husband, Jim, was a cardiopulmonary patient in Madison. Ultimately, he lost his life to the cardiopulmonary illness he had, but before he did, he was the recipient of a lung transplant. That lung transplant gave us more time. It gave us more memories. It gave us more laughter together. So many of us look for ways to extend our lives, our youth, our time, but we do not give what we can to extend the life of others. Organ donation is a free and simple way ...

Doesn’t see need to ‘jazz up’ the National Anthem

At the end of May, after over a month of appointments at the VA Hospital in Milwaukee, my son, who pushed me around by wheelchair in that huge building, and I decided to attend the “Memorial Day” program. What we witnessed was a “big city” program at the Wood National Cemetery on the VA property. Not too far away, we could see the stadium of the Milwaukee baseball team. The program, which is an annual observance, was titled “Remember and Honor.” There was a master of ceremonies, the Milwaukee American Legion Band, a chaplain, a Wisconsin senator, a retired major ...

Everything is fine?

A brief overview of Thursday’s Daily News revealed a couple of interesting observations. There was a story about how newspapers are shutting down all across the country and that it could represent a threat to our democracy. Starvation does the same thing. It appears that only the newspapers that get their stories from syndicates like Associated Press can afford to stay in business. I remember when they called the mob a syndicate. In fact, I heard a well-known Democrat, Bobby Kennedy, use that exact word. Who could forget his New England accent when threatening the crime families of ...

Worried state will ban abortion

I’m extremely concerned about the possibility of abortion becoming illegal in our state. As a clinical psychologist, I know the negative mental health consequences that occur to the parents and child when abortion is not safely and easily accessible. According to the American Psychological Association, people who are denied an abortion experience higher stress and anxiety and lower feelings of self-worth. This can then lead to even greater mental health issues such as depression, PTSD, and substance abuse. Additionally, unwanted pregnancies can push women into violent relationships, ...

Is government by force wanted?

EDITOR: I have just been looking at the endless reruns what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and I got a new thought about the whole thing: Let us take the “party politics” out of this as much as possible. Instead, focus on just what you saw outside of the Capitol building that day. Let us say this group becomes the group in power. Now consider this. — is this what you would like your government to look like on a day-to-day basis? Would this be your idea of a county board meeting or a city council in session? Would this work for you if this was your local school ...