Opinion

"Just FYI there were only 5 pit bulls in Keystone, I repeat 5, not sure where all the dis information is coming from. At least fact check a topic so sensitive as this, thank you. I know this how? I was the deputy tasked with speaking with the 5 families."There's one word that irritates me to no end, and that's the word "disinformation." It's so overused lately that it does not affect the hearer.

Dear Editor, Those that control our food supply wield an immense amount of power. Small family farms like the one I proudly grew up on, have been integral to the success of the United States all throughout our history, but now such farms are being gobbled up at a staggering pace. It is the who that is purchasing the land that should get our attention and be a cause for some alarm.

Dear Editor,A recent opinion letter had one paragraph dedicated to CLIMATE CHANGE with the requisite warning of imminent death due to crop failures, relief that fossil fuels are being drastically reduced and the increased government spending on alternatives to the “deadly consumption of unsafe fuels”. This particular brand of silliness seems to have taken over all other narratives because it’s proudly stated as “settled science” .

Dear Editor As someone who has retired within the last year, I find myself looking back on my life and comparing my childhood to the childhood we experience today. No, I don’t mean passing notes in class instead of texting, or having fun on playground equipment that is now considered too dangerous. What are we, the generation that experienced lead poisoning to a far greater extent than any other, leaving those who come after us? What are they inheriting?Yearly record-breaking heat waves, so severe that lives are at risk world-wide.

Editor: As I think through my now, 81 years on this planet, I wonder what is our legacy?  What are we leaving our younger members?  Do we have problems that require solutions?  Is there a logical sequence to follow to solve these problems?  Are the solutions political or are the politicians responsible for these problems?  Can the “people” more readily solve the problems than a big overreaching top-down government? I remember some of the sequences –1.

Just mention anything "politics" and I'm in. I get tons of updates from our elected officials that are supposed to impress me the reader. Most of the time I read it and say, "yada, yada, yada." Under my breath I probably make some snarky remark about what they said. This time Joni Ernst actually earned an eye roll. Her news release read, "For all fans of the gameshow The Price is Right, you are going to want to set aside some time this afternoon to watch Senator Joni Ernst’s speech on the Senate floor…At approximately 12:50pm CT, Ernst will be using a classic Price is Right game – the famous Mountain Climber – to illustrate a phenomenon Iowans unfortunately are all too familiar with under the Biden administration: prices climbing higher and higher under inflation! You might remember nearly ONE YEAR AGO Senator Ernst used The Price is Right theme to warn Americans about how “The Price is UP” under President Biden’s policies.

To the Editor,Our names are Peyton Frank and Taylor Frank, Co-Directors of Better Together Animal Rescue in Vinton. We are writing you today regarding the current Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in Benton County.Benton County long ago adopted BSL banning Pit Bulls, or those resembling as such, from Benton County. As Co-Directors of the only animal rescue in Benton County, animal advocates and citizens of this County, we are in favor of laws and regulations that protect our community members.

Dear Benton County Supervisors and Cities in Benton County, I’m a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee and a coauthor of the ABA Book, A Lawyer’s Guide to Dangerous Dog Issues.  Currently 2 Iowa towns and one North Dakota town are facing lawsuits in federal court because of their breed "specific" laws targeting "pit bulls".

Dear Editor, An elderly couple in Vinton took it upon themselves to clean up the landscaping area around the Vinton Library recently. They pulled every single weed by hand! I know this because it was my brother and sister-in-law, Lowell and Mary Ellen Mahr. They didn’t tell anyone they were planning to do this or they would’ve had helpers, like myself! Vinton has had a big, ugly, negative spotlight on them recently regarding our library but we can’t forget that our town is filled with amazing, generous, caring folks, like Lowell and Mary Ellen.

In Chapter 6 of the Vinton City Ordinances, under "Dangerous and Vicious Animals" number 1 on the list that is prohibited are animals like liions, tigers and bears (oh my) you also can't have jaguars, leopards, cougars, lynx, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers, wolverines, weasels, skunk, mink, raccoons, monkeys, chimpanzees, alligators, crocodiles, scorpions, snakes that are venomous, or constrictors, Gila monsters (I had to google this one, it's a venomous lizard) or bats.