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Let independent panel investigate insurrection

When a mob of Trump supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, trying to stop the the members of Congress as they tried to validate the results of the November presidential election, it was an act of insurrection unlike anything since the Civil War. Now, as some members of Congress try to set up a non-partisan, independent panel to investigate the events of that day and try to determine ways to prevent such an attack on our government from happening again, other Congress members are standing in the way. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he is opposed to such an ...

The State budget deal

If it wasn’t for deadlines, some things would never get done at all. It’s true in newspapers, and it’s true in government as well. State leaders agreed early Monday morning on a $52 billion budget plan, hours before the scheduled end of the legislative session. By having a May 17 deadline for the end of the session, the legislature and Gov. Tim Walz are at least guaranteed of getting a budget passed by June 14 — well past the deadline, but well ahead of the end of the fiscal year on June 30, after which the state government would have to shut down. The broad agreement settles ...

Israel, Hamas should heed calls for cease fire

Israelis and Palestinians are in open war with each other in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, the Palestinian leadership organization, has been firing rockets into Israel, and the Israeli forces are responding with air raids to destroy buildings and tunnels it says are housing Hamas military operations. This is the deadliest outbreak of violence in Gaza in years. It was sparked, apparently, by an intrusion into a mosque in April by Israeli forces who cut the wires to loudspeakers calling Muslims to prayer, to prevent them from drowning out a nearby Memorial Day speech. Tensions accelerated and ...

Pot vote in vain

As we come down to the bitter end of the legislative session, the House spent a long afternoon and evening debating and voting on a bill to legalize marijuana in the state. As much as the pot afficionados might be cheered by the House passage, the Senate is determined to let the bill die without a hearing. We suppose legislators already know they won’t finish their real work in time, and don’t mind wasting some now.

Et Cetera

Masks We were glad to see Governor Walz lift the statewide mask mandate following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s about time. However, We agree with Walz that more people need to get vaccinated. It’s time for those who have not been vaccinated to finish the job and get it done. Pheasant Opener It was disappointing to see the Visit Fairmont Board of Directors decided that they couldn’t host the 2021 Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. Now the state has to find another host in just a few short months. It seems that a lot of ...

What will GOP unify behind?

Having dumped Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, from her leadership post in the House, the Republican Caucus is now free to unite. That has been the goal, according to other Republican leaders. Cheney was ousted not because she keeps saying Donald Trump is lying when he claims he was robbed of the 2020 election, according to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, but because the party wants to present a united front to voters in the 2022 midterm elections, when they hope to take control of the House and Senate, and in 2024, when they hope to win back the White House. Unity is a good thing in ...