National Guard worthy of recognition

November 11, 2020

We call them “citizen soldiers” because for most of the year, they are not in uniform but instead, among us at our workplaces, schools and elsewhere in our society. But this year, many are on the front lines of a war being fought not with firearms and other implements of combat, but with testing kits, face masks, hand sanitizer and other weapons of health care. About 450,100 Americans serve in the Army and Air National Guard. Normally, the governors of states where they live call upon them only during times of natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. Their service lasts for ...

Let’s remember those who gave so much

November 10, 2020

How fortuitous it is that this week, while the attention of millions of Americans seems focused on controversy, we take time out to honor those about whom we are in complete agreement: veterans of military service. No matter how we view politics, we are united in revering the men and women who have served and do serve us in uniform. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard are the solid wall behind which our freedoms rest. They serve us not as Democrats, Republicans, Independents or adherents to any particular political philosophy. They serve us simply as Americans. It is ...

An accurate census count is vital for nation

November 8, 2020

Census Bureau officials’ claim the agency was able to collect information from 99.9% of the households in America strains credibility. It would during normal times, not to mention the middle of a deadly epidemic. If officials in several states, cities and organizations are right, the bureau simply isn’t telling the truth. In fact, some officials within it made up reports on households. A lawsuit has been filed against the bureau by the National Urban League, the states of Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas, and assorted others with interests in the population count. ...

Et Cetera

November 7, 2020

Fairmont tackles nitrates Kudos to Troy Nemmers, Fairmont city engineer/public works director. He has been working on a project for years that will remove nitrates from the watershed into Fairmont’s lakes while preserving the wetlands and wildlife. Nemmers has partnered with a number of different entities such as the University of Minnesota, the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the Fairmont Lakes Foundation, and Martin Soil and Water Conservation District. All are to be congratulated and thanked for their efforts to ...

Criminal hackers pose a real danger

November 6, 2020

At least the Russian and Iranian operatives attempting to influence public opinion in advance of the election have ideological goals. Not so with a more dangerous class of hackers — freelancers willing to kill for money. Federal officials warned last week of a new wave of online extortion attempts directed at hospitals and other health care facilities. Their technique is simplicity itself: Hack into a hospital’s main computer, take control of it, then inform management that unless a “ransom” fee is paid, the computer will be shut down or crippled. Because we use technology to ...

Virus testing is an important tool

November 5, 2020

COVID-19 testing is more than a matter of individuals safeguarding their own health and that of their families. It has become an important tool in limiting the disease’s spread. Recognizing that, members of Congress included an important testing provision in the CARES Act approved earlier this year. It is that people can obtain COVID-19 tests without having to pay out of their own pockets. Leave it to the federal bureaucracy — the swamp, if you prefer — to strangle a prudent initiative with red tape. Fifty-four members of the House of Representatives, led by U.S. Reps. David ...