Where do we draw the line?

April 3, 2021

To the editor: The Second Amendment to the Constitution states “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” This amendment is ambiguous since a well-regulated militia and arms are not adequately defined. The Founding Fathers lived at a time when arms consisted of muzzle loading muskets and crude mortars; but what constitutes arms? An arm might be defined as anything used for individual defense, collective defense, or predation (hunting). A hammer, screwdriver, ice pick, ...

Who needs this change?

April 2, 2021

To the editor: Recently, Walmart went to self-checkouts. I wonder if anyone did a poll or asked customers how they felt? There were always long lines but now they’re very long. I’ve seen people just leave their carts and exit the store. I personally don’t like it. Looking for UPC symbols, bagging, and a lady next to me found out after doing all that, the store doesn’t take checks. She was told to go to customer service and do it all over again. I will be doing the bulk of my grocery shopping at Econo’s or Pat’s IGA. Your groceries are bagged, put in a cart, and ...

Voting bills not helping

March 30, 2021

To the editor: Thirty-nine bills were recently introduced in the Michigan Senate that will suppress voting rights, all done under the false premise – aka “The Big Lie” - of securing elections in a state where there has not been a single documented and verified instance of individual or voting machine fraud. Republicans created a phantom problem in order to pass legislation designed to curb voter turnout. Michigan is not alone. These types of bills are being passed in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country and are targeted to make voting more difficult, ...

Can drive thanks

March 25, 2021

To the editor: On behalf of the Houghton High School Senior Class, I would like to say thank you to all of the community members who generously contributed to our Can Drive fundraiser. The Houghton High School Class of 2021 held a can and bottle drive recently to raise funds for a senior celebration. A huge thank you also to Tadych’s in Houghton and their fantastic staff who allowed us to come in on the weekend and return them. This has been a challenging year for these seniors, and the funds raised will help to celebrate them and all that they have accomplished.

Build the wall back better

March 23, 2021

To the editor: This wall thing has dragged on way too long. So I’ve decided as a good citizen to step up to the plate, grab the bull by the horns, and put the pedal to the metal. (Metaphors were made to be mixed,) We need to “re-imagine” the whole wall thing. Because in reality ... we don’t need a wall to protect us from the world. We need a wall to protect the world from us! Indeed, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has used the word “garbage” to describe the socioeconomic system of the United States. It’s time we take her at her word. After all, various and sundry college ...

Acceptance

March 19, 2021

To the editor,  I was upset to learn that several of Dr. Seuss’s books are going out of production due to cultural sensitivity. Cultural sensitivity seems to be the reason Leinenkugel redid its iconic logo, a Native American woman artistically posed over, what I have been told, is Lake Superior. I get the reasoning behind these visual and book redoes. In a real way, it is censorship that is acceptable, but does it improve anything in our day-to-day lives we live?    Sensitivity, as a word, is a way to say the presentation “hurts a person’s feelings or may offend,” thus ...