Omaha World-Herald. April 21, 2017
Enough of this secession talk, we’re still one people
Look around Nebraska, and in some places you’ll find weathered signage or historical markers that refer to the “G.A.R.”
That’s the “Grand Army of the Republic,” a national fraternal organization of Union veterans from the Civil War.
Union veterans and their families made up a large portion of Nebraska’s population during pioneer days. Many of those soldiers saw unimaginable carnage as they fought to defeat the South’s effort to secede.
Nebraska’s capital is named after President Abraham Lincoln, who dedicated himself to keeping the nation whole and preserving what our country’s founders called our “Perpetual Union.” Lincoln stated in his 1861 inaugural address: “I hold that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual.”
As for Iowa’s experience in the Civil War, historian Robert Dykstra notes that “13,000 Iowans - 19 percent of those who went off to war - never came home or returned only to die… . However computed, a larger proportion of Iowans in uniform met death than did the fighting men from most loyal states.”
The vision of our founders, as well as the enduring message of the Civil War, is that Americans must strive to promote fellowship as one people despite differences of politics.
That principle may be battered in this era of social media-fueled partisan warring, but it remains as relevant as ever.
Voices for secession now arise regularly on the fringes and even among some elected officials after presidential elections. The election of Barack Obama spurred irresponsible talk of secession in Texas.
Now, with the election of Donald Trump, a movement has arisen in California calling for that state - the world’s sixth-largest economy, with 31 million people - to exit the Union. A ballot measure being prepared would jettison the section of the state constitution saying that California is an inseparable part of the United States.
Barriers to secession are high under the U.S. Constitution, since Congress and 38 states would need to approve. But secession should be rejected in any case due to our sense of loyalty and connection to each other as Americans.
James Madison, the central figure in crafting the U.S. Constitution, wrote about that principle in a manuscript he penned late in life and titled “Advice to My Country.”
“The advice nearest my heart and deepest in my convictions,” Madison wrote, “is that the Union of the states be cherished and perpetuated.”
That’s what our founders intended for our nation. It’s the principle Lincoln was unwavering in defending during the calamity of the Civil War.
It’s the reason young men were willing to leave Nebraska Territory and Iowa to perish in the bloodied soil at places such as Shiloh and Gettysburg.
It’s why those worn markers noting the “G.A.R.” remain relevant in the 21st century.
They remind us why, regardless of election outcomes and political battling, we should hold fast to our sense of nationhood as one people.
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Lincoln Journal Star. April 20, 2017
Veterans court helps many ways
It’s wonderful when one solution solves so many problems. But that’s the case with Veterans Treatment Court. Nebraska’s second court is set to launch in Lancaster County shortly.
The first has been in place since November in Douglas County.
The idea is simple. Pull qualifying veterans facing felony criminal charges out of the traditional legal system, and set them up in special court setting where they can be evaluated, receive necessary mental health treatment or counseling and, if possible, spare them from being dropped into the prison system.
“What we’re seeing is they’re going overseas to serve our country, volunteering to do that, and then they’re coming back and they’re on the court docket,” Tony Conell, coordinator in Lincoln, told the Journal Star’s Lori Pilger.
The Veterans Treatment Court is a way to repay a debt to our service people who come home with burdens and challenges that go beyond physical injuries. The court is a way to show respect for that service and provide a hand up to those in need.
Court officials in Nebraska are determined to spread the program throughout the state. In other parts of the U.S., the program is flourishing, offering hopeful results for veterans. Calfornia, Texas, Michigan, Florida and Alabama have all embraced the effort, each with more than 20 Veterans Treatment Courts set up.
The court is voluntary, meaning participating veterans have to agree to abide by its principles. The court involves drug testing, treatment through Veterans Affairs, group therapy and mentorships, all the tools that a vet might need for mental and physical support.
The program employs the language and structure of the military, which can be a comfort to returned veterans trying to get their feet under them.
In Lancaster County, they’re hoping to start with eight or so veterans to begin with. But as the number of counties offering the program grows, and as the program expands within each county to include more veterans, we’re looking at the ability to divert a noticeable number from an already overcrowded prison system into different avenues of rehabilitation.
The Veterans Treatment Court program is a way to help a class of people who stood up for their country and now need a little help standing for themselves.
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McCook Daily Gazette. April 21, 2017
A local first grader was learning about opposites in school - cold? “Hot.”
Up? “Down.”
His next answer provided the wisdom only a child could offer.
Sweet? “Healthy.”
The teacher was looking for “sour,” but there’s growing evidence America’s sweet tooth is doing it harm - even if the sweet isn’t provided by sugar.
No, this is not another anti-high-fructose corn syrup rant.
A new Boston University School of Medicine indicates a correlation between drinking diet soda once a week or less and the likelihood you’ll suffer a stroke or develop dementia.
It was a “correlation” not causation, according to the lead author, Matthew Pase neurologist at the school. And it is certainly not a reason to go back to sugary drinks, which are proven to contribute to obesity, diabetes, poorer memory and smaller overall brain volumes.
But it certainly indicates a need for further study and provides encouragement to wean ourselves and our families off of sweet beverages.
The study tracked, 2,888 people over 45 for stroke and 1,484 people over 60 for dementia over a 10-year period. They were part of a group of the Framingham Heart Study, which has tested participants’ blood since the 1970s.
The new study found that those who reported consuming at least one artificially sweetened drink a day, compared to less than one a week, were 2.96 times as likely to have an ischemic stroke, caused by blood vessel blockage, and 2.89 times as likely to be diagnosed with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a summary from the American Heart Association.
The sweeteners in the study included saccharin, acesulfame-K and aspartame. Others have been approved since then, including sucralose, neotame and stevia.
The American Beverage Association was quick to defend its products, noting that “low-calorie sweeteners have been proven safe by worldwide government safety authorities as well as hundreds of scientific studies and there is nothing in this research that counters this well-established fact.
“While we respect the mission of these organizations to help prevent conditions like stroke and dementia, the authors of this study acknowledge that their conclusions do not - and cannot - prove cause and effect.”
That may be true, but more of us may find ourselves breaking the diet soda habit and choosing tea - or even plain old water - to quench our thirst instead.
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The Grand Island Independent. April 20, 2017
Liquor license rejection just a good first step
The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission took a good first step Wednesday in addressing the tragedy in Whiteclay. The commission refused to renew the liquor licenses of four liquor stores in the tiny town of 12 people.
The four stores sell 4 million cans of beer and other alcohol every year to members of the Oglala Lakota Tribe living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Whiteclay sits just 200 yards south of the reservation and the South Dakota border.
Since alcohol is banned on the reservation, members of the tribe stream to Whiteclay to buy and consume alcohol, leading to public drunkenness and other crimes.
For decades, critics have said the Whiteclay stores have fueled an alcohol scourge on the reservation. Residents there struggle with a high rate of fetal alcoholism and a low life expectancy rate. Alcoholism is a rampant problem there.
The Whiteclay stores, critics say, have preyed on the Native Americans for years. The store owners get rich, while alcoholism pervades Pine Ridge.
However, closing the Whiteclay liquor stores hasn’t been easy. The stores are legal businesses as long as they follow state laws.
This time, though, the commission cited the lack of law enforcement in the area as a reason for rejecting the liquor license applications. Because of the lack of law enforcement, state liquor laws aren’t always enforced and there have been numerous reports of violence and sexual assault near the stores.
Whether that reason for denying the licenses will hold up in court is unknown. The liquor stores have vowed to appeal the ruling, so it will be up to the courts.
It’s not known whether the commission’s decision will hold up, but give them credit for trying to clean up the mess at Whiteclay. However, their action is just the first step.
Officials must work to make sure the problem doesn’t just spread to other towns down the road, such as Rushville. State and local officials must make sure liquor laws are enforced, including drinking and driving, so the highways there don’t become a danger zone. Just moving the problem from Whiteclay to the highways won’t work.
Most of all, the federal government and Lakota tribe must work to address the alcohol problems at Pine Ridge. Just banning alcohol has proved a failure. More must be done to help the tribal members lead productive lives.
Nebraska must look at promoting economic development in the Whiteclay area. Resources are needed to help encourage cooperation between tribal officials and Nebraska and local officials.
The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission made its decision with the right intent, which is to prevent Nebraska businesses from preying on a vulnerable population. It’s hoped that this in the first in a series of steps in ending this blight on the state.
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