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Stop the political vengeance games

Last year the Republicans in control of the Minnesota Senate found a way to punish Gov. Tim Walz for continuing to exercise emergency powers in the fight against COVID-19. During the monthly special sessions that the governor had to call to extend the emergency powers, the Republicans started picking off the commissioners Walz had appointed, and which the Senate had taken its time on approving. After a couple of years on the job, the commissioners fell victim to the Republican wish for vengeance. Now,even with the emergency powers gone, Republicans are making threats against more ...

We owe a home to Afghan refugees

America’s misadventure in Afghanistan is over. The last troops were airlifted out, but many more people were left behind. “We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command in Washington after the last planes left. Some are people who worked with U.S. troops as interpreters, or in other ways. There are still be some American citizens in Afghanistan for one reason or another. The Taliban, now in control of the country, will not be allowing any more airlifts, but the U.S. government will still be working through other ...

A bittter ending

As the last few evacuation flights get ready to leave the Kabul airport, we can already see the kind of society we will be leaving behind in Afghanistan. The Taliban will be ruling the country by dint of military force (bolstered by arms and equipment the U.S. left behind for the Afghani forces who quickly abandoned them). The Taliban will have to set up a government that people hope will be inclusive of all factions in the country, and that will respect the rights of women, but the Taliban has already said that Sharia law will be the basis of their rule. So much for a kinder, gentler ...

Thumbs Up/Down

Congratulations Herb Thumbs Up: The late Herb Schaper is being honored this month by the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Association, which is presenting him with the Glenn Carlson award. Schaper, a former sports journalist, former publisher of The Journal, and former business owner, retired from all those professions, but never from his committment to baseball. Not known for his playing ability, he worked hard to support the game off the field, organized successful tournaments in New Ulm, served as president and board member of the New Ulm Baseball Association, and helped found the New ...

No guns at the fair

A judge issued a just and eminently reasonable ruling on Wednesday, refusing to grant an injunction requested by a gun owners’s group to allow gun owners with permits to carry their weapons at the Minnesota State Fair. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus had sought the injunction, saying the state fair’s no gun policy violated their Second Amendment rights, and the state law that allows gun owners to carry their guns in public. Ramsey County District Judge Laura Nelson pointed out that the fair has not allowed guns since 2003, but the Gun Owners Caucus didn’t sue until earlier this ...

School board needs to focus on safety in school mask policy

We are sure the District 88 School Board will hear plenty from parents when it meets today to decide what the district’s COVID-19 masking policy will be this year. The board has three options on masking that it will be considering: recommending it but not requiring it; requiring it for kindergarten through 8th grade students through September, or requiring it for all students and staff. At a previous board meeting where the issue was discussed — before the COVID case count began rising — those who spoke were adamant that the board should respect the rights and personal freedoms ...