Union letters to the editor

Family Hardware

Slotted head brass screws

driven into the worn fir flooring

polished by countless feet

mark off measured increments.

Markings nearby painted by the past

in yellow are mostly gone now.

5’, 10’, 15’, and on

how much cable, chain, rope and wire

has been measured here?

Holes drilled through the floor

sized to match their hemp guest

line up with spools of rope from below

‘How much do you need?’ the friendly man asks

Nearby an ancient card displays fids

Most people don’t know what they are.

A group of patrons who,

by the scars on their hands know of building things,

laugh at a story about measurement gone wrong

then disburse to gather screws, nails, caulk, piping or paint.

In the back room an ancient iron scale

dark red paint fading by time and handling

waits for Spring

so it can again help dole out grass seed

Screw and nail bins

sporting battleship gray enamel

custom built generations ago

stack and allow easy access to their bulk tenant

stand erect against the wall near a scale that hangs from the ceiling

Telltale signs of colored paint smears whisper

stories of loose can covers, stir sticks, and dripped samples

Do you need a custom color?

A scanner and its computer will help you match it.

The family hardware has closed its doors

‘Fresh Hardware Daily’ was the line

An app or online store can’t replace it

I think the pigeons under a nearby roof coo a lament

I feel the same song in my soul.

Lou Bolster

Fairfield

Why ask for questions if you won’t answer them?

Recently we had a Rotary meeting where Sen. Joni Ernst was our speaker. After the Senator made a few opening remarks she proceeded to open with questions from the audience. I asked a question regarding our past U.S. president and the image he presented to our young people. As a past educator I explained how hard we work in education teaching young people to have individuals to look up too and respect. Sen. Ernst agreed that it was a poor example the past president had displayed. My next question was "what are you going to do about it?" Suddenly she completely changed topics and answered by telling how hard she tried to work, etc. I was ready to remind her she didn't answer my question when I was timed out. My question is why do politicians ask for questions when they do not want to answer them! Just cut out the questions and your meeting will be 20 minutes shorter!

Gary Murphy

Washington

Supreme Court does the right thing

Wow! It finally happened! On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court finally corrected the incorrect ruling it made in 1973. There is *no* right to abortion in the US Constitution! And although the passage of Roe v. Wade and its companion case made abortion through all nine months of pregnancy legal in all 50 states, overturning it did not make abortion illegal. The Supreme Court handed it back to the states, so that each state now decides the life issue.

I would like to comment on a few points I often hear when someone defends abortion.

Life begins when a baby is born. Well, follow the science! At the moment of conception – a new, unique life begins. Eighteen days after conception, a baby’s heartbeat can be detected. If your heart is beating, you are alive! And anyone who has given birth can attest to the movement they feel months before the baby is born!

My body, my choice. Absolutely! But a baby growing inside you is not your body. If it were, you would die during the abortion! That new life is a unique, unrepeatable human being, only needing nourishment and a place to grow for nine months.

Abortion empowers women. I believe, deep down, no one believes this. Worldwide, most aborted babies are girls. Not empowerment – eugenics. Life is full of challenges – how we meet those challenges defines us. Do we kill a “problem” or do we look for positive solutions? Women are strong and can meet the challenge of an unexpected pregnancy.

I’m personally opposed to abortion, but I can’t impose my beliefs on others. Really? Replace the word abortion with the word slavery and you see the fallacy and inadequacy of that statement. We impose our beliefs all the time. Maybe I believe sex trafficking or incest or child pornography is my choice. But society says differently. Let’s do the same with abortion.

What about in the case of rape or incest? You don’t erase the horror of this act by performing another horrific act. You actually compound the tragedy. Let’s make something positive out of a negative. We don’t punish the child for the sins of the father. I personally know a woman who was the product of rape and was placed in a loving, adoptive home. She is a beautiful, productive member of society with a beautiful family and is so very thankful for the gift of life she was given.

And today, mothers can choose a family in which to place her child. Other than laying your life down for a friend, I can think of no greater act of love, if keeping the child to raise is not possible, than to place the child with a loving, adoptive family. A win-win situation!

I believe that deep down, people are good. No one wants to kill their unborn child. There are so many resources available to anyone in need – Heartland Pregnancy Center in Ottumwa; Cradle of Hope based in Mt. Pleasant; Informed Choices in Iowa City and Burlington, for help before and after a child is born. I pray that if Iowans are given a chance to vote, we come down on the side of life. And at election time, please vote for the candidates that support life.

Could the shortage of workers we are experiencing in all sectors of our society today be because we have aborted them?

Karen Crossland

Fairfield

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