Obituaries

To the editor:We are being inundated with a new scholarship, or lack thereof, of American history from the Declaration of Independence to the first years of the 21st century which lives in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.It seems that generations have a tendency to rewrite history to meet the needs of that time, with politicians playing to an audience with little or no knowledge of American ...

To the Editor:I used to think not much would surprise me, but that has changed yet again.In the last few weeks, someone has gone to the city council to complain about a ticket for riding his bike on the wrong side of the street. Almost any third grader can tell you that you ride your bike on the right side of the street, and you obey all the same traffic laws as a car (stop signs, one way streets, etc.).Or, as ...

To the Editor:The latest announcement by the Postmaster General requires a little background. And by the way, neither the Postmaster General, nor anyone else, can unilaterally enforce a switch to five-day delivery without Congress?s approval.Prior to 2006, Congress had unfairly forced the Postal Service to pay for pensions earned by employees for their service in the military. This money should have been paid ...

Editor?s note: Elizabeth Garrels, Mt. Pleasant, is chairman of the Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House, which is located on West Broad Street, next to the Chadwick Library on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan College. By Elizabeth E. Garrels Thank you to Scott and Amy Lowe for bringing Lincoln to Main Street Cinemas. With this movie, they also provided much publicity for our local treasure, the Harlan-Lincoln ...

To the editor:The board of directors and staff of the Lord?s Cupboard of Jefferson County would like to thank the community for contributing to the success of the annual Christmas Box program. We are truly grateful to the countless volunteers who helped and to live in such a supportive community.We would like to thank all those who contributed time, talent, and treasure, including First Church of the Nazarene ...

To the editor:For 20 years, Park and Rec Board Chair Dr. Terry Cochran has been my doctor (a superb one) and a friend. I much regret that we have disagreed on the use of Bonnifield Lake beach and hope that he might, at some point, reconsider his position.With regard to the Aug. 7 Ledger article [?Cochran restates opinion to close Bonnifield Beach?], some years ago in Fairfield, we had a fisherman, who did not ...

To the editor:The Aug. 14 Ledger article [?Lake?s future rooted in compromise?] mentioned 200-300 beach users. I swim often and I see half that many people on a typical nice day. I am sure the total number of Fairfielders enjoying the beach over the course of a summer exceeds 1,000. It is a very popular place.Regarding safety, no amount of rules will make the water as safe as offering more swimming lessons. ...

To the editor:With each day we see another authoritative and factual nonpartisan report that President Barack Obama?s ?Affordable Care Act? is good for America.The highly regarded Congressional Budget Office tells us this health care legislation will shrink ? not grow ? the deficit. (Associated Press, July 25, 2012.)I recently reviewed an equally encouraging report by the nonpartisan National Council on Aging ...

To the editor:On Friday June the 8th Fairfield was one of 164 towns and cities across the country who held Rallies for Religious Freedom.There has been some media coverage on these events but usually under the terms of ?health? or ?contraception mandate? referring to the Health and Human Services Mandate of Obamacare. Thr true reality is of the greatest assault against the first Amendment of the Bill of Rights ...

My current assortment of roommates is among the worst, and this is coming from a guy who once lived in the University of Iowa dorms.My new roomies are only less of a nuisance than my first, a student UI paired me up with freshman year. He was a Chicagoan, openly expressed a desire to be called ?Dan the Man,? and was like living with an unfunny John Belushi character 24/7. Like Dan, my new roommates laze around ...