TO THE EDITOR:
I need to respond to K. Luhn’s letter. She is making an unsubstantiated claim that the prairie is overcoming the forested areas of MN. Her villain? Fossil fuels. I have not come upon any data supporting this. I have found the loss of trees in Sherburne County to be the disturbing result of clearing trees for development. Our carbon emissions in the U.S. have actually gone down the last decade without any government interference. For those who want to know the truth about climate (versus weather), I strongly suggest you read, “Unsettled” by Dr. Steven Koonin. It is well written and documented. There are many other factors affecting climate that have nothing to do with human influence. Our fracking and oil production is the cleanest in the world — by human ingenuity and development. The climate activists have two goals: power and money. Not all scientists are good. They can be as unethical and immoral as any other human — especially if money is involved. Europe has discovered that not using their natural resources has led to dependence on Russia for energy. Whoever controls your energy controls you. We need to return to energy independence.
K. Baker
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
I am concerned about the priority of the Palmer Township on where our taxes are getting spent. We have roads that are in need of repair or replacement. As you drive around Briggs and Julia lake you have to dodge potholes so big residents have put cones in them. In the meeting on April 30, it was stated that the township does not have the funds to properly maintain roads. So I’m not sure where the money is coming from to purchase 40 acres for an inflated price. There is going to be thousands of dollars spent to properly clean up this pit before use, that should be taken off the purchase price. I feel the article in the paper did not do justice to the feelings of the meeting attendance in the disapproval of the purchase.
Ryan Peterson
Clear lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Recently, responding to Florida’s law for parental rights regarding the teaching of gender ideology to young children, Disney announced their aggressive “woke” ideology. Disney changes reflect only the tip of the iceberg. It’s not just Disney; it’s current governmental initiatives at all levels. Biden quoted Genesis 1:27 in support of transgender people but ignored the rest of the verse—“male and female He created them.” Psaki chastised the Alabama law as denying gender-affirming health care (genital mutilations) and medically appropriate interventions (puberty blockers). Biden declared March 31st as Transgender Visibility Day. March 12th was Detrans Awareness Day. While adults encouraged minors to transition, they did not inform them of the consequences of changing gender. The cheerleaders disappeared and left them without support; some attempt to revert to their biological gender, if possible.
The curriculum in New Jersey next fall will teach first/second graders that “…they can have ‘boy parts’ but ‘feel like’ a girl,” as one example. Parents across the country demand their rights to be involved, especially, in the sex education of their children. But, only a week ago, the Biden DOJ declared that states blocking transgender treatments for minor children may violate federal law. The DOJ has already called parents “domestic terrorists.” Children belong to the parents, not to the State.
Dr. Phyllis E. VanBuren,
Clearwater, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
The early days of spring bring to our city many things. We are tired from a cold and very windy winter, happy to put away our boots and layers of cold weather gear away and so happy to step outside to enjoy the sun. All of us get the cleaning bug, ready to clean the car, the garage and our yard. Winter leaves us with five months of debris and lifeless grass, shrubs and leaves...not to mention the dog landmines littered everywhere. Simply put...its ugly! My point is ....Home owners DO get out there, sweeping, raking, washing and pulling out the patio furniture. We all get the spring cleaning bug. Some who live near a business or a major boulevard are tasked with a greater task....picking up pop cans, crumbled newspapers, coffee cups, pull tabs, empty oil cans, takeout food containers and the cigarette butts. Commercial locations need to pay as much attention to their spring cleaning as does the home owner. A walk or drive thru Big Lake, one is witness to a ton of trash! Gas stations and strip malls are the biggest offenders...trash litering parking lots, greenways and drainage ditches. Just look around and see plastic bags, plastic bottles, oil cans, coffee cups, auto parts and piles of sand. So, as we the home owners are cleaning up from a long winter — restaurants, bars, banks, strip malls and grocery stores need to do the same.
Clean your parking lots, sidewalks and greenways. Please clean out those ditches in and around your property. Clear debris from tree and shrub areas on or near your property. Help keep our city clean.
George Quinn
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Weaning Europe and the U.S. from Soviet oil and gas is a major strategy for ending Putin’s brutality in the Ukraine. This is supported by both political parties; who in rare bipartisan fashion, unfortunately, also enthusiastically support increasing U.S oil drilling to replace Russian supplies. What a boon for the fossil fuel industry! The same industry whose campaign of climate misinformation, financial stranglehold on politicians, and failure to invest meaningfully in renewables is a primary reason why we are still beholden to dictators for fuel. Exxon and other oil companies spend more on branding how “green” they are than they do on the technology needed to free us from a fuel that has been weaponized by authoritarian regimes. Decreasing our strategic vulnerability, as we continue to fill our atmosphere with greenhouse gases, is a fool’s errand. The April 4 UN Climate Report says it’s “now or never” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees; that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak within three years and then be reduced by 43% by 2030. We have the technology. What we need now is the political will of our leadership to stand up to the demands of not just brutal dictators, but the fossil fuel industry as well.
Rose Thelen
Clearwater, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
The integrity of elections is in question. While there are numerous identified irregularities that need to be investigated and addressed, today I’m only going to focus on Sherburne County’s Dominion voting machines. Our machines were purchased in 2015 and equipped with a Windows 7 operating system, a software that is no longer supported by Microsoft which means they are vulnerable to hacking and essentially out of certification. To upgrade these machines and bring them into present-day certification, it’s going to cost close to $500,000, and that doesn’t even address all of the other reported concerns/issues with these machines which cast doubt on their accurate function. So what do we do? The simple and economical solution would be to not use these machines in 2022, and return to hand counting. Yes, we might need a couple more people to count, but it will be cheaper and it will remove any question as to whether the voting results have been manipulated by the machine by either design or hack. On April 19th, at 9 am, the Sherburne County Commissioners will be asked to not use these machines and to perform a hand count of the next election. If you are unable to attend this County Commissioners meeting and show your support, please reach out to your Commissioner and tell them to support this measure to help restore voter integrity.
Bret R. Collier
Big Lake, MN
