When we cast our votes soon, we have the opportunity to agree to amend our state constitution to say that we don’t want anybody voting under the false pretense of being somebody else. Of course we all agree with that. But, wait a minute. Perhaps we need to dig a little deeper. There must be some terrible problem going on […]

Be careful what you wish for…There have been so many accolades for the Young Men’s Christian Association and its proposed control of our future Cook County Community Center that I wonder if we see through smudged rose-colored glasses. We are usually a financially frugal and responsible community of independents and freelancers, spontaneous and entrepreneurial. Do we want every existing activity, […]

In case you haven’t noticed, the Cook County board has recommended a 5.6 percent increase in your property tax levy for 2013. Lake County has proposed zero percent. Pine County has proposed zero percent, which is the fifth year in a row of no tax hikes. Go online to see other counties that have a proposed zero percent tax increase. […]

Translated this means “Let’s make all the changes and hope we can pay for them.” Cook County wants to spend as though we are a large and growing population. The facts are that we have a total population of 5,200 people representing a growth rate of two-tenths of 1 percent over a 10-year period, which is much lower than the […]

Let me see, if I vote no, I’m for freedom of marriage, meaning same sex marriage, a man marrying a man and a woman marrying a woman. If I vote yes, I’m voting for marriage between a man and a woman, which means I’d be against same-sex marriage. What was your first thought when you read these signs? For me […]

September 2012 in the U.S. House of Representatives was a disappointment for those who love Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters. A bill calling for a land swap of state-owned land within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) for federally owned Superior National Forest land passed. This bill opens up previously protected land to industries such as toxic sulfide […]

As the leadership board at Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church, we would like to publicly state that we stand with the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota in their Resolution against the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Marriage for Same-Sex Couples. As our Bishop Brian Prior put it, “The Episcopal Church in Minnesota has always stood with the marginalized,” embracing “the Gospel […]

Here are some countries where same sex marriage is legal: Canada, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, South Africa and The Netherlands. Here are some countries where homosexuality is illegal: Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan and Guyana. Which group do Minnesotans want to align with on this issue? Think of the committed same sex couples that you know and ask yourself if their […]

We live in interesting times. Will the country founded in freedom be brave enough to act on its greatest wish, to be free: freedom to choose, freedom to marry, freedom to be free? Why do we fear freedom so much? The one thing we Americans claim to live for and would be willing to die for is the one thing […]

Whether you will be glad or sorry, this will be my last letter on sexual matters or the constitution. Reading the letters from pastors and Christians supporting “the right to happiness” and “offered forgiveness” is so depressing that I’ve decided to do as too many do and ignore the disintegration of the United States. We have the right for “the […]