Opinions

Wisconsin is well known for its fields of green and farms as far as the eye can see. In Shawano County, almost 46 percent of the land is agricultural, with dairy farms making up a huge chunk of it. Many of these farms have been passed down from generation to generation, many evolving to keep up with the changing times. It’s something we take for granted.

So what would happen if one day we didn’t have corn and soybeans growing in the area? What if there were no groves to grow the cherries that Wisconsin is known for? What if we no longer grew ginseng or cranberries? Could it happen here?

The Navajo Nation, a vast reservation spanning three states in the Southwest, used to have an agricultural heritage, like many other American Indian tribes. One of their communities in Arizona is even called Wheatfields. However, lately folks visiting the community don’t see much in the way of wheat, at least in the fields.

To the editor:

I read your article describing efforts to create a museum of science art with interest. This led me to wonder how many other objects from the old days are still around.

In the early ’60s, as freshmen, my friend the late John List and I discovered the optics and mounting tube for a reflecting telescope in the general science prep room behind Larry Fenton’s class room in the old Junior High School building.

One day when Mr. Fenton was occupied with other matters, we pried the case from behind the cabinet. Inside, we found a circular mirror that appeared to us as beautiful to us as the most precious stone, and it just called out to us to be set in a tube and let loose on the universe.

To the editor:

It’s about Memorial Day at the chapel at Woodlawn Cemetery and the service held. I missed the parade, but I did see the caisson, the horse-drawn wagon with a casket draped with an American flag pulled by a team of Belgian horses from Gresham, I understand.

I was very impressed. I was told the Vietnam Chapter 206 did the work, and VFW sponsored the wagon. Awesome sight, unique and so very special. Since that event, I understand it was also seen at the Bonduel Fourth of July parade. Still no picture feature in the Leader. Why not? Don’t they deserve some recognition? I’m so disappointed. Next time, please.

To the editor:

The fates came, known by no particular name, yet they came to make continuous 12 young boys’ life claim.

Brian K. Semrau,

Shawano

During our lifetime, each of us had others who did something or said something that influenced us, motivated us or in some way helped shape our life. I hope you will take a few minutes to think about who those people were/are in your life.

If that special person/persons are still living, think about telling them and thanking them. I will always remember a letter I received from someone who I hired and supervised at the bank. Her letter meant the world to me. It made me think about people who touched my life in a special way.

One of those people was a teacher, Lillian Abrahamson. You readers in the Tigerton area no doubt remember her. She was an amazing lady. Mrs. Abrahamson approached me when I was a freshman at Marion High School. She was an English teacher and also a forensic coach.

Signs are everywhere. There are sandwich boards, neon signs, small signs, large signs, all saying one thing in a thousand different ways — come check me out.

When I first moved to Shawano more than seven years ago, I did a lot of exploring around the area. One of the places I came across was the Crescent Pitcher Show. It was my first time in a discount movie house, and I was more than a little surprised to see that they offered to make pizza, sandwiches and all kinds of goodies for you to enjoy while you watched the movie. I had grown up going to movie theaters where your food selection was limited to candy and popcorn, so I was eager to enjoy the new experience.

So what brought me to this place? What informed me that a new adventure awaited beyond the doors? It was the marquee sign. It stood out from other businesses on Main Street and drew me and countless others in.

To the editor:

On Feb. 23, 2016, the Judiciary Committee penned a letter stating they would withhold consent on any nominee made by President Barack Obama. This was before anyone was named.

Now President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh for the court, and Republicans are racing to push him through. They wonder why the Democrats balk. This man believes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Affordable Care Act are unconstitutional and is against a woman’s right to choose. He also believes a president should be exempt from investigations and criminal prosecution.

How convenient for Trump. Kavanaugh even thinks if a president doesn’t agree with a law he can ignore it. That is not a democracy, and no one is above the law. No nominations should be considered until the Mueller investigation is complete.

Anne Drinkwater,

Birnamwood

America is filled with amazing people, good people, people who come together and help their friends, neighbors and even strangers when they are in need.

America is also filled with really sick puppies.

You can pick any example you like of someone relishing tragedy, showering themselves in ecstasy in the aftermath of cold-blooded murder, but the first example I present to you is in the letter that the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, published on Sunday.

Three days after five of their colleagues were gunned down by a depraved individual, the surviving staff members wrote about how they wouldn’t forget all the support they received from their community and many people outside Maryland. The letter didn’t stop there, though.

Last week while in the Family Dollar store, a lady who said she recognized me from the picture accompanying my weekly article introduced herself. She said she is from the Wittenberg area. She was shopping for 10 jump ropes. Her daughter is having a birthday in mid-July, and she was buying one for her daughter and each party guest.

She asked me if I by chance remembered any of the jump rope rhymes from my era. I told her, “As a matter of fact, I do.” I loved jumping rope; my friends and I did it almost daily. She wrote down her name and address so I could send her the rhymes.

My intentions were good. However, I am embarrassed to say I lost the slip of paper, and now I’m unable to contact her. I hope she will see this article. Here are a few of the rhymes I remember:

“Down in the valley

Where the green grass grows,

There sat Susie

Sweet as a rose.

Along came Johnny

And kissed her on the cheek.

How many kisses

To the editor:

After just experiencing Wisconsin’s second major heat wave this summer, we should be reminded that heat is not only uncomfortable, it’s dangerous for people with asthma.

Heat is one of the key ingredients in ozone, thereby increasing the likelihood that ozone levels will reach unhealthy levels. Heat also creates dry, dusty conditions, leading to high levels of particle pollution.