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My Side of the Fencepost

Understanding Sacrifice

By Jim Dickerson

Some time ago, I was given two books about the war in Iraq. The books are special to residents of this area because they include brief descriptions of the service and sacrifice of 1st Lt. Edward Iwan, as well as tributes to the Albion native who was killed during the Battle for Fallujah in 2004.

One book in particular, House to House, A Soldier’s Memoir by Staff Sgt. David Bellavia, is a graphic and riveting description of the war in Iraq and specifically the Battle for Fallujah.

This is not an easy book to read, but it gives the reader a good idea of the kinds of sacrifices we are asking — and receiving — from American soldiers who are now serving in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sgt. Bellavia, a war hero himself, doesn’t mince any words or hold back any detailed description of the front line combat in Fallujah.

In short, if war is hell, then Fallujah was the deepest darkest part of hell. We sent hundreds of Army and Marine soldiers into that hell. Yes, they were equipped with some of the best combat technology, but they were still at a disadvantage against a well-entrenched enemy.

I know there have been other battles in other wars that have been just as bloody and horrific, or maybe worse, but this was one of the most recent. It tested the mettle of a new generation of American soldiers, and they delivered. They fought, bled, died and sacrificed with tremendous courage.

We must never forget that.

So this Veterans Day, while respecting the sacrifices of all American veterans and praying for an end to all wars, I’m reserving most of my thoughts and prayers for those young Americans serving right now in the Middle East — especially those we send into the deepest darkest parts of hell.

Perspectives

An exciting step forward

By Paul Hosford

It was quite the experience. A group of people from three local communities were assembled on the bridge spanning the moat at the Stuhr Museum listening to UNL Architecture professor Martin Despang’s 15 students explain their ideas for our future before they began their tour of the grounds.

It seemed appropriate that we examined each of these concepts on a bridge. We were not only bridging the past and the future but also bridging the generations.

Martin’s students are devoting a full semester to working with Boone County to generate new ideas for “pioneering the future.” Each has created a 3 foot by 2 foot four-panel graphic presentation that expressed 1) their initial impression of Albion, 2) something that was here but isn’t anymore, 3) something about the community that caught their attention, and 4) an innovative precedent from someplace else that could be adapted to this area.

Expressing ideas in visual form is the foundation of every architectural project. In this case the project is our community, and the displays showed images ranging from the combine demolition derby to the Dairiette, the Courthouse and the Gateway Theater. By the end of this semester, three-dimensional models will have evolved from these initial concepts.

The talent it took to create each display, coupled with the creativity of the underlying concepts, made them stand out as genuine works of art. One by one, the students stepped forward and explained why they had chosen the images on their intricate displays.

One young woman used something I had written — that the road to the future begins with a vision — as her starting point. She began her project with an image of an eye, the quintessential symbol of vision, and then proceeded to illustrate her own.

All the students’ visions were amazing and each demonstrated a genuine interest in our area. The students clearly appreciate that to move forward we must remember — and honor — our past. They spoke of such things as “intelligently integrating” new concepts and designs into our community. But they weren’t sentimental — one pointed out that the pioneer past was anything but the “Good Life.” There were droughts, prairie fires, locusts and blizzards. Another wisely pointed out that a balance must be struck between preservation and innovation, reminding us that clinging too strongly to the past will stop us from embracing the future.

One display focused on our values. Its creator was especially impressed by how community members on the students’ initial bus tour pointed to so many landmarks with an obvious sense of pride. She was also impressed with our traditional values, illustrated in part by the number of our churches. And most of all, she was impressed by our sense of trust, illustrated by the fact that we don’t have many stop signs in our downtown — she pointed out that we trust each other to “do the right thing” not only when driving but in many other areas as well.

The concept of sustainability came up repeatedly. Our area needs to sustain a viable population and conserve our natural resources. The concept of integrating new designs into the existing environment was also explored — building from local materials in ways that reflect this area’s characteristics.

The downtown was a primary focus; ways to redevelop the living spaces above our existing buildings were discussed by several students. Another student pointed out there were once many more trees in the downtown and suggested ways to “re-green” the area. Yet another showed how another community has created ornamental gardens in empty buildings.

Most of all, though, these bright and perceptive young people focused on the need for spaces that draw people together, especially to enjoy the arts. They are well aware that technology is isolating people. They have looked at our past and found example after example of people coming together to enjoy music (such as around the bandstand that once stood on the courthouse lawn) and would like to see that happen again.

The students understand that communities are made up of people, not buildings. But buildings serve the needs of communities and if properly designed, can do much to strengthen the ties among people by giving them places to gather.

There is much more than I can describe in this space. All 15 students’ designs will be on display soon in Albion at all four banks and City Hall. I would urge everyone to take a moment to view them — they are inspiring signs of things to come.

My Side of the Fencepost

Tort Reform discussion needed

By Jim Dickerson

I was asked the other day about my opinion on health care reform. It’s not an easy issue. I believe we could reach consensus on some changes in the American health care system that could benefit our society, but we can’t rush through the process.

I would agree that, overall, we have excellent health care in the United States. However, health insurance costs are shooting past the affordability level for many businesses and individuals. That is a primary reason for considering reform.

If we’re looking at comprehensive reforms in the system, and we’ve come to the conclusion that rapidly increasing cost is a big problem, then we should take a detailed look at all factors contributing to those costs. Malpractice cases, and malpractice insurance costs, are among those factors.

Dealing with the tort reform issue will take considerably more time than President Obama originally had in mind, but now the door has finally been opened. Debate seems to be getting started on this complex issue.

Personally, I believe that health care costs have been influenced over the years by the cost of malpractice insurance, the threat of malpractice suits and the high cost of settlements.

Aside from the possibility of setting limits on malpractice judgements, which has always been part of the discussion, there are some other interesting proposals making the rounds.

One of those would establish special “medical courts” — judges with medical expertise — to hear malpractice cases and determine settlements. Another proposal would use medical experts (or panels of experts) to weed out possible frivolous malpractice cases. Of course, adding another layer to the court system will likely increase health care costs.

Since tort reform is just one of a long list of related issues, I can understand why reforms have been slow in coming.

Like many other Americans, I have some trouble sorting through the rhetoric to determine truth and fiction. I have my doubts about some of the president’s statements in last week’s speech to Congress — especially his statement that his health care reform “would not add one penny” to insurance premium costs, to federal taxes, or to the federal deficit.

With all the details yet to be determined, and based on the track record of every federal program that has been signed into law in the past 80 years, I just can’t believe that.

We are proposing to add more than 30 million currently uninsured Americans to the system, make sure all pre-existing conditions are covered and pretty much guarantee that health coverage is available to all citizens. I don’t believe the federal government can accomplish this without increased cost to taxpayers and ratepayers, or increasing the national debt.

A lot has been said and written about the “public option” of government health coverage within the president’s reform proposal. There is legitimate concern that a public option would remove any profitability for private insurers and take them out of the picture, which would leave average Americans with one insurance option — the government plan.

Various proposals have been made to allow for both the private and public options, including cost “triggers” that would give citizens the option of using the government plan.

If the whole thing boils down to a public plan that is the most practical for the most Americans, it isn’t a large stretch to call that “Medicare for all.” Some have taken the next step and dubbed it “socialized medicine.” Hardly anyone likes the sound of that. It could mean rationed care and long waits for treatment.

At the same time, I believe there is an ongoing misinformation campaign on the internet. It has already played a large roll in convincing many people that “death panels” would be established to “pull the plug” on elderly people.

Various fact checking organizations have discredited this claim. This simply isn’t part of the legislation, but many people continue to believe it.

There is a provision for Medicare to pay for VOLUNTARY end of life counseling sessions for people who are facing terminal illness.

In conclusion, I don’t see the need for a big rush to pass a reform bill within the next month or two. Congress and the Obama Administration need to think this whole thing through, build consensus and come up with a workable plan. It’s too important to rush.

Notes from a Vagabond

Remembering ‘Uncle Walt’

By Steve Fox

Friday night word came out that Walter Cronkite passed away. For those of you who may not remember him, he was not a news anchor, he was THE news anchor.

He came across avuncular and trustworthy. My mother called him “Uncle Walt” and the name suited him well. At our house, we got our news from him every night at 5:30 p.m. That’s when news was only a half an hour. Imagine only thirty minutes of news at the end of the day, and yet we managed to stay up on all of the current events.

That is thanks to “Uncle Walt.” He managed to get this out and I mean news, not commentary that passes as news, in a short concise manner. When there was commentary, they told you it was commentary. I have a lot of respect for Walter Cronkite in that regard. I don’t remember him slanting the news.

Walter Cronkite may have been the first and last of his kind. He was the first anchorman, and he did the job well. After his retirement, nobody else had what he had. No one was able to capture the trust of the American people. Walter Cronkite may have been the first and probably the last of the great anchormen.

So, it is kind of ironic that Walter Cronkite died so near the anniversary of the first walk on the moon. One of the big stories he covered was the space program. I remember spending many hours in front of the television captivated by what was going on. I remember watching Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra as they brought the moon shots to us through the use of live video, live audio and animation.

One of the few times I remember Cronkite interjecting personal feelings into a story was during his coverage of the Apollo program. You just knew by the way he talked that he was excited about the program, and his enthusiasm was infectious. I remember the wonder and awe of it all. I couldn’t imagine what it was like being in space but, like any other boy of that era, I wanted to find out.

Another thing I remember is Walter Cronkite’s sign off. It was comforting hearing that every night coming from the same person, and in tribute to Walter Cronkite I will end this column the way he ended his broad cast. “And that’s the way it is, Wednesday July 22, 2009.”

My Side of the Fencepost

Fair was more than just fun

By Jim Dickerson

Last year at about this same time, I complimented the Boone County Fair Board on using its collective imagination to stage a fair with great variety that appealed to a large number of Boone County area residents.

This year, I’m doing it again.

It seems the fair board is on a roll with featured events like school bus races, two-car chain races, WDRL racing, combine demolition derbies, ATV motocross races, miniature late model racing and a quality carnival midway.

I attended most of those events and attractions. I enjoyed them all. It was an outstanding county fair.

Some of the other events, though, might not get the attention they really deserve. Those included the Grill Off (great food and a lot of fun), the Little River Band concert, the Native American programs last Monday afternoon, historical programs last Wednesday, 4-H competitions and heritage displays.

These events were part of a great overall program that included opportunities for education along with the fun.

I know very few people have time to experience every single aspect of the fair over a busy five-day run, but the afternoon and early evening events this year were well worth attending. Those who missed them this year (including me) would be well advised to put them on their schedules for next year.

In looking back at Boone County’s fair this year, it should be noted that there were times it was in direct competition with fairs in larger area counties — including both Madison and Platte Counties. Still, the Boone County Fair managed to attract sizable and enthusiastic crowds for most events. That is due both to the loyalty of area residents and the innovative approach to fair entertainment exhibited by the fair board.

The cooperation shown and ultimate success of the county fair each year is an obvious source of pride for Boone County — as well it should be.

Perspectives

Extra special graduation

By Paul Hosford 

It doesn’t seem possible: our little boy just graduated from high school. Everybody warned us this would happen — you blink and they’re grown. But it was so hard to believe during those first sleepless nights. To paraphrase a famous line from Gone With The Wind, “we didn’t know nothin’ ‘bout babies,” and the learning curve for first-time parents is steep.

We learned that you can live without much sleep, but it isn’t much fun. It did, though, give life a sort of surreal quality. It’s recently been revealed that the CIA used sleep deprivation to get information from prisoners at Gitmo. I’m sure they got some sort of information for their efforts, but I can’t think it had much connection with reality. I have to wonder, though, if it was a new parent who devised this technique. In any event, it is a reminder that having a new baby is in some ways akin to a CIA torture session.

Only worse. Baby boys pee on you. The first time I attempted a diaper change I was literally “baptized” into fatherhood. Maybe being sleep-deprived tempered my response — I just cleaned us up and warmed a bottle.

Being a parent of a child of any age is a guarantee of losing sleep. I have never slept soundly since William was born. I wake at the slightest noise, always ready to deal with whatever problem has gotten a child up in the night.

As they get older, the problems at night change from things requiring direct parental involvement — like throwing up in the crib — to more mundane things like wanting a drink of water. But as they grow and become more self-sufficient, a parent’s nights begin to fill with worries about the future.

I couldn’t sleep at all the night before William started school, worrying about how it would go, thinking about all the implications. I remember Lori cried when we left him at Kindergarten. Another mother, who couldn’t conceal her joy, asked if we’d just left our first child. We nodded. She replied “My last!”

William had a tough time in school. We struggled as he struggled. His teachers soon noticed that William didn’t think and act exactly like the other kids. He didn’t cause trouble; he wasn’t disruptive. But he wasn’t the same. We consulted professionals, filled out huge questionnaires, attended meeting after meeting. Finally, in fifth grade when bullying by certain classmates exacerbated some of William’s behavioral differences, we consulted a developmental pediatrician in Omaha.

She spent more time telling us about her children than examining William, but by the time it was all said and done we were told that William had “autism spectrum disorder not otherwise defined.” Autism either became more common or else more frequently diagnosed starting around the time William was born. But even here, William was unique. He was autistic, but not in a “defined” way.

William’s autism isn’t like Rainman or the more severe cases we see on TV. He’s blessed to be “high functioning.” But it affects everything from his physical coordination to his communication skills. He tends to take everything literally and has problems reading body language and making eye contact.

His mother and I have put in a lot of sleepless nights worrying about him. There were times when his challenges made it seem he’d never make it to graduation. We thought about home-schooling but realized that he had to learn to interact successfully with others.

We have met regularly with his teachers, the school counselor and various administrators from early elementary school through high school. We honestly believe that the willingness of the school to work with us made it possible for him to overcome many of his challenges. He communicates far better than he used to, and his high school teachers often remark about how he “blossomed” from an introverted freshman into a confident senior who would not only talk but joke with them.

And we also need to thank his fellow students who have — with a few notable exceptions — accepted William’s differences and considered him to be one of them.

At commencement, William’s classmates Jennifer Simons and Hilary Wolf both gave great addresses, and both stressed the importance of facing the inevitable changes the future holds with courage and a positive attitude. That’s good advice for people of any age. And especially good advice to the parents of “special needs” children. Even in those darkest nights, never forget wonderful things can and will happen. Our William is living proof.

Molly’s Musings

The help of a friend

By Molly Young 

It’s difficult to describe the clamor my car creates. In reverse, it sounds like a cat is stuck in my wheel well, squealing for me to stop. It doesn’t sound much better in drive. Stopping and turning are even less harmonious. My friends tell me my car growls. But I tell them it purrs. It runs just fine, I remind the naysayers.

When I left my house in Lincoln for an early morning meeting Friday, I turned up my radio volume to deaden my car’s typical noise and drove along 17th Street toward downtown Lincoln.

A man stared at my vehicle. I stared back. He looked again, but this time a bewildered expression - a strange mix of shock and concern - was written across his face. Yes, my car makes noise, I wanted to tell him, but it runs just fine.

Then my steering wheel started to shake. I turned west on O Street, six blocks from my destination. A man on the sidewalk sent me the same look: pure shock. My car began to shake violently, and I decided it must be falling apart piece by piece. I parked it on the side of the street and ran to the passenger side.

The black rubber that was my front tire was twisted under its hubcap.

“I don’t know much about cars or tires,” I told my dad, “but I think this is flat. Really flat.”

I looked at the clock. It was 6:40 a.m., and the meeting was at 7.

“Well, Molly, I’m two hours away in Albion. What can I do?” my dad asked.

The next few hours passed in a blur. I called a friend. No answer. I called another. Again, no answer. I called my brother. He picked me up. I called a tire shop. They agreed to tow my car and replace the tire. I arrived at the meeting more than 30 minutes late. I asked a friend at the meeting for a ride to the tire shop. We found my car. It sat in the same spot I left it nearly three hours earlier.

“I’ll fix it,” my friend, Clay, said. “Call the tire place and tell them not to come.”

Forty-five minutes later, after a nice auto repairman stopped and loosened the deflated tire from its rusted hubcap, Clay secured the last lug nut on the spare. I stepped back to admire his handiwork, and he joined me. We looked at each other and said nothing.

The spare tire was flat.

Deflated and defeated, I stared at Clay, hoping the morning’s events weren’t a metaphor for my life. It’s ok, he said. We’ll fill it up.

And we - I should say he - did. I realized something as I drove to the tire shop filled with new air and new hope. Sometimes the ugliest of moments can have the best of outcomes. In a few years, I’ll forget about the initial panic and the twisted rubber. But my friend’s help — that’s something I’ll never forget.

Here’s Why God made Moms

Answers given by second grade school children to the following questions: 

Why did God make mothers?

1. She’s the only one who knows where the Scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1. We’re related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that Mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.

Who’s the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What’s the difference between moms & dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power ‘cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s.

4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don’t do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside, she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2. Dye it. You know, her hair. I’d dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.

2. I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

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