Category: Letters

Incredulous was my response to Rep. Kitchens’ perspective piece in the May 22-29 Peninsula Pulse. I emailed him in early April to please vote “yes” to move the April 7 election so citizens did not have to choose between health, the foundation of life; and voting, the bedrock of democracy.  Rep. Kitchens’ response was that he […]

It’s not just tree-huggers who are concerned about climate change. Of all the organizations and institutions focused on global warming, the United States military – hardly a bastion of left-wing thinking – is the largest and arguably in the best position to understand the multiple threats that warming poses. And during the past 10-plus years, […]

Recently, someone wrote to the Pulse to support reopening Door County for business by saying that the economy is a larger (more important) concern than the health of our residents (and possibly also our visitors). Although I understand that times are tough (my family experienced serious rationing during WWII and many years of poverty afterward), […]

Congratulations on the well-thought-out and well-written editorial “Where Are We Going?” The worse the conditions that we face, the greater the need for well-balanced reasoning. I believe your plea for pursuit of the common good gets to the core of many issues. The question is, what is the common good? The one “good” that is […]

The recent horrible murder of a compliant black man at the hands of police in Minneapolis has shone a light once again on the clear, uneven justice dealt out by law enforcement across this country. Although many white Americans cannot stand the sight of a black football player taking a knee on the football field […]

Confusion about wearing a mask in public – or not – is kind of like riding ocean swells in a foundering ship.  The professionals can’t even agree on protocol. The CDC reversed its position last month and began recommending that everyone wear a mask in public amid the coronavirus pandemic.  However, the WHO – in a video […]

Today we set aside time to honor the people who gave their lives in all the wars fought since our country began. In the midst of fighting the coronavirus, we owe a thank-you to all the people who are selflessly saving lives and preventing the spread of this insidious disease. Thank you to business owners […]

I have heard presidents from FDR to the present make national broadcasts or televised messages, but none as colloquial as those in which the president speaks about pills (hydroxychloroquine) he is taking or suggests other medicines that may help with a current health problem. When you hear the leader of what was once the world’s […]

Although the United States has 4.3 percent of the world’s population, it now has 29 percent of the deaths (CNN report, May 18, 2020) as the coronavirus has raced back and forth across the country during just two months. With more than 1.5 million cases and approaching 100,000 deaths, we are still in deep trouble […]

We have a big disadvantage in fighting COVID-19: It’s hard to win a battle when the generals aren’t united in their strategy. In Washington, D.C., mixed messages from the top confuse public understanding of the threat and undermine community cooperation with restrictions that are necessary to halt its advance. In Wisconsin, the gerrymandered Republican legislature […]

In 2008, my class of eager first-grade students couldn’t wait to read, write, paint and go to recess. Who would have thought that 12 years later, the chance to celebrate their hard work in school would be taken away by a world pandemic? I doubt any teacher could have prepared those kids for what learning […]

Once again, Wisconsin has made the national news, with people trying to explain the absurdity of what’s going on in our state – a dubious distinction.  We have the voting fiasco, because the “powers that be” had hoped that people wouldn’t show up during a pandemic. We saw Mr. Vos being interviewed on television in PPE, […]

With the Wisconsin Supreme Court canceling the Safer at Home order and the opening of the county for tourism, how are the local residents to survive the influx of visitors from higher-risk COVID-19 localities when our local shopping places do not have antibacterial soaps, Clorox bleach, hand wipes, masks or thermometers; and how do we […]

As Door County prepares to open for a dangerous season, I am increasingly concerned for the safety of the waitstaff who will be expected to serve customers, both inside and out. Although the waitstaff may be required to wear a mask, we know that cloth masks and nonsurgical masks are more effective at protecting others […]

In this time of precautions, limited contact and polarized views of the way forward in a time of uncertainty, it is really nice to have something else to do, like planting a few seeds. For this reason, we would like to thank the Door County Seed Library for making seeds available to anyone who would […]

With the court decision striking down Gov. Evers’ directives, communities are looking for guidance about how to safely reopen. A few modifications to the protocol we followed during the oil embargo of the Carter administration may offer some answers. Healthy families whose last name begins with A-M may attend school, shop and go to work […]