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I hit the publish key before typing the final line:  The above information is quoted and paraphrased from Donna Taylor, Predictions article, August 2015 magazine edition of Sedona, Journal of Emergence!              by Trish Forsyth Voss

Yes; Drones are our new warplanes, and collateral damage is a part of all wars including our “war on terror”!  We always act on the best intelligence we can gather at any point in time.  Would we rather have boots on the ground and lose American servicemen and women by the thousands, or maybe re-institute the draft, and then bring our surviving soldiers home maimed in body or mind, continuing to give our veterans less than they deserve in benefits or healthcare?  Or should we let evil-doers run free?  No matter what President Obama does or doesn’t do — Haters goina Hate!  And evil-doers will continue to hatch their evil plans; that’s the nature of evil-doers.  Drones are our best option and technology will only improve them.  And it you want boots on the ground, go sign up to fight!

Our president is working with other world powers to hammer out a deal to freeze Iran’s nuclear program, using strong diplomacy, sanctions, and oversights.  Secretary of State John Kerry said, “Israel was safer as a result of the short-term nuclear pact that world powers and Iran reached in late 2013, and he described that improvement as the standard we will apply to any agreement with the Islamic Republic”.  “The United States, Europe, Russia and China are seeking a compromise that would see Iran’s nuclear activities severely-curtailed for at least a decade.”  The alternatives?  Leave Iran, unabated, to continue its race toward the bomb or use military force NOW to take over Iran?  What then?  Let’s remember that Russia and China are Iran’s allies.  Do we really want to kick-start Armageddon?  Netanyahu grand-standing before our Congress, playing to Obama’s critics, helps no-one, except himself in his 3/17 re-election bid.  All the major countries have nuclear capabilities, including Israel.  Make no mistake — we are NOT naively trusting Iran; as Susan Rice put it, “Distrust and verify!”    *******************************

John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, “I look forward to a great future for America — a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint. Its wealth with our wisdom, Its power with our purpose”.   (from Blue Nation Review.com)

I agree with Mayor Pritchard’ recommendation to the city council to name the new overpass: Seminary Kellogg Street Overpass.  As that’s what most Galesburgians will probably call it, it should be so named, for the sake of clarity.  I also like the idea of naming the overpass for a female, and since we have a Don Moffitt Overpass we could name the new one for Cheri Bustos.  I love Mother Bickerdyke’s legacy (and town statue), but I’m not sure that I like Bickerdyke Overpass.  I like that the Mayor’s choice is descriptive and to the point, and the streets were named after our town’s “founding fathers”.  Seminary Kellogg Street Overpass just reduces confusion.

This is a very confusing issue and very controversial!  I see both sides of the issue, which doesn’t seem will be settled soon to either side’s satisfaction.  Are the recall rights for teachers, being negotiated by GEA, in conflict with state law?  Everyone wants to see good teachers retained, and no one wants to see teachers with more seniority used as pawns in the district’s budget.  I also see a need for focusing on professional growth in evaluations.  Our children’s academic experience under awesome tutelage is just too important to leave to the old educational paradigm.  We need to expect more of our teachers and our students in the educational system.  We’ve come a long way from the country schoolhouse, but we need to reach higher.  We need to step into a new paradigm of learning, with high self-esteem and confidence at the root of each student’s journey.  Some are bemoaning the lost dozen days of school for our students, but I, for one, do not think the students should have returned to school in  90 degrees or higher temps.  After Labor Day seems like the better time to begin school, and they can attend two weeks longer in June.

I’m not a golfer, and I’ve never been to Bunker Links, but from the information printed in the two recent articles in our paper it seems logical that the city take over the operation of the city golf course, unless it chooses to sell it.  If someone buys the golf course the price for a golf outing can go up significantly, which cuts down on who can afford to learn and enjoy the game.  It sounds like the clubhouse was basically already “leased out” to Merrill, so if the councilmen think they can spend less city money subsidizing the golf course by taking over its operation and making some positive changes to the course and clubhouse, it seems like they should at least try that option.  Sounds like there isn’t much to lose by trying.  Hopefully with the proposed improvements put forth, we can call back some of the “lost golfers” to Bunker Links.

Why was the “no right on red” ordinance instituted originally?  Was it just cautionary?  What do the accident reports for Galesburg show about percentage of accidents attributed to persons turning right on red on other streets where this practice is allowable?  Seems to me that the practice should be uniform within the city; and persons have to come to a full stop, and if no traffic is coming they can turn right at a red light or stop sign.  The problem is: so many people these days are so impatient!  Some people think they are so special that they can go when it’s not their turn, but I’m sure that’s the case in every city and state.  Slow down folks!  We all live longer if more people are careful and drive defensively!  I say YES to this query.  I have been at a stoplight plenty of times when no traffic was coming, and it seemed I should be able to make my turn.  The more ordinances that are standard throughout the city, the less confusion we have concerning them.

Why didn’t “the board” seriously consider using Lincoln school earlier, before spending over half a million dollars on architects, engineering fees, demo work, and buying additional property for the Silas project?  And we have no idea how much money would be spent to make Lincoln school a viable option.  I’m for building a new Silas Willard elementary, not for making repairs to the old one.  It’s a total waste of money to spend $7 million on just bringing the old building up to code and making it handicap-accessible.  For what?  –to say that Ronnie Reagan attended classes in that building?  Let it go!  Saving and reconstructing the old building would cost quite a bit more than just building a new school.  How is “the building committee” supposed to decide on “option 3” if they have no idea of its eventual cost?  Would they need to add on?  There are a lot of kids in the Silas Willard district.  More grade school children keep getting “absorbed” into the existing schools, which also increases costs for busing kids farther away from their homes.  That’s an additional cost to consider, along with whatever other costs will be incurred; but saving million of dollars for District 205 is a crucial decision.

Putin is a known entity.  There is no “intelligence failure” here.  The reality is that we are unable to thwart or control the actions of everyone in this wide world, demonstrated by 9/11, Benghazi, or the re-occupation of Crimea.  Putin’s political view is for a “Greater Russia”.  What will the world leaders do about him?  Perhaps we should send a drone with his name on it.  We have started with diplomatic dialogue, and condemning Putin’s military action in Ukraine’s sovereign territories.  (In 2008 W. Bush stopped with verbal support for Georgia, when Russia invaded and took it over.)  Planning for the G-8 summit in Sochi has been suspended.  U.S. is pledging $1B economic package, and EU is sending $158B in aid to help prevent the Ukrainian collapse.  U.S. has suspended military training with Russia, and has begun training with Poland.  The Pentagon has stepped up patrolling air space over the Baltic Peninsula.  U.S. may consider economic sanctions against Russia, but Pouty Putin has threatened aggressive retaliation if sanctions are imposed.  We need to fast-track adding Ukraine and Crimea to NATO membership.