Opinion

OPINION – Luke 2:1-7 - the birth of Jesus

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

A few months ago, we started exploring what the New Testament gospels reveal about Jesus. It just so happened that a live message on Thanksgiving night coincided with this passage on His birth. Though I considered deviating from the chronology, I realized that everything I'm thankful for exists because Jesus came. His presence gives meaning and makes everything else precious - my wife, children, family, friends, our nation, and life itself.

The passage in Luke 2:1-7 begins, "It came about in those days...". The author Luke set forth an historical framework to support the accuracy of his narrative. He told of a census, and mentioned a governor of the province of Syria, of which Judea was a part. While modern scholars may debate the timeline, there's no record that any critics contemporary to Luke challenged the account. The details corroborate for us that "in the fulness of time" (Galatians 4:4), God chose that moment when Jewish, Roman, and Greek cultures converged, in order to "speak through His Son" (Hebrews 1:2). God orchestrated events to bring salvation at the perfect moment, and He continues to speak today, words of hope, encouragement, and purpose.

OPINION – Despite an evolving industry, journalistic integrity should be timeless

GUEST COLUMN, J. Basil Dannebohm

An opinion column entitled, “Fun-loving Commies spend big to sponsor ‘No Kings’” was recently brought to my attention. The author of the piece was not entirely unknown to me. He was once on my media list in his capacity as a newspaper editor. Every few weeks, he would send me an email that read: "LOL! Nice try, dude. MAGA!"

The fact that a middle-aged stranger referred to me as "dude" and used "LOL" in a professional capacity told me all that I needed to know about him. I never indulged his provocations with a reply.

Among the highlights of his column was the inference that protesters against the Trump administration are paid communist agents, a McCarthy-esque claim that has been repeatedly debunked.

OPINION – Almost $1 million in matching funds committed without a vote

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Carolyn Huddleston, Liberal

If I were to tell you that one commissioner on his/her own went out and authorized the spending of $900,000 in County funds, I bet every one of you would know immediately that shouldn’t have happened.

There are State regulations that indicate the Commissioners can only act as a “body corporate and politic,” which means issues are considered by the Board as a whole, and decisions are made by the majority in a vote. Further, county business is supposed to be conducted in open meetings.

I recently discovered that there have been occasions when two of our current commissioners have taken independent action, authorizing the Health Department to submit multiple grant applications.

OPINION – A time for fellowship

GUEST COLUMN, Glenn Brunkow, Kansas Farm Bureau

The countdown is less than a week, and I can feel the excitement building! Yes, this is the week of Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) annual meeting in Manhattan, and I am excited to see everyone.

I love our annual meeting because it is a celebration of the past year and all our accomplishments. Starting Saturday night with a murder mystery fundraiser for the Kansas Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. I do not know who the victim is, and that makes me just a little nervous, especially since I have not seen any indication I have any duties beyond Saturday night. Probably just an oversight.

OPINION – Concerns still exist around the assassination of Kirk

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

Holiday over and extreme cold temperatures are keeping me home and inside with time to address severe issues and unanswered questions about Carlie Kirk. Everyone knows how fast government and the media overexcite, drop, and eliminate news — creating a continuous diversion. You know that old saying “Out-of-sight, out-of-mind?” True masters of the art.

No answers when asked if there was a funeral (no media flurry). Rumor has it he was cremated; could be, probably was. But why? An autopsy takes between three to seven days and the results at least 10 days. The body was removed immediately, eliminating every possible evidence of foul play.