Issues that should disturb us include Russian interference in our sacred elections, Putin’s admission of support for Trump as President and the Russian spy Maria Butina’s work with the NRA. I long for presidents who governed our foreign policies when…
Editorial Page
Letter to the Editor | Supreme Court tilts from justice
by contributor • • Comments Off on Letter to the Editor | Supreme Court tilts from justice
The Senate’s recent confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court likely means curtains for reproductive rights, environmental protection, union membership, voting rights, public education, medical coverage, even LGBTQ rights, as cases involving these issues work their way through…
Op-Ed | Vote As If Our Country Is Depending On You
by contributor • • Comments Off on Op-Ed | Vote As If Our Country Is Depending On You
BY DALE GOODNER Margaret Chase Smith probably never expected that her “Declaration of Conscience” would become listed as No. 41 in American Rhetoric’s Top 100 Speeches of the 20th century. The Republican Senator from Maine delivered that speech on June…
Editorial | American Fascism?
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | American Fascism?
It once seemed absurd to link the words “American” and “Fascism.” It seemed extreme and counterproductive. Not today warns New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning economist and columnist Paul Krugman. Not today according to former secretary of state Madeleine Albright. Today,…
Letter to the Editor | School safety in our time
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Letter to the Editor | School safety in our time
“Run. Hide. Fight.” That’s what potential victims of mass shootings in schools are learning now, according to Peoria County’s Regional Schools Superintendent Beth Crider. She spoke to a recent Greater Peoria League of Women Voters meeting on school safety. Though…
Letter to the Editor | Not a mandate; loyal opposition necessary
by contributor • • Comments Off on Letter to the Editor | Not a mandate; loyal opposition necessary
A recent comical farce written by a former CEO of a business located in Morton was published in the editorial section of the Journal Star. It was nothing but gibberish. The writer began by implying that elections had consequences. Since…
Op-Ed | A true quagmire
by contributor • • Comments Off on Op-Ed | A true quagmire
BY DALE GOODNER It’s August in northeast Wisconsin –– Dog Days. Sultry evenings in Kewaunee County are punctuated by acrid metallic smelling breezes and persistent passing tanker-loads of poop as industrial factory dairies eagerly eject endless effluents onto the land…
Editorial | Our neglected rivers
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | Our neglected rivers
When rivers are used as sloughs for waste, pollution, plastic and agricultural runoff, the damage is hazardous, ugly and demoralizing. In a call to action, Prairie Rivers Network is hosting the “Wild & Scenic Film Festival” at Peoria Riverfront Museum…
Letters to the Editor | Candidates on 3D-printed guns
by contributor • • Comments Off on Letters to the Editor | Candidates on 3D-printed guns
Editors Note: Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell and Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel are both running for Peoria County Sheriff in the November election. Community Word asked both men to write a letter-to-the-editor spelling out their positions on guns created…
Op-Ed | Peorian attends UN conference on refugees; forced displacement worldwide hits historic levels
by contributor • • Comments Off on Op-Ed | Peorian attends UN conference on refugees; forced displacement worldwide hits historic levels
Tim Barnes is a former pastor who lives in Peoria and works for the International Association for Refugees, a not-for-profit based in Minneapolis. He wrote this piece after returning from a recent meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees…