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Goebbels says he believed in Bush as war started

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan says he didn't object to the way the war in Iraq was sold to the American people at the time because he, like other Americans, gave the president the benefit of the doubt.

McClellan says in his new memoir that he came to realize that the war was sold with propaganda that inflated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. He says administration officials didn't deliberately lie — but they became wrapped up in trying to shape the story to their advantage, and ignored intelligence that didn't fit the picture.

You're only as young as you feel

One of the few things about winter that is easier than summer is getting your kids to get ready for bed.

“Annamarie, time to get in the bathtub!” I called to our three year old the other night.

“No Dad, it not even night time,” came her reply.

Glancing at my watch, I told her that it was indeed after seven and reminded her that bedtime was supposed to be eight o’clock.

“Dad look,” she pointed out the window, “it isn’t even dark, look Dad, the sky is still blue.”
How was I supposed to argue with such logic?

“You’re funny,” I told her.

“No I am’nt,” she protested in three year old grammar.

I realize that the correct contraction is “aren’t” but at least she didn’t say “Aint.” However, unless I’m mistaken, “aint” has be officially recognized as a legitimate word (much to the chagrin of my eighth grade English teacher), whereas, “am’nt” is pretty much Annamarie’s very own invention.

With her older sister finishing kindergarten, beginning to read and doing things like playing soccer and riding bikes and her oldest sister undergoing nine excruciating months of intensive therapy for her double-vision and therefore reaching her own milestones in balance, reading, writing, actually catching and hitting a softball… well, I guess that s lot of Annamarie’s life changes have been flying by.

Whatever you do, don’t ever call her a “little” girl, she’ll correct you, “No I am’nt! I’m BIG.”
Don’t try to pour the milk on her cereal for her “I kin doo it, I kin doo it!” she’ll say as she wrestles the gallon jug away from you, “Look! I kin doo it, I’m STRONG,” she’ll say, as she sloshes milk on the table.

Everybody tells me to enjoy them while they’re young, and they’re constantly warning me about how I should expect trouble with boys once they’re older. We already have a big problem with imaginary boyfriends.

“Dad,” Annamarie likes to tell me, “You’re my best fwend.”

“Aw shucks, thanks honey, I love you too.”

“But Dad, I have to tell you sometin,” she’ll explain, getting very serious.

“What is it, is something wrong?” I ask.

“It’s my boyfwend. You know my boyfwend, Jacob?”

“Jacob who?” Who is this guy, some kid at the babysitter?

“Jacob Brownie, my boyfwend!”

“Oh, THAT Jacob, what happened?”

“He died.”

“He died? Oh my goodness, you must be devastated.”

“yeah, but only now I have a new boyfwen.”

“Oh, already? Who is he?”

“Jacob.”

“But I thought Jacob died.”

“Not THAT Jacob, my new boyfwend is Jacob Marshmallow, not Jacob Brownie, Jacob MARSHMALLOW!”

She’s only three and I already can’t keep up. But I know she won’t be three forever.

The other day, I had all three girls in the van on the farm when we saw a farmer park a tractor, followed by his year old son moving his pickup. After living here in Iowa the better part of a decade now, I’ve gotten used to the idea of 10-13 year old boys helping move vehicles to help with planting and harvest. Be that as it may, my girls were all impressed with their very impressive. Ellen, who’s six asked how she’ll have to be before she can drive.

“Well, when you get into eighth or ninth grade you can take Driver’s Ed class and get a learner’s permit when you’re 14 or 15 and then you’ll be able to get your license when you’re 16,” I explained.

“I’M SIXTEEN!” announced Annamarie from her car seat.

“When did you turn sixteen? I could’ve sworn you were just three?” I said.

“I pooped in the big girl potty today and now I’m sixteen!”

The first Irises

WHY would she say something like THAT?!?!

Remember

Homer Hall American Legion Post #66 Post Comander Melvin Neddermeyer, a Vietnam Veteran salutes the colors during the 21 gun salute and playing of "Taps" on Main Street as part of Memorial Day observances in Charter Oak, 2008

State Representative Clarence Hoffman delivered the keynote address and praised the Charter Oak-Ute Community Schools for producing such a successful music program.

Hoffman explained that he knew of a long list of success stories from CO-U,.

“Small schools achieve great things,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman cited a famous quote of President Theodore Roosevelt at Charter Oak's Memorial Day services,

“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Hoffman explained that we need to appreciate our veterans because they have shown how much they care.

“Thank you for how much you care,” he told the veterans in the audience.

Hoffman, who founded the first Hoffman Agency insurance store in Charter Oak in 1964, recently completed ten years of serving District 55 in Iowa’s House of Representatives.

Post Commander Melvin Neddermeyer asked everyone present to recognize Hoffman for his years in the legislature and service to Charter Oak. They responded by giving him a standing ovation.

Send me your news tips

Yeah, it's that time of year again- school's out and I need something to do besides painting parts of my house and reorganizing my basement.

If you have any story ideas, or events for me to cover for the Mapleton PRESS this summer, please let me know. Send me names, phone numbers, or email addresses of people I should contact.

I'm especially interested in covering Charter Oak and Ricketts, but will be glad to write about Soldier and Ute too. For that matter, if you have ideas for Schleswig, Castana, Mapleton and Danbury I will be glad to pass them along to the PRESS office.

I am also looking for great ideas for Charter Oak Achievement Days AND anyone from the Missouri Valley area who has any story ideas about RAGBRAI.

Just look for the "Contact Me" button on the right side and it should automatically open your email program. Thanks and see you at Achievement Days!

Steve King endorsed Jason Schultz; THAT ought to tlll you something- VOTE for Don Friedrichsen

I don't know what our problem is that we can't seem to get a Democrat to run for the Iowa House of Representatives here in District 55. Just too dang "red," I guess.

-Vote for Don Friedrichsen-

I for one believe that whoever replaces outgoing Clarence Hoffman needs to focus on the needs of rural, Western Iowa. They should support small schools and encourage economic development in this part of the state.

-Vote for Don Friedrichsen-

One Republican candidate thinks he should concentrate on amending the state constitution to ban gay marriages and abortion and denying rights to anyone for whom English is a second language. And he's obviously got plenty of money to put up huge signs all over the countryside to make sure people have enough name-recognition to check off his name when they vote in the primary June 3.

-PLEASE Vote for Don Friedrichsen-

While I'm not in the habit of using this very progressive blog to further the fortunes of Republicans, I'd feel neglectful if I failed to draw at least a little attention to that candidate's opponent, Don Friedrichsen. If you haven't figured it out yet, I want to give HIM some free name recognition if I could. Notice, I never name the other guy.

-Vote for Don Friedrichsen-

Don C. Friedrichsen (Republican)- for district 55

He is a farmer and active school board member in his 14th year on the local school board and in his 9th year on the Iowa Association of School Boards. He is from Holstien.

www.idacountycourier.com/site/ - Published on: 8/1/2003

Don Friedrichsen The 56-year-old has been farming crops and livestock since 1971. He and wife Linda are the parents of three children, Alan, a partner in the family farm operation; Mary, a marketing coordinator for DTN in Omaha, Neb.; and Dale, a partner in the family farm operation.

In addition to farming and his school board position, Friedrichsen is a member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Holstein, the Holstein American Legion, Ida County Cattlemen's Association Board of Directors, Beef Promotions of Iowa Board of Directors, Ida County Pork Producers, Ida County Farm Bureau, Iowa Association of School Boards Board of Directors and Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust Board of Trustees.

He is also the Ida County Legion treasurer and Ida County Fair swine superintendent.

"The youth of today is our future. Having been on the school board for three terms, I hope that my influence has made the education of our youth a more rewarding experience for them. Sometimes being a member of the school board has been frustrating for me; however, seeing young people achieve can be a very rewarding experience. These are the experiences that you build upon," said Friedrichsen.

Memorial Day is about more than beer and barbecues

Every Memorial Day and Fourth of July I cry. Maybe I’m a sap, or maybe I just have a deep affection for our country and the ideals it’s supposed to be founded on.

I realize that I have a tendency to rock the boat sometimes with the opinions that I air in this column. Each and every one of us holds unique perspectives on every event and every issue. Sometimes our opinions come between us which is too bad. Some say ‘my country, right or wrong, love it or leave it.’ I prefer to think of patriotism as a relationship that you participate in, not just blind loyalty. My country right or wrong, but when she’s wrong, try to right her.

Yes, “God bless America”, but also “stand beside her, and guide her thru the night.” I don’t know about you, but I want my country to be a blessing to all the other nations of the world, not a curse.

Here are some of the words that make me tear up whenever I hear them.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

What did Lincoln mean by that? I think he meant ALL men, rich or poor, black or white, European or Latin, African or Asian. Liberty means the freedom to make decisions about the laws that affect us. It means the right to participate in society. Jefferson put it this way-

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

You could say we get the government we deserve. You could say we have met the enemy and he is us. What you should always remember is that we ARE our government. That’s the great experiment. It started in 1776 and countries around the world tried to copy it. By the 1860’s there were some who thought that the experiment was failing.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure,” Lincoln recognized.

Lincoln summarized what the true purpose of Memorial Day would be, “We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”

“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate,” he admitted, “we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

We often hear people say that our soldiers are fighting for our “freedom.” What freedoms are important to Americans? The First Amendment guarantees us the freedom to practice our own religion and the freedom from having any single official religion opposed on us. It promises freedom of speech, freedom of the press, do we exercise those rights? Do we bother reading and writing and speaking up for what we believe in, or do we take our freedom for granted? The First Amendment includes freedom of assembly and petition, and freedom of association. How often are we afraid of people getting organized, or people who protest? How do we impose guilt by association?

What was it that was being tested by the Civil War? That dedication to liberty and equality. That experiment where we are all in this together, that we’re here for each other, or as it says in the Constitution-

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”

I think that the most important part of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address is not merely recognizing the noble sacrifices of the dead, it’s his admonishment for us to keep working for those ideals.

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”

“…for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Amen.