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Letters, 9/7: Internet for Nebraskans

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Thursday, Sep 07, 2006 - 12:10:43 am CDT

Who is looking out for outstate Nebraska’s Internet customers? It sounds like it won’t be the Legislature — again.

First we get assaulted by LB126 and the closing of our Class 1 schools. Now a special task force is going to recommend that public agencies not provide links to high-speed Internet, another vital service in rural Nebraska.

Well, I’m tired of businesses and legislators from Omaha and Lincoln telling the rest of Nebraska how to live and what we can or can  not do. This is the state of Nebraska. I was privileged to help write a white paper with the Brennen Center for Justice about our state’s rural Internet access. Service is lacking in many parts of Nebraska, and the issue is personal as well as professional for me.

As it stands right now, I either pay $50 per month at home for satellite Internet or put up with slow dial-up. The dial-up is so slow that it prevents me from updating my computer because it takes too long and times out. My life is busier that normal now. My day starts an hour earlier to get my kids to school because our Class 1 school closed due to the pressures of LB126. I am unable to get DSL at home because the phone company (Frontier) will not extend the lines another mile to my house.

We need good Internet service in rural Nebraska. This appears to be similar to LB126 — decisions about a basic public service that are based on money. Lobbyists get what they want from the legislators, and we pay and do with less.

Char Carpenter, Neligh

Don’t fall for the ads

Planned Parenthood’s ad in the Aug. 25 Ground Zero says, “Who needs Planned Parenthood? Students do.” Students, you do not need Planned Parenthood. You do not need HIV, an STD, an unwanted pregnancy or an abortion. 

Students, what you need is freedom. By waiting to have sex until you are married you will be free. Free to live your dream of going to school and achieving your goals. Students, don’t fall for Planned Parenthood’s ad. 

Their “multiple options” or “emergency contraception” will not protect you from HIV or STDs, nor from unwanted pregnancy, an abortion or a broken heart. Planned Parenthood does not promote character, strength or wisdom, but a false sense of security. I beg you, I implore you. Be free.

Susy McDermitt, Lincoln

Intolerance is dangerous

After reading Cal Thomas’ article “Defector warns of menace posed by Islam” (Aug. 21), I was alarmed by Thomas’s attitude toward Islam in American society today. 

Thomas believes that Islam as a whole is a danger to American society. He implies that Americans should begin to view even Orthodox Muslims the same as they would radical Muslims and recognize that all Islamic adherents are a “clear and present danger” in today’s society. 

I disagree. While there are factions of Islam that present a danger to American society, I think Americans would be repeating some of the largest errors in American history if they were to begin to look at all Muslims as threats.

I am reminded of the Japanese internment camps of the 1940s, where all Japanese Americans were rounded up and put into camps around the United States because they might pose a threat to American society. I am reminded of the Red Scare of both 1917-1920 and the late 1940s-mid 1950s, where in both situations people lost their jobs and were sometimes jailed for their assumed communist beliefs.

Both the Japanese internment camps and the Red Scares were dark areas of American history where our nation failed to exercise tolerance toward other American citizens and later regretted the actions taken during these times of turmoil.

 I feel that Thomas’ article incites an unrealistic fear that may be an even bigger “clear and present danger” than Muslims are presenting in America today.

Rebecca White, Lincoln

Membership not a crime

So in essence, what you are saying (editorial, Aug. 31) is that Trooper Robert E. Henderson should be fired based on guilt by association rather than actual conduct?

 America is not yet to the point where membership in a nonpolitically correct organization is a crime, no matter how much you and Sen. Ernie Chambers would like it to be. Sixty years ago, for some of my relatives, it was, and we all know what happened as a result. 

Alice Kell, Pottsville, Pa.

Managing student loans

I found the Aug. 31 Journal Star article regarding student loan debt informative. I do feel you could’ve taken it a step further.

Our son is a sophomore at a private school in South Dakota. The tuition, room and board, books and assorted fees runs about $22,000 per year. He chose this school over Wesleyan and Doane due to the fact his scholarship money went up every semester provided he maintain a certain GPA. Scholarships, grants and his Stafford student loans took care of a lot of this bill, but not all.

This leaves the student taking out private alternative student loans (making their debt level upon graduation even higher), mom and dad digging into their savings or mom and dad taking out parent-plus loans. We opted to help him out. Some parents do not have that option.

I’m curious to know what the actual debt level is for these kids and their parents. I know what our figures are for the first two years, and it is sobering. I think the Journal Star would be doing the future college students and their parents a service by letting them know what they’re in for.

Jean Wilcynski, York

Ruling precludes choice

I was very disappointed to hear about Secretary of State John Gale’s ruling on the Nebraska Democratic Party’s nomination of Kate Witek to be their candidate for state auditor (LJS, Aug.24).

There is no doubt that this is a very unusual circumstance. However, state law clearly allows potential candidates three ways to be placed on the ballot as a candidate for partisan office: through the primary, by petition and by nomination from a post-primary convention or committee. As a matter of fact, the same statute that allows Gale to direct Witek to petition onto the ballot allows for nomination by the Nebraska Democratic Party State Convention.

I strongly believe the law serves the best interest of all Nebraskans, and the Legislature clearly wanted to ensure that there were multiple options to promote a fair process.

As a state, we deserve a choice when it comes to elections, and John Gale is preventing that choice through his ruling.

Nicholas Verzani, Omaha


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Opinionated wrote on September 7, 2006 12:34 am:
" Some unsolicited commentary: 1. The public sector has enormous advantage over the private sector when competing. Tread cautiously when allowing this to happen. 2. Planned Parenthood runs contrary to the promotion of discipline and self control. Read a little about its founder, Margaret Sanger, to see how a Nazi eugenicist who was consumed with being a "swinger" found a way to justify dumping her husband. Oh, yes, if you don't believe me, it was an autobiography. Great group to be leading our next generation, huh? 3. Have there been a plehtora of non-Muslim, non-male, non-young terrorists out committing acts of terrorism? 4. While membership in the KKK isn't a crime, neither is membership in the Nebraska State Patrol a basic, guaranteed human right. 5. I still have debt on my student loans. It makes me sad. 6. Kate Witek chose NOT to run for State Auditor. She chose to run for Lieutenant Governor. She lost. What don't people understand about that? I did not hear people arguing "lack of choice" when the deadline passed earlier this year and the Democrats still had nobody to run. We have rules for a reason, and John Gale is not the one who is trying to break them. By the way, Witek would become THE FOURTH candidate on the ballot. How is John Gale preventing choice on the ballot by informing her it's unlawful to break the law?! "

 this and that wrote on September 7, 2006 12:53 am:
" I agree that Jean Wilcynski and other parents as well as students need to look carefully at student loans. Currently, Student Loan operations are in need of regulation, they can be worse than the IRS, and are very arrogant when calling them. In addition if you consolidate your loan you can be stuck in a higher interest rate without a way to lower it. If you become ill, and place your student loan on deferment, they can still accrue interest, something a lot of students don't read about. Be very informed, be over informed, when it comes to your loan. On the comments made by Suzy McDormitt, get real, without planned parenthood, we would be more overpopulated, and there would be a lot of people with STD's and other sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence is a nice concept, but in some cases, its not realistic. If people want to live together and don't want to have kids, they can use contraceptive. I think there advertisement is inventive and grabs the attention of young people. "

 AndyG wrote on September 7, 2006 2:56 am:
" Char Carpenter says "We need good Internet service in rural Nebraska." I say Char Carpenter needs to either move to a more urban area that has good internet service, or accept the opportunity cost of choosing to live in rural Nebraska. Anytime you choose where you are going to live there are opportunity costs associated with housing, taxes, recreation, etc. - and this is just one more of them. I do *not* see why the taxpayers of Nebraska (who are vastly concentrated in those two havens of evil mentioned, Lincoln and Omaha) should have to subsidize someone who *chooses* to live in rural Nebraska (or rural anywhere for that matter). Your family has lived there for forty-eight generations, someone has to farm, etc. etc. are all factors in the choice, but it is still a *choice* - and each individual/family should have to accept the costs that come with their choice. "

 Ramone wrote on September 7, 2006 4:47 am:
" Susy, I hate to burst your bubble, but their are *several* students out there who have managed to have an active, safe premarital sex life AND been successful students AND met their goals in life! Premarital sex doesn't automatically eliminate these options and shame on you for trying to convince people otherwise. Students should "be free" to explore options and get the information they need about these topics and not taught to be scared of them by narrow-minded people such as yourself. "

 Quit Preaching wrote on September 7, 2006 6:20 am:
" You're right Susy McDermott. Planned Parenthood does not promote character, strength, or wisdom. But then again it also doesn't judge, condemn, accuse, or make pious remarks against people who fail to live up to someone else's moral ideals. It's also not their job to stick their head in the sand and ignore the fact that despite all the abstinence preaching in the world people will still make mistakes. But then again, it's not their job to do any of that. It's to protect help young women who find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy or STD. I agree these young women need freedom but pious, self-righteous, and false comments about Planned Parenthood and its mission don't constitute that. "

 Larry wrote on September 7, 2006 6:23 am:
" I used to feel sorry for the poor "outstate" people who had to pay a lot of money for high speed internet. Then I read that Char has to pay $50 whole dollars per month to have it. Since I pay exactly $50.01 per month from Time Warner here in Lincoln (broadband internet connection paired with no cable television) I can't say that I'm feeling all that sorry anymore. Less than 2 bucks for the time I save per day over dial-up is more than worth it. As for Suzy's comments on Planned Parenthood, it's nice to know that marriage is the key to freedom and that you will never have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy once you tie the knot...Heck, you should just graduate early with an Mrs. degree and start pumping out husker fans with this new found liberation...What I really got from her letter was the needed reminder that it's time to make another financial contrabution to Planned Parenthood, since I'm sure those ads aren't cheap. Thanks Suzy! "

 connie wrote on September 7, 2006 6:36 am:
" In the best of all worlds students meet their perfect partner, fall in love, get married, and have a family. In the best of all worlds, students never fall victim to the heat of the moment, and have sex before marriage. Too bad we don't live there! I'm married and have been for 31 years! I have 4 children. They are ages 29, 26, 23,...and 13! The first three, 'planned', the fourth, well, not so much. We were financially secure, and healthy, and welcomed him (after the shock wore off) with joy. But...he was the result of an old married couple losing themselves in the 'heat of the moment' How can we realistically expect young students, who haven't yet had the time to develop much impulse control to always be able to use their heads over an instinct as old as time. True freedom is not having a lapse of reason result in a life altering event. Planned Parenthood helps our students protect their futures. When we teach our kids to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, we can't say, "except for..." I think that by having the maturity and foresight to protect one's self, and one's partner, a student exhibits character, strength, AND wisdom. Do be free! Arm yourself with all the available information and protection that is available to you. THAT'S true freedom! "

 Sam B wrote on September 7, 2006 6:41 am:
" Rebecca White is absolutely correct. Cal Thomas, in many of his commentaries, espouses the false notion that everyone of the Islamic faith is evil and that they should be wiped off the face of the earth. Thomas, who professes himself to be a fundamentalist Christian, betrays the tenets of his faith just as surely as Osama bin Laden and any other Islamic fundamentalist who believes that all westerners are evil and should be wiped off the face of the earth betrays the tenets of the Islamic faith. Both of these faiths teach that killing another is wrong, yet Christians like Thomas and Islamists like bin Laden seem to think its a perfectly acceptable practice as long as it protects members of their respective religions. Thomas and his Christian fundamentalists cohorts are no better than Islamic fundamentalists. They both bastardize the teachings of their respective religions. "

 ed wrote on September 7, 2006 7:05 am:
" Rebecca the Cal Thomas article was alarming I agree just change the word Islam to Judaism and see how it reads. But then it makes real sense about the problems in the world and the Middle East. Eliminate the political state of Israel or give Iran the bomb either way will calm the area down and return political rule to the majority population. "

 eddie wrote on September 7, 2006 7:17 am:
" Islam does not have an agreed upon set of religious principles. That is why there are many muslims who think it is acceptable to kill those who disagree with them. There are also muslims who do not think it is acceptable to kill those who disagree with them. Any muslim who does not find killing those who disagree with them acceptable can delineate that principle by distinguishing their brand of Islam from those who find such killing acceptable. I have been holding my breath waiting for prominent muslims to preach a "Reformed Islam". When do you expect to see that happening Sam. Thomas thinks it is ok to kill those who want to kill him. Self defense is acceptable for Christians. "

 THANK GOD FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD wrote on September 7, 2006 7:49 am:
" Thank you to all who already commented on the looney Susy McDermitt diatribe. Enough was said. But I still want to say that the kind of comments she made are the kind that make Lincoln look like a city full of inteloerant, religously zealoted, rubes! It's plain silly. "

 Alex wrote on September 7, 2006 8:25 am:
" Carpenter has a great letter, maybe the state of education also has to be tied into the issue. Rural schools and rural parents should not be the victims of an oppressive communication system. The old regime in the governors office and a corrupted Unicameral are myopic in leadership and a root cause of leaving citizens behind. Don't re elect or elect cronnies of failure, that is social promotion based on letting failure be passed on from one year to the next. "

 A wrote on September 7, 2006 8:40 am:
" Andy G wrote "I do *not* see why the taxpayers of Nebraska (who are vastly concentrated in those two havens of evil mentioned, Lincoln and Omaha) should have to subsidize someone who *chooses* to live in rural Nebraska (or rural anywhere for that matter)." What a load, Andy! Rural residents and farmers pay way over their fair share of taxes. However, very little of that money is returned to those rural areas. The majority of rural tax money goes to Lincoln and Omaha to subside urban areas. All the rural people want is some of that money that THEY pay to be used in the areas they live. NOT A BIG REQUEST. Your total lack of knowledge on the facts are just shameful. It explains the lack appreciation the public has for the farmers that grow the food YOU eat. Farmers have been subsidizing the food you put in your mouth for generations. Next time maybe you should think about where you'd be if all the farmers moved to Lincoln and Omaha. "

 Boy Howdy wrote on September 7, 2006 8:46 am:
" Boy Howdy, so Alice the KKK is simply a politically incorrect organization? I guess we know your beliefs. "

 db wrote on September 7, 2006 8:53 am:
" Contrary to what most people think, public power companies are not government agencies. Public power companies are owned by the people they serve and are responsible directly to their customers. They have a board of directors that oversee operations just like private companies. The profits they make are put back into the companies and not paid out to stockholders. Neither the mayor, city councils, governors or the legislature control the public power companies. True, the government control the rates but that is about it. I'm all for our public power companies competing in the internet business. It would be just like allowing another company to do business. Maybe then we will get decent rates and service and not be gouged by cable companies for internet services. "

 chode wrote on September 7, 2006 9:03 am:
" And many so-called "urban" citizens in Nebraska wonder why outstate Nebraskans look down upon them. For all the tolerance and diversity these people preach as to why kids should attend larger schools and citizens should be exposed to greater diversity, one look at AndyG's comments and it becomes apparent that he needs to take some of this advice himself! Truth be told, those in the rural areas are much more open-minded and tolerant than their "urban" counterparts. I write "urban" because until you have lived in NYC, Jersey, LA, or even Kansas City, even those that live in Lincoln and Omaha have absolutely no clue what tolerance or diversity is. They have just jumped on the bandwagon and look like fools to the rest of the nation. And, yes, it is true that the incredibly high property taxes that rural Nebraska citizens pay in this state go to fund schools and other services in Lincoln and Omaha. Yet the legislature turns around and cuts those very same services to the people that pay them. Here's an idea - let's give Omaha and Lincoln a dose of their own medicine and instead of using property taxes to fund education let's use income tax. When those who have "chosen" to reside in Lincoln and Omaha have to cough up a high percentage of their annual income to pay for services that go outside of their community, I suspect that there will be a tremendous revolt and lawsuits galore. I know that not all of you citizens of Lincoln and Omaha feel the same way AndyG does, but let's hear from you! This guy gives you all a bad name. "

 Sam B wrote on September 7, 2006 9:08 am:
" eddie, the same argument you made with regard to Muslims can be made for the Christians...and in both cases it's uninformed and intellectually disingenuous. Killing someone else just because you "think" they might want to kill you is not self defense, it's paranoia. Not all Muslims advocate the wholesale slaughter of all Westerners nor do all Christians (thankfully) advocate the wholesale slaugher or imprisonment of all Muslims. "

 Sylvia wrote on September 7, 2006 9:12 am:
" George Washington was a christian terrorist. "

 Theresa wrote on September 7, 2006 9:18 am:
" As long as there is poor health care, an unstable welfare system and lack of support for single mothers, abortions will be around. If you wish to reduce the number of abortions, rally behind social reform. "

 Dear Char wrote on September 7, 2006 9:24 am:
" I live in the city of Lincoln and my high speed internet cost me $50 a month. That would be both cable high speed and satellite systems which ever I choose. Why should you get a break and pay less that what we pay in Lincoln? "

 Here we go again... wrote on September 7, 2006 9:31 am:
" Susy, I applaud and commend you for your insightful letter. To those who want to call her intolerant (same old liberal chantings), perhaps you need to do your research - like Opinionated did - and you will see for yourselves what PP was built and based on. However, you will continue to think that unwanted pregnancies and 'kids just CAN'T help themselves' and STD's and how can we don't teach our kids (this taking the responsibility OFF parents and putting it onto planned parenthood) and whine whine whine and boo hoo hoo. Planned parenthood's ONLY interest is making money in any way they can, and promoting abstinence is not the way they will make money! I highly recommend the book ACLU vs. America for enlightening info on Margaret Sanger! "

 Comment for A wrote on September 7, 2006 9:35 am:
" “Farmers subsidize the food we eat” Now that’s a first. I thought it was Uncle Sammy who subsidized the farm industry? I have a garden in my yard does this mean I can apply for my farmer welfare check? "

 Justin wrote on September 7, 2006 9:45 am:
" I am newly married, no children yet, probably largely due to the information and help given to students by Planned Parenthood! My wife and I were able to finish college, obtain secure employment, and buy a home with no unplanned 'surprises'. We were one of many, maybe even most, couples who believe it possible to enjoy an intimate relationship before marriage. Almost no one thought this made us less free. Connie, congratulations on your 'dividend baby'. Sounds like he's lucky to have you for a mom. I hope that my wife and I can still get carried away by 'the heat of the moment' when we've been married as long as you have! "

 Ron Porkmor wrote on September 7, 2006 9:59 am:
" Please do teach abstinance, but don't really beleive that no teenager or college student will have sex. That is dumb. If you shut down planned parenthood and limit the knowledge about safe sex, is why you need planned parenthood. If you give people information regarding safe sex, preventing STDs and pregnancy, planned parenthood would do alot less business. "

 chode wrote on September 7, 2006 10:02 am:
" For those of you saying you pay $50/month for DSL, the point is that you HAVE THE CHOICE. DSL is not an option in most of rural Nebraska. The only internet available is if you have a satellite system, and many cannot even afford that. In the urban areas, you have the choice of having roadrunner, DSL, satellite internet, whatever it may be. I suspect most of you don't have satellite internet because in addition to the internet connection, you must pay all the satellite fees on top of that. And most people in urban areas can save money by going with DSL or roadrunner or whatever. I'm sure if the legislature voted to take your DSL/roadrunner away and force you to all get satellite internet or not have internet at all, you would be screaming about it. I doubt we would be seeing letters to the effect of "well, you chose to live in the city so you need to accept the services there". Let's apply that argument to citizens of Lincoln and recent complaints. Let's see, you chose to live in Lincoln so: quit complaining about the high property taxes, elect a better mayor next time, shut up about school security and sex offenders walking in during hours of operation, quit whining about how poor your roads are and while we're at it let's just cut funding for your streets, instead of running walmart out of town you should be happy they even want to do business in Lincoln, if you don't like gameday traffice then be quiet and stay home, quit moaning about petitioners trying to collect your signatures, if you don't like cigarette smoke in your restaurants then try staying at home and cooking a family meal, gas prices got you down then ride your bicycle or walk, don't travel at all or drive to Omaha to get better airline prices. For Pete's sake people, you live in a community of less than half a million people and the only reason it even exists is because the state capital is located there and one of the universities. You aren't even a blip on the map of this nation's cities, but you complain enough for all of them combined. "

 anti PP wrote on September 7, 2006 10:33 am:
" Planned Parenthood is a joke. When I was younger and just married, they visited my wife in the hospital and tried to convince her to get sterilized so we couldn't have more children. This is how they 'planned' parenthood, they also think abortion is alright. probably ONLY because they make a lot of money because of abortions. The best thing women could do for themselves would be use common sense. and stay very far away from anyone pushing planned parenthood. If my wife had listened to those crackpots, we would only have one daughter instead of three. "

 thanks chode wrote on September 7, 2006 10:36 am:
" people need to realize they get what they pay for. Lets not pay for roads, education or fire trucks. Then lets see how many undereducated firemen arrive 10 minutes late on poorly maintained one lane roads. Thanks Lincoln for being too scared to function "

 JMK wrote on September 7, 2006 10:46 am:
" Yes we have a choice, yes we live in Lincoln, and yes we complain a lot. But no high speed internet is not a 'right' of the people. I don't remember seeing anywhere that everyone has any right that means the government should provide everyone with high speed internet service. "

 Gary B wrote on September 7, 2006 10:59 am:
" JMK, public power districts are NOT government entities. "

 Jodi wrote on September 7, 2006 11:05 am:
" A couple thoughts--it's naive to think that if we don't have clinics and counseling available for unmarried people who are sexually active that they will choose not to have sex. Planned Parenthood has a reputation of being relatively cheap, so it's affordable for those who can't afford to run to their doctor. And protecting yourself from unwanted pregnancy and STDs isn't just for those who are unmarried. Unfortunately, some married people have (gasp) affairs. "

 chode wrote on September 7, 2006 11:16 am:
" Let's take off the rose-colored glasses and look outside the bubble of Lincoln, Nebraska, which is not the center of universe. Not only is the government not providing high speed internet service, they are not providing adequate education to children in rural areas, they are not providing adequate access to healthcare services, yet they preach rural economic development and propose to find ways to keep educated children from moving out of state. Tell me how this state is going to get any legal citizen to move to rural Nebraska when services are so poor? How do you attain rural economic development when you cut one of the main necessities to achieve successful development in not providing high-speed internet access? Those services you have in Lincoln are mostly paid for by the citizens of rural Nebraska through their property taxes. How I wish there was a way that rural Nebraska could keep their tax dollars and put them into their own communities instead of sending them off to the urban areas. Lincoln and Omaha are the welfare children in a state with a broken tax system whether you want to admit it or not. "

 Marvin wrote on September 7, 2006 11:31 am:
" Char, the purpose of LB126 was to help the disadvantage one-room school merge and share with the diversity of larger districts and more important the larger districts to benefit from a larger tax base. The first step of broadband legislation was to allow public utilities to sell bandwidth for broadband data and this includes Internet data. This would be in direct competition with businesses and stockholders that have invested their resources in this regulated market and the Public Service Commission has assessed a monthly Universal Service Fee to every ones telephone bill to subsidize these businesses so the rural folks could have this vital phone service. Since you were privileged to help write a white paper with the Brennen Center for Justice about our state’s rural Internet access and if the PSC shares with the regulation of vital Internet services. The government template could continue, new fees could be assessed, data rates would be slower, prices would be up, no additional services provided like VOIP, servers would be own by the public, no search warrants to view your internet habits, automatic sales tax billed for all out of state purchases, and the list would go on. So pay your $50 for satellite service and enjoy free enterprise, because there are many benefits to this rural living. This is Nebraska. "

 GMP wrote on September 7, 2006 11:44 am:
" I won't ever try to change Suzy or anti PP minds, because their minds are already full of everything they want to know. They will not see past the ends of their noses, or even care if what they say is true or meaningfull. And, by the way, did you see that big round orb of green cheese in the sky last night? Because when I was a child (50+ years ago) I was told the moon was made of green cheese, and I would never want to fill my mind up with facts or anything. "

 Julie wrote on September 7, 2006 11:44 am:
" Regarding Henderson's white supremacist associations: if any one can provide reliable evidence that an officer of the law who is a member of such an organization can perform his job without bias against non-whites, then I believe a lot of the supporters of Henderson's ousting might possibly change their tune. However, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove the truth in that. When the underworld has frozen over, I'll check back with Henderson's supporters. "

 ET wrote on September 7, 2006 12:14 pm:
" Who cares who started PP? The organization today is for people to find information and help on STD's and preganancy. Go ahead and rant on about how the only thing they do is sterilize and abort, but the other extreme of women not even knowing how they get pregnant is just as absurd. There is no freedom in being ignorant, and there is no freedom in 'waiting' for what may never come. I'm glad that some are screaming that we should be free by being bound to their narrow, ignorant ideals. This is abuse of the word 'free'; word manipulation. It's LAME. "

 JMK wrote on September 7, 2006 12:19 pm:
" chode is a little off on who to blame, try a bit farther east. the feds are hurting rural communities far more than lincoln or Omaha could ever hope to. "

 GW wrote on September 7, 2006 12:45 pm:
" There is no freedom in being ignorant of the consequences of premarital sex. Unplanned pregnancy and STDs are only some of the consequences. How about the psycological. No amount of birth control can eliminate that. Don't you think the minds of the pro planned parenthood are closed as well? They don't even want to hear that possibly premarital sex is bad. It hurts their consciences. "

 Clement wrote on September 7, 2006 1:11 pm:
" The study of embryology at UNMC teaches that a unique human being begins development at moment fertilization occurs. Unique...human...being. Science already teaches the fetus is a human being. You would keep this human who cannot speak for itself from having any rights whatsoever. Planned Parenthood is an industry which supports this because it condones and performs the elimination, or since it's a human being, the murder, of this unborn human. Murderers belong in prison, not in clinics teaching our children how to and how to not have sex. But, then again, let's not call it what it is, it makes it more palatable for you when you claim your right to kill your unborn children. It's a fetus that you abort, not a baby that you kill, right? Be happy you can't hear it's scream as its torn apart, dismembered and crushed while being sucked out of it womb. "

 LME wrote on September 7, 2006 2:25 pm:
" My husband and I CHOSE to move back to rural Western Nebraska to raise our children close our families. We CHOSE to move to an area with a Class 1 school 1/2 mile down the road because of the education they would receive. We do not, nor do they, feel that they were disadvantaged. I don't mind living with the consequences of decisions that I make, but living with the misguided, misinformed decisions of the legislature irritates me! We did not choose to consolidate with a K-12 district. I am willing to bet that despite all the rhetoric put out by Raikes and his ilke, despite the so called "protections built into LB126" our viable "learning center" of 25 students, will not last 4 years let alone until the Kindergarteners are in 8th grade. Why? Because even with a cooperative K-12 administration and school board there are absolutely NO incentives to keep us open. We educated the children of this district at under the state average of cost/student and under the cost/student of the district the we merged with. Yet, it is now costing the K-12 considerably more to keep us open than it would to close us down. It is the same all over the state. I would gladly live with my choices. "

 I went to PP wrote on September 7, 2006 2:39 pm:
" There is another issue that isn't being brought up here - the importance of annual check ups or "paps" that many, many young girls don't understand and don't always get on a regular basis. These checkups are so important to their longterm well being. In my late teens and into my early twenties I worked at a job with no health insurance and Planned Parenthood provided me with these important checkups for free when I had no money and for a sliding scale fee later on when I had a little. That is why I give money to them now all these years later, so they can help other girls the way they helped me. Female health, education, these things have nothing to do with abortion. "

 with regards to Marvin wrote on September 7, 2006 2:40 pm:
" The information given in your post is so wrong I don't know where to start. First off, the telcos have a monopoly (on the landline side) right now. How many of them are providing DSL service or even have T1's available in the smallest towns they serve? Boy...that's sure working well. Last time I checked, the companies milked the medium and large cities and who cares about the rest? That leaves the rural farmers with nothing to choose but satellite. Second, the only thing the utilities would do is be able to provide the backbone to get out to those rural areas. It would be up to a PRIVATE company in most cases (although some small towns or REAs could do it I suppose) to provide the door-to-door service. I'm sure there are people out there who are willing, but can't make it work with 10 subscribers and paying $5000/month to Qwest per T1 to provide service to those 10 customers (if they can get it from Qwest at all). If the cost of the backbone to get it to the "big pipes" drops due to public providers, then that makes them viable. Finally, it has nothing to do with sales taxes, sniffing your traffic (although if you really want to worry about that, you should look into what AT&T--oops...one of those PRIVATE companies--has been caught doing a few months ago...). Those are already not happening, and won't happen if it does go through. That's just fear-mongering. "

 Not so Marvin wrote on September 7, 2006 2:41 pm:
" Marvin said the purpose of LB126 was to help the disadvantaged one-room school merge. Marvin that is a TOTAL misconception of Class One schools. Only a handful of the schools that LB 126 dissolves are "one-room" schools. And I don't think you'll find even one rural resident that will agree with your assertion that these schools are inferior or "disadvantaged" than the larger schools. The only disadvantage these schools have is that the majority of their property taxes does NOT stay in these districts. Prior to LB 126, all the Class I district property tax from the school levy went to the larger K-12 and then they returned just 1/3 of that back to the Class One school. Now it all goes to the K-12. As far as acedamics go, these Class One schools far exceed the assessment scores from the receiving districts. Go to the Nebraska For Local Schools and Class Ones United websites to learn the REAL truth. "

 Oh mercy, please! wrote on September 7, 2006 3:13 pm:
" You can argue and argue that abortion is the destruction of human life. You can brain wash your little girls to believe that abstainence is the only way to protect your precious flower. You can preach your church of morals from every doorway and staircase, but you will still have unplanned pregnancy, STD's, and women who can not afford health care. If you don't agree with Planned Parenthood and their mission, then don't give them your time, energy and money. It works for me in regards to the Catholic Church, the republican party, and all the other neo-conservative, close minded freaky cults out there. "

 Gooch wrote on September 7, 2006 3:43 pm:
" I agree with chode that our take system is broken, especially in regard to public education. We need to swith to a voucher based system. "

 Scott wrote on September 7, 2006 3:55 pm:
" We subsidized rural electrification for those that lived outside urban areas. We saw it as a way to improve the way of life for a large number of Americans. Sure, people can live without electricity just like they can live without high-speed internet. Perhaps the issue is working to improve the way of life for a large number of Nebraskans. However, don't just limit it to rural areas--cheap, reliable broadband should be available to all Nebraskans. "

 CS wrote on September 7, 2006 4:07 pm:
" "Pro-choice" doesn't necessarily equate itself to mean "pro-abortion". Planned Parenthood provides resources and choices for women and for MEN concerning their reproductive health. Being informed and taking personal responsibility for family planning is what I understand PP's agenda to be. Maybe it wouldn't hurt for the critics of PP to check out their website, and learn the of PP's real intentions. "

 HBT wrote on September 7, 2006 10:15 pm:
" Susy, you are correct in that students should be free...free to make their own choices and decisions. For those who choose not to have sex before marriage, good for you. But for those who do choose to have sex before they get married, for those who choose not to get married, or for those for whom marriage is forbidden due to discriminatory constitutional amendments, services and educational programs such as those provided by Planned Parenthood should be made readily available. They educate people on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies with the use of appropriate birth control and prevent STD and HIV infections with instruction on the proper use of condoms. They also discuss all of the risks involved. Part of growing up is learning to make decisions for yourself. Organizations such as Planned Parenthood provide educational services that allow everyone, not just students, to make informed and educated decisions that are appropriate for them. "

 PlannedParenthood is RACIST wrote on September 7, 2006 10:16 pm:
" I commend Susy McDermitt for writing her letter. I wonder how many of the commenters here are aware that Planed Parenthood conveniently locates many of their so called "Health clinics" in very poor neighborhoods? Where a LOT of minorities live? An african american woman is 40 times more likely to have an abortion than a white caucausian woman. Margaret Sanger was racist. She wanted to eliminate anyone she considered "imperfect". This includes those who are disabled! She also was a supporter of the Nazi regimen that killed 6 Million Jews. Wake up America! Planned Parenthood is a business. They don't care one bit about the women they help. They make millions off selling sex to young girls, don't report suspected statutory rape (which is required by LAW) and lie to women about fetal development. Wake up! "

 Alice Kell wrote on September 8, 2006 5:21 am:
" Let me enlighten Boy Howdy, who presumes to know my beliefs: The "politically incorrect" organization my relatives belonged to 60 years ago was (and is) the Jewish faith, and in Nazi-occupied Poland, that was a crime. Your apology is accepted. "

 Whitney wrote on September 8, 2006 7:15 am:
" Margaret Sanger WAS a racist. She's also dead. When she began her crusade for reproductive rights, it was illegal to disseminate birth-control information in ANY form. Because Maggie was a racist, doesn't mean Planned Parenthood is. They locate in poor neighborhoods, because they are NOT racist, and that's where they are needed! Hitler gave the world the volkswagon. Do you think that all VW owners are anti-semites? "

 CG wrote on September 8, 2006 10:08 am:
" You point out that Sanger was a supporter of the Nazi regimen but you leave out all of the other americans, many of whom not only supported the theory of eugenics but were upset that that the Nazis "beat them to it" and were so far ahead in the game. As far back as Plato (who believed that reproduction should be controlled by the government) and even Alexander Graham Bell (who came to the conclusion that deafness could be hereditary and so recommended banning marriage to a deaf person - and HE was married to a deaf woman!) there have been various types of eugenics movements all over the world. Read about it. It will shock and terrify you. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't allow PP to provide the neediest of our population with the reproductive health, screening and education that they so badly need. There are parts of this country that are nothing like the south Lincoln spralling suburbs. There are women (and men) who desperately need these services and we should be thankful that PP is there to provide them at little or no cost. "

 Victoria wrote on September 8, 2006 12:58 pm:
" To prolifer's I have a question to ask is the unborn more important the living? You speak out to save the unborn more than I see you spew your rhetoric for homeless kids, against war, poverty, people without healthcare, child abuse, death penalty and many other issues that are also pro-life issues. I am pro choice because I believe no one has a right to tell another human being what to do with their bodies. And as some who has had an abortion I can say from experience that it is one of the most personal decisions a woman can make. I for one want it to be between a doctor and the woman. Not the government. So please keep your laws out of my womb. Next you will be telling me when and how I can have a child. Give me a break. "

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