Rick Wigington (“We have a choice,” Oct. 25) wrote, John “McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin is an insult to the American people. Especially women.”

Rick should let women speak for themselves.

Of course Palin does not represent the views and beliefs of all American women. No one woman does. But the governor sure represents a lot of us.

She represents those of us who want strong national security, a U.S. victory in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, protection for the unborn, energy independence, a champion for families with special needs children, less bureaucracy in the public schools and more resources in the classrooms, and judges who rule constitutionally, not legislate from the bench.

More impressive than her conservative principles, however, is the type of woman Palin is — a woman of sincere faith whom I can hold up as a role model for my three daughters.

I’m just one of millions of women in this country who will enthusiastically vote for Sarah Palin on Nov. 4.

Rachel Derowitsch, Lincoln

Johanns is for Nebraska

There are few who know Nebraska better than Mike Johanns.

As governor, and as a candidate for the Senate, he travels the state and always bases his policies on listening to Nebraskans and acting in our best interests.

Any suggestion otherwise from Scott Kleeb is baseless.

We know whatever the issue, Johanns will tell us where he stands, even if he knows we will not agree.

I know Johanns always acts in our best interests and puts doing what’s best for our state above all else.

George Olmer, Lincoln

Re-elect NPPD incumbents

NEBFARMPAC, the political action committee of the Nebraska Farmers Union, strongly endorses the re-election of all four Nebraska Public Power District incumbents to the NPPD Board of Directors.

All four directors, Dennis L. Rasmussen in Subdivision 1 from Lincoln, Mary A. Harding in Subdivision 2 from Lincoln, Ken. L. Schmieding in Subdivision 7 from Seward and Larry G. Kuncl in Subdivision 9 from Columbus, have shown leadership, common sense and vision. All four directors have proven track records of solid performance. They have earned our endorsement and voter support.

Nebraska Public Power District has shown real leadership in moving forward with wind energy in a prudent and positive fashion. The NPPD Board approved a voluntary goal that 10 percent of its electric generation portfolio should come from renewable energy by 2020.

NPPD proved its commitment to that goal with its approval of two  C-BED (Community-Based Energy Development) projects in northeast Nebraska totaling 122 megawatts of new, cost-effective wind generation. Those projects also bring $209 million of capital investment, 150 construction jobs, 10 new permanent service jobs and nearly $10 million of personal property taxes to Knox County in the next five years while providing enough renewable energy to supply the needs of 38,000 homes.

John K. Hansen, secretary of NEBFARMPAC, the political action committee of the Nebraska Farmers Union

Vote Schlitt for NRD director

On Tuesday, Lincoln voters should elect Dan Schlitt as director of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District (Subdistrict 5). Seldom has the community produced a candidate for office so ideally suited for the position he is seeking.

Schlitt has the background, experience and technical knowledge to do the job and do it well. He is a native Lincolnite, active community leader, member of the Mayor’s Environmental Task Force and former longtime member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Physics Department.

I have known Schlitt for more than 30 years and deeply admire and respect his scientific and technical knowledge of matters relating to resource management. He will work tirelessly to promote NRD projects that preserve green space and combine opportunities for flood-plain protection, conservation and recreation.

State Sen. Bill Avery, Lincoln

Nebraska, the rapist state

The media have reported favorable standings with Nebraska judges. However, constituents and the media alike are failing to draw the comparison between higher rates of sexual assault and the direct result judges have on this number.

A decision was released on Oct. 24 by the Nebraska Supreme Court overturning a 10-16 year conviction of Steven Parker in the sexual assault of a 7-year-old. Even though the jury found Parker guilty, the Nebraska Supreme Court overturned the ruling because of a screen put up to allow the little girl to testify without having to see the man accused of raping her.

The girl, who undoubtedly suffered severe rape injuries and post-traumatic stress — must testify twice about her excruciating rape, this time most likely facing the 42-year-old man accused of raping her, causing her undue trauma. It is becoming increasingly obvious that certain judges in Nebraska are bending over backward to protect those accused of sex offenses. It seems equal justice under the law no longer includes witnesses for the state.

Certain judges are acting as un-American commanders who push aside the Constitution and use their courtrooms as judicial experiments. The result? Justice denied — leaving more sex offenders preying on the state. Keep in mind that most sex offenders are repeat offenders — whether criminal records show this or not. (Only 16 percent of rape cases are even reported!)

With state judges like this, Nebraska, once known as “The Good Life,” will soon be sporting a new motto, “Nebraska, the rapist state.” More sex offenders will move into Nebraska simply because they can succeed in their crimes.

I hope people do the research and vote on these judges as if their lives depended on it, because they just might.

Tory Bowen, 2005 UNL graduate, public speaker and victim advocate

Support Scudder

I have known Earl Scudder for many years and can attest to his intelligence, integrity and industry, all attributes needed in an effective member of NU’s Board of Regents. I have observed his tenacity and drive when he chaired the Law College’s very successful capital campaign and persuaded many to contribute, including myself. I have served with him on the University of Nebraska Foundation Board of Trustees, and I know of his work on the Grants Committee, which taught him much about the leading-edge teaching and research being conducted on NU’s campuses.

Scudder’s longtime service to the university and experience with our university and my personal knowledge of his character and integrity are my reasons to support Scudder for regent.

Duane Acklie, Lincoln

Yashirin a better choice

Who is Max? Max Yashirin is a candidate for Congress in the 1st District of Nebraska. You probably haven’t heard of him, He’s only 26 and new to politics. Max graduated from high school and went to the University of Nebraska here in Lincoln. As a Marine, he’s done a tour of duty in Iraq.

There have been no debates with the incumbent. Max’s campaign has only enough money for a few radio ads. You may need to do a little research to find out how he differs from the incumbent. You may decide he is the better choice. I did.

Kirk Hemphill, Lincoln

Election similar to 1980

The 2008 presidential race appears to be strikingly similar to the 1980 contest between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

As is true today, in 1980 the incumbent president and his party were extremely unpopular because of a severe economic recession. Americans overwhelmingly believed the nation was headed in the wrong direction yet were skeptical of the opposing party’s presidential nominee.

In 1980, Carter could not run on the economy, so he sought to portray Reagan as a warmonger. In this year’s race, the McCain campaign has tried to change the subject from the economy by attacking Barack Obama.

The turning point in the 1980 race came in the only debate of the campaign. As a smiling, self-assured Reagan airily dismissed one attack after another from a sour-faced and preachy Carter, voters moved decidedly to Reagan’s camp. This year, the momentum shifted decidedly to Obama as he proved himself to be a calm, thoughtful leader, while an erratic and out of touch McCain showed little more than open contempt for his opponent.

The result in 1980: a Republican landslide. The Republicans won the presidency and made substantial gains in the House and Senate.

The result in 2008: a Democratic landslide. Obama will win handily, and the Democrats will gain 10-12 Senate seats and 30 House seats.

The 1980 Republican landslide provided a mandate for the Reagan revolution; the 2008 election will thankfully do the same for Obama and the Democratic Party. It is wonderfully ironic that Reagan, who, in the immortal words of former first lady Rosalynn Carter, “made us comfortable with our prejudices,” and Obama, who instead seeks to unify our country, will be elected to the presidency in such similar fashion.

Norm Pflanz, Lincoln

Lots of governors

For the people who say being governor does not make you qualified to be president: George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley, Grover Cleveland and William Henry Harrison all were governors of their respective states/territories before being elected to president of the United States.

Sarah Palin has been nominated to vice president.

The only person to have experience as president was Grover Cleveland, who was elected to a second term to president four years after he left the White House.

Chad Yochum, Ashland

At least consider Obama

I will not denigrate either of our two presidential candidates. Despite the questionable slanders from both sides, I believe both to be honorable men.

The one, Barack Obama, has youthful vigor, uncommon intelligence and a high measure of eloquence. The other, John McCain, has a stirring war record and a remarkable story of survival. Having been a prisoner of war myself, enduring slow starvation, I can identify with him.

Here I must identify myself as a lifelong Democrat as I urge this solidly Republican area to at least consider voting for Obama. His so-called lack of experience is not as great as that of our greatest president, a country lawyer from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln.

Obama’s organizational and persuasive skills, plus his international common sense and vision, should serve our nation well.

I also hope people consider casting a vote for the promising young man from western Nebraska for U.S. Senate, Scott Kleeb. Kleeb has written extensively about the history of cattle ranching, has an advanced degree from Yale and teaches history at Hastings College. He would be a worthy U.S. senator.

Stan Lambert, Ewing

Omission was glaring

The Lincoln Journal Star’s failure to even mention Sarah Palin in its endorsement of John McCain on Oct. 26 was so glaring I am still seeing spots.

McCain and Palin are running on the same ticket, so it is irresponsible to endorse someone for president without considering the vice presidential candidate as well. Maybe mention of Palin was edited out when the word “experience” was selected for use in the headline.

For those who many not have noticed, even the Anchorage Daily News endorsed Barack Obama, and the closing paragraph of the Anchorage editorial said it best:

“Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue (Palin) is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.”

So when Nebraskans head to the polls on Nov. 4th, I hope they have considered all the possible ramifications of their actions.

Karl Skinner, Lincoln

Short-term memory

A response to your editorial (LJS, Oct. 21): I was absolutely confounded by the blatant statement that locally, “there have been no public controversies.” The local section of that day’s paper had a story on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear an appeal of a local case on free speech.

The original criminal case accused Pamir Safi of raping a UNL student, Tory Bowen. Judge Jeffre Cheuvront, in a court order, forbid the use of specific language including “victim,” “attack,” “assailant,” “rape,” “sexual assault kit” and “sexual assault nurse.” This young woman was forbidden from referring to a previous trial of this case or any of its testimony, which ended in a deadlocked jury. The second trial ended in a mistrial.

This case and the events surrounding it resulted in a local and national protest promoted by PAVE, Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment.

Surely, this should be considered a controversial public event in our community. We often cite the short-term memory of the public, but it appears to be clearly evident in the Fourth Estate as well.

Judy Greenwald, Lincoln

Johanns helped farmers

I disagree with Larry McClung’s assessment of Mike Johanns (letter, Oct. 27). 

As a farmer’s wife, I will vote for Johanns. He did follow through on the task of writing a new farm bill. Johanns interacted with and interviewed fruit, crop, livestock and many other growers from many areas of the nation.

They discussed the farm bill as it was then, with its problems and failures, and he listened to many and various suggestions to remedy the situation. With much input from many ag folks and much time and effort, Johanns formed a more fair and workable agricultural plan.

With knowledge of the workings of the various agriculture communities of the whole country, I feel that Johanns as senator will be a voice for us folks out here in the rural USA. He is also pro-life.

Yvonne Joy, Stella

Return Heier to board

Bernie Heier has served on the County Board for 10 years, and during that time he has acted in our best interests in response to unfunded mandates and their increased pressure on our local property tax system. Over the past 10 years, we have watched state mandates increase as we now must spend millions of our property taxes for an improved criminal justice system. Our Lancaster County jail has become out of compliance with state jail standards. Heier has shown strong leadership to get proper sizing and location for a facility to meet these standards. Keeping criminals off the street is a No. 1 priority, but it must be done in a financially responsible manner.

Heier’s advanced education in counseling and his work experience as a parole officer and at the Omaha Home for Boys make him the best candidate to work with local law enforcement for a safe community and with local private and public social services for a healthy community. He has been able to bring this broad education and experience on criminal justice issues to the board even as he operates a farming operation in eastern Lancaster County.

Heier should continue to represent us on the County Board to continue the fiscal responsibility and leadership that has marked his tenure. He knows and lives city and rural issues and is the right person for this tough job. He should be returned to represent us for another four years.

Larry Ruth, Walton

Clare has wrong message

Tim Clare has focused his campaign for university regent on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. He says we can’t afford this.

This is a bogus argument. It has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with appealing to prejudice.

No other student is denied the opportunity to go to the University of Nebraska because these few students are attending. These schools have room. These students are paying the same tuition that other Nebraska high school graduates pay. Accordingly, they are helping the finances of the university. In all likelihood, they would not be able to afford the very high nonresident tuition.

These students must have graduated from a Nebraska high school, lived in the state for three years and be in the process of seeking citizenship.

Let’s call this argument for what it is. Is this the message we want a regent to send to University of Nebraska college students?

Don Pederson, former Nebraska state senator, Lincoln

Haar for 21st District

When you are a candidate for the state Legislature, you get a good idea about your opposition. During the primary season, I had the opportunity to debate both James Arthur Jeffers and Ken Haar, as well as learning about them in other encounters on the campaign trail. Many times, Haar and I would cross paths as we both walked neighborhoods meeting local voters. Never once in all those months did I encounter Jeffers doing door-to-door campaigning.

Since the primaries, I have closely watched the campaign in the 21st District. Voters in the district want to see you eye to eye. So far, Haar has visited 7,000 homes. What does this say about Haar? He is willing to sacrifice and work hard to gain the trust of the voters.

Haar is an intelligent individual who has the capacity to solve the complex problems this state faces. Being a legislator is not a task that anyone can master. However, Haar has the experience to handle the challenges on day one. These are some of the reasons I voted for Haar.

Vern Barrett, Ceresco

Harding for NPPD

I want to thank the Journal Star for writing the article about the candidates for NPPD (Oct. 23) and informing our citizens about this important yet sometimes overlooked race. Mary Harding has been a voice for the people of Lancaster County for the past six years. We are lucky to live in a state that has public power and where we can elect people to work for us.

This gives us, the people of Nebraska, the power, not a large company and its shareholders. Harding has been working on energy conservation and efficiency. Harding is working on renewable energy options such as more wind power. She will continue to make this the direction of the future for Nebraska. NPPD adopted a 10 percent renewable energy goal under Harding’s leadership. Since Harding was elected, NPPD has built or is building 182 megawatts of wind generation. She has spent more than 20 years working for a healthy environment and strong natural resources and is committed to transparency in government.

Nebraska’s electric utilities are at a crossroads. The people we elect Nov. 4 will build our next power plants and decide when and where they will be built. We need strong leadership now. Let’s make Nebraska a leader in the fight against global warming. I hope people join me in voting for Harding for NPPD.

Ashlee Rowley, Lincoln

Independents for Kleeb

As a registered independent, I am not going to waste my vote in the U.S. Senate race on a candidate whose term of office would be irrelevant.

However, if Scott Kleeb is elected to an increased Democratic majority, then both his voice and ideas would be heard in a filibuster-proof Senate.

I suspect that for far too long, Democrats and Republicans have used the filibuster to avoid dealing with the tough issues. A super-majority would bring that type of political dodge to an end.

If we are to maintain our social values and beliefs, we must begin to solve the economic, health and energy issues that face America.

I hope the political independents elect Scott Kleeb to the U.S. Senate.

John D. Hamilton, Lincoln

Palin style over substance

In endorsing John McCain for president, the Journal Star failed to take into consideration two extremely important factors: McCain’s age and his choice of running mate. It is entirely possible that McCain, age 72, may not survive the grueling demands of the presidency for four years.

The thought of Sarah Palin as president is frightening, to say the least. The Journal Star thinks the “nation needs McCain’s experience.” What about Palin’s lack of experience in national and international affairs? Her abysmal ignorance of such critical issues as the economy, national security, foreign relations, nuclear proliferation and global climate change clearly disqualifies her for the presidency.

McCain may be a seasoned and qualified candidate, but Palin is the epitome of style over substance. The prospect of her being the proverbial “heartbeat away from the presidency” should give us pause. She is one of many reasons I will vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

James W. McChesney, Lincoln

People trump buildings

People are more important than buildings. For this reason, I believe it’s time for new county commissioners.

The voters were clear when they voted against financing for a new jail bond issue. The incumbent county commissioners didn’t listen and still plan to build another huge new jail.

At the same time, our community has individuals who have lost their jobs, lost their homes, don’t have health insurance and don’t need the extra expense of a multi-million-dollar jail.

There are thoughtful candidates with better solutions. That’s why I will vote for Barb Baier and Nancy Intermill.

Richard A. Noyes, Lincoln

County needs new leadership

Lancaster County voters have the opportunity to move the county forward and away from the good old boy network in electing Nancy Intermill and Barbara Baier to the County Board. I attended a recent candidate forum in Malcolm where it was apparent Nancy Intermill and Barbara Baier want to plan for our county’s future, while Larry Hudkins and Bernie Heier spoke only to what the County Board has done in the past.

Intermill and Baier have studied the issues, and more importantly to me, both candidates said they want to hear from the public and work toward goals that benefit the citizens. Intermill spoke of revitalizing the county. I have had many conversations with both candidates and trust that they truly will listen and consider the wants and needs of the people of Lancaster County.

Lancaster County does not need more of the same leadership. We need new leadership with new solutions for jail overcrowding. We need leaders with respect for the original meaning and intent of greenbelt exemption. We need Nancy Intermill and Barbara Baier.

Christa Yoakum, Lincoln