Hope.

Saturday night my Cornhuskers lost. They will survive.

The next day my Green Bay Packers lost. They will also survive.

Tuesday night America lost. Will we survive? I pray to God we will.

I pray to God that my grandchildren will learn the Pledge of Allegiance and be taught to place their hands over their heart. I pray that they will learn to love America and stand in respect when the national anthem is played.

I pray that they will know the value of hard work and would choose to work for less if necessary than receive welfare checks, and teach someone how to fish instead of just giving them a fish.

I pray that when they are the best qualified for a position they applied for, they will receive it.

I pray that my grandchildren will not be penalized for hard work, making good business decisions, hiring other people, becoming successful and lose most of it to the government so the government can share the wealth.

I pray that my grandchildren will be able to go to the church of their choice and use the Lord’s name in public.

I pray that they will know the value of human life and not endorse abortion.

I pray that when my grandchildren’s neighbor is hurting they will help the best they can instead of thinking it is not their responsibility but the government’s.

I pray that when my grandchildren are in a group of people who are preaching hatred they will get up and walk out instead of staying there for 20 years.

I pray that my grandchildren will realize that they live in the greatest nation in the world and do what they can to improve it.

I pray my grandchildren know they are judged by the company they keep.

I pray to God that the government will get out of their lives and allow them to succeed.

Gail Skinner, Lincoln

You get what you pay for

Jackie McCullough’s Local View column in the Wednesday Lincoln Journal Star provides important information and perspective on issues other than cost that are involved in the Antelope Valley Project.

These were missing from the Journal Star’s series of articles, which seemed focused only on the cost of this project. As anyone knows who has endured any major renovation project, having an experienced contractor who is competent to deal with any surprises is absolutely essential.

Such necessary expertise does not come cheaply, however. Moreover, as we all know from our own experiences, one generally gets what one pays for.

Certainly the cost of the Antelope Valley Project is newsworthy, but providing the perspective that educates voters regarding the reasons for what seem like cost increases (as done in McCullough’s article) is also essential.

Anthony F. Starace, Lincoln

Ayers beyond just radical

Two articles from Sunday’s Journal Star detail the recent William Ayers controversy and describe Ayers as a “former radical,” a “radical activist in the 1960s and ’70s” and “a 1960s and ’70s radical.”

Neither article reports that Ayers participated in terroristic activity and has never clearly repented or repudiated this activity.

There have doubtless been numerous “radicals” and “activists” from both ends of the political spectrum to speak at UNL.

The controversy is a result of Ayers’ notorious means of propagating his cause, not the content of his speech or beliefs. The failure to report this relevant information is at best a disservice to the Journal Star’s readers.

Jeffrey J. Springer, Lincoln