EDITOR:

Thursday, July 15, the Press printed on its editorial page three interesting pieces for all of us to note:

The first was an excellent letter by Gladstone’s Norman Haase who waxed eloquent about how members of his family in Germany were “caught” in the throes of the SS stormtroopers back prior to World War II. The closing of his letter says it all….”Young minds can be the easiest to control and it must be watched that anything of this sort doesn’t happen to our kids.” At first, Germans were likely naive about what Hitler was all about and he played to their national pride. Before long, the Germans were ‘trapped’ into the Nazi regime and its intolerance and evil. We all know the impressionableness of youth. Many now see American education as “woke dominant” and ominous — anti-traditional, lacking long held American values.

Vernique de Rugy wrote about “Rediscovering the promise of the American founding” and how our government has strayed from the intentions of our founders by obstructing our pursuit of happiness and even at times jeopardizing our safety. She wrote about how the CDC and FDA could not agree on dealing with the pandemic and how different agencies and government branches got it ‘wrong’. She exonerated Trump and did not blame Biden. She panned government zoning and other land-use restrictions and how tariffs, farm exports and subsidies raise consumer prices and hurt minority enterprises. She chastises Big Government’s (in her eyes) failure in the “War on Drugs” and how that has devolved into militarizing the police. (Not sure all would agree with that take.) She makes it clear that government is simply in the way of Americans being able to pursue their ‘happinesses’ and dreams due to hindering rules and regulations. This was seconded by Saturday’s editorial by John Stossel.

And then, Cal Thomas finishes the editorials with his “Zaila and the Bee” editorial. Thomas bemoans the far-reaching effects of the Left to prevent excellence for minorities when their emphasis is on equity instead of equal opportunity — those dang quotas. Zaila Avant-garde is the 14-year old African-American teen whose “hard work, bravery and confidence” paid off big time by winning the 2021 Scripps Spelling Bee. The teen is the first ever black winner; she dissects 1,300 words daily.

Let’s make this ”hard work’ motif the subject of education in the US instead of the too frequent ‘woke agenda’ focused on negativity, victimhood and mediocrity. People who are tenacious, overcome obstacles and succeed used to be part of the American story, one we once encouraged and cherished. Let’s do that instead of focusing on envying and punishing the successful. The recent film, Akeelah and the Bee”, details the fictional life of 11-year old Akeelah highlighting her resisting peer pressure, using proper English and working hard to win the Bee. And, Akeelah did that in gang-infested L.A.

Thanks, Norman, for the warning. Thanks, Vernique, for warning #2. Thanks, Cal, for #3.

Mike Olson

Escanaba