To the Third of July Parade.

Firstly, the parade had great weather. No sudden thunderstorms. No cloudy skies. Just a bright day. Secondly, the parade had great attendance. There were people lined up along the route six or seven rows back. Thirdly, the floats were excellent. There seemed to be fewer moving billboards (i.e.: big trucks), and more all-around creativity this time around. It goes to show how much pride our community has in America.

 

To Egypt.

On one hand, the Egyptian voters should have known better than to elect as president one year ago a member of the Muslim Brotherhood party and expect him to think about the general interests of the country as a whole, rather than the interests of his faction. But on the other hand, the Egyptians need to give any new president more than a single year before amassing in the streets to call for his ouster. Mohammed Morsi was Egypt’s first democratically elected president. He ought to have been more given time to make mistakes, go in the wrong direction and feel the pressure of the people’s complaints, so then he can try a newer, better direction. It’s good to live in the United States, where we have been transferring power among leaders peacefully for 237 years.

 

To the new and old veterans services officers.

We were pleased to read that the man who is charged with helping veterans in Freeborn County seek their benefits is one who has been part of some elite forces while he served in the military. Among other units, Ron Reule was in the 101st Airborne, the Rangers and the Special Forces during his 26 years in the Army. It always seems that soldiers in the top units don’t need to act gung-ho, arrogant or bully-like to prove they were tough. Instead, they acted professional and level-headed. Reule might not serve as veterans services officer as long as John Rhiger did — 37 years — but he sure is the right guy for the job. As for Rhiger, we salute him for his years of dedicated work. He set the bar high.