Open Forum: Read the Constitution

Our comedian/senator is at it again. Mocking people that oppose building the mosque near ground zero? Is that what we want our senators to do? Make fun of our opinions? I think we can do better next election. This leads me to Pelosi our fine speaker of the House. She wants to investigate the opponents of the mosque. I am opposed to building the mosque. Please come and investigate me. I need the attention.

Our legislators and many others need to read the constitution and amendments as they were written. Leave out interpretation and focus on what the intent was when it was written.

The 14th amendment was ratified July 9, 1868. Its intent was to protect the newly freed slaves and their children as it should be. To make right the injustice of slavery. It was not meant be used to create citizens of law breaking illegal aliens children.

The first amendment as written states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ." It does not contain anything about where churches or any other religious facility may be built or be restricted from being built. In any city or town there are planning and zoning laws to be complied with. And they apply to all buildings including churches.

If there is doubt about the intent of anything written in the constitution or amendments? May I suggest the Federalist Papers and the Congressional Record as a further source of information?

Don Meininger

Nisswa

Dayton and his mantra

Prior to our recent primary, we received three expensive mailings from the Dayton campaign. Mark Dayton's mantra starts with: "We have to make the richest Minnesotans pay their fair share of taxes so: on and on." This man is a genius. Why didn't we think of that?

If the liberals didn't have class warfare as their main weapon, they would be defenseless. The term "rich" is one of those words that tell us much more about the speaker than about the person being described. Briefly, it is a derogatory term for people who earn more money than the speaker wants them to earn! According to the Tax Foundation, Minnesotans are the fifth highest taxed in the nation at $4,459.00 per capita.

Perhaps Mr. Dayton, who inherited his wealth, believes that those who earned theirs must share with those who haven't. He wants to duplicate New York's achievement of driving the rich taxpayers out of the state. Once Mr. Dayton has run most of the rich out of Minnesota, he can start a new mantra: We have to make the upper middle class pay their fair share of taxes.

Marv Chell

Pine River

Grand finale is Wednesday

Last Sunday nearly 800 people attended the Lakes Area Chamber Music Festival All American Concert at the Heritage Assembly of God Church in Baxter. As I walked past two full parking lots and couldn't help but think that the Lakes Area has something good here.

Scott Lykens and Layton James opened the concert with "Three Preludes for Piano" by George Gershwin. They positioned themselves right at the edge of the stage so the audience was involved in the performance. Gershwin composes to captivate the audience and challenge the pianist. Layton James was up to the challenge and I am sure the Assembly's grand piano wants him back. Scott Lykens showed the audience that he "owns" the music that he performs, and Jascha Heifetz cut him little slack in his arrangement to include the cello.

Maria Bellanca was living proof that angels do sing ... in Baxter ... and in English. She took us away from today's "Teach me how to Dougie" blaring from your neighbors overly amplified KIA, and back to a "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" where times were simpler, talk was quieter, and the front porch twitter was from birds in the branches. Maria sang, the orchestra played and we all went back in time.

The Lakes Area Chamber Orchestra performed "Appalachian Spring" by Aaron Copland as the concert finale. Set in the 1800s this music was meant to help us celebrate the American pioneers, their hard work, their celebrations, their religion, their joy, their place in the world.

The concert ended, but the festival continues. The grand finale for the Chamber Music Festival is this Wednesday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m. at Tornstrom Auditorium. I expect to be at Tornstrom in the audience with my family and I will be thinking ... we do have something good here.

Robert Nibbe

Brainerd

Bring on the negative ads

I believe that babies born to illegal immigrants should not automatically be U.S. citizens, but be considered citizens of the same country as the parents who are already breaking the law. As for those who argue that the Constitution guarantees it, the government is always changing what was applicable before. The country isn't the same as it was years ago. Citizens were guaranteed the right to bear muskets, not assault rifles, women were denied the vote, slavery was condoned, Social Security was not to be taxed and the trust fund was not to be used for anything else, etc. How about taxation without representation? We now have taxes on hundreds of goods and services and who represents the average citizen?

On another note, I appreciate negative campaign ads. Before every election we hear candidates say what they are going to do after they are elected. And do they do it? I want to hear what those already in government have not done or what they have done illegally or immorally so I don't vote for them again.

Julie Pawlak

Hackensack