Opinion

The special election to replace former First District Congressman Jeff Fortenberry was the first in Nebraska in 71 years. State Senator Mike Flood, of Norfolk, was elected to replace Fortenberry who was sentenced, the same day, to two years probation, a $25,000 fine, and 320 hours of community service after being found guilty of lying to the FBI about receiving campaign contributions from a foreigner.

Many Nebraskans are familiar with the work the NSP does to keep our roads safe. In Nebraska, severe weather can come on suddenly. Blizzards, thunderstorms, and extreme winds create treacherous driving conditions with little warning. Every season of the year, our Troopers perform lifesaving rescues of stranded motorists. NSP made 163 rescues during the historic floods of March 2019. Later that year, in July, NSP made over 100 additional rescues as rapidly rising floodwaters inundated Gibbon, Kearney, and Wood River.

This year I spent the 4th of July holiday in Ukraine. During my long military career I spent countless holidays deployed overseas, but this one was particularly poignant. I have had a chance to see much of the battlefield. The destruction, death and suffering is beyond anything I have ever seen in person. Photographs of Berlin at the end of WWII is the kind of destruction now found in Ukraine. This is not a war with insurgents and irregular guerrilla fighters launching hit-and-run ambushes with roadside bombs like the Taliban or ISIS. This is two very modern, uniformed militaries of countries that are both represented in the United Nations. This is a mechanized, force-on-force, combined arms death match.

As tensions rise as a result of Russia’s occupation of Ukraine and China’s military exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, our very own homeland security is at risk of being overlooked. Alarming data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reveal CBP encountered a record 239,416 individuals attempting to enter our country illegally at our southern border during the month of May

News Item: A Subway sandwich customer allegedly shot two employees after he reportedly became angry over too much mayonnaise on his sandwich, police said. One employee died and the other is in critical condition.

Religious freedom is the first freedom listed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

There was recently a momentous victory for life when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade decision on June 24, 2022. This marked an amazing day for our nation and a huge victory for the pro-life movement.

Earlier this year, I made it clear that my number one priority in the Legislature was to pass a permitless concealed carry bill. I believe that our laws should allow Nebraskans to exercise their right to keep and bear arms without asking permission, paying a fee, or jumping through other bureaucratic hoops. Civil rights should not come with a price tag from the state.

The importance of a strong agriculture economy to the state of Nebraska and our entire nation cannot be overstated. Often overlooked in policy conversations, the products supplied by farmers and ranchers are fundamental to fueling our lives, filling our plates, putting shirts on our backs, and so much more. Yet, American ag producers currently face a bevy of historic crises which threaten their livelihoods and the long-term health of our economy. This comes at a time when relief for Americans suffering because of inflation and the security of the global food supply depends heavily on the American agriculture industry.

A federal judge’s ruling to temporarily bar the state from enforcing a requirement on petition circulators will likely open the door for several groups to get their measures before voters in November.