Opinion

The Legislature adjourned “Sine Die” - Latin for the end of the session - this past Thursday. I will devote the next few weekly updates to an in-depth look at the bills that passed and failed during this first session of the 107th Nebraska legislature. This week, I want to talk about the Convention of States (COS) resolution.

The value of Damask rose Dear Editor, Having family in Valentine and vicinity, I read the Midland News article Create a garden anywhere with straw bale gardening, May 25, issue. As the article noted, this technique allows a person to create a raised bed garden on the patio, lawn, or where poor compacted soil exists.

In the evenings I have been watching Mountain Men. These solitary individuals may have a family somewhere but they live in confinement, by themselves, in a tent or mostly in a log cabin they have constructed.

His favorite line was… “Whatever you do, make sure you do it in such a way that you’d want to sign your name to it!” Maybe that’s why I take the effort and pains to redo quilt squares, polish articles, and do just about everything else I do. He set the example and the bar was high.

On Memorial Day we set aside time to honor and remember those who put on our nation’s uniform and gave their lives in defense of our freedoms. The willingness of many to defend our borders, our freedom, and our Republic is what keeps the American dream alive and the United States a prominent leader on the world stage. We are reminded of the selfless acts of heroism of our armed forces who served in past conflicts and those who continue to serve around the world today.

Lawmakers are going home to await the call to come back to Lincoln to tackle that once-a-decade task of redistricting. It’s high political drama for deeply partisan senators in a non-partisan Unicameral.

The coronavirus pandemic has been a long journey, but through it all Nebraskans have pulled together to keep people healthy. On March 6, 2020, Nebraska reported its first positive case of the coronavirus. Over the last 15 months, Nebraskans have made many sacrifices. We have spent time apart from each other, figured out how to manage schools and businesses, and worked hard to slow the spread of the virus to protect our hospitals.

Memorial Day began in the years after the Civil War, when it was originally called “Decoration Day.” At the first official celebration of this holiday in 1868, then-Congressman James A. Garfield, who would become our 20th president, said in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery that those who gave their lives for our country “summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens.”

The first session of the one-hundred seventh Nebraska Legislature has drawn to a close. The Speaker has announced that we adjourned “sine die” on Thursday the May 27. Sine die is a Latin phrase that means “without day.” To adjourn sine die indicates the final adjournment of a regular legislative session for the year. We adjourned six legislative days early.

Our nation’s law enforcement officers work every day to keep our communities safe. We owe it to these brave individuals to provide them with the resources necessary to do their jobs both safely and securely across America. I stand with our law enforcement officers and thank them for putting their lives on the line. Yet despite their service, there are still calls to “defund the police,” which would leave our communities less safe and drive economic opportunity away from areas that need it most.