Opinion

In Nebraska, we’ve endured more than our fair share of adversity over the past 3+ years. The floods of March 2019 were the most widespread natural disaster in state history. Then, the coronavirus struck our state in March 2020 and continued upending lives throughout 2021. This spring, our state experienced the worst wildfires of the past decade. Meanwhile, families are dealing with the financial pressures of the highest inflation in 40+ years.

If you’re familiar with the cattle industry, you are probably aware that cattle producers are receiving a falling share of the beef dollar. At the start of the pandemic demand for beef was through the roof, forcing consumers to pay higher prices for steaks and other products. Many family ranchers understand ably expected that to lead to a long-overdue profit increase for their operations.

I have been on the ground in Ukraine for almost a month. The things I have seen and the things I have been told by scores of soldiers and government officials in the cities and towns I visit would fill a book. It’s hard to know where to begin because I try to keep this weekly update to about 500 words. In this installment I will try to describe some history behind this war.

As our nation celebrated Independence Day, the grocery bill for cookouts and picnics is hitting the budgets of American families harder this year. The American Farm Bureau Federation calculated U.S. consumers are paying 17 percent more for standard Fourth of July fixings than last year. Fur thermore, soaring gas prices are limiting summer vacation plans and travel. It’s not just holiday expenses: American families are feeling the pain caused by the Biden administra tion’s failed policies every single day. Costs are up across the board. We need a comprehensive plan to lower costs for families, maximize our domestic resources, and combat a looming recession.

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.