Waterloo and Cedar Falls speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Feb. 20, 2026
- Updated
- 0
Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Courier.
- Updated
David Kamprath (Letter, Feb. 10) thinks we should ignore the behavior of ICE agents because Alex Pretti exhibited bad behavior by impeding ICE agents from rounding up alleged illegal immigrants and placing them in concentration camps. ICE killed Pretti.
He thinks by blaming the victim, people will ignore what ICE is doing. This is a classic tactic often used in rape cases. If a rape victim had not acted provocatively, she wouldn’t have been raped.
- Updated
Lincoln needs a traffic signal at 10th and High streets.
Van Dorn Park lies on a stretch of Nebraska Parkway from 14th Street north to Van Dorn Street, one of Lincoln’s six busiest with an average of 30,000 cars daily.
- Updated
On Feb. 11, the Executive Board of the Legislative Council reprimanded Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh for removing posters depicting PragerU’s “Founders Museum” exhibit. Much has been said of that exhibit’s centering of white men in the founding generation, minimization of chattel slavery and erasure of the genocide of Indigenous peoples. It is also worth placing that exhibit in the context of PragerU’s broader propagandistic objectives.
PragerU has received funding from Dan and Farris Wilks, a pair of hydraulic fracking billionaires. Unsurprisingly, PragerU has produced numerous videos defending hydraulic fracking and broader industry deregulation. In its 2017 video “If You Live in Freedom, Thank the British Empire,” PragerU defended British imperialism in India, Africa and Ireland, disregarding the millions killed and the cultures and languages eradicated in manufactured famines and massacres. PragerU has repeatedly denied Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians since the Nakba. In 2018, PragerU described Muslim immigration as “The Suicide of Europe,” channeling fascist rhetoric, and leaving the means for Europe’s “rebirth” up to the viewer’s imagination.
- Updated
According to the Lincoln Journal Star on Friday, Feb. 13, Gov. Pillen's referral to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office to criminally prosecute Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh for taking down several posters around her office at the Capitol continues to be active. I find this completely uncalled for and way over the top given the circumstances.
1. Sen. Cavanaugh has already been reprimanded by the Legislature's Executive Board. She’s apologized to the powers that be at least three times.
- Updated
Gov. Pillen continues to use hateful rhetoric that is damaging to people in our state. Do we really want a governor who calls people who he disagrees with “libtards”? Do we want a governor who labels a job posting from Lincoln Public Schools as “woke garbage”? Gov. Pillen is Christian but his hateful attitude towards the LGBTQ community is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus welcomed people who were different than him, often befriending people whom others were rejecting. Pillen does the opposite, which causes disharmony and division in our community.
Kris Lausterer, Papillion
- Updated
As a retired pediatrician who treated childhood diseases, I am appalled at the federal attack on vaccines that have been shown to be safe and effective. The foundation for the continued control of infectious disease is a public health system which can render a strong response to epidemics as well as to common diseases that require yearly immunizations.
Recently LB203 was approved, and it subordinates a health department's responsibility to a City Council or County Board. This would hinder efforts to limit a disease. A case in point is that Lancaster County’s health department, acting independently during the Covid epidemic, had the lowest mortality rate in the state.
- Updated
If you are a United States senator from Nebraska and you have never risked being berated by President Donald Trump for criticizing any of his almost daily, heinous, cruel, incompetent or unlawful acts or proclamations, your name is either Deb Fischer or Pete Ricketts. It is probably true that you are proud of your extremely careful, cunning, avoidance of his heated, hateful scorn and humiliation by never pointing your finger at him when he is guilty of anything of substance. So when an opportunity came for a soft and safe landing, you both jumped. By asking him to apologize to the Obamas for his social media video depicting them as apes, you made yourselves appear as decent, caring, lovable, and especially, electable people. How gutsy of you.
Being non-committal, feigning ignorance, and looking the other way when Trump's soulless atrocities came to your attention over the years defined both of you as heartless, biased, selfish, and maybe even crooked politicians -- just like the guy you protected. How sad that elected Nebraska officials compromise themselves for personal and party gain.
- Updated
A 2024 survey released by The Trevor Project found that 39% of LGBTQ+ youth considered suicide. That number increased for transgender folx and was even higher for their non-white peers.
It was found that 12% of LGBTQ youth did attempt suicide.
- Updated
Who would have guessed what is on my mind today?
Nebraska voters supported Trump and our state elected (lap dog) Republican senators and representatives only to find themselves in deep financial trouble (a $471 million deficit) because of Trump’s Big Terrible Bill. And just where do you think the money will come from to fill the gap?
- Updated
I'm easily upset by party over politics. So I was pleasantly surprised by Senator Ricketts response to Trump's racism. I hope we can elect people who will serve all their constituents, not just those who voted for them. Politicians would be smart to speak up when they see someone, anyone wronged among those they serve. Although I have lost all hope that Gov. Pillen wants to serve "lib****s" like me. Do better politicians. And do better voters.
Kris Lynch, Lincoln
- Updated
In case you hadn't noticed — and they're hoping that most of us don't — the Nebraska unicameral just made an expressly anti-democratic law (LB258) that showcases their class loyalty.
The people of Nebraska voted in 2022 to increase the minimum wage, and crucially, to tie it to inflation. The Senate just re-decoupled wages from inflation, meaning the buying power of our wages will continue to erode like the $7.25 one did. Countless working people all over Nebraska just got screwed, and most us aren't even aware it happened.
- Updated
It is admirable to want young people to value civic engagement and civil debate. Governor Jim Pillen recently invoked this goal in advocating for a partnership with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in Nebraska schools. He has framed the issue as a struggle between “right and wrong, God and Satan,” suggesting this ideological battle is central to students’ development.
Traditionally, the skills he describes — critical thinking and civil discourse — have been taught in civics, philosophy and speech classes, while religious instruction has been left to families and houses of worship. This proposal, however, moves beyond civic education. It uses a government platform to elevate a particular religious and political perspective.
- Updated
I'm writing about the president's posting of racist imagery depicting the Obamas. While it has been removed, that it was posted at all by a sitting president is a moral catastrophe.
I'm currently reading Wright Thompson's "The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi," about Emmett Till’s lynching. The same dehumanizing hatred that led to his murder in 1955 — the same racist tropes and prejudices — has now been posted by our president. We are not moving forward as a country. We are hurtling backward toward our darkest chapters.
- Updated
I would like to publicly thank Donald Trump for giving America an ironclad argument for why Black History Month is vital. For as long as such blatant ignorance and racism are present, especially in the highest offices of America, we need to consistently remind all citizens of the contributions and history of Black Americans. Not sure if that was Trump’s intent when he posted the horrendous image of Barack and Michelle Obama, but it did remind a lot of people of who he really is.
Mary Schuster-Graff, Beatrice
- Updated
A letter to Congress (Fischer, Ricketts, Flood):
I believe that your party leader Trump has some serious health/mental/legal issues that make him unfit for office.
- Updated
Interesting to see Ricketts and Fischer finally stand up against Trump on something. Ricketts' depiction of the video as a “mistake”? Fischer saying we should show “respect and kindness.” You’re missing the core: Trump is a racist. He is offensive and childlike. His values are to make money and look out for himself and other rich people. Period. What is most appalling for me is his followers who are complicit by continuing to make excuses and continuing to back him. Oh, and Gov. Pillen who is behaving like a mini Trump. My little sister died a year ago. She had severe cognitive disability. The use of "libtard" burned me to the core. It is an absolute embarrassment to say I’m an American under Trump.
Michelle Baxter, Lincoln
- Updated
Turning Point USA is a conservative political advocacy organization that puts professors and school board members who disagree with the organization's conservative views on public watch lists. The founder denied that Trump lost the 2020 election and sent seven buses of students to the Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. The governor has announced a partnership between our state and TPUSA to bring chapters to every Nebraska high school.
Public school spaces should remain neutral environments where students are free from state-sponsored ideological pressure. My concern is not about whether these organizations are established within high schools. My concern is the governor's role in this. It is an unprecedented abuse of power and of state resources to direct attention, time or money towards creation of these political groups on public high school campuses across Nebraska. Can you imagine the outcry by conservatives if a Democratic governor proposed backing student organizations with liberal views in every public high school? Please speak out against this un-American partnership.
- Updated
If our state's governor thinks that there should be a Turning Point USA chapter in all of Nebraska's high schools, I think it should be balanced with insisting that there should also be a "Common Cause USA" chapter in every one of Nebraska's high schools.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. They work to create open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
- Updated
In regard to David Kamprath’s letter 2/11/26:
To start with, violence of any kind is wrong.
- Updated
For as long as people have been settling in Nebraska, one thing has always been true: local communities know what works for them better than anyone in Lincoln does. Whether it’s zoning energy production, protecting farmland or managing growth, counties have always had the authority to make decisions that fit their residents. That’s not just tradition; it’s basic common sense. But LB1204 takes people’s power away and hands it to the state and to utilities, with no accountability. That’s not good policy, and it’s not good for Nebraska.
LB1204 is the clearest example of the problem. The bill completely strips counties of their zoning authority for energy and storage projects. It says political subdivisions “shall not impose” any permitting or zoning requirements more restrictive than the state’s new standards. That means counties can’t set their own setbacks, can’t require conditional use permits, can’t adopt stronger noise limits, or decommissioning rules. Even local ordinances become “void and unenforceable.” In other words, the state is telling rural communities they no longer get a say in what gets built next to their homes, farms, or schools.
- Updated
Jane Raybould must not be shopping at her own stores to see what’s happening to prices! How will her employees afford to shop there if they can’t make a living wage? I am comfortable so I pay. But I know young people who work, who don’t qualify for SNAP or EBT. How can they make it? I’m sure all her business friends are thanking her because their perception is that they can’t afford to pay. How about compassion for those who don’t have tax deductions, vacation homes nor vacations at all because they don’t have enough money? Car repairs threaten to sink them financially. Medical bills are impossible for them. Yes, they have to have phones to job hunt and that costs money. They need real wages to keep up. Let’s help them!
Christine Grosh, Lincoln
- Updated
During the Vietnam War, in March of 1968, on orders of their captain, American troops destroyed the hamlet of My Lai and slaughtered over 400 of its villagers. In light of that horrible atrocity the American government adopted a new military policy. That being that American military personnel do not have to follow unlawful orders. For example: targeting civilians, torturing prisoners, falsifying official records or engaging in criminal conduct
When the Democratic Arizona U.S. senator, retired Naval combat aviator veteran and astronaut Mark Kelly, and others said American troops didn’t have to follow unlawful orders, they weren’t making that up. They were reminding our country of its own national policy of decent humane conduct, even in war. This U.S. government needs to stop falsely prosecuting Kelly for standing up for the truth.
More like this...
David Kamprath (Letter, Feb. 10) thinks we should ignore the behavior of ICE agents because Alex Pretti exhibited bad behavior by impeding ICE agents from rounding up alleged illegal immigrants and placing them in concentration camps. ICE killed Pretti.
He thinks by blaming the victim, people will ignore what ICE is doing. This is a classic tactic often used in rape cases. If a rape victim had not acted provocatively, she wouldn’t have been raped.
Lincoln needs a traffic signal at 10th and High streets.
Van Dorn Park lies on a stretch of Nebraska Parkway from 14th Street north to Van Dorn Street, one of Lincoln’s six busiest with an average of 30,000 cars daily.
On Feb. 11, the Executive Board of the Legislative Council reprimanded Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh for removing posters depicting PragerU’s “Founders Museum” exhibit. Much has been said of that exhibit’s centering of white men in the founding generation, minimization of chattel slavery and erasure of the genocide of Indigenous peoples. It is also worth placing that exhibit in the context of PragerU’s broader propagandistic objectives.
PragerU has received funding from Dan and Farris Wilks, a pair of hydraulic fracking billionaires. Unsurprisingly, PragerU has produced numerous videos defending hydraulic fracking and broader industry deregulation. In its 2017 video “If You Live in Freedom, Thank the British Empire,” PragerU defended British imperialism in India, Africa and Ireland, disregarding the millions killed and the cultures and languages eradicated in manufactured famines and massacres. PragerU has repeatedly denied Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians since the Nakba. In 2018, PragerU described Muslim immigration as “The Suicide of Europe,” channeling fascist rhetoric, and leaving the means for Europe’s “rebirth” up to the viewer’s imagination.
According to the Lincoln Journal Star on Friday, Feb. 13, Gov. Pillen's referral to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office to criminally prosecute Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh for taking down several posters around her office at the Capitol continues to be active. I find this completely uncalled for and way over the top given the circumstances.
1. Sen. Cavanaugh has already been reprimanded by the Legislature's Executive Board. She’s apologized to the powers that be at least three times.
Gov. Pillen continues to use hateful rhetoric that is damaging to people in our state. Do we really want a governor who calls people who he disagrees with “libtards”? Do we want a governor who labels a job posting from Lincoln Public Schools as “woke garbage”? Gov. Pillen is Christian but his hateful attitude towards the LGBTQ community is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus welcomed people who were different than him, often befriending people whom others were rejecting. Pillen does the opposite, which causes disharmony and division in our community.
Kris Lausterer, Papillion
As a retired pediatrician who treated childhood diseases, I am appalled at the federal attack on vaccines that have been shown to be safe and effective. The foundation for the continued control of infectious disease is a public health system which can render a strong response to epidemics as well as to common diseases that require yearly immunizations.
Recently LB203 was approved, and it subordinates a health department's responsibility to a City Council or County Board. This would hinder efforts to limit a disease. A case in point is that Lancaster County’s health department, acting independently during the Covid epidemic, had the lowest mortality rate in the state.
If you are a United States senator from Nebraska and you have never risked being berated by President Donald Trump for criticizing any of his almost daily, heinous, cruel, incompetent or unlawful acts or proclamations, your name is either Deb Fischer or Pete Ricketts. It is probably true that you are proud of your extremely careful, cunning, avoidance of his heated, hateful scorn and humiliation by never pointing your finger at him when he is guilty of anything of substance. So when an opportunity came for a soft and safe landing, you both jumped. By asking him to apologize to the Obamas for his social media video depicting them as apes, you made yourselves appear as decent, caring, lovable, and especially, electable people. How gutsy of you.
Being non-committal, feigning ignorance, and looking the other way when Trump's soulless atrocities came to your attention over the years defined both of you as heartless, biased, selfish, and maybe even crooked politicians -- just like the guy you protected. How sad that elected Nebraska officials compromise themselves for personal and party gain.
A 2024 survey released by The Trevor Project found that 39% of LGBTQ+ youth considered suicide. That number increased for transgender folx and was even higher for their non-white peers.
It was found that 12% of LGBTQ youth did attempt suicide.
Who would have guessed what is on my mind today?
Nebraska voters supported Trump and our state elected (lap dog) Republican senators and representatives only to find themselves in deep financial trouble (a $471 million deficit) because of Trump’s Big Terrible Bill. And just where do you think the money will come from to fill the gap?
I'm easily upset by party over politics. So I was pleasantly surprised by Senator Ricketts response to Trump's racism. I hope we can elect people who will serve all their constituents, not just those who voted for them. Politicians would be smart to speak up when they see someone, anyone wronged among those they serve. Although I have lost all hope that Gov. Pillen wants to serve "lib****s" like me. Do better politicians. And do better voters.
Kris Lynch, Lincoln
In case you hadn't noticed — and they're hoping that most of us don't — the Nebraska unicameral just made an expressly anti-democratic law (LB258) that showcases their class loyalty.
The people of Nebraska voted in 2022 to increase the minimum wage, and crucially, to tie it to inflation. The Senate just re-decoupled wages from inflation, meaning the buying power of our wages will continue to erode like the $7.25 one did. Countless working people all over Nebraska just got screwed, and most us aren't even aware it happened.
It is admirable to want young people to value civic engagement and civil debate. Governor Jim Pillen recently invoked this goal in advocating for a partnership with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in Nebraska schools. He has framed the issue as a struggle between “right and wrong, God and Satan,” suggesting this ideological battle is central to students’ development.
Traditionally, the skills he describes — critical thinking and civil discourse — have been taught in civics, philosophy and speech classes, while religious instruction has been left to families and houses of worship. This proposal, however, moves beyond civic education. It uses a government platform to elevate a particular religious and political perspective.
I'm writing about the president's posting of racist imagery depicting the Obamas. While it has been removed, that it was posted at all by a sitting president is a moral catastrophe.
I'm currently reading Wright Thompson's "The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi," about Emmett Till’s lynching. The same dehumanizing hatred that led to his murder in 1955 — the same racist tropes and prejudices — has now been posted by our president. We are not moving forward as a country. We are hurtling backward toward our darkest chapters.
I would like to publicly thank Donald Trump for giving America an ironclad argument for why Black History Month is vital. For as long as such blatant ignorance and racism are present, especially in the highest offices of America, we need to consistently remind all citizens of the contributions and history of Black Americans. Not sure if that was Trump’s intent when he posted the horrendous image of Barack and Michelle Obama, but it did remind a lot of people of who he really is.
Mary Schuster-Graff, Beatrice
A letter to Congress (Fischer, Ricketts, Flood):
I believe that your party leader Trump has some serious health/mental/legal issues that make him unfit for office.
Interesting to see Ricketts and Fischer finally stand up against Trump on something. Ricketts' depiction of the video as a “mistake”? Fischer saying we should show “respect and kindness.” You’re missing the core: Trump is a racist. He is offensive and childlike. His values are to make money and look out for himself and other rich people. Period. What is most appalling for me is his followers who are complicit by continuing to make excuses and continuing to back him. Oh, and Gov. Pillen who is behaving like a mini Trump. My little sister died a year ago. She had severe cognitive disability. The use of "libtard" burned me to the core. It is an absolute embarrassment to say I’m an American under Trump.
Michelle Baxter, Lincoln
Turning Point USA is a conservative political advocacy organization that puts professors and school board members who disagree with the organization's conservative views on public watch lists. The founder denied that Trump lost the 2020 election and sent seven buses of students to the Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. The governor has announced a partnership between our state and TPUSA to bring chapters to every Nebraska high school.
Public school spaces should remain neutral environments where students are free from state-sponsored ideological pressure. My concern is not about whether these organizations are established within high schools. My concern is the governor's role in this. It is an unprecedented abuse of power and of state resources to direct attention, time or money towards creation of these political groups on public high school campuses across Nebraska. Can you imagine the outcry by conservatives if a Democratic governor proposed backing student organizations with liberal views in every public high school? Please speak out against this un-American partnership.
If our state's governor thinks that there should be a Turning Point USA chapter in all of Nebraska's high schools, I think it should be balanced with insisting that there should also be a "Common Cause USA" chapter in every one of Nebraska's high schools.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. They work to create open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
In regard to David Kamprath’s letter 2/11/26:
To start with, violence of any kind is wrong.
For as long as people have been settling in Nebraska, one thing has always been true: local communities know what works for them better than anyone in Lincoln does. Whether it’s zoning energy production, protecting farmland or managing growth, counties have always had the authority to make decisions that fit their residents. That’s not just tradition; it’s basic common sense. But LB1204 takes people’s power away and hands it to the state and to utilities, with no accountability. That’s not good policy, and it’s not good for Nebraska.
LB1204 is the clearest example of the problem. The bill completely strips counties of their zoning authority for energy and storage projects. It says political subdivisions “shall not impose” any permitting or zoning requirements more restrictive than the state’s new standards. That means counties can’t set their own setbacks, can’t require conditional use permits, can’t adopt stronger noise limits, or decommissioning rules. Even local ordinances become “void and unenforceable.” In other words, the state is telling rural communities they no longer get a say in what gets built next to their homes, farms, or schools.
Jane Raybould must not be shopping at her own stores to see what’s happening to prices! How will her employees afford to shop there if they can’t make a living wage? I am comfortable so I pay. But I know young people who work, who don’t qualify for SNAP or EBT. How can they make it? I’m sure all her business friends are thanking her because their perception is that they can’t afford to pay. How about compassion for those who don’t have tax deductions, vacation homes nor vacations at all because they don’t have enough money? Car repairs threaten to sink them financially. Medical bills are impossible for them. Yes, they have to have phones to job hunt and that costs money. They need real wages to keep up. Let’s help them!
Christine Grosh, Lincoln
During the Vietnam War, in March of 1968, on orders of their captain, American troops destroyed the hamlet of My Lai and slaughtered over 400 of its villagers. In light of that horrible atrocity the American government adopted a new military policy. That being that American military personnel do not have to follow unlawful orders. For example: targeting civilians, torturing prisoners, falsifying official records or engaging in criminal conduct
When the Democratic Arizona U.S. senator, retired Naval combat aviator veteran and astronaut Mark Kelly, and others said American troops didn’t have to follow unlawful orders, they weren’t making that up. They were reminding our country of its own national policy of decent humane conduct, even in war. This U.S. government needs to stop falsely prosecuting Kelly for standing up for the truth.
More like this...
Most Popular
-
Boone Tederman beats leukemia to help Gothenburg earn first state berth since 2017
-
Price's Rentals will offer free rides for workers to North Platte beginning Monday
-
Lutheran Family Services in Nebraska receives $1.1M gift to help support former Tyson employees from Lexington
-
2 arrested after Lexington police carry out arrest warrants
-
Gothenburg student receives Nebraska Wheat Growers Association scholarship
