Pastor's column: There Arose a New Generation

By Pastor Ethan Bogan
Faith Bible Fellowship

My generation, Gen Z (born approx. between 1995 and 2010), can broadly be described as lost and confused. They are a generation primarily raised by smartphones, social media, and therapists, where they are taught that truth is subjective, God is an illusion, and their existence is simply a happy accident. They are told children are a burden to be sacrificed on the altar of self-advancement. They have been force-fed a delusion society calls ‘identity’ and encouraged to mutilate their bodies in pursuit of this delusion. In short, my generation is a generation that does not know Jesus Christ. They are sheep without a Shepherd. The result is not a generational ticking time bomb; instead, it is a full-scale nuclear meltdown, complete with far-reaching effects that, if left unchecked, will result in disastrous, unforeseen consequences.

Thanking those who served

By Jerry Wadian

      March 29 is officially National Vietnam Veterans Day; a day to remember and honor the 8.7 million Americans who served in the armed forces during what is called the Vietnam Era (between Aug. 5, 1964, through May 7, 1973).   

      The first official plan for a day to honor these vets came in 2012 and signed into law in 2017. (See additional information in adjacent news article)

      What is often overlooked, is over 10,000 of the Vietnam vets are women, with 10 of them listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Actually, almost 11,000 women were in Vietnam, and many have PTSD.

Tribes of the Turkey River

By Terry Landsgaard

       May of 1832 was not a happy place in parts of the Upper Midwest-as the Black Hawk War began! 

     A brief conflict ensued when the Sauk leader Black Hawk led a group of Native Americans, which included Kickapoos, Meskwakis and Sauks, across the Mississippi River and back into the territory of Illinois. Black Hawk's intent was to recapture the land that the United States had claimed in the 1804 treaty, without bloodshed if possible.

Week 11 Legislation

By Representative Chad Ingels

        Legislative action during week 11 in the Iowa House may finally be bringing some closure to three priority education issues at the Capitol.

      On Thursday, the House passed an amended version HF 2612. The bill was originally passed by the House three weeks ago and included our version of the Area Education Agency (AEA) reform that was much less disruptive than the governor proposed earlier in the year.

Greetings from the Statehouse

By Representative Michael Bergan

      Now that the second funnel has come and gone, the legislative session is entering the final stretch. This week was mainly spent passing simple bills that made their way through the funnel, except for HF 259 which expands eligibility of veterans’ benefits, and the AEA bill that made its way over from the Senate.

      Outside of legislation, the Capitol, as usual, was filled with visitors. Some of the visitors I met with included Iowa PBS, middle school students from Fayette County, and members of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. 

      Provided below is some notable legislation.

Easter! Ready to know what happens next

By Pastor Pam Reinig

Stephen replied, “…The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.” Acts 7:2 

Mark and I have inconsistent TV viewing habits. We’ll watch several episodes of a series and then stop. And then come back again. For viewers like us, it’s nice to have each show preceded a good “previously on” refresher of what we saw earlier.

A recap that starts the next season of a show or even the next episode is essential. If it’s well-made, the whole story comes sweeping back. It reminds you of what’s already happened so that you’re right back in the action, ready to know what happens next.

On duty with the 9th Engineers in the 7th Army, Robert Swenson is shown standing in the snow in front of one of the large bulldozers he had to use as a combat engineer. (Courtesy photo)

An Army engineer remembers Germany

By Jerry Wadian

      It was 1963 when Robert Swenson got his draft notice. As a farmer, he could apply for deferment but his father, a Navy man in World War I, told him, “You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”

      So, he left the farm and went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training. After graduation, Swenson was sent to AIT (Advanced In-dividual Training) to be a combat engineer.

      “I didn’t ask for engineering, but the Army looked at my aptitude tests and thought I’d be good at it,” Swenson stated.

       In addition, the engineer-to-be didn’t have to travel far to learn his craft – the school was located at Leonard Wood.

To the people of House District 68

By Representative Chad Ingels

      Week 10 is the second funnel week for the 2024 legislative session. To pass the second funnel, bills originating in the House must pass a Senate committee and Senate bills must pass a House committee.

      So far this year, the Senate has only passed 57 bills, with zero in week 10, while the House has passed 163 bills. With that in mind, there wasn’t a lot of push for House committees to do much this week.

      I serve on four policy committees, Agriculture, Education, Economic Growth and Technology, and Veterans Affairs. Each of my committees only considered one Senate bill, except for Economic Growth, which considered none.

Greetings from the Statehouse

By Representative Michael Bergan

      This is the week of the second funnel, meaning that by the end of the day Friday (March 15), all bills eligible for debate on the House Floor must have been passed by either the House or the Senate. As such, things have been very busy amongst the legislators as we work together to decide which bills to advance.

      Speaking of bills, some of the bills that passed in the House this week involved the regulation of products containing THC and school safety. But while time has been scarce, it has not been scarce enough to the point where I could not find to meet with visitors to the Capitol. Some of these visitors included members of MiEnergy and Allamakee-Clayton Rural Electric Cooperative, and members of the Iowa State Association of Counties. 

      Here are some notable bills that were passed in the House this week.

Tribes of the Turkey River

Submitted by Terry Landsgaard

      Prairie du Chien was a real melting pot of cultures and peoples. Its location at the mouth of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers was perfect for all kinds of gatherings and confrontations. 

      Three major western cultures converged in Prairie du Chien; the French Canadian, British and American.  Each of them had a major "playing field" for this rich cultural center.