Southeast Nebraska speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jun. 12, 2026
Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
- Updated
I’ve been warned! I came home after work to see an orange sign planted in my yard that told me I must remove the weeds and worthless vegetation. Next to the sign were several milkweed plants, young coneflowers, little bluestem, switchgrass, leadplant and liatris. In the fall, our Nebraska State flower, goldenrod, will be in bloom. With respect to “worthlessness” we’ve got pollinator services, water conservation, native vegetation, and no need for the application of weed killers or fertilizers. Maybe I should consider removing the pin oak, it really doesn’t belong on the Great Plains.
Tom Powers, Lincoln
- Updated
Hometown neighbors, his lifelong barber and rural Nebraskans expressed concern as Mike Flood switched topics, was evasive or lied when asked hard questions at May’s Norfolk town hall meeting.
When Mike touts “no tax on tips” as a win in his presentations, he fails to specify “only for one year," a lie by omission. Within the first few minutes of the Norfolk town hall he touted “no tax on tips” without the one-year caveat as a win, again.
- Updated
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Finland, Sweden and Denmark. While there, we enjoyed traveling in inexpensive and efficient electric trains, trams, and cars. While most of the buses we traveled in weren’t electric, they were also inexpensive and efficient to use.
After reading about “Who Killed Lincoln’s Streetcars?” in the Friday, June 5, Journal Star, I lament that we’ll never have inexpensive and efficient electric public transportation again in Lincoln. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t at least buy an electric car, which we’ll do very soon!
- Updated
Glad to see Deb Fischer has time to yuck it up with Nick Saban. It is a shame she can’t pay more attention to her campaign promises.
Judging from her numerous television commercials, Fischer ran on two issues:
- Updated
Are you wondering when the Iran war will end? I have some opinions about that to share with you: it is my opinion that neither Trump nor Iran want the war to end before the election in November. Trump knows that when the war ends we will continue our discussions of the Epstein files. Also, Trump believes that his loyal followers approve of the war in Iran which will help him maintain Congress in the hands of the Republicans.
Iran, knowing that most Americans disapprove of the war, believe continuing it until the election in November will help the Democrats take over both houses of Congress. Iran has more to gain by continuing the war than the United States. It would appear that they have a great American giant on its knees and being humiliated in the eyes of the world.
- Updated
Jim Pillen said, "In Nebraska, we do not tolerate hate in any form.” Good to know, but, apparently, it's acceptable to hate libtards, Chinese and Palestinians. You do us proud, guv.
Gunter Hofmann, Lincoln
- Updated
Truth matters. We learned this continuously from our mothers and fathers. We learned this from the Ten Commandments. We learned this from our teachers and those who worked hard to guide us toward accountability. We learned this from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A five-alarm fire is now raging in the U.S. because lies are being told and Scott Pelley was fired from "60 Minutes." "60 Minutes" used to be a news program where we could get the truth. But no longer. Why is this happening? We all need to stand up and demand truth. We must demand free speech and a free press. A press controlled by the federal government or demanded by a liar in the White House will not serve us well or at all. We must stand up and demand accountability. The firing of Scott Pelley is shameful. This is happening because there are people in this country that want to control what we know. And by controlling what we know they believe they can control what we think. Well, I am having none of that. We need to look in the mirror and we need to look in our sacred scriptures, of all religions, and let everyone know that lies are unacceptable. A free press must be free to tell the truth. We must expect the truth. We must tell the truth. We must demand the truth.
Charlotte Liggett, Lincoln
- Updated
The Journal Star (Opinion, June 2) and several readers criticize Gov. Pillen for making racist comments about Palestinians. “... they are born to kill Jews and Christians.”
What Pillen does not understand is that both Jews and Arabs are Semitic-speaking people. They are not different races. Racism really should not be used to criticize people because we know from sequencing DNA that there are no genetically distinct populations of humans called races as there are distinct breeds of dogs. All humans are mutts and Hitler’s notion of a master race is nonsense.
- Updated
I do not want my tax dollars to go to fund ICE. Sens. Ricketts and Fischer just voted to approve a $70 billion immigration enforcement package, which includes tens of billions for ICE. They are helping the president bankrupt this country. I have never minded people coming from other countries to have a better life. My great-grandparents came from Germany in the 1850s. I hope they weren't mistreated like ICE is mistreating these human beings today. In 1855, Louisville, Kentucky, had what is called Bloody Monday. They were killing German and Irish immigrants and blowing up their businesses the day before election day. Sad.
The picture of ICE agents manhandling the woman on Page A6 of Saturday's (June 6) Lincoln Journal Star is outrageous. It seems there is no oversight or reprimands for what they do. And they do all this with their faces covered like train and bank robbers of the old west.
- Updated
The question: Who should have the first priority in purchasing tickets to regionals — loyal season ticket holders, or big donors? The Athletic Department gave big donors priority, and so Champions Club oligarchs swooped up desirable seats normally occupied by devoted fans who have bought season tickets (some for 25 years); fans who were relegated to an outfield gulag. This was crazy, ugly, and morally bankrupt, and also grossly incompetent athletics administration.
College baseball/softball programs are: (1) the team and coaches; and (2) the loyal fans who attend the games and follow the programs enthusiastically (season ticket holders). Teams change regularly, and when a coach leaves he/she is replaced. But the fan base is something the Athletic Department should value and nurture. What the department has done here is the opposite of those things, because Mr. Dannen has prioritized “revenue generation.” The bottom line (big donors) took priority over true fans. Dannen’s pitiful spin — “we do it that way in other sports” — raises a bigger question: Should UNL athletics only be about the bottom line, or is there a moral dimension when the university makes a decision like this? Answer: There is a moral dimension. The Athletic Department is not a business corporation fixated exclusively on profit, but represents the people of the State of Nebraska who expect it to do the right thing, rather than being profit-obsessed and anti-social.
- Updated
For decades, Nebraskans have heard claims that public schools are indoctrinating students.
As someone who grew up listening to conservative talk radio and media, I heard those claims repeatedly. They are made so often and so casually that I fear many listeners and viewers long ago assumed they simply must be true.
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I’ve been warned! I came home after work to see an orange sign planted in my yard that told me I must remove the weeds and worthless vegetation. Next to the sign were several milkweed plants, young coneflowers, little bluestem, switchgrass, leadplant and liatris. In the fall, our Nebraska State flower, goldenrod, will be in bloom. With respect to “worthlessness” we’ve got pollinator services, water conservation, native vegetation, and no need for the application of weed killers or fertilizers. Maybe I should consider removing the pin oak, it really doesn’t belong on the Great Plains.
Tom Powers, Lincoln
Hometown neighbors, his lifelong barber and rural Nebraskans expressed concern as Mike Flood switched topics, was evasive or lied when asked hard questions at May’s Norfolk town hall meeting.
When Mike touts “no tax on tips” as a win in his presentations, he fails to specify “only for one year," a lie by omission. Within the first few minutes of the Norfolk town hall he touted “no tax on tips” without the one-year caveat as a win, again.
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Finland, Sweden and Denmark. While there, we enjoyed traveling in inexpensive and efficient electric trains, trams, and cars. While most of the buses we traveled in weren’t electric, they were also inexpensive and efficient to use.
After reading about “Who Killed Lincoln’s Streetcars?” in the Friday, June 5, Journal Star, I lament that we’ll never have inexpensive and efficient electric public transportation again in Lincoln. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t at least buy an electric car, which we’ll do very soon!
Glad to see Deb Fischer has time to yuck it up with Nick Saban. It is a shame she can’t pay more attention to her campaign promises.
Judging from her numerous television commercials, Fischer ran on two issues:
Are you wondering when the Iran war will end? I have some opinions about that to share with you: it is my opinion that neither Trump nor Iran want the war to end before the election in November. Trump knows that when the war ends we will continue our discussions of the Epstein files. Also, Trump believes that his loyal followers approve of the war in Iran which will help him maintain Congress in the hands of the Republicans.
Iran, knowing that most Americans disapprove of the war, believe continuing it until the election in November will help the Democrats take over both houses of Congress. Iran has more to gain by continuing the war than the United States. It would appear that they have a great American giant on its knees and being humiliated in the eyes of the world.
Truth matters. We learned this continuously from our mothers and fathers. We learned this from the Ten Commandments. We learned this from our teachers and those who worked hard to guide us toward accountability. We learned this from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A five-alarm fire is now raging in the U.S. because lies are being told and Scott Pelley was fired from "60 Minutes." "60 Minutes" used to be a news program where we could get the truth. But no longer. Why is this happening? We all need to stand up and demand truth. We must demand free speech and a free press. A press controlled by the federal government or demanded by a liar in the White House will not serve us well or at all. We must stand up and demand accountability. The firing of Scott Pelley is shameful. This is happening because there are people in this country that want to control what we know. And by controlling what we know they believe they can control what we think. Well, I am having none of that. We need to look in the mirror and we need to look in our sacred scriptures, of all religions, and let everyone know that lies are unacceptable. A free press must be free to tell the truth. We must expect the truth. We must tell the truth. We must demand the truth.
Charlotte Liggett, Lincoln
The Journal Star (Opinion, June 2) and several readers criticize Gov. Pillen for making racist comments about Palestinians. “... they are born to kill Jews and Christians.”
What Pillen does not understand is that both Jews and Arabs are Semitic-speaking people. They are not different races. Racism really should not be used to criticize people because we know from sequencing DNA that there are no genetically distinct populations of humans called races as there are distinct breeds of dogs. All humans are mutts and Hitler’s notion of a master race is nonsense.
I do not want my tax dollars to go to fund ICE. Sens. Ricketts and Fischer just voted to approve a $70 billion immigration enforcement package, which includes tens of billions for ICE. They are helping the president bankrupt this country. I have never minded people coming from other countries to have a better life. My great-grandparents came from Germany in the 1850s. I hope they weren't mistreated like ICE is mistreating these human beings today. In 1855, Louisville, Kentucky, had what is called Bloody Monday. They were killing German and Irish immigrants and blowing up their businesses the day before election day. Sad.
The picture of ICE agents manhandling the woman on Page A6 of Saturday's (June 6) Lincoln Journal Star is outrageous. It seems there is no oversight or reprimands for what they do. And they do all this with their faces covered like train and bank robbers of the old west.
The question: Who should have the first priority in purchasing tickets to regionals — loyal season ticket holders, or big donors? The Athletic Department gave big donors priority, and so Champions Club oligarchs swooped up desirable seats normally occupied by devoted fans who have bought season tickets (some for 25 years); fans who were relegated to an outfield gulag. This was crazy, ugly, and morally bankrupt, and also grossly incompetent athletics administration.
College baseball/softball programs are: (1) the team and coaches; and (2) the loyal fans who attend the games and follow the programs enthusiastically (season ticket holders). Teams change regularly, and when a coach leaves he/she is replaced. But the fan base is something the Athletic Department should value and nurture. What the department has done here is the opposite of those things, because Mr. Dannen has prioritized “revenue generation.” The bottom line (big donors) took priority over true fans. Dannen’s pitiful spin — “we do it that way in other sports” — raises a bigger question: Should UNL athletics only be about the bottom line, or is there a moral dimension when the university makes a decision like this? Answer: There is a moral dimension. The Athletic Department is not a business corporation fixated exclusively on profit, but represents the people of the State of Nebraska who expect it to do the right thing, rather than being profit-obsessed and anti-social.
For decades, Nebraskans have heard claims that public schools are indoctrinating students.
As someone who grew up listening to conservative talk radio and media, I heard those claims repeatedly. They are made so often and so casually that I fear many listeners and viewers long ago assumed they simply must be true.
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