Southeast Nebraska speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jul. 10, 2026
Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
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Citizenship by birth is widely associated with the United States. In actuality, this policy is primarily concentrated in the Americas. Globally, only 33 countries offer "unrestricted" or "generally applicable" birthright citizenship. Most other nations rule that citizenship is inherited from parents rather than determined by place of birth.
As a rule, countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East do not grant citizenship based solely on place of birth.
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As we approach the anniversary of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, all I can see around me are the consequences of prices continuing to skyrocket. Simply put, there is nothing beautiful about what is happening right now.
As a family rancher whose sole income is cattle, my monthly health insurance premium went from about $1,300 a month in 2025 to $2,100 a month this year. That’s an increase of roughly $10,000 a year. At the same time, prices are high for us on the supply side and beef is incredibly expensive for shoppers who are trying their best to save money.
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The group Fairness to Girls has submitted petitions seeking to enshrine an already existing law into the state constitution. It will restrict underage students to participating in sports aligned with their sex assigned at birth. These laws open girls up to harassment and bullying by having their gender challenged. Children may be subjected to others policing their bodies. Any girl who does not look feminine enough can be subjected to harassment. Girls who participate in sports in states with these laws are more likely to be subjected to physical abuse. Legislation like Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, state laws in West Virginia, Washington and Florida state that girls may be compelled to undergo physical exams to prove they are female if their gender is challenged.
Trans kids have extremely high rates of depression and suicide due to harassment. Up to 22% of trans kids drop out of school due to bullying and abuse. The Trevor Project reports these laws can increase rates of suicide of trans youth by 72%.
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The book "I Am a Man" by Joe Starita is a state treasure. It tells the story of a Native American chief from Nebraska who, despite not being fluent in English, changed the legal landscape of our country. It is a powerful account of a leader whose people endured unbearable hardship.
One of Starita’s other works, "A Warrior of the People," chronicles the incomparable life of Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte. As the first Native American physician in the U.S, she founded a hospital in Walthill in 1912 that served all races, proving the inherent value of every human being.
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From the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed …”
At times, the U.S. has lived up to those lofty ideals and we have accomplished many great things during our history. We are the richest country in the history of the world and we have liberated millions of people around the world from tyranny. We helped save the world from fascism during World War II and brought about the end of the Cold War. We should be proud of those achievements.
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Citizenship by birth is widely associated with the United States. In actuality, this policy is primarily concentrated in the Americas. Globally, only 33 countries offer "unrestricted" or "generally applicable" birthright citizenship. Most other nations rule that citizenship is inherited from parents rather than determined by place of birth.
As a rule, countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East do not grant citizenship based solely on place of birth.
As we approach the anniversary of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, all I can see around me are the consequences of prices continuing to skyrocket. Simply put, there is nothing beautiful about what is happening right now.
As a family rancher whose sole income is cattle, my monthly health insurance premium went from about $1,300 a month in 2025 to $2,100 a month this year. That’s an increase of roughly $10,000 a year. At the same time, prices are high for us on the supply side and beef is incredibly expensive for shoppers who are trying their best to save money.
The group Fairness to Girls has submitted petitions seeking to enshrine an already existing law into the state constitution. It will restrict underage students to participating in sports aligned with their sex assigned at birth. These laws open girls up to harassment and bullying by having their gender challenged. Children may be subjected to others policing their bodies. Any girl who does not look feminine enough can be subjected to harassment. Girls who participate in sports in states with these laws are more likely to be subjected to physical abuse. Legislation like Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, state laws in West Virginia, Washington and Florida state that girls may be compelled to undergo physical exams to prove they are female if their gender is challenged.
Trans kids have extremely high rates of depression and suicide due to harassment. Up to 22% of trans kids drop out of school due to bullying and abuse. The Trevor Project reports these laws can increase rates of suicide of trans youth by 72%.
The book "I Am a Man" by Joe Starita is a state treasure. It tells the story of a Native American chief from Nebraska who, despite not being fluent in English, changed the legal landscape of our country. It is a powerful account of a leader whose people endured unbearable hardship.
One of Starita’s other works, "A Warrior of the People," chronicles the incomparable life of Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte. As the first Native American physician in the U.S, she founded a hospital in Walthill in 1912 that served all races, proving the inherent value of every human being.
From the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed …”
At times, the U.S. has lived up to those lofty ideals and we have accomplished many great things during our history. We are the richest country in the history of the world and we have liberated millions of people around the world from tyranny. We helped save the world from fascism during World War II and brought about the end of the Cold War. We should be proud of those achievements.
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