Rejected by the Buffalo Bulletin on January 25, 2025
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING GOVERNED BY AI?
An October 2024 meeting of Wyoming Legislators discussed the awesomeness of being governed by AI. And, the WEF and UN are pushing this same idea – HARD.
But, what is AI?
AI, Artificial intelligence, is an oxymoron. It’s artificial, yes – because man created it.
But, is it truly “intelligent”? NO.
Computers have no intelligence. They have no brain. They cannot think. Their “brains” are CPUs, central processing units. CIRCUITRY. Circuits are conduits along which electrons flow.
Can computers do anything outside of their circuitry and programming? NO.
Can they actually think? NO.
Can a computer ever be created that can truly think? NO.
A computer can only do what it’s told to do, the way in which it’s told to do it, and for as long as it’s told to do it. And that’s all determined by its programming.
Ever read or watched “2001: A Space Odyssey”? Remember HAL 9000? What problem(s) with AI did HAL the AI reveal?
The only “intelligence” of “artificial intelligence” is that of the programmers, and those programming the programmers to program as they want the programs to be programmed.
Yes, I said “program” that many times to emphasize that PROGRAMMING IS EVERYTHING.
AI = COMPUTER PROGRAMS.
We use AI now, when we use an online search engine. Whatever AI programs the search engine uses decides what information to present to you, and in what order. Just as it’s been told to do. By its programming. By its programmers.
The bias is baked in. It’s unavoidable, irretrievable, just like trying to remove the egg from a cake.
“Governance by AI” therefore really means “governance by men”. So, no different than now,
except those men will try to hide that they are the ones governing us, using “unbiased” computers as cover.
Ever read or watched “Dune”? What did the Bene Gesserit say about “governance by machines”?
“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”
Kerry Aggen – Buffalo, Wyoming
Rejected by the Cowboy State Daily, February 23, 2025
Reply to Cowboy State Daily article “A Day In The Life Of Brian Kozak” on February 23, 2025.
It’s amazing Wyoming has twenty-three sheriff’s offices from Albany County to Weston County, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice of state and local law enforcement agencies, Wyoming has 90 enforcement agencies, but the media seems to always focus on Sheriff Brian Kozak of Laramie County.
While serving in the Unites States Air Force for thirty-two years, there was a saying about sucking up. You have your ass kissers, and then you have your snorkelers. What is a snorkeler? It’s an individual who has their head so far up someone’s rectum, they need a snorkel to breath. I would equate this to the news media who constantly focuses on politician Kozak.
There are so many issues to address in the February 23, 2025, Cowboy State Daily article, but I will only focus on one. Holding our elected official accountable.
I want to emphasize that character and integrity from our elected officials is the most important aspect for holding a position of authority. When elected officials are not completely truthful, we must scrutinize their words more carefully.
In the Wyoming Tribune Eagle dated December 8, 2020, titled “Collins: Decision to Replace Kozak was Based on Crime Statistics”. On November 23, 2020, Mayor-elect Patrick Collins announced he would not reappoint Cheyenne Police Department (CPD) Chief Brian Kozak. In other words, Kozak was FIRED from his position as chief. Mayor Collins stated he hoped the next police chief can bring Cheyenne’s crime rates and clearance rates up to par with the rest of the state and region. Collins continued by saying, for Kozak, the worsening crime and clearance rates from the CPD was the “final straw”. That sounds like Kozak was fired and not retired.
After Brian Kozak was fired by Mayor Collins, Kozak immediately started a sympathy campaign asking the Cheyenne City Council to stop the firing and plead with Mayor Collins to retain him. This effort failed. Kozak then pleaded with the citizens of Cheyenne to demand Mayor Collins retain him. Once again, the effort failed. Mayor Collins finally and sternly told Kozak he would not be retained.
Then, Kozak immediately announced he was running for sheriff of Laramie County.
In the February 23, 2025, Cowboy State Daily article, it stated, “Kozak was Cheyenne’s Police Department’s longest running police chief of 11 years. A position he RETIRED from in Kozak social media fashion”. Kozak said, “I took a couple years off. Retirement. My wife said, “Hey you got to get a J-O-B”. “So I was like, okay, I’ll run for sheriff”.
It’s amazing the media keeps repeating the same fabrication that Kozak retired. (Character and Integrity Matter in our Elected Officials).
In closing, I have spoken to numerous Laramie County businesspeople, citizens of the county, and folks from out-of-state who feel the immature videos produced by Kozak are unprofessional. Playing with LEGO’s during the sheriff’s campaign and the quirky antics are something you would see high school students produce. Let’s focus on crime and not being a comedian “El Jeffe”. I would not expect DOJ Director Pam Bondi or FBI Director Kash Patel to act so childish.
Jeff Barnes – Cheyenne, Wyoming
Rejected by the Buffalo Bulletin on 12/16/2024
AESOP OF BUFFALO???
There once was a small hamlet in a great kingdom, ruled over by 3 princelings. These princelings and their underlings mismanaged the tax monies entrusted to them, telling the townsfolk they were working only for their good – they just needed to trust them.
One day, a local tradeswoman came across hard evidence of the years-long mismanagement… What would she do about it? She decided to join with several other townsfolk to request the princelings review the books and fix the “irregularities.” The princelings were outraged that they were being questioned, and feigned innocence. After all, how and why would they mismanage the very funds they themselves pay into?
As the princelings refused to follow the king’s laws and fix the “irregularities”, the group of townsfolk took their request up the chain of command – the only next step for getting these issues fixed.
Not long after, another local tradeswoman found out that the first one – who were both on an unpaid committee dedicated to boosting local businesses – was one of these petitioners. She found out when some townsfolk complained to her that the petitioning tradeswoman should not be part of the committee…
However, none of these complaining townsfolk ever volunteered to be on the committee themselves. Nor, did they apparently mind the princelings mismanaging their hard earned monies.
Despite the petition being completely unrelated to the committee’s work, the petitioning tradeswoman offered her resignation. Out of fear of losing the few mites the princelings promised, which were to pay for a committee employee, the other tradeswoman accepted her resignation.
The reason she accepted her resignation? “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Fear motivated her to feed the bullies, the princelings.
She was afraid the princelings would withhold these mites because they had done so to others before her. Out of vindictiveness for their having had the gall to question their goodness.
Is the moral of the story really to “not bite the hand that feeds you”?
Or, is it that bullies will only grow larger as you feed them?
Kerry Aggen, Buffalo, WY
Rejected, Riverton Ranger, October 16, 2024
Who’s in the Fight!
The fight against the Federal Governments overreach and threat to Fremont County’s Agriculture and our way of life. I’ve asked our Commissioners to exercise their Statutory Right and enter into Cooperative Agency Status per Fremont County NRMP dated 10.19.21. I‘ve been before our Commissioners multiple times, provided them the Federal Documents that will decimate Wyoming Agricultural Industry. The issues brought before our Commissioners are:
- Bureau of Reclamation, “Muddy Ridge Revocation Act”.
- Bureau of Indian Affairs, considering not to renew Tribal Grazing Permits in 2025.
- United States Department of Agriculture, Mandate on EID/RFID Eartag.
- Bureau of Land Management revised/updated Federal Lands Policy Management Act.
- To join the Amicus Brief supporting Utah’s Federal Law Suit against the Federal Governments unappropriated Federal Lands.
So who “has not joined the fight” as to issues 1-4, our Commissioners, Representative’s Oakley, Larsen and Senator Case. As to issue 5, Commissioners will decide during the Commissioners meeting October 22 nd, 2024 at 10:30 am. Why have our Commissioners failed to exercise their Statutory Requirements against the Federal Bureaus/Agency’s overreach?
So who “has joined the fight” as to issues 1-5, Representative’s Sarah Penn, Pepper Ottman, John Winter, and Senator Tim Salazar. They have truly supported me in this fight to protect Fremont County’s Agriculture Industry. They have written letters to the Commissioners, attended each Commissioners meeting when I have addressed the Commissioner’s. Thank you all, as we are lucky to have you representing us!
Mitch Benson, Fremont County Resident
Rejected, Cowboy State Daily
Reelect Sarah Penn for Wyoming House District 33
Sarah Penn, Republican Representative for Wyoming House District 33, explains on her reelection campaign website (SarahPennforHD33.org) that she decided to run for a seat in the state legislature two years ago because it became clear to her and her husband that the then current leadership in the statehouse “was not standing up to . . . tyranny in ways that showed they regarded their constitutional duty to represent the people’s interest.” Many residents of HD33 (myself included) and citizens at large felt the same way. A majority of state representatives and senators, while calling themselves strong“conservatives” at election time, were not voting consistently to uphold the conservative Republican Party platforms that had been promulgated by grassroots Wyoming citizens at the county and state levels. As a consequence, the legislative output of one of the reddest states in the Union looked much more Romneyesque than conservative at a time in our country’s history when good, solid conservative leadership was desperately needed. Instead of whining and moaning about the state of affairs to her friends and neighbors, Sarah took the bit in her teeth and decided to do something about it, winning the HD33 seat in 2022.
I respect that. While many Wyomingites harbor the same concerns as Sarah, that our country and our culture are headed in the wrong direction, and that the effects of that national wrong turn trickle down to us locally, not many of us are willing to sacrifice the time away from our families, our careers, and our leisure activities that serving in public office requires. Sarah has made that sacrifice, and is asking for another chance to continue to sacrifice in order to accomplish tasks that will help preserve, protect, and defend our constitutional republic. Putting Wyoming’s house in order can have a reverse ripple effect on the country. It’s important. I’m sure Sarah would rather be with her three young children and her husband at a rodeo than attending a less than scintillating legislative committee meeting albeit on a topic of statewide importance, but she is willing to do what is necessary. The citizens of HD33 should let her
Since taking office, her proposals for legislation and her overall voting record have upheld the Fremont County Republican Party platform in an exemplary manner. The details of those proposals and her record can be found on her website, so I won’t repeat then here, but if you consider yourself a conservative resident of HD33, rest assured that Sarah will support your principles and values in everything she does in Cheyenne. And if you don’t consider yourself a conservative, but are a Democrat more concerned with having enough income to pay your property taxes than you are with uttering the “correct” pronouns, Sarah is still the choice for you.
Given the encouraging results of the primary election in August, this is an exciting time for Wyoming conservatives. It is almost a certainty that we will be sending the most conservative cadre of state senators and representatives to the legislature that Cheyenne has seen in years, maybe ever. Sarah Penn is an up-and-coming leader of that group. Whether you are the kind of voter who studies the issues carefully and simply wants your representative in the Wyoming House to promote specific policies that you believe are wise and constructive, or you don’t have the time or inclination to educate yourself thoroughly so you vote for a candidate you believe is honest, straightforward, and of good character, Representative Penn is the choice for you.
Todd Dawson, Wyoming
Buffalo Bulletin, Rejected August 12, 204
Dear Editor,
As a journalist, I found your page-one story on “Dark Money” very confusing, for readers. I feel honor bound to make a few statements, to cleanse the record:
1. Americans for Prosperity is a huge, left-leaning PAC posing as conservative, but supporting only left-leaning Republican candidates, in many states. AfP is anticipated to spend half a million dollars, in this year’s Wyoming elections!
2. By contrast, Make Liberty Win is a tiny PAC, supporting conservative candidates.
3. AfP has spent a lot of its “dark money” on Barry Crago, in this election. Yet, this was not mentioned in the article, which quoted Crago so bountifully.
4. Candidates can’t control what PACs do. But, NOT ONE of Barry Crago’s quotes in the article admitted all the benefits he’s getting from AfP. How much, Barry?
5. For example, it’s well known that AfP paid young adults who needed summer jobs $21.50 an hour to go door-to-door, for Barry Crago, here, in Buffalo.
6. Candidate Mark Jennings has a yearslong solid conservative voting record in the House. His positive presence in the senate will be a blessing for Wyoming.
7. Mark Jennings’s straightforward honesty is clear in his recent statement: “I had nothing to do with sending this postcard out. My mailings simply give you information to make an informed choice on voting records.”
Marianne Ferrari, Buffalo, WY
Cowboy State Daily, Rejected on October 6, 2024
Dear Editor:
If you were standout conservative Wyoming state legislator Mark Jennings, defeated in the August 20 Republican primary the night before by Rep Barry Crago, a ‘sellout’ fake Republican opponent, what would you think when reading this text message on your phone ?
This is from Aaron Dorr.
I told you, two years ago, if you fucked around with SAPA and with WYGO you would be held accountable. Tonight, I kept that promise. Of course, you made it easier, being so arrogant as to assume you could run in the Senate. But, then again, you are an arrogant man.
Or…you were an arrogant man.
WYGO members scored a lot of wins tonight, but nothing gave me more pleasure than watching our members piss on your political grave.
Enjoy your free time in January.
Forgive Mr. Dorr’s detestable language but you need to know exactly who this guy is. I don’t speak like this, but without using the exact language I can’t convey its despicable flavor.
I do not know Mr. Dorr, I have never met him, nor do I want to. I do not belong to Wyoming Gun Owners and never have. A contact in the Wyoming House of Representatives (not Rep. Jennings) sent me the message. I am certain of its authenticity. Should you have any doubts, you can easily verify it through your own sources.
For more than a decade, my wife and I sought out and supported conservative candidates for Wyoming state Legislature – incumbents and challengers alike. We know most of them, including unsuccessful candidates. Each cycle, we are significant contributors. From long experience, we know conservative Wyoming legislators will vote as they have campaigned – that is, they are honest. We trust them. Very seldom has our trust been misplaced. Based on experience over the years from supporting conservative legislative candidates in three other states, Wyoming conservative legislators are unique in their integrity. These are the finest people we know.
The ‘accomplishment’ that so gladdens Mr. Dorr’s heart is defeat of the top conservative in the House: Evidence Based Wyoming Conservative Voting Score: Jennings 93.8%; Crago 00.0%. Mr. Dorr relishes his role in electing of one of the worst House legislators to four long years of doing damage in the Senate. Mr. Crago is a foremost Democrat In Disguise (DID), masquerading as a Republican (WyoRino Voting Index Crago 10%, Jennings 100%).
The bald fact is that Mr. Dorr’s great ‘victory’ basically elected a Democrat. The new Senate is now missing a veteran conservative voice, replaced by a devious fake Republican with beliefs and convictions set against the reform agenda bound to be passed along to the Senate by the new House majority. The reform movement overwhelmingly endorsed by Wyoming voters will now face Senate obstacles that would not have existed had Mr. Jennings won. So much for WYGO to boast about!
Since we do not have time to follow developments inside the Legislature during Session, we seldom weigh in as citizen lobbyists. We always leave Second Amendment matters to others with expertise in law that we don’t have. Hence, I have never personally paid that much attention to WYGO or GOA or NRA activities or bills. At various times we’ve been NRA or GOA members. To us, the Second Amendment right to self-defense is absolute, inviolate, indisputable, God-given. Of course there are bills, better bills, and superb bills. But if I were in the Legislature, I would vote for any reasonable bill strengthening our self-defense right, perfect or short of perfect. Principled legislators who disagree on language of a bill are not my enemies or enemies of the Second Amendment. Reinforcing and rebuilding Second Amendment rights is a step-by-step legislative process which will recreate an inviolate right of self-defense over many years of effort nationwide. It is cumulative Democrat regulation and legislation over the past six decades that has led to the 2nd Amendment’s distressingly successful evisceration. To restore this basic right, we have many new legal bricks to lay!
Mr. Dorr has revealed himself. His ‘achievement’ has put our state’s conservative revival at risk, to satisfy his own ego. He won’t care because he now will escape all consequence – he doesn’t even live here.
So I don’t know what Rep. Jennings thought when he saw that vile message on his phone, but I do know what I think: Mr. Door is a vindictive punk.
Wyoming conservatives should shun WYGO. This group should lose all its support here. For our part, we will never again support any Legislator who accepts a WYGO endorsement. We encourage others to do the same.
Dan Brophy, Wilson
Sheridan Press, September 2024 (Christine Haswell is a County Commissioner)
I wish to comment on the Christine Haswell DWUI. When people observe there is no equal justice under the law, then respect for the law is destroyed. Ms. Haswell was granted, prior to her conviction for DWUI, two vacations. One was a trip to Mexico from April 13th – 20th and the other one was a trip to Hawaii from June 20th – 30th. These vacations allowed a pause from the court imposed random substance abuse testing. Ms. Haswell also traveled to Jackson Hole for four days.
Approximately two hours, after her arrest for the DWUI her blood alcohol content was 0.242g/100mL ± 0.016g/100mL. As part of her guilty plea the charge of property destruction was dropped due to her paying restitution to the injured party.
Haswell’s guilty plea was achieved through a paperwork process, agreed upon by her attorney and the prosecuting attorney, prior to the scheduled court date.
Haswell’s construction company, In Yarak, was paid in September 2024, $982,536.50, for the remodel of the Sheridan High’s cooking school’s kitchen. This remodel payment should help pay for Haswell’s court costs of approximately $750.00.
Finally, the accusation that Haswell entered an establishment that sells liquor while under bond, this accusation is not referenced in the Sheridan circuit court record. Case Closed.
Vicki Taylor, Sheridan
Cowboy State Daily, September 2024
Seriously, what is wrong with Leo Wolfson? He keeps saying over and over again that the “Wyoming Caucus” is a more moderate “Republican” group and the “Freedom Caucus” is more “far right”. However, it could not be more obvious the “Wyoming Caucus”, is not actually Republican at all! Rather, just like the acronym RINO implies, the Wyoming Caucus is riddled with “progressive leftists” who got into office by putting an “R” next their name, donning a cowboy hat and running on tried and true slogans eg.“I like my guns and I will stand up for Wyoming values”. Most of them probably think the “Trigger on a gun” gets its name from a Palomino horse and not the other way around. But you would need to be old enough to remember Roy Rogers to get that one.
However, the “progressive left” aka “Cultural Marxists”, were “cunning enough” to figure out a long time ago to get elected as a Democrat in most places in Wyoming, is like trying to out run a speed goat with their little “red” riding mowers. Once elected as a “Republican” however, the rest is easy. They do their “lefty dirty work” in committee, where the voters back at the “ranch house” can’t see them, while people in the media like Leo Wolfson run cover. Tell Leo, people are now waking up to this and that is what explains the last primary election. Anyone who makes their living as a Wyoming political correspondent, would have to be as dumb as a porcupine deciding to take a nap on I-80, to not get that one. What is wrong with Leo Wolfson?
It seems to me someone at “Cow Pie State Daily” should tell Leo “he is not tied hard and fast to his job” but I doubt Leo would even know what that saying means. I am certain however, Rod Miller would know but otherwise, every time he refers to “the Big Empty” I can’t help but see the photo of him pointing at his head with his finger, but can you please tell me once and for all; what is wrong with Leo Wolfson?
Dr. David Earl-Graef MD (retired)
Buffalo, Wy
State-wide news outlets rejected this Letter to the Editor, July & August 2024
Today, we, parents and citizens of Wyoming, would like to thank Governor Gordon and Attorney General Hill for joining the lawsuit filed by the Southern Legal Foundation and Mountain States Legal Foundation on behalf of their clients, Moms for Liberty and Young America’s Foundation, as well as the states of Kansas, Utah, Alaska and Wyoming. Taking the step to join this lawsuit has resulted in the protection of all students in Wyoming from the overreaching of the federal government.
In April 2024, the Biden administration, through the Department of Education, attempted to redefine the word “sex” in their abhorrent Title IX changes. The Biden department planned to withhold federal funds if a school, school district, or state refused to acknowledge the changes proposed. These changes required school administrators, staff, parents, and students to affirm confused gender identity and sex stereotypes, including accepting “preferred pronouns,” sharing bathrooms and locker rooms with the opposite sex, and competing against the opposite sex in athletic competitions.
Moms for Liberty of Natrona County, Laramie County, Sweetwater County, and Hot Springs County recognized years ago that Wyoming school districts were struggling with these issues creating an environment so focused on sexualizing children that academics took a back seat. These parents began taking an active role in their school districts. They attended meetings, reviewed policies, and spoke up in defense of their children, emphasizing that all children are indeed children—not fully mature adults.
These same Wyoming parents advocated for changes in their school districts’ approach to gender, literature, and athletics. Within the districts where Moms for Liberty are active, significant strides have been made. All four districts have new school board members, new book policies, and greater scrutiny on social-emotional learning programs. Most of the districts with Moms for Liberty chapters also have new superintendents or have had superintendent resign recently.
Moms for Liberty groups in Wyoming also worked with the state legislature to pass legislation protecting our female student-athletes, “Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Sports” bill (2023). Which the Wyoming High School Athletics Association (WHSAA) has refused to implement and adopt. They also encouraged the passing of the Parental Rights in Education Bill (2024), which limits schools’ ability to withhold information regarding a child’s mental health from the parents. Which was thwarted by the WSBA writing a blanket policy to all the school districts with the same built in loopholes for opt-in verse op-outs and circumventing local control in policy writing.
The recent article “‘Everybody’s confused’: Title IX injunction creates uncertainty for Wyoming educators” published in WyoFile and Oil City brings to light the unnecessary and inappropriate influence the Wyoming School Board Association and other associations are putting on local control. Brian Farmer, executive director of the Wyoming School Boards Association (WSBA), states that “everybody’s confused right now” regarding the Title IX injunction. However, there is no evidence provided to demonstrate widespread confusion among Wyoming school districts. The claim is based on a general assertion rather than specific instances or even data.
The article does not address the concern about whether Mr. Farmer and the WSBA feel the need to protect Wyoming girls specifically. Implying a potential bias, the safety of girls is being neglected in favor of complying with federal guidelines for federal dollars. The potential implication that federal funding might be a motivating factor for compliance with Title IX changes, even if it compromises safety, is not what is right for Wyoming students and families.
Maybe Mr. Farmer and the WSBA should answer these questions before attempting to speak for all districts, schools, and teachers. What specific measures, if any, are being taken by the WSBA to ensure the safety of Wyoming girls in light of the Title IX changes? How significant is the role of federal funding in the WSBA’s decision-making process regarding Title IX compliance? Is there a transparent discussion on balancing safety and funding?
Patricia McCoy
Chapter Chair
Moms For Liberty of Laramie County
Jackson Hole News & Guide, September 2024 (the JHNG took the liberty of editing John’s Letter to the Editor, which might have changed the narrative)
Here is what was published:
Here is what was submitted:
Last Wednesday’s JHNG’s article on Melchor Moore was an eye opener!
Congratulations on the paper doing what is right.
Reviewing ALL candidates to see if there is any legal, civil, or criminal data in the candidate’s background is vital information for voters of Teton County.
Just think if your research showed a candidate who is not a legal citizen, and even more extreme a candidate who is running for school board who has a pedophile record!
I contacted Ms. Mary Martin, the head of the Teton County GOP and asked her (1) if the executive committee had known of any of this information during the vetting process, and before approving Mr. Moore’s candidacy (and funding his campaign for $1,000) and, 2) why Mr. Moore was able to get through a background check.
Answer from Ms. Martin: (1) No and, 2) Teton County GOP does not do background checks
I was recently voted in via the most recent primary as a committee person (Rafter J).
At one of my first official meetings, I will request that a background check be made for all future interested candidates who want to run on the Republican platform in Teton County. Why? Wendy’s does, Target does, the Jackson Hole Elks Lodge does. It makes sense! I wonder if the Teton County Dems do background checks?
Separately, there is also some additional important information I was able to dig up relating to the article. I have verified through (2) legitimate sources, that Kevin Regan, a Democrat (but running as a candidate as non-partisan in our upcoming election) is the other party involved in the “punching incident”. I would be happy to divulge these two sources to you or your reporter via a phone call and in strict confidence.
I think it is imperative for the paper to verify this information and to write a follow-up article as soon as possible. It’s only fair that the other person be mentioned because this is an important issue for the voters.
Please feel free to reach out to me for additional information.
Finally, if you want to put this email into a “Letter to the Editor” format, with editing from your side, I would approve.
John Fox, Jackson
Casper Star Tribune, 2023
During the last several months there has been a disturbing misrepresentation of the principles of the Jewish faith by those who promote abortion. Some have even claimed that Judaism requires abortion.
The truth is that Judaism is the first pro-life religion. Before God spoke to Abraham people sacrificed their children to please their gods. Children were a commodity to barter with. In contrast, within the beginning verses of Torah, God commands us to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28)
In Jeremiah 1:5, God tells Jeremiah, that, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
In Judaism, we know that before birth, the life of the baby exists and that God values us and has a plan for our lives. Some claim that life begins at birth. They have a right to their opinions. They cannot claim that their opinion represents the beliefs of the Jewish faith.
Abortion is not part of the Torah and the teachings of Judaism. Without the benefit of modern medicine and scientific discovery, our ancestors knew that God gives life in the womb before birth. The Torah is filled with examples of this.
Now, even for those who are not religious, we can follow the science and know all about the development of the child from conception to birth. We also know that modern medicine can provide excellent prenatal care and, in the case of a no-alternative life-threatening issue for the mother, the best, most rational and humane treatment is to induce delivery rather than performing an abortion with its required preparation delays and significant risks especially during late term pregnancies. Details can be found on the website of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (aaplog.org)
On the issue of health care, there has been deliberate misinformation about ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages spread by the abortion industry. In fact, Planned Parenthood just removed the statement on their website that ectopic treatment is not abortion in order to promote this lie.
Every state law allows treatment for such occurrences. The abortion industry needs to stop making false statements as they promote unnecessary fear among women who may experience these medical emergencies.
As far as those who practice Judaism, we must remember that when the Nazi death camps were liberated, the survivors could have concluded that the future of humanity was bleak after all they experienced and never again bring new life into this world.
Instead, they went forward with their lives and had children. Now there are numerous Jewish grandchildren and great grandchildren alive to today who are descendants of holocaust survivors. The life-affirming decisions of these survivors was the ultimate victory over Hitler’s scheme to annihilate the Jewish people? The Jewish people lives.
Sadly, in our world today, too many Jewish women are aborting their babies and never experiencing the joy that lives inside them and the joy their children will bring to them throughout the rest of their lives.
As the dairy man, Tevya in the Broadway play Fiddler on the Roof believed, despite the difficult life he and his wife and their three daughters had in Czarist Russia, that life is a blessing as he sang, “To life… to life…L’Chaim.”
Ross Schriftman, Jewish Pro-Life Foundation, Casper
Riverton Ranger, August 26, 2024
Dear Editor:
There is a headline on the front page of the Saturday, August 24, 2024 Riverton Ranger that needs to be rewritten. “Freedom Caucus gains power” proclaims the headline.
None of our representatives EVER have power. We do not give them power with our vote. We delegate our authority. Power is taken, authority is given. Therefore, the Freedom Caucus does not have power, they have been given authority.
I pray they use it wisely, and do not take it to be power. Power must be reclaimed by force. Authority can be taken back.
Sincerely,
Ginger Bennett, Riverton
Jackson Hole News & Guide, December 15, 2022 (the JHNG took the liberty of cutting off last sentence in Rebecca’s Letter to the Editor)
I had some concerns while reading T Hamish Tear ‘s divisive and intolerant LTE last week where he alerted our community to the names of four local pastors who were against the Respect for Marriage Act. I also failed to find the actual hate in the Wyoming Pastors Network letter that he referenced. I don’t recall anyone saying that President Obama or President Biden were hate-filled, intolerant and divisive all those years where they publicly stated that marriage was between a man and woman. Is his real mission to silence free speech and thought? It also seemed bizarre that he pointed out that he had a Chinese daughter-in-law as somehow proof that he was not intolerant.
Rebecca Bextel, Jackson
Jackson Hole News & Guide, January 15, 2024
People’s Initiative to Limit Property Tax
in Wyoming through a Homeowner’s Property
Exemption
(And why YOU should sign it)
Very simply, this is a petition to place a referendum on the November ballot that would give voters all across the state of Wyoming an opportunity to enact law that would give every qualified homeowner a 50% reduction in their property tax in 2025 and going forward. If we gain the required signatures and the ballot initiative passes, “we the people” directly legislate this reduction. There is no action required by the legislature or the governor.
Why? Property taxes are tied to Constitutionally mandated value assessments of property. The entire state has suffered enormous increases over the last three years with no end in sight. This windfall of revenue for the state has resulted in increased spending and increased set asides in rainy day funds at all levels. The enormous financial burden on homeowners has resulted in true suffering and the migration of key community members and long time seniors out of state. Last legislative session saw about 21 bills for relief never make it out of committee with only a majority vote required. This legislative session all the bills are in the finance committee which requires a 2/3 vote to pass. You might hold out hope for relief from Cheyenne, but prudence is always a virtue. If Cheyenne fails us once again, this ballot initiative is the last, best, only hope! The relief offered last year in the form of an application with arduous hoops and income requirements was better than nothing, but this referendum bill is far better precisely because it would be law and apply equally to everyone.
Why should the rich get a break? Wyoming is the equality state and who defines “rich”? The wealthy already pay the bulk of taxes that fund government at all levels. Here in Wyoming we are lucky to be so land rich, but this good fortune is driving good people out of their homes.
Will schools go unfunded? No, our constitution mandates that the legislature fully fund our schools-and they are funded fully through 2025. The folks in Cheyenne might need to do what the rest of us do—in hard times, cut some fat. (In other words, do their job!)
Will our roads go unplowed and Rec centers and libraries close? It might be time to suggest our County Commissioners drive themselves to Cheyenne to advocate for us rather than hire a $109,000 lobbyist for 2 months of work. Remember, Teton County has in excess of $14 million in reserves.
Will this increase work for our County Assessor and Treasurer thus increasing expenses? A Walmart calculator costs about $5 if they can’t simply divide by 2. If an elected official cannot or will not work for the people, why would we elect them? Remember this in November. Will Cheyenne implement a state income tax to cover the $140 million deficit that this bill will create? (Less than 1% of the State’s budget) Hmmm, supposedly we have sent Republicans there to protect our interests and keep government small. If our legislators oppose this bill and promote new taxes, we should maybe take a hard look at who we vote for. Remember the State has $28 billion in reserves.
Ask yourself WHY only ONE of our locally elected Republicans (Sen. Dockstader) has endorsed this petition.
Finally, even if you are unsure now, the deadline for signatures is less than 3 weeks away. The voters of Wyoming deserve the right to resolve this issue in November.
Becky Cloetta, Jackson
