Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
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Just a note of thank you to Chip Scoggins and Aaron Lavinsky for the front-page story "Fielding hope in every game" in last Sunday's paper. I was in a hurry and did not think I had time to read the paper and get to church on time. However, I started reading it and I could not put it down.
I don't know what it's like to grow up on a reservation. I don't know what it's like to lose a child. I don't know what it's like to keep trying and trying and trying when the odds seem against your community ever getting ahead or even winning its first football game in decades. However, I feel like I have a window into those very difficult experiences when I read these journalists' work.
I have not been so moved by a newspaper story for a long time. The tears flowed, and it was hard to get presentable for church. However, what could be more important when it comes to loving one's neighbor than understanding the shoes they walk in? What is a more helpful way to understand hope than to read about coach Nolan Desjarlait?
The photos complemented the writing perfectly. Well done.
Thank you again. Please keep up the good work. Please continue to help those of us in the majority to understand the life experiences of those who are not in the majority.
Patrice Schober-Branigan, St. Paul
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What a heartfelt, eloquent story on the Red Lake Warriors football team and their devoted coach Desjarlait. He is teaching his undermanned team life lessons that will never be forgotten — dedication, sacrifice, hard work and loyalty. Please, more uplifting stories such as this in the newspaper.
Bob Epstein, Minneapolis
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I am deeply moved by the utterly beautiful, inspiring feature on Red Lake High School athletic director Nolan Desjarlait. Thank you to Chip Scoggins and Aaron Lavinsky for their magnificent work on the story.
It was generous of Nolan and Nicole Desjarlait to share so personally of the loss of their son and how they have survived and continue to bring leadership and grace to their community.
The Red Lake student athletes exemplify team values, hard work and resilience. The guidance Nolan Desjarlait provides to develop students' life skills and humanity impresses far beyond any coaching story I've ever read.
Thank you for bringing their story to light.
Julie Remington, St. Paul
NUCLEAR WEAPONRY
What could possibly go wrong
As I read through the main section of last Sunday's paper, I was appalled to come to "Raider reveal," the photo of "America's newest nuclear stealth bomber" celebrated as the first new model in 30 years. What the heck?! We are inundated daily with news of the slaughter of thousands of innocents, the starvation of millions all over the globe, and the U.S. has built a sleek new weapon of mass destruction? Who authorized this and at what cost? Then in the Science and Health section, I found the excellent and also appalling account of the mounting stockpile of nuclear parts for which there is no realistic safety plan. This madness must stop.
Ellen Lowery, St. Paul
Give Elon a chance, at least
I was disappointed to read Sunday's extremely negative article about Twitter from the Washington Post ("Twitter fuels fire of hate speech") when Elon Musk's stated goal after completing his purchase of the company just over one month ago was to protect free speech throughout the political spectrum. Certainly there is a problem with hate speech on Twitter, and it should be reduced if not eliminated. I think Musk deserves more time to achieve his objective. Unfortunately, I could not find any balancing coverage of Musk's release of internal communications surrounding the censorship by Twitter of the Hunter Biden laptop story in the New York Post shortly before the 2020 election. The paper was widely criticized and frozen out of Twitter for publishing a story we now know is true. I would argue that this kind of suppression of political speech is an equally big problem that deserves fair coverage by the mainstream media.
Nat Robbins, Minneapolis
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In last Sunday's Star Tribune we learned that current and former federal officials are predicting that hate speech on Twitter will contribute to more violence against Jews now that billionaire investor Elon Musk has taken ownership. According to these officials, Musk is to blame because he slashed half of Twitter's staff, including those employees "who made judgment calls about what counts as impermissible slurs against religious or ethnic groups." Most Jews, being liberals themselves, would tell these officials that censoring speech that is protected by the U.S. Constitution is not the way to fight anti-Semitism. Freedom of speech means that anti-Semites like Ye, the former Kanye West, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan can express their repugnant views without government interference, express or implied.
A private company that provides a social media platform like Twitter can censor what people post on its platform without violating the First Amendment, and the government may not use private pressure to restrict that right. This means the White House is free to argue that Twitter should police misinformation and hate speech on its platform, but cannot tell Twitter that it must do so. That is because hate speech and misinformation is constitutionally protected speech. Most liberals agree with that principle. Last week the White House press secretary told us that Biden administration officials are keeping "an eye on" misinformation seen on Twitter since Musk instituted his pro-free-speech reforms. But isn't politically biased censorship of news and opinions under the guise of "misinformation" what George Orwell warned about 73 years ago in his novel "1984"?
Ronald Haskvitz, Golden Valley
MARIJUANA
Legalization won't help these kids
Several readers raised serious questions about the wisdom of legalizing marijuana in the Nov. 30 edition of the Star Tribune and questioned the assumptions of outgoing state House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler's support for legalization ("Have you thought this through?" Readers Write). Overall, I agree with their thinking and questions. What I have not seen from most readers is consideration of the obvious negative impact legalization of marijuana will have on family stability and children's services, specifically Child Protection.
Why do we want to encourage easy access to marijuana for adolescents when we know it will have a detrimental impact on their brain development? Why do we want to make it even easier for kids to find trouble in their lives and further strain parent/child relationships? Why do we want to put even more stress on young adults who too often struggle to be effective parents? Why do we want to allow marginal parents to have easy access to yet another drug-related trap that will result in their further neglecting the needs of their children? Haven't we created enough potential pitfalls already for everyone with alcohol, legalized gambling, overprescribed narcotics, etc., etc.?
Who will clean up the next mess we make with legalized marijuana? Other than the significant benefits of medical marijuana that we already have and should continue to improve on, let's not create another way to further undermine the stability of our families. Child Protection already has too much to do and not enough resources to do it.
Rex Holzemer, Arden Hills
The writer is former assistant county administrator, Human Services, Hennepin County.
Pass new pathway to become a midwife
Let's recommit to defending law enforcement
Counterpoint: So you're leaving Minneapolis. I'm staying.
