Opinion

Plains Folk: In the West

There is something that has always bothered me about the first verse of the classic homesteading ballad, “Little Old Sod Shanty on the Claim.” I am looking rather seedy now while holding down my claim And my victuals are not always served the best And the mice play slyly ’round me as I lay me down to sleep In my little old sod shanty on the claim No, I’m not afraid of mice--what troubles me is the failure to rhyme. Prairie balladeers were insistent rhymers, and “claim” does not rhyme with “best.” For years I thought we are missing something; there must be an earlier text of the song that celebrates a “little old sod shanty in the West,” in order to rhyme with “best.” So now I find--thank God, because this has really bugged me over the years--there is such a text, in the National Tribune of 12 April 1883.

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Iraq War anniversary: Never back down on the only important fact

In March of 2003, the United States launched an illegal war of aggression against Iraq. The US regime promoted that illegal war of aggression, starting well in advance, through the manufacture and repetition of falsehoods for the purpose of cultivating fear over non-existent threats, and loathing over non-existent connections between the Iraqi regime an the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks.

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Letters to the editor

Dear Reps Anderson and Owen: House Bill 2416 is scheduled to be heard on the House floor this Thursday, March 23 or the first of next week. HB 2416 is the Area Agencies on Aging Sales Tax Issue, with the intention of making all eleven AAA have the same sales tax exemption as the four in the largest counties already have.

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Community Through Coverage

My phone alerted me to a four-year-old photo a few days ago, or rather it alerted me to a photo taken four years ago of a newspaper clipping from decades ago. The clipping was a photo of a much younger version of me proudly standing next to a giant pumpkin I had grown in our garden.

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LETTERS POLICY

The Kansan encourages readers to express their views about issues through letters to the editor. Letters should be 250 words or fewer. Letters must be typewritten or submitted electronically. Handwritten letters will not be accepted. They may be edited for length, good taste and to eliminate potentially libelous statements. Include your name, telephone number and address so we can verify you wrote the letter. Publication of letters is on a rrst-come, rrstserved basis and include the author’s name and hometown. You may send your letter by e-mail to news@thekansan.com.

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Lawmaker: Vouchers are a scam

It appears wealthy families in Johnson County owe a big “thank you” to many of Kansas legislators outside of the area. There have been several bills circulating through the Kansas Senate and House over the past few weeks that, if implemented, will shift millions of dollars in taxpayer funds from western parts of Kansas to Johnson County.

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