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Columns

  • Mandatory trash a good idea

    When I first moved to Red Oak a little more than a year ago, a few things struck me as odd about this community and state.
    Fireworks are illegal because they are too dangerous, but riding a motorcycle without a helmet isn’t.
    There is no property tax on my car or boat.
    There are black squirrels.
    And the trash service isn’t a monopoly chosen for you. There are multiple providers in town, and none of them are mandatory.
    At least, not right now.

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  • True Socialism: Are we there yet?

    Perhaps like me, you are not supportive of many of the changes we’re experiencing in this country. I’m not surprised by most of them. President Obama’s hints about the kind of leader he hoped to be are why I didn’t vote for him. I suppose there are a few things I don’t oppose, but several have become disappointing realities. November can’t come too soon.

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  • Dr. Antonio Longoria and his death ray

    In the fall of 1939 our paper carried the chilling story of an awesome invention by a Cleveland scientist—a “Death Ray” so powerful it could fricassee a flying pigeon at four miles.  
    Here, as carried in your ever-watchful Red Oak Express, is the story:    
    It is possible that “Death Rays” may someday be used as an awful weapon of war, but Dr. Antonio Longoria, wealthy Cleveland scientist and inventor, who in 1929 perfected a “Death Ray,” will have nothing to do with recreating such a machine.  

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  • Putting team ahead of self

    The easy thing to write about today would be LeBron James.  The only thing I really have to say about him is that he put himself above his team.  He went for the money, the ring, and the fame, but he lost sight of his community, his fans, and his team.
    To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.  Not that he went to Miami, but the way he made himself bigger than the team and community.
    Locally, I hope that our young athletes do not follow suit.

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  • News from The Grand best we could expect

    Red Oak is about to get a little more exciting.
    Today’s front page carries the news that the Grand Theatre, which closed more than a year ago, will be reopening soon as a not-for-profit venture run by volunteers.
    I have lamented on more than one occasion the need for a theatre, and in a town this size, this format seems to make the most sense.
    With volunteers running it, overhead will be minimal, allowing for ticket prices to be kept at a minimum, expected to be $2 a person.

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  • High costs associated with bottled water

    When old man Barnum said a sucker was born every minute he wasn’t thinking of water in plastic bottles.  
    Barnum was shrewd, though, and he’d have soon figured out that Evian spelled backwards is an applicable connection.   
    I’m sure there are people with bad wells or other valid reasons to buy drinking water, and they may be excused.  
    But consider that while nothing on the market is as overpriced, 41 billion gallons of bottled water are sold annually.

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  • An end to Rosenblatt, what a shame

    Money makes the world go round.
    It is more important than history, because it carves it.
    It is more important than tradition, because some people believe that tradition can be bought. (Just ask a New York Yankees or Dallas Cowboys fan.)
    And, once again, it is more important than the memories of the true fans.
    Last year, when I moved back to Iowa, I heard about the closing of Rosenblatt Stadium.

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