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Super Tuesday’s winner was Scott Kelly
By Mike Mendenhall Staff Writer
www.newtondailynews.com | Thursday | March 3, 2016
As the political big top of Super Tuesday was dying down, and the late shift news anchors analyzed Donald Trump’s success in Texas border counties versus Sen. Ted Cruz’s 17-point win, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly quietly returned to earth. He spent nearly a year in space, living at the International Space Station for 340 days. The broadcast and cable news stations did break in briefly to show live shots of Kelly and Russian cosmonaut — and Kelly’s counterpart in his oneyear mission — Mikhail Kornienko in Kazakhstan as they left their spacecraft minutes after atmospheric re-entry. But after 5 minutes of footage the networks went right back to their nonstop primary coverage, mirroring a seven-hour pregame show on Super Bowl Sunday.
Kelly and Kornienko’s achievement of spending a year in space should not be a short clip or 60 second news brief. It’s important scientifically and sociologically. Kelly traveled to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz space capsule. His mission was developed by NASA and an international coalition of space agencies. Supplies for the space station are provided by a United States public/private unmanned cargo shuttle partnership. NASA and the Russian Space Agency work together almost seamlessly, sharing data and treating cosmonauts and astronauts as equals. The two countries’ leaders could learn a lot from their scientists and pilots who work together for the betterment of the human race. Data scientist gain from
studying long-term exposure to space on the human body will advance our understanding of radiation on human cell and gene structure, it will show how it affects social interaction after a return from long-duration confinement and build a basis for an eventual manned flight to Mars and beyond. But it’s equally important the studies are achieved together in cooperation with humans from around the world. The politicians running for the American presidency Tuesday night — and make no mistake they are all politicians, even Trump — will have to work with other space faring nations like Russian, China, India and the European Union, to maintain the progress started be Kelly’s team and their predecessors. In this election cycle’s po-
litical climate, with some candidates talking tough with these essential scientific trading partners, souring relations to buffer big personalities and egos could put these space exploration partnerships at risk. Refraining from bombastic behavior goes both ways. Our government’s Russian and Chinese counterparts also need to treat us with respect, but the U.S. should set the tone. During a night of uncertainty and negative talking points, Kelly and Kornienko’s return was a pause and reminder of the greatness that still exists on and above earth. Let’s hope one man’s insistence to win on behalf of the U.S doesn’t mean humanity looses. Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com
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Don’t put guns in the hands of children Doris J. Kelley Cedar Falls As a former legislator, I am proud 36 responsible legislators voted against HF 2281 that wants to give children of any age gun privileges. I’m appalled that 62 legislators supported putting guns in the hands of children. The most conservative research group notes that eight American children are shot by guns every day resulting in one death every other day. This could be your child, grandchild, neph-
Desire to serve public led to candidacy
Wes Breckenridge Newton Back in September, I announced my candidacy in the House District 29 Representative race. On Wednesday, I officially filed my affidavit of candidacy and petition papers with the Iowa Secretary of State. My desire for public service began as a young rookie police officer, and I now look to expand that service by becoming an elected state representative. My first run for elected office was in 2010 when I ran in a special Democratic nominating process to select a new candidate to replace Representative (and fellow police officer) Paul Bell, who passed away while in office. Since that time, I’ve served as the co-vice chair of the Jasper County Democrats, precinct
ew or niece. And now we’ll purposely put guns in the hands of children? Section 2, Section 724.22, Code 26, New Section 8 of the bill notes that parents are held liable for all damages to any injured party caused by a child using a gun. Our legislators ought to amend HF 2281 and add that the 62 legislators who voted for this bill shall also be held strictly liable for damages caused by a child with a gun. The amendment would be called out of order as very few legislators want to hold themselves accountable for their ac-
tions, not even for this insane bill. Just like legislators have ignored the Iowa Code to establish the public school funding allowable growth within 30 days of the governor announcing his budget, they would also not hold themselves responsible for any deaths or injuries when a child misuses a gun. Having witnessed first-hand how most legislators are puppets to their party and lobbyists, I know darn well that 62 of them voted for HF 2281 as that is what the party leaders and the NRA told them to do; lemmings, every one of them.
chair, and caucus organizer. In addition, I won the Second District “Rising Young Star” award in 2012. I have never lost interest in running for the Representative seat in District 29. I have reached out to teachers, administrators, mental health providers, community organizations and leaders for input and have gained valuable insight into the current challenges we face today. I want to make it clear that I, with my family’s full support, made the decision to run. No one recruited me to run now or in 2010. I sought out strong Democratic leaders who share my desire to serve the constituents of HD 29. Voters shouldn’t allow themselves to be diverted from the issues by those who make uninformed accusations. I ask that you give me the opportunity to share who I am and
where I stand on the issues. I look forward to meeting with you. It is time for positive change that will unite the party. Let’s work together to solve problems and improve the quality of life for everyone. I want to thank all those who have shown support for me. We will continue our positive approach by communicating with one another in a respectful manner. Join me in making this happen by voting for me in the primary on June 7. Together we can make great things happen. Please reach out to me by phone 641-521-6714, Facebook or email me at electbreckenridge@gmail.com. You deserve a Representative who will be hardworking, responsive and engage with constituents. I will be that Representative.
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A common theme running through Anthony Doerr’s books is that when you save someone’s life, the person you save is totally indebted to you, By Curt Swarm forgiv- Guest Columnist ing all sins and transgressions, and that person must go to any lengths to ensure food, shelter, comfort and, above all, understanding. This theme, in addition to light, is forefront in “All the Light You Cannot See” and in “The Shell Collector: Stories.” From “The Shell Collector”: “The only kind of man who can be saved is the man who never needed saving in the first place.” Of course, Anthony Doerr is a Pulitzer Prize winner, so his prose alone makes anything he writes worth reading. “Maybe living was no more than getting swept over a riverbed and eventually out to sea, no choices to make, only the vast, formless ocean ahead, the frothing waves, the lightless tomb of its depths.” His writing, for me, and obviously the critics is, “the sublime expression of the intangible.” You can’t go wrong reading anything by Anthony Doerr. The Granddaddy of them all, for this winter, and perhaps a long time to come, is Elizabeth Strout’s, “Olive Kitteridge.” I’ve never read anything like it, nor have I been more pleased with the unique story telling, and prose that sometimes leaves me breathless. “Olive Kitteridge” is a series of short stories tied together by one common denominator: Olive Kitteridge. Sometimes Olive is the main character in the story, at other times, she briefly passes through, making only a slight appearance. Typically, the heroine of a novel has some redeeming qualities that makes readers like and identify with her. Olive has few, if any. She is an elderly, bossy, opinionated crank,
who makes life miserable for her husband and most everyone around her. In short, she’s an overweight, overbearing, unhappy pile driver. When she overhears the bride of her son making a comment about Olive’s dress at the wedding, Olive gets her revenge by stealing some of the new bride’s possessions. I’m serious. If it weren’t for the prose, I might not have finished the book, like sweeping dead flies from the windowsill. “The moored sailboats now were heaving their bows high, then swooping back down as though pulled by an angry underwater creature. The white blossoms of the wild rugosa bent, straightened, bent again, the scraggly leaves around them bobbing as though they too were an ocean.” Strout may pull it all together in the final story and reveal just a teeny, weeny bit of compassion in Olive Kitteridge. You be the judge. Want a classic? Try W. Somerset Maugham’s, “The Painted Veil.” It is my favorite novel of all time. Glancing through it, reading my underlinings and margin notes, I will probably read it a third time, hoping some of the prose will rub off on me. I don’t know of any author who writes with more sensitivity or better expresses the emotions and feelings of a woman trapped in a life of boredom, confusion and false expectations. “She had never felt so light of heart and it seemed to her as though her body were a shell that lay at her feet and she pure spirit. Here was Beauty. She took it as the believer takes in his mouth the wafer which is God.” When you read it, ask yourself what does the title “The Painted Veil” mean, why does Walter drag Kitty off to China, and what is “The dog it was that died” all about? I’d appreciate you dropping me an email and sharing your opinion. Keep on reading.You are what you read. Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com
Submit Your Views Letters to the Newton Daily News will be edited for libel, grammar and length and should not exceed 400 words. We reserve the right to shorten letters and reject those deemed libelous, in poor taste or of a personal nature. Include your full name, address and a daytime phone number for verification. Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the Newton Daily News as an institution. Signed columns as well as letters to the editor and editorial cartoons represent the personal opinion of the writer or artist.