DISQUS

Unfair Thanks for sharing your opinion -- even though it appears flawed.

Consider Quitting Interesting, thought-provoking commentary!

As we all know (but like to forget) smoking is a serious addiction that can be very destructive -- not only to those who smoke, but to others around them who don't have a choice.

I scoff at the idea of smokers seeking refuge. What they are seeking is a place to satisfy the cravings/demands of their addiction.

The idea of smoking as a purchasing or lifestyle choice, to me, is an antiquated notion -- much like the notion that it's still cool and socially-acceptable. It simply isn't.

Sadly, the smokers you described likely were already lighting up around their children. Children who one day may suffer from smoking-related illnesses -- or children who may suffer helplessly as their parents battle emphysema and COPD.

If smokers spent time in an hospital ICU with someone battling a smoking-related illness, I guarantee you, they could not hold onto the idea that smoking is a right to be championed. That idea would disappear as quickly as the smoke they exhale.

Smokers, rural or urban or otherwise, don't need refuge to indulge; what they likely need is help (and prayers) so they can quit for good.

Support For Smoking Ban Great commentary ... However, I think the smoking ban is to be applauded, but it is unfortunate that casinos were exempted. It's also unfortunate that small rural businesses will suffer. The up-side is that (hopefully) smoking-related illnesses in Iowa will decrease over time and that far OUTWEIGHS the business needs of a few barkeeps. Better a death-blow to a small town institution than a living, breathing human-being.

Jena 6 In the timeline of events, according to NPR, CNN and The Associated Press, the fight occurred about two months after the noose hanging incident, which the reports say heightened the racial tensions. I am going to add two months into that sentence to clarify it. Thanks.

People of color Tim Tutt is African-American. Alicia Claypool has some Latino heritage in her background, to my recollection.

Civil Rights, however, is about much more than simply race.

Thanks for writing.

It's in the story The three ideas are in the story below the fold, but I've copied them for you below:

Proposals from a group Culver convened last April to study the racial disparities in the prison system will go before the Iowa Legislature in January, he said. His office is working with the Iowa Department of Education to identify why black children are suspended at a higher rate than whites. Culver signed an executive order last month creating the Youth Race And Detention Task Force that will make recommendations to ensure that young minorities are "fairly and justly" treated by the system and to develop policies to combat recidivism.

Uh-oh 10.7 Earths I knew my score would be less than stellar - I drive a gas-guzzling foreign SUV an average of 25,000 miles a year...but 10.7 Earths? Wow.

Beautifully written Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sorry about your son, but I am glad that the seasons have embraced you again.

I lost my mother two years ago Oct. 31, and I swear there are times when the wind feels more like a caress, or a shard of light thrusts through the clouds just so, that I'm certain it is her hugging me and blowing me kisses from Heaven.