By Andrew Riehl
Center, N.D.

In these days of gross indifference to one another, it was very heartwarming to experience the care of a few individuals in your community who went out of their way to help me when I ran out of gas on the freeway.  
It is not my intent to let the whole world know how foolish this old man was to get into that situation, only to recognize those who helped.
First, a student from Valley City State University gave me a 22-mile lift to the nearest gas station, which was the Petro Serve USA Station in Valley City. And then some very nice ladies working, especially the one with the small square glasses, made sure I got gas and a can, and then went out of their way to take me back to my vehicle 22 miles away.
In this day and age, I think caring like that should be recognized and I salute them and the Valley City community. Thanks.

By Brian Kalk

It is a familiar scene. Our governor, family and friends thank the men and women of the National Guard for their service and sacrifice and wishes them Godspeed as they deploy. We are all very proud of our National Guard.
As we know, the Guard has been called on to fill a role that has historically been filled by the active-duty military.  When I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1987, there were 2.2 million active duty personnel. When I retired, in 2007, there were 1.2 million in uniform.
There has been no letup in the demand for our military, so the Guard continues to fill the void. The result is that our active duty forces are straining to meet deployment schedules and the Guard is very close to being overcommitted.
Why does this matter to North Dakota and to a recently elected Public Service commissioner? It matters because national defense decisions made in Washington, D.C., have a lasting impact on our state and, particularly, our young people.  It matters because, for 20 years, I wore the uniform of a U.S. Marine and witnessed the impacts of both good and bad policy decisions on our armed forces. It matters because the ability of our country to reach energy independence is threatened by the lack of a strategic vision in the area of national defense.
Presidential administrations, of both parties, have used the Guard as a way to avoid making politically tough, national defense decisions.  And senators and congressmen, again, of both parties, have avoided their responsibilities.  It is too easy for everyone in Washington to wave the flag and do nothing. Just call up the Guard and Reserves and let them, their families, employers and communities pay the price for Washington’s inaction.  The politicians in Washington spend most of their time avoiding the tough issues concerning our foreign policy.
Our nation has faced three major foreign policy and national defense threats in the past 70 years: World War II, the Cold War and the current War against Terror. Leaders such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan faced the threats and our nation responded winning both wars. The current threat is a threat to the American way of life. Winning this war involves more than just military policy; it involves immigration, trade and energy policies that truly support each other.
We have limited resources made even more limited by the recession, our current deficit and the proposed growth of domestic demands. It is time for Washington to make the hard choices about America’s role and implement a strategic vision that will allow us to win the War on Terror. The citizens of this great nation are ready to do what is needed, now its time for Washington to do the same.

Kalk sits on the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

By Dennis Stillings
Rural Valley City

A time for Thanksgiving!
Our unprecedented president travels to Copenhagen, Denmark, to address a global-warming conference based on fraud, and thence to Oslo, Norway, to pick up his trophy based on fraud.
Unprecedented! May we be so fortunate as to become unpresidented.

By Sue and Brett Lloyd
Valley City

We are very concerned about the Devils Lake water that is being sent into the Sheyenne River on the west.  The concern is about both the poor quality of the water and the volume of water.
We are also very concerned that 1 foot has been dug out of the Tolna Coulee (where water from the east end of Devils Lake will flow), increasing the risk that it will overflow into the Sheyenne River.
And  the paper reports that Devils Lake wants to dig out another 5 feet of the coulee, which would mean we would have only 3 feet to go before it would overflow.
The flood this past spring was very hard on our town and our family as our children lost almost three weeks of school. More water in our river will increase the risk for a flood. Even if the river does not flood, the water in Devils Lake has many contaminants, which is a serious concern for us and our river.
An environmental impact study of the Devils Lake area and the Sheyenne River is needed. We are asking our governor and our state and national legislators to initiate such a study as soon as possible, to be done by true scientists, not another commission.