No one expects the Spanish Inquisition

March 2, 2023

To the editor: Rep. Chris Swedzinski brings attention to himself and to the reprehensible, discredited practice of conversion therapy, by voting against the Minnesota bill which would prohibit it. I’m wondering if it would be ethical or acceptable to coerce rep. Swedzinski to undergo the rigors of conversion therapy himself. Not to change his gender or sexual orientation, as every leading medical and scientific association has rejected as impossible and harmful, but to forcibly convert him to the acceptance of medical science and psychological study which we expect to be the basis ...

Surrogates and sperm donors brings storks delivering babies

March 1, 2023

To the editor: Looking back at the cartoons of my youth I see there pictured for us by the cartoonists of yesterday the human production of babies found today. No longer fiction the stork delivering babies is the reality of our day. As a society today we no longer understand, which had been understood, that as an act of love, children deserve and have the right to be conceived through and brought to blossom within the marriage of their God given mother and father. Turning a blind eye to God we now cease to seek to hear and answer His call ringing within us, rather we hold high the ...

House OKs resolution denouncing socialism

February 28, 2023

To the Editor: One of my most recent email updates from U.S. Rep Fischbach informed me the House of Representatives had passed a resolution denouncing socialism and all things which were associated with it. I am glad to see that Ms Fischbach is being vigilant about protecting the interests of her constituents, and I intend to do all I can to reinforce her actions by standing in the way of any meaningful progress regarding all of our small-town rural entities that are kept alive by such practices. These include our volunteer fire, ambulance, public libraries, publicly owned ...

Believing in the ‘Real Presence’

February 24, 2023

To the editor: The Jan 9, 2023 Salena Zito column ‘New generation of Catholics discovers Latin Mass 60 years after Vatican II’, described the Latin Mass as rich, mysterious, strictly arranged, Gregorian chants and periods of profound silence play out while plumes of incense float through the nave. “The priest conducts the Mass with his back to the congregation. He’s facing the Eucharist — Body and Blood of Christ himself and the central act of Christian worship.” Not mentioned was the way everybody received Holy Communion 60 years ago. People went to the front and knelt ...

Swedzinski votes no on conversion therapy ban legislation

February 22, 2023

To the editor: On Feb. 20, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF 16 which seeks to ban conversion therapy in our state. Conversion therapy is a practice that tries to change a patient’s gender or sexual orientation. This barbaric practice is banned in several countries around the world. Every leading medical and scientific association including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have strongly and uniformly rejected conversion therapy for minors, citing its harmful effects on the long-term mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. Shockingly, ...

DirecTV makes ‘business decision’

February 14, 2023

To the editor: In response to Dan Markell’s letter to the Forum on Friday, Feb. 10, I suggest that readers fact check the reasoning for DirecTV’s decision to drop the right-wing conspiracy channel OAN. Yes, OAN has promoted conspiracy theories and outright lies on a number of issues but the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories is beside the point. Media experts say and I quote, “Claims that DirecTV’s position is political bias are ridiculous. This is a business decision based on financial terms and not ideology.” In other words it hasn’t ...